[2015 RWC] Pool D: Italy vs. Canada (26/09/2015)

[TRF_heineken]

Elland Road, Leeds (26/09/2015, 14:30)
Pool D, Round 2
Referee: George Clancy

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

What is there to say about this game? We've gone way backward in the past two years and it's not the players fault. Rugby Canada has played up the "amateur" card but don't believe the lies, our team is not amateur. The Sevens players all train full-time and the rest of our players mostly play in Europe. We've got maybe four guys that you could classify as "truly amateur" and they aren't our worst players by a long shot.

Cudmore
Hassler
DTH

Are all world class and wouldn't be out of place in a number of Tier 1 sides

Sinclair
Thorpe
Ardron
Paris
Mackenzie

Are all top flight pros who, while not world beaters, are quality players in their own right. Ardron and Paris are still young and should be able to move into the upper tier with time.

Carpenter
Evans
Marshall

Aren't top flight but are still decent professionals

Beukeboom
Gilmour
Piffero
Illnicki
Olmstead

Lower level professionals but still playing in a pro league, Olmstead showing a lot of promise to take his game up a few notches to the upper echelons though.

Dala
Moonlight
Mack
Jones
Trainor
Braid
Hearn
Underwood
Hirayama

All are Sevens players and all train full time so they are professional. Braid has played in Europe in Pro12 and Championship as wel and is a solid player. Mack had a cup of coffee in the Pro12 as well.

What remains is:

Buydens
Barkwill
J. Mackenzie
McRorie
Woolridge
Tiedemann
Sears-Duru

Buydens spent two seasons in NPC w/Manawatu but elected not to resign so he could be part of Canada's summer warm ups, he is a pro player
Tiedemann played for Plymouth Albion but wasn't resigned, he is a pro who can't get a contract

That leaves

Barkwill
Sears-Duru
Woolridge
J. Mackenzie
McRorie

Mackenzie played a few seasons in the Championship but has fallen off, Sears-Duru was at Leicester Academy and I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up in Europe after the WC.

That really leaves McRorie, Barkwill and Woolridge as the only true amateurs in the side.

The idea that our team is amateur is the biggest fallacy out there. Our team is pretty much a fulltime outfit and with some of the players we have we should be playing a lot better than we are.

The real culprit behind the fall from grace of the Canadian National team isn't lack of talent, it's coaching decisions and Rugby Canada's focus on Sevens which has hurt our national side significantly.

Many in Canadian Rugby have been perplexed by the coaching decisions made by Kieran Crowley over the past two years. He has regularly been picking Sevens players over proven professionals in the XVs game. Some even think the national body is forcing him to do so.

To give you an example, the management left James Pritchard (our all time highest scorer) home in favour of Harry Jones and Conor Trainor. Both are Sevens players and both looked terrible all summer. He has also regularly started them over Phil Mackenzie who is a quality player and also plays in the Aviva Premiership.

More concerning has been the continued use of John Moonlight and Nanyak Dala. Both are Sevens players but have regressed significantly in their XVs play. Moonlight was a young up and comer in 2013 and looked great in XVs and many have thought he should go to Europe but he instead chose to play Sevens. He has lost significant size because of this and is no longer a good 15s player because he doesnt ruck and can't hang with the big men. We left Richard Thorpe and Jebb Sinclair on the bench in favour of him against Ireland. People think it's because he is the face of Sevens which is Rugby Canada's main effort.

The coaching staff has made other perplexing decisions. They left Cam Pierce, a young player who plays with Pau in the Top 14, off the team in favour of Brett Beukeboom who is a lower level Championship player and clearly out of his depth here.

They also continue to rely on guys past their prime instead of opting for younger players who have played better lately.

All this to say, I know many of you don't follow Canadian Rugby or T2 rugby for that matter. That being said, Rugby Canada, through crap coaching and management decisions has put our national program in significant jeopardy. Rugby has never been more popular in Canada than it is now but we need a complete cleanout of head office.

 

[big ginger 8]

Incredible start for Canada, I knew I shouldn't have put a tenner on Italy...

EDIT: Although....

 

[TommiG88]

Great try. Italy look awful.

And they just scored haha.

 

[Groundhog]

What a few minutes of rugby. Wow

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Canadian beards adding an extra 20 stone to the front row.

 

[big ginger 8]

What an idiot.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Clancy is so ****e...

- - - Updated - - -

Game starts to flow, let me stop that for ya!!!

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

The game is going mucj the way I suspected. Moonlight looking like **** and the Italian forwards beginning to assert dominance.

 

[LeinsterMan (NotTigsMan)]

Clancy is so ****e...

- - - Updated - - -

Game starts to flow, let me stop that for ya!!!

Honestly the Irish have the worse refs.

 

[The Jones Boy]

Rugby, the game of stoppages punctuated by activity.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Honestly the Irish have the worse refs.

Yeah, England's best ref is Irish but apart from that we make rugby officiating sad!!

 

[tompaton7]

Livid right now. Had a tenner on the half time/full time split with a draw at HT and Italy winning at full time. All Canada had to do was kick off. Cost me close a couple hundy haha

 

[hermanshire]

13-15

 

[big ginger 8]

****ing hell. Probably forward but ****ing hell.

 

[hermanshire]

Italy is collapsing

 

[Superalexmarket]

YES !! YES !! YES !! Let´s go Canada, let´s beat those ....italians?

 

[TommiG88]

YES !! YES !! YES !! Let´s go Canada, let´s beat those ....italians?

To answer your question, yes they're Italians

 

[celticc]

Unlucky Canada, hope they can keep it up

 

[hermanshire]

Rubbish decision ref