Canada’s Pacific Nations Cup team named
Rugby 15s Senior Men
LANGFORD, BC (July 18, 2019) – Head coach Kingsley Jones has named his 31-man squad that will compete at the 2019 Pacific Nations Cup (PNC).
The Pacific Nations Cup will take Canada first to Denver where they’ll open against historic rivals USA on July 27th before facing Fiji on home soil on August 2nd and Tonga on August 8th.
The PNC’s will be the first set of summer matches for Canada ahead of the Rugby World Cup, an opportunity for Jones and his team to fine tune the systems put in place during their training camp at the Al Charron National Training Centre.
“The PNC’s are a great team building effort and an exercise in building continuity and cohesion going into the World Cup, said Jones. “Exciting games coming up and we’ll find out a lot about each other.”
While the PNC’s are an integral step in Canada’s World Cup prep, Jones has noted that there are still opportunities for players outside this travelling roster to earn their spot on the final Rugby World Cup team.
“We’ve got 40 guys here at camp and can obviously only select 31 players. A couple of guys will miss out on this tour, but it doesn’t mean they’ll miss out on the World Cup,” added Jones. “The door is still open for others.”
Captaining the squad will be Tyler Ardron, back from his Super Rugby duties with the Chiefs. On top of notable internationals such as DTH van der Merwe and Evan Olmstead, the roster boasts ample Major League Rugby (MLR) talent including Toronto Arrows own Lucas Rumball and two-time MLR champion Phil Mack.
Former Ulster utility back Peter Nelson and Toronto Arrows hooker Andrew Quattrin both stand to earn their first caps for Canada during the tournament.
The PNC’s come ahead of Canada’s three domestic World Cup warm-up matches against Leinster (Hamilton, Aug 24), BC All Stars (Langford, Aug 30), and USA (Vancouver, Sept 7). Tickets for the Leinster and USA matches are on sale now with tickets for the BC All Stars match going on sale soon.
Canada’s Roster:
Tyler Ardron (Chiefs)- Lakefield, ON -Captain
Kyle Baillie (New Orleans Gold)- Summerside, PEI
Justin Blanchet (Unattached)- Montreal, QC
Nick Blevins (Calgary Hornets)- Calgary, AB
Rob Brouwer (Toronto Arrows)- Lindsay, ON
Hubert Buydens (New Orleans Gold)- Saskatoon, SK
Luke Campbell (Toronto Arrows / JBAA)- Victoria, BC
Jeff Hassler (Seattle Seawolves)- Okotoks, AB
Ciaran Hearn (Unattached)- Conception Bay South, NL
Matt Heaton (Darlington Mowden Park)- Godmanchester, QC
Eric Howard (New Orleans Gold)- Ottawa, ON
Jake Ilnicki (Seattle Seawolves)- Williams Lake, BC
Cole Keith (Toronto Arrows)- Sussex, NB
Conor Keys (Unattached)- Stittsville, ON
Ben LeSage (Calgary Canucks)- Calgary, AB
Phil Mack (Seattle Seawolves)- Victoria, BC
Jamie Mackenzie (Toronto Arrows)- Oakville, ON
Gordon McRorie (Calgary Hornets)- Calgary, AB
Peter Nelson (Unattached)- Dungannon, UK
Shane O'Leary (Nottingham Rugby)- Cambellton, NB
Evan Olmstead (Unattached)- Vancouver, BC
Patrick Parfrey (Toronto Arrows)- St. John's, NL
Taylor Paris (Castres Olympiques)- Barrie, ON
Benoit Piffero (Blagnac SCR)- Issoire, France
Andrew Quattrin (Toronto Arrows)- Holland Landing, ON
Lucas Rumball (Toronto Arrows)- Scarborough, ON
Djustice Sears-Duru (Seattle Seawolves)- Oakville, ON
Mike Sheppard (Toronto Arrows)- Brampton, ON
Matt Tierney (Castres Olympiques)- Oakville, ON
Conor Trainor (USON Nevers)- Vancouver, BC
DTH van der Merwe (Glasgow Warriors)- Regina, SK
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Don’t miss your chance to see Canada’s World Cup team compete on home soil in their two warm-up matches against Leinster in Hamilton on August 24th and USA in Vancouver on September 7th. To purchase your now, CLICK HERE.
Canada's Pacific Nations Cup Schedule:
Canada vs. USA
July 27
Infinity Park – Glendale, Colorado
Kick-off: 8pm ET/ 5pm PT
Broadcast: TBC
Canada vs. Fiji
August 2
ANZ Stadium – Suva, Fiji
Kick-off: 1:15am ET(Aug 3)/ 10:15pm PT
Broadcast: TBC
Canada vs. Tonga
August 8
Churchill Park – Lautoka, Fiji
Kick-off: 11pm ET /8pm PT
Broadcast: TBC
Pre-Rugby World Cup:
Canada vs. Leinster
August 24
Tim Hortons Field – Hamilton, ON
Kick-off: 3pm ET/ 12pm PT
Broadcast: TBC
Canada vs. USA
September 7
BC Place – Vancouver, BC
Kick-off: 10pm ET/ 7pm PT
Broadcast: TBC
Canada vs BC All-Stars
August 30, 2019
Westhills Stadium, Langford, BC
Kick-off: 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
*Ticket on-sale date and streaming details TBC