2014 Canadian Rugby Championship and General Canadian Rugby Chat.

[canadafan]

B.C. Bears vs Uruguay stream: http://t.co/M0sDmrP4nC

Ilnicki went off injured after about 20 minutes, a bit disappointing to see.

 

[LittleGuy]

Rest of November tour confirmed.....with some locales and times TBA. It's not an awful schedule though not exceptional either, Samoa and Romania are good opponents, the RFU game will get some non-professionals and lower tier guys a run up and I'd rather play Nambia for a change(and help them get ready for 2015) than Portugal/Spain et al who aren't heading to the RWC. The neutral sites are always a bit of a letdown for atmosphere but with that kind of oppponent variety it's just not feasible to fly everywhere.

November 1st. vs. RFU Championship XV
November 8th. Namibia (Neutral site)
November 15th. Samoa, Stade La Rabine, Vannes, France
November 22nd. Romania, Stadionul National Arcul de Triumf, Bucharest

 

[Beerfalo]

Ya know, the lineup is a lot better than what I thought we were going to get. I was expecting us to get stuck with Russia and Portugal with Romania being our marquee game.

I'm fairly alright with the teams we got lined up. We get an easier test against the likes of Namibia and get to help them prepare for the World Cup. I can't see it being much different than last years Portugal game. Then we get two tough tests against Samoa and Romania, tough teams but ones that we need to be able to beat to get to the next level. Those games could definitely go either way. Plus that RFU Championship XV game will be a great test for what should mostly be domestic guys and should help get them noticed even more in Europe and New Zealand.

 

[rusty_lock]

That is about as good as we can expect, especially considering our recent results. The RFU Championship 15 will be an excellent test of our domestic players. There is a lot of talk about how good the local comp (CRC/BC Prem.) is vs. the second tier of English rugby. There is a vocal local contingent here on the wet coast that believes that we would be better off having our top players stay home and strengthening our local comp. than having them go overseas and playing in a second tier league. If they can make it in a top league its a different story. Having watched both I have always thought that the Championship is better but that there were quite few local domestic amateurs that could probably make it over there but simply have never had opportunity or inclination to take rugby to that level. The difference to me is the level of professionalism and the amount of training and type of training available. Most top domestic players, carded National team players notwithstanding, practice twice a week and hit the weight room as often as there jobs and family commitments allow them. That is a lot less than an RFU Championship player is going to get. It'll be interesting to see how they go...

Samoa will be interesting, although I'm sure the atmosphere will suck, It is an excellent test vs. a borderline Tier 1 Tier 2 team that we will have to play our very best to be competitive. The Namibia game should be a good first hit out for the team and then I'm looking forward to some Romanian revenge.

It will be interesting to see who is selected for the tour and who stays with their club through November.

 

[Beerfalo]

The CDI Prem is arguably the best league in North America but it's still an amateur competition. Unless it becomes a professional league then it won't stand against the RFU Championship. The money and the training just make the Championship a better competition. Now whether it's a better competition for Canadians is a different story. Canadians don't have the benefit of being from a EU or Kolpak nation so our opportunities in Europe are limited. Now some Canadians can benefit from the training in England and France but our options are limited unlike the Islanders and I think the Georgians. I know it's beating a dead horse but we NEED a pro North American league if Canada and the USA want to make real noise on the global scale. No one else is going to hold our hands and develop our players to the extent we need.

 

[rusty_lock]

I don't think professional rugby in North America is a reasonable expectation anytime in my lifetime. There is simply not enough bums to put in seats to sustain any sort professional league. Without bums in seats TV will not be interested in taking a chance on it. Insufficient ticket revenue, no TV revenue, no billionaire benefactor willing to lose a few million a year equals no professional league. I really think we need to look at the Argentinian model of creating the highest level amateur domestic league possible and then find ways to get our players exposure/contracts overseas.

 

[canadafan]

Wolf pack easily beat the Bears last Saturday, 31-10.

Match here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL23QzSfW1c

 

[Beerfalo]

That's a great victory for the Wolf Pack and from what I read BC definitely did their part in helping the Pack along the way. I'm definitely gonna watch it later. Hopefully the remaining 5 games go the Packs way as well haha.

 

[Beerfalo]

So how does everyone think the CRC will play out this year? As much as I want a Wolf Pack win I think the Blues will take the MacTier Cup for a 4th year in a row. I also think the bump up to 6 games, 3 home and 3 away, is a good step forwards. I do wish there was better representation across the Wolf Pack. There are only 6 players from the ERU compared to 9 from the Calgary Hornets alone. I'm not saying the Hornets aren't talented but there does seem to be a slight bias towards them IMO.

Wolf Pack looked good, with help from the Bears, and they play again this weekend in Kelowna. BC will definitely play more disciplined and be looking for revenge but I think the Pack will pull out another win, this time much closer on the scoreboard. The Blues and The Rock are opening their CRC campaign this weekend as well with the Blues hosting The Rock. The Blues have had an extensive preseason and I think they'll definitely come out fast and pull off a dominating win.

 

[LittleGuy]

I think BC were missing a few guys at the club 7's event overseas last week(e.g. Sean White), so some reinforcements might be on the way for them in the next couple of games.

I'm also going to pick the Blues, it's the deepest side and the Bears have already dropped a contest. Wolf Pack could be a dark horse though they haevn't traveled as well as some other sides traditionally. Rock would need to win all their home games and get some help, they have the thinnest roster by quite some ways and some of the veterans like Dean Blanks are getting on a bit.

Hopefully we get more contests streamed this year, last year's coverage was poor.....think I started a thread on the 2014 CRC season a while back, I could merge it into this thread if you guys want.

 

[Beerfalo]

Ya we could merge the threads. And I did notice the Bears were missing names like Kay, Ferguson, Jones and White as well as Ilnicki while Dala and Maguire are hurt for the Wolf Pack and Tiedemann just had to go and get himself a pro contract haha. A full Bears side definitely would have made it a different game. I would have loved a Kelowna road trip to see the rematch(I love rugby and the Okanagan) but my club is going up to Grande Prairie and playing a double header so it was an easy choice for me which to choose.

Also I'm really hoping to hit up the Wolf Pack/Blues game at Ellerslie next month so I can see Ray Barkwill in person. I don't know what it is about him but I just want to boo the man. I really hope another hooker makes a name for himself this year in the CRC/ARC and during the AI's because I am not confident in Barkwill being our Hooker(even if he probably will split time with Carpenter) at the RWC. I'd really hope they give Piffero a good look this fall.

 

[LittleGuy]

Ya we could merge the threads. And I did notice the Bears were missing names like Kay, Ferguson, Jones and White as well as Ilnicki while Dala and Maguire are hurt for the Wolf Pack and Tiedemann just had to go and get himself a pro contract haha. A full Bears side definitely would have made it a different game. I would have loved a Kelowna road trip to see the rematch(I love rugby and the Okanagan) but my club is going up to Grande Prairie and playing a double header so it was an easy choice for me which to choose.

Also I'm really hoping to hit up the Wolf Pack/Blues game at Ellerslie next month so I can see Ray Barkwill in person. I don't know what it is about him but I just want to boo the man. I really hope another hooker makes a name for himself this year in the CRC/ARC and during the AI's because I am not confident in Barkwill being our Hooker(even if he probably will split time with Carpenter) at the RWC. I'd really hope they give Piffero a good look this fall.

I've met him(though quite some time ago probably over a decade ago now) he's actually a REALLY good guy and that's not blowing smoke up his ass. He'd been on Canada's radar for years but when he went to OZ they moved onto other options than called him back up when Pletch et. al. weren't working out and it became clear Hamilton was made of glass. As a player he's on the downslope of his career at his age, and I think that we've been using him poorly he needs to come on for twenty minutes or so off the bench and really shouldn't be starting. Carpenter will almost certainly start in 2015 with Barks and Piffero splitting bench appearances.

Piffero looked marginally better in June than he did in November, in the fall of 2013 he wasn't very impressive, looked pretty lazy and penalty prone. He has more long term upside over Barkwill though that's without question. If Barwkill had made the professional transition earlier in his career he might have ended up beign a solid HK at Tier 2 level, but he stayed at Uni for a long time and Western Force "A".

 

[Kempistry]

Wolf pack easily beat the Bears last Saturday, 31-10.

Match here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IL23QzSfW1c

I haven't watched a ton of CRC before, but is this game typical? It looked like a bit of a sloppy mess. I actually watched this game and then the women's RWC and was kinda shocked at just how much better rugby was being played by the women compared to this.

 

[Beerfalo]

Oh I'm sure Barkwill is a great guy and a decent contributor and I feel bad for disliking him and not wanting him on the team. I mean a duo of Carpenter and Barkwill isn't TERRIBLE but I still wish we had a better option heading into next years RWC. Looking at our lineup, it's just the first position to leap out at me in a real worrisome way followed by fly half right now. I hope they use the ARC this year to test some of the young Hookers from across Canada. I guess you can say Barkwill is my Sam Gagner(a good player who is just the target of fans frustrations and hasn't quite lived up to their potential).

 

[LittleGuy]

That's fair Beerfalo, one specific thing I have been a bit dissapointed about with Barks with Canada is the lineout. With the Blues, and all his other stops he was basically a lineout machine I would see him go a couple of games without messing up a throw, while in the national team he's been simply average. Not sure if that's do to the higher level, different team mates and strategies perhaps?

I'm with canadafan on the frustration "target".....I've chosen Hirayama LMAO. Great 7's player but can't play XV's for the life of him.

Hooker is likely to be around the same or even a slight downgrade for us from our 2011 squad, the only other position I think we are worse at(and by a long way) is FH. Both have been problem positions now for a while, Monro was kind of stumbled on and served us quite well for a whle but since his retirement it's been a consensus, of young or mediocre.

 

[canadafan]

That's fair Beerfalo, one specific thing I have been a bit dissapointed about with Barks with Canada is the lineout. With the Blues, and all his other stops he was basically a lineout machine I would see him go a couple of games without messing up a throw, while in the national team he's been simply average. Not sure if that's do to the higher level, different team mates and strategies perhaps?

I'm with canadafan on the frustration "target".....I've chosen Hirayama LMAO. Great 7's player but can't play XV's for the life of him.

Hooker is likely to be around the same or even a slight downgrade for us from our 2011 squad, the only other position I think we are worse at(and by a long way) is FH. Both have been problem positions now for a while, Monro was kind of stumbled on and served us quite well for a whle but since his retirement it's been a consensus, of young or mediocre.

both hooker and FH are problem positions for us now, but I think the situation at hooker is worse.

Carpenter is a stop gap measure for now and Barkwill, who I like coming off the bench, is getting on in years. Actually they both are. The Bears hooker hasn't been able to make the step up when given a chance and Piffero is just average at best. There is hope with Casey Reed from the Wolf Pack, he looks like he has some talent and Seb Pearson has supposed to have been moved to hooker by Ontario.

FH, if Shane O'Leary does play for us, it will go a long way to solving our problems. I still like the idea of McCann at 10, but think he would be a better 12 or 15. Jones IS a better 12 than 10, but is serviceable at 10. Underwood, who I think is our best home grown option is looking more and more like Hamilton (made of glass). No body here should ever mention Hirayama and XVs again, at ANY position.

 

[Beerfalo]

Ya I'd much rather have Jones at 12, especially if it prevents Blevins from playing there. And I wish O'Leary would give Canada a go though I can easily see the appeal for playing for Ireland. What are the odds Ireland will cap him? I don't know much about Conor McCann but is he better option for 15 than Matt Evans?

As for Casey Reed, I'll need to see more of him. He's definitely talented and I hope he gets plays well in the remaining games and gets a shot in the ARC. I am hoping my brother can give him a go for his spot in the Pack next year or at least the back up position. He's new to division one but he's one of the better hookers in Alberta and Trevor Leota has asked him before to train with him in the off-season.

Also speaking of Hookers, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_Hamilton_(rugby_union) someone seems to have had a bit of fun with Ryan Hamilton's wiki page haha.

 

[LittleGuy]

Blues lineup for this rounds game......


1. Jacob Rumball (Balmy Beach)
2. Ray Barkwill (Niagara Wasps)
3. Tom Dolezel (London St. George's)
4. Hank McQueen (Balmy Beach)
5. Scott Dunham (Balmy Beach)
6. Lucas Rumball (Balmy Beach)
7. Alistair Clark (Bay Street RFC)
8. Seb Pearson (London St. George's)
9. Andrew Ferguson (Oakville Crusaders)
10. Shawn Windsor (Stoney Creek)
11. Dan Moor (Balmy Beach)
12. Derek Daypuck (London St. George's), Captain
13. Jordan Wilson-Ross (Barrie RFC)
14. Jake Webster (Lindsay RFC)
15. Andrew Coe (Markham Irish)

16. Sawyer Herron (Oakville Crusaders)
17. Rob Brouwer (Lindsay RFC)
18. Doug Wooldridge (Lindsay RFC)
19. Haddon Murray (Balmy Beach)
20. Pat Richardson (Toronto Scottish)
21. Rich Lebel (Waterloo County)
22. Dave Worsley (Markham Irish)
23. Josh Campbell (London St. George's)

 

[Beerfalo]

So is Balmy Beach the Calgary Hornets of Ontario haha.

Also the Wolf Pack have said they are keeping the lineup the same as last weekend.

1. Peter Houlihan – Strathcona Druids, Edmonton AB
2. Casey Reed – Calgary Hornets, Airdrie AB
3. James Smith – Shoalhaven, North Nowra, NSW
4. Evan Olmstead – Parramatta Two Blue, Sydney NSW
5. Spencer Massiah – Calgary Hornets, Calgary AB
6. Clayton Panga – Calgary Hornets, Calgary AB
7. Kyle Gilmore (Captain) – St. Albert RFC, St. Albert AB
8. Jeremy Kyne – Strathcona Druids, Edmonton AB
9. Gordon McRorie – Calgary Hornets, Calgary AB
10. Steven Arnold – Calgary Canucks, Calgary AB
11. Graham Turner – Calgary Hornets, Calgary AB
12. Dustin MacPherson – Calgary Hornets, Calgary AB
13. Nick Blevins – Calgary Hornets, Calgary AB
14. Adam Bontus – St. Albert RFC, St. Albert AB
15. Shea O'Hallan – St. Albert RFC, St. Albert AB

16. Ryan Ackerman – Calgary Saints, Calgary AB
17. Ryan Kotlewski – Calgary Saints, Calgary AB
18. Matt Harrison Assassins Rugby, Winnipeg, MB
19. Ian Houston – Calgary Saints, Calgary AB
20. John Moloney – St. Albert RFC, St. Albert AB
21. James Buchanan – Calgary Hornets, Calgary AB
22. Adam Mcqueen – Calgary Hornets, Calgary AB
23. Brandon Harrison – CCIAC, Cocharne AB

I'm really feeling bad that Duncan Maguire broke his ankle/leg(I'm not sure which) against my clubs 1st division team . I think he'd definitely be starting if he hadn't. Might as well post the Bears roster as well. It doesn't look too different from the one that played the Wolf Pack last week. They got some reinforcements from that Vancouver Bears team that went to the World Club 7s. Kleeberger isn't listed which is surprising to me. He looked good last week I thought but maybe they are going with youth? Also I guess Ilnicki is still hurt, I wonder if he'll see any CRC action this year or is he resting for the AI's? Also I can't find the roster for The Rock, does anyone know how they are looking?

BC Bears Roster
1. Noah Barker (James Bay AA)
2. Micha Govorchin (Burnaby Lake RC)
3. Scott MacKay (Burnaby Lake RC)
4. Callum Morrison (UBCOB Ravens)
5. Shea Wakefield (UVic Vikes)
6. Luke Campbell (UVic Vikes)
7. Chase Kelliher (UVic Vikes)
8. Admir Cejvanovic (Burnaby Lake RC)
9. Cody Rockson (Burnaby Lake RC)
10. Bryan Tyrer (UBC Thunderbirds)
11. Adam Zaruba (Capilano RFC)
12. Jeke Gotegote (Burnaby Lake RC)
13. Nathan Yanagiya (Capilano RFC)
14. Caleb Hansen (Vancouver Rowing Club)
15. Sean Ferguson (UBC Thunderbirds)
Reserves:
16. Andrew Lackner (Burnaby Lake RC)
17. Garrett Garbe (UBCOB Ravens)
18. Cody McClary (Port Alberni Black Sheep)
19. Gurvinder Kalar (Burnaby Lake RC)
20. Chris Chalmers (Abbotsford RFC)
21. Brock Staller (UBC Thunderbirds)
22. Johnny Morris (Castaway Wanderers RFC)
23. Jorden Sandover-Best (UBC Thunderbirds)

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

wait wait wait a moment, there's a team called Toronto Scottish ? must be beast