Canada Names Thirty Man World Cup Sqaud, Demi-God included!!!!

[LittleGuy]

Canada becomes the first nation to name their thirty man roster and it is a very "domestic" squad with many overseas pros being left off the roster(although many of the team have played overseas previously). Obviously naming a squad this early might also result in one or two players being hurt or unavailable when September roles around so there could be some minor changes.

Canadian 2011 Rugby World Cup squad
Forwards (Home town, top club, home club)

Hookers
Ryan Hamilton (Vancouver, BC, BC Bears/CRC, University of Victoria Vikes)
Pat Riordan (Burnaby, BC, BC Bears/CRC, Burnaby)

Props
Hubert Buydens (Saskatoon, SK, Prairie Wolf Pack/CRC)
Scott Franklin (Regina, SK, Prairie Wolf Pack/CRC, Castaway Wanderers)
Jason Marshall (Vancouver, BC, BC Bears/CRC, Capilano)
Andrew Tiedemann (St. Albert, AB, Prairie Wolf Pack/CRC, University of
Victoria Vikes)
Frank Walsh (St. John's, NL, The Rock/CRC, Vandals Rugby Club)

Second Row
Jamie Cudmore (Squamish, BC, ASM Clermont Auvergne/PRO, Capilano)
Brian Erichsen (Vancouver, BC, B.C. Bears/CRC, Meralomas)
Tyler Hotson (Vancouver, BC, Plymouth/PRO, UBC Old Boy Ravens)

Back Row
Aaron Carpenter (Brantford, ON, Plymouth Albion/PRO, Brantford Harlequins)
Nanyak Dala (Saskatoon, SK, Prairie Wolf Pack/CRC, Saskatoon Wild Oat)
Adam Kleeberger (White Rock,BC, Unattached, University of Victoria Vikes)
Jeremy Kyne (Wellington, NZ/Edmonton, AB, Prairie Wolf Pack/CRC, Druids)
Chauncey O'Toole (Bell Isle, NB, The Rock/CRC, Castaway Wanderers)
Jebb Sinclair (Fredericton, NB, The Rock/CRC, Castaway Wanderers)

Backs
Scrum-halves
Ed Fairhurst (Victoria, BC, BC Bears/CRC, UBC Old Boy Ravens)
Jamie Mackenzie (Oakville, ON, Esher/PRO, Oakville Crusaders)
Sean White (Victoria, BC, BC Bears/CRC, James Bay AA)

Fly-halves
Nathan Hirayama (Richmond, BC, BC Bears/CRC, University of Victoria Vikes)
Ander Monro (Victoria, BC, Ontario Blues/CRC, Castaway Wanderers)

Centres
Ryan Smith (Calgary, AB, Prairie Wolf Pack/CRC, Calgary Irish)
Conor Trainor (Victoria, BC, BC Bears/CRC, UBC Old Boy Ravens)
Phil Mackenzie (Oakville, ON, Esher/PRO, Oakville Crusaders)
Mike Scholz (Oakville, ON, Ontario Blues/CRC, Oakville Crusaders)

Wings
DTH van der Merwe (Victoria, BC, Glasgow Warriors/PRO, James Bay AA)
Ciaran Hearn (Conception Bay, NL, The Rock/CRC, Castaway Wanderers)
Taylor Paris (Barrie, ON, Ontario Blues/CRC, Markham Irish Canadians)

Fullbacks
Matt Evans (Duncan, BC, Cowichan RFC)
James Pritchard (Parkes, Australia, Bedford/PRO)

Staff
Coaching staff
Kieran Crowley â€" Head coach
Geraint John â€" Assistant coach
Neil Barnes â€" Forwards coach
Mike Shelley â€" Scrum coach
Clive Griffiths â€" Defensive coach

 

[Dougydeluxe]

Looks good, I like how they thought more about the team and picked guys who have worked togethar and less about if they are a superstar.

 

[CDN_Rugby]

Impressive looking squad.

Does anyone know how Kleeberger's injury is doing? Between him, O' Toole and Carpenter, we have a very competitive backrow against anyone.

Just gotta hope the scrums hold up!

 

[LittleGuy]

Sorry for not giving much analysis I quickly posted the lineup when I came in at lunch.

This would be my game day squad.

1. Hubert Buydens
2. Pat Riordan
3. Jason Marshall
4. Brain Erichson
5. Jamie Cudmore
6. Aaron Carpenter
7. Chauncey O'Toole
8. Adam Kleeberger
9. Ed Fairhurst
10. Ander Monro
11. James Pritchard (I like him better at fullback but need to get Evans into the squad)
12. Mike Scholz
13. Phil Mackenzie
14. DTH Van De Merwe
15. Matt Evans

Bench
16. Ryan Hamilton
17. Scott Franklin
18. Tyler Hotson
19. Nanyak Dala
20. Jamie Mackenzie
21. Nathan Hirayama
22. Ciaran Hearn

Reserves.
23. Andrew Tiedeman
24. Frank Walsh
25. Jebb Sinclair
26. Jeremy Kyne
27. Sean White
28. Ryan Smith
29. Conor Trainor
30. Taylor Paris

 

[Darwin]

Interesting to see 5 props named, but only two hookers. I assume one of the props is capable of playing hooker if needed?

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

The Sport Canada funding players are now receiving has done wonders for the national side. National team players are now able to base themselves in Victoria and Vancouver permanently and receive subsidization in the form of $1500 a month for playing on the national team IOT cover food etc. Most of them hold down jobs but basically play rugby almost full-time. Most of these guys have played professional rugby at some point.

1. Hubert Buydens
2. Pat Riordan
3. Jason Marshall
4. Brain Erichson
5. Jamie Cudmore (Clermont Auvergne)
6. Aaron Carpenter (Plymouth Albion)
7. Chauncey O'Toole (Former Glasgow Warriors)
8. Adam Kleeberger (Played for Auckland in NPC and Rotherham)
9. Ed Fairhurst (Cardiff Blues and Cornish Pirates)
10. Ander Monro (Former Edinburgh Gunners and Colorno Italy)
11. James Pritchard (Perpignan, Northampton, Bedford Blues)
12. Mike Scholz
13. Phil Mackenzie (Esher)
14. DTH Van De Merwe (Glasgow Warriors)
15. Matt Evans (Newport Gwent Dragons)

Bench
16. Ryan Hamilton
17. Scott Franklin (Formerly Brive Top 14, Cornish Pirates)
18. Tyler Hotson (Plymouth Albion)
19. Nanyak Dala (Natal Sharks developmental)
20. Jamie Mackenzie
21. Nathan Hirayama
22. Ciaran Hearn

Reserves.
23. Andrew Tiedeman
24. Frank Walsh
25. Jebb Sinclair
26. Jeremy Kyne
27. Sean White
28. Ryan Smith (Montauban, Southland NPC)
29. Conor Trainor
30. Taylor Paris (Northampton Saints Academy)

Honestly these guys may not be true professionals but they train like them and most make more money out of rugby then they do in the pro leagues in europe. Scott Franklin and Pat Riordan for instance are both full time firefighters who make probably more in a year then a lot of the "Pro" rugby players on this team make minus guys like Cudmore and DTH who are first class players.

Rugby at the highest level in Canada is increasingly being run like a true professional outfit, much more so in comparison to our neighbors to the south, and the fact that guys like Kevin Tkachuk (Glasgow Warriors), Josh Jackson (Stade Montois) and Justin Mensah-Coker (Moseley, Plymouth Albion, and SC Albi) didn't earn a spot on this team speaks about how far along the domestic players have come under Kieran Crowley (who IMO is probably the best coach Canada has ever had, hands down way better then Suggitt). He stated that if the "Pros" in Europe weren't substantially better then their domestic counter-parts he wasn't taking them.

 

[LittleGuy]

Great points Rugger, I also think Crowley is sending a message to the overseas pros, which is, "Make yourselves available for Test matches and camps". I think its no coincedence that Cudmore appeared at the Churchill Cup and didn't just float into the maple leaf jersey come September. The CRC and ARC have really upped the domestic level competition, as well getting class sides like Salta province from Argentina to tour the CRC clubs gets some more high level rugby to our boys.

I am a little surprised at the inclusion of Walsh but perhaps a veteran hand up front isn't a bad thing on a very young team. I know the RFU championship salaries aren't particularly large, and I should point out that the five players from that league are amongst the best players on their respective teams, with Pritchard being one of the best in the entire division. I'm glad Crowley has selected Paris.

I think that a couple of guys can play Hooker in an emergency Darwin, but it is by far our weakest position on the field, Riordan at least is a good leader of the team, I think he will play as much as possible with Hamilton only coming on either very late or in a meaningless game. As well Crowley has stated that Matt Evans will be emergency cover at fly-half should Hirayama and Monro be unable to take the field.
Monro looked great at the Churchill Cup with a try and setting up for some well taken drop goals, he looked composed and effective.

I love our setup in numbers #4-8 great depth there, and the backs are looking good, lots of options as the players are very versatile. Pritchard and Monro should handle the kicking duties, with Hearn available for long distance attempts and Hirayama in an emergency.

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

Crowley is definitely trying to send a message to these guys in Europe who think they can just walk on. I am really hoping Chauncey O'Toole get a full-time contract overseas though the guy is a workhorse and was hands-down one of the best players at the Churchill Cup. I still remember playing high school rugby in NB against him and nearly ******** myself as he was a wrecking ball on the field. I am also excited as the entire world cup is going to be broadcast on TSN and TSN2 Canada's main sports network. Its going to be awesome actually see some quality rugby.

 

[LittleGuy]

Crowley is definitely trying to send a message to these guys in Europe who think they can just walk on. I am really hoping Chauncey O'Toole get a full-time contract overseas though the guy is a workhorse and was hands-down one of the best players at the Churchill Cup. I still remember playing high school rugby in NB against him and nearly ******** myself as he was a wrecking ball on the field. I am also excited as the entire world cup is going to be broadcast on TSN and TSN2 Canada's main sports network. Its going to be awesome actually see some quality rugby.

I get Setanta so it wasn't the end of the world for me but now more games will be live, but being on TSN and TSN2 and its great for casual fans of the sport and those that don't want another big add to their cable/Satellite bills. At first I was worried they weren't going to show every game but they will be carrying all 43!!!! Awesome news indeed.

I should also mention to the forum that Canada's pre World Cup schedule includes a home and away versus the United States on August 6th and 13th. Plus matches in Australia versus a Queensland Reds(select side) and an Australian Barbarians team . The August 6th game is in Toronto and is also available on TSN for viewing for those wondering.

 

[CDN_Rugby]

Sorry for not giving much analysis I quickly posted the lineup when I came in at lunch.

This would be my game day squad.

1. Hubert Buydens
2. Pat Riordan
3. Jason Marshall
4. Brain Erichsen
5. Jamie Cudmore
6. Aaron Carpenter
7. Chauncey O'Toole
8. Adam Kleeberger
9. Ed Fairhurst
10. Ander Monro
11. James Pritchard (I like him better at fullback but need to get Evans into the squad)
12. Mike Scholz
13. Phil Mackenzie
14. DTH Van De Merwe
15. Matt Evans

Bench
16. Ryan Hamilton
17. Scott Franklin
18. Tyler Hotson
19. Nanyak Dala
20. Jamie Mackenzie
21. Nathan Hirayama
22. Ciaran Hearn

Reserves.
23. Andrew Tiedeman
24. Frank Walsh
25. Jebb Sinclair
26. Jeremy Kyne
27. Sean White
28. Ryan Smith
29. Conor Trainor
30. Taylor Paris

Interesting selection. For me it looks like:

1) Buydens
2) Riordan (c)
3) Marshall
4) Cudmore
5) Erichsen
6) O' Toole
7) Kleeberger
8) Carpenter

9) Fairhurst (vc)
10) Monro
11) Hearn
12) P. Mackenzie
13) DTH
14) Pritchard
15) Evans

16) Tiedemann
17) Franklin
18) Sinclair
19) Dala
20) J. Mackenzie
21) Smith
22) Trainor

Notes
- Given that Marshall is a decent replacement at hooker (who no doubt provides more power in the scrum than Riordan) I don't feel that there is a need to include Hamilton in the match day squad.
- Having Franklin and Tiedemann on the bench provides a lot of versatility in the likely event that a prop goes down. Both can cover both sides and Franklin has always impressed me with his play in open field.
- No need to include a reserve winger on the bench due to DTH and P.Mackenzie being able to cover. Trainor is too dynamic to leave out of the reserve bench, and while I'm not a huge Smith fan, his experience and ability to cover 10, 12, and 13 is an asset.
- Gotta have Evans at fullback. We'll need creativity to beat Tonga and Japan and Evan isn't afraid to dice it up a bit.
- While White has a lot of upside, his form in the Churchill Cup was terrible. The brief bit of J. Mackenzie we saw puts him above White, in my opinion.
- Would be nice to include Hotson, but Sinclair's larger size and his ability to cover 4-8 makes him more valuable.
- Also, nice to see no Pletch's included!

 

[Melhor Time]

Canada will be very competitive in certain areas. As has been pointed out O´Toole, Carpender and Kleeberger will be very good together. They´ll be too good, in my view, for Tonga. They´ll have a great lineout too and overall look strong, better than in 2003 and 2007 despite fewer professional players.

I understand why Kevin Tkachuck was not selected but I would have, nonetheless, picked him. But I am not sure why Josh Jackson has been left out. I am not happy with Ander Monro´s selection, let alone as vice captain. I would have Hirayama at flyhalf and Conor Braid as cover. Matt Evans is also better then Monro. It seems Evans will be used as a winger and fullback.

Below is what I would have gone for. Some players here haven´t been selected.

Starting XV vs Tonga (first match):
15 Matt Evans (Newport Gwent-Dragons, Wales)
14 Ciaran Hearn (BC Bears)*
13 Daniel van der Merwe (Glasgow, Scotland)
12 Ryan Smith (Prairie Wolfpack)
11 Taylor Paris (Ontario Blues)
10 Nathan Hirayama (BC Bears)
9 Ed Fairhurst (BC Bears)
8 Aaron Carpenter (Plymouth Albion, England)
7 Chauncey O´Toole (The Rock)*
6 Adam Kleeberger (Auckland, New Zealand)
5 Josh Jackson (Mont de Marsan, France)
4 Jamie Cudmore (Clermont, França)
3 Kevin Tkachuk (Glasgow, Scotland)
2 Pat Riordan captain (BC Bears)
1 Dan Pletch (Ontario Blues)

Reserves: 16 Andrew Tiedemann (Prairie Wolfpack), 17 Jason Marshall (BC Bears), 18 Tyler Hotson (Plymouth Albion, England), 19 Jebb Sinclair (The Rock*), 20 Sean White (BC Bears)*, 21 Connor Braid (BC Bears), 22 James Prichard (Bedford, England)

Additional Squad members: 23 Ryan Hamilton (BC Bears), 24 Tom Dolezel (Prairie Wolfpack)*, 25 Luke Tait (Ontario Blues), 26 Sean-Michael Stephen (Plymouth Albion, England), 27 Nanyak Dala (Prarie Wolfpack)*, 28 Phil MacKenzie (Esher, England), 29 Nick Blevins (Prairie Wolfpack)*, 30 Sean Duke (BC Bears).

* Players who participated in the Welsh Championship as part of the Northern Wales team known as RGC 1404 in 2010-2011

Please note that the clubs are from 2010-2011 and thus not all accurate as of July 2011 but are intended to show the last team a player played for so if anyone wants to find match reports or videos they can do so easily.

 

[LittleGuy]

I think Sean Micheal-Stephen was a tough choice to leave out Canada has so much depth in the back row is the only reason I think he was left off. CDN-rugby made a vaild point about Marshall being able to cover at #2 something I hadn't really thought of and thus Hamilton can probably be left off the 22. Crowley did state he was willing to consider Tkachuk if there were some major injury issues but I still don't think we will see him at the RWC.

I though Monro looked great at the Churchill Cup I would definately have him starting at #10. Crowley will certianly mix the lineups though depending on the opponent. We might see a different squad against New Zealand which might be a meaningless match for both teams since it is the last one of the pool stages with Crowley getting guys a run out just for the sake of them getting on the field.

The warm up matches should give us some insights as to the best lienup this squad can put out on the field.

 

[CDN_Rugby]

I think Sean Micheal-Stephen was a tough choice to leave out Canada has so much depth in the back row is the only reason I think he was left off. CDN-rugby made a vaild point about Marshall being able to cover at #2 something I hadn't really thought of and thus Hamilton can probably be left off the 22. Crowley did state he was willing to consider Tkachuk if there were some major injury issues but I still don't think we will see him at the RWC.

I though Monro looked great at the Churchill Cup I would definately have him starting at #10. Crowley will certianly mix the lineups though depending on the opponent. We might see a different squad against New Zealand which might be a meaningless match for both teams since it is the last one of the pool stages with Crowley getting guys a run out just for the sake of them getting on the field.

The warm up matches should give us some insights as to the best lienup this squad can put out on the field.

Absolutely right about Monro. Obviously, he used to have a lot of critics, but his play in the past two Churchill Cups have been nothing but superb. I'm still not entirely sold on Hirayama, however. Back in 2007 he was poised to be the next big thing but hasn't done a lot yet to warrant being selected as the starting fly half in recent years. Frankly, I think Braid shows more promise than Hirayama.

Either way, congrats to all the players selected. Anything less than 2-2 should be considered a disappointment. As long as the scrum holds up and we avoid injuries, I think automatic qualification for the next WC is very possible.

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

Hirayama is a good sevens player; however, whenever I watch him play 15's I am not nearly as impressed. I think Monro does a good job getting our backs moving and is a fairly solid fly-half. He is no Juan Martin Hernandez but he is not going to embarrass himself out there either. I am happy Mensah-Coker didn't get picked I always found he was way overrated.

The Pletch's were excellent by Ontario club and unviersity standards but they were never going to compete at the international level.

 

[LittleGuy]

Hirayama is a good sevens player; however, whenever I watch him play 15's I am not nearly as impressed. I think Monro does a good job getting our backs moving and is a fairly solid fly-half. He is no Juan Martin Hernandez but he is not going to embarrass himself out there either. I am happy Mensah-Coker didn't get picked I always found he was way overrated.

The Pletch's were excellent by Ontario club and unviersity standards but they were never going to compete at the international level.

I don't think we will see Mensah Coker very much outside of the sevens circuit anymore, perhaps in some tour games against weaker opposition like Belgium but not against the bigger sides. He was always lazy on defence and prone to certain WTF moments on the field, occasionally he had a spark in attack, but the Canadian backs are strong enough now to not need him.

Glad to see the Pletch's gone as well, our Prop group is looking better over the last six months and if Tkachuk can be left off the squad then the Pletch brothers should be nowhere close to it.

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

Yes Mensah-Coker has had so many WTF moments especially on defence... not to say that he doesn't have any offensive threat cuz he def has wheels and can play with ball in hand unfortunately with defence so important in international rugby I doubt we will see him much. Tkachuk's best days are behind him... he has been playing rugby for awhile and I think it is a case of injuries catching up with him. He is a beast of a man no question but he has lost a step or two, he barely played at all for Glasgow this season and was hurt most of the time. I would say he is going to call time on his career soon. The Pletch's were never up to standard, they look terrible with ball in hand and their scrummaging is also terrible which makes them of little value at this level.

 

[CDN_Rugby]

From what I've heard, Mensah-Coker has quite the reputation as a partier. He obviously has talent, but given his fall from grace one has to question if the commitment is there anymore.

Without a doubt he has regressed, that's for sure. Top 14--> RFU Championship--> B.C. Premiership.

 

[LittleGuy]

I think teams liked his potential but that he never quite seemed to deliver the defencive problems being so glaring, his leaping mark catch versus Australia was a highlight of the 2007 RWC though.

I agree with Melhor that even with fewer professionals this team is much stronger than the 2007 squad, another topic which I think should be brought up is the teams commitment to 80 minute rugby and fitness. Lately Canada has been much better at closing out games a trend I first started noticing in Ireland and Wales tour here a couple of years ago. It used to be we would play well for an hour and then flop when the bodies became tired and the bench wasn't deep enough, now we seem to be saving some of our better rugby for the end of games.

I think Clive Griffiths has done a pretty good job encouraging defensive tactics and I am glad he is going to be there for us at the RWC. Also that scrum clinic that was run a few months ago seemed to really help out a few of the boys, while I don't expect us to be strong here as long as the penalty tries are gone and we can win most of our own feeds the team won't be left at a massive disadvantage.

What do you guys thin of the positioning of Matt Evans into the lineup? I like Pritchard at 15 for his defence and veteran leadership, but I think you have to get Evans into a spot and Pritch can be effective at wing also. I really don't want to leave either of them on the bench if I were managing the side.

 

[aucklander]

I'm Sorry but Tonga is very hard to beat this time around. I see them being too strong and will run away with this game.

 

[CDN_Rugby]

I highly doubt they will run away with it...

Lets not forget that Canada has notched a few impressive victories in the past year (France A, Italy A) even without a top choice XV. Also, Canada "A" comprehensively beat Tonga "A" last year (32-16). With the exception of their recent defeat of Fiji, I haven't seen anything that indicates that Tonga will beat Canada. Heck, Canada even churned out a better result at the Churchill Cup.

Realistically, not much separates Canada, Tonga, and Japan. However, my money is still on Canada beating Tonga in a close one.