Canada return home for last push before Rugby World Cup
Rugby 15s Senior Men
HAMILTON, ON (August 20, 2019) - Head coach Kingsley Jones has named his Rugby World Cup (RWC) long list ahead of a series of three World Cup warm up games on home soil.
A challenging Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) campaign went against Canada on the scoresheet but was of held value forJones and his team—using it as an opportunity for selection and development as they continue their build to the 2019 RWC.
“The Pacific Nations Cup was our first set of tests together following a tight training camp in Langford. Competing against some tough teams provided us a lot of really good experience and was a great opportunity for the team to get to know each other and start to gel as a unit,” said Jones.
“We were competitive enough for periods in the Fiji and Tonga tests, but we failed to get the results we may have wanted. We have to stay focused on the bigger picture of the Rugby World Cup. These games allowed the coaching staff to find our strongest combinations with different lineups and selections and we’ll continue to build on that in this next set of warm up matches in Canada,” he added.
The team rejoined this week in Hamilton where they’ll take on Leinster on August 24, before heading to Langford to face a BC Rugby All Stars team on August 30th, and then finish off their RWC send-off in Vancouver against USA on September 7th.
“This next phase is where we really ramp up our preparations for the World Cup. We’ve got a strong group of players that can play several positions at a good level which bodes well for us,” said Jones.“With this team now, we’ve seen a bit of what they can do and going up against the likes of Leinster and another showing against USA will really test us for what we’re going to face in Japan. We’ve got some tough challenges ahead of us but there’s a good energy in the team and we’ll come at it with everything we’ve got.”
Fans in the Hamilton area can purchase tickets for Saturday’s match at HERE. Broadcast details are still being confirmed and further information will be released on Rugby Canada’s channels when it becomes available.
Canada RWC 2019 Long List:
Tyler Ardron (Lakefield, ON) Chiefs
Kyle Baillie (Summerside, PEI) New Orleans Gold
Noah Barker (Courtenay, BC) Glendale Raptors
Justin Blanchet (Montreal, QC) Unattached
Nick Blevins (Calgary, AB) Calgary Hornets
Rob Brouwer (Lindsay, ON) Toronto Arrows
Hubert Buydens (Saskatoon, SK) New Orleans Gold
Luke Campbell (Victoria, BC) Toronto Arrows / JBAA
Andrew Coe (Markham, ON) Markham Irish
Dustin Dobravsky (Hanover, Germany) Castaway Wanderers
Guiseppe du Toit (Maple Ridge, BC) Toronto Arrows
Doug Fraser (Ladysmith, BC) Austin Elite
Jeff Hassler (Okotoks, AB) Seattle Seawolves
Ciaran Hearn (Conception Bay South, NL) Unattached
Matt Heaton (Godmanchester, QC) Darlington Mowden Park
Eric Howard (Ottawa, ON) New Orleans Gold
Jake Ilnicki (Williams Lake, BC) Seattle Seawolves
Cole Keith (Sussex, NB) Toronto Arrows
Will Kelly (Ancaster, ON) Toronto Arrows
Conor Keys (Stittsville, ON) Unattached
Josh Larsen (Parksville, BC) Austin Elite
Travis Larsen (Parksville, BC) Austin Elite
Ben LeSage (Calgary, AB) Calgary Canucks
Kainoa Lloyd (Mississauga, ON) Toronto Arrows
Phil Mack (Victoria, BC) Seattle Seawolves
Jamie Mackenzie (Oakville, ON) Toronto Arrows
Gordon McRorie (Calgary, AB) Calgary Hornets
Peter Nelson (Dungannon, UK) Unattached
Shane O'Leary (Cambellton, NB) Nottingham Rugby
Evan Olmstead (Vancouver, BC) Unattached
Patrick Parfrey (St. John's, NL) Toronto Arrows
Taylor Paris (Barrie, ON) Castres Olympiques
Benoit Piffero (Issoire, France) Blagnac SCR
Nakai Penny (Penticton, BC) Seattle Seawolves
Andrew Quattrin (Holland Landing, ON) Toronto Arrows
Lucas Rumball (Scarborough, ON) Toronto Arrows
Theo Sauder (Vancouver, BC) Toronto Arrows
Djustice Sears-Duru (Oakville, ON) Seattle Seawolves
Mike Sheppard (Brampton, ON) Toronto Arrows
Matthew Tierney (Oakville, ON) Castres Olympiques
Conor Trainor (Vancouver, BC) USON Nevers
DTH van der Merwe (Regina, SK) Glasgow Warriors
Pre-Rugby World Cup:
Canada vs. Leinster
August 24
Tim Hortons Field – Hamilton, ON
Kick-off: 3pm ET/ 12pm PT
Broadcast: TBC
Canada vs BC All-Stars
August 30, 2019
Westhills Stadium, Langford, BC
Kick-off: 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT
Tickets: $10 for adults and $5 for youth & can be purchased from Eagle Ridge Community Centre or the stadium gates on match day
Canada vs. USA
September 7
BC Place – Vancouver, BC
Kick-off: 10pm ET/ 7pm PT
Broadcast: TBC
Rugby World Cup:
Canada vs. Italy
September 26
Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium
Fukuoka, Japan
Kick-off: 16:45pm local time (2:45am ET/*11:45pm PT on Sep. 25)
Broadcast: TBC
Canada vs. New Zealand
October 2
Oita Stadium
Oita, Japan
Kick-off: 19:15pm local time (5:15am ET/2:15am PT)
Broadcast: TBC
Canada vs. South Africa
October 8
Kobe Misaki
Kobe, Japan
Kick-off: 19:15pm local time (5:15am ET/2:15am PT)
Broadcast: TBC
Canada vs. Namibia
October 13
Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium
Kamaishi, Japan
Kick-off: 16:45pm local time (2:45am ET/*11:45pm PT on Oct. 12)
Broadcast: TBC