Canadian June Test Matches

[CDN_Rugby]

I love Commonwealth and it does have natural grass

Unfortunately it doesn't have grass anymore, just that crappy field turf stuff. And who wants to play rugby on that? I agree that St. John's needs a game, as does BMO Field.

 

[LittleGuy]

Unfortunately it doesn't have grass anymore, just that crappy field turf stuff. And who wants to play rugby on that? I agree that St. John's needs a game, as does BMO Field.

You know what I didn't even notice that when the Ticats have played there lately LOL, yeah absolutely no reason to play at Commonwealth now then. I'd love to see St. John's get a game, I think they could get 5-7,000 down for a full international.

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

BC needs a better outdoor stadium, I hate watching rugby games played in mom and pops backyard. Rugby Canada needs to look at hosting all its big test matches at BMO Field in the short term. 1/2 of Canada's population lives within 5 hrs of Toronto and if they can get 13,000 out for a game against the US I hope the Italy match should be sold out. Its too bad that the Whitecaps and Lions moved back to GM Place ... I really liked the look and feel of Empire Field, playing sports outdoors under the sun as it should be played.

 

[Nielsch]

BC needs a better outdoor stadium, I hate watching rugby games played in mom and pops backyard. Rugby Canada needs to look at hosting all its big test matches at BMO Field in the short term. 1/2 of Canada's population lives within 5 hrs of Toronto and if they can get 13,000 out for a game against the US I hope the Italy match should be sold out. Its too bad that the Whitecaps and Lions moved back to GM Place ... I really liked the look and feel of Empire Field, playing sports outdoors under the sun as it should be played.

Toronto also has a large Italian community if I'm not mistaken, so it seems right that the Italy game is played at BMO Field.

I hope Georgia also gets a home match against a 6N side, Scotland perhaps. I'm pretty sure a match like that would be able to sell out the Boris Paichadze stadium in Tblisi.

 

[LittleGuy]

The venues, dates and opponents of Canada's June home matches have been confirmed with one slight change to the schedule and an unusual(but hopefully exciting) venue being selected for the Canada vs U.S.A. game. The opponents are excellent and provide winnable yet challenging games for all involved. Note that kickoff times have not yet been announced nor has ticket information been released. As well Canada is supposed to play the United States away but no info has been released about that possible matchup which was tentatively scheduled for June 30th.

Canada vs. U.S.A. Saturday June 9th, 2012 at Richardson Stadium, Kingston, Ontario.
Canada vs. Italy Friday June 15th, 2012 at BMO Field, Toronto, Ontario
Canada vs. Georgia Saturday June 23rd, 2012 at Swangard Stadium, Burnaby, British Columbia.

The Kingston location is kind of a curve ball though the stadium is a decent collegiate venue, I'm assuming Rugby Canada wants to keep transport costs down for the team and having them fly back from the east coast or the Prairies would add plenty to the tour expenses. I'm not sure how well the game will draw since Kingston is a couple of hours away from both Toronto and Ottawa and the population of Kingston and nearby towns is only about 150,000 I think having it in Ottawa or even London/Hamilton would have been a better idea.

The Italy game being on a Friday night must almost certainly be a result of a Toronto FC game being played at BMO field as well that weekend, Whie kickoff times haven't been announced I'm assuming a 7-8 p.m. EDT start. Kind of a nuisance for those of us who will have to leave work early to make it down to Toronto before kickoff. I think a good crowd will still come out, but it might be lower than if it had been a Saturday or Sunday gameday.

It's about time British Columbia hosted a game and I'm sure turnout will be good since the last time a test match occured there was November of 2009 against Russia I've only seen Swangard stadium on television and it always has breathtaking surroundings although it isn't a particularly large venue it could provide a good atmosphere if packed.

 

[Seaton]

The US should have their game in Anchorage.

That would be a sight to behold.

 

[LittleGuy]

The US should have their game in Anchorage.

That would be a sight to behold.

Alaska is one place I've always wanted to go but probably never will, I would assume that the game will be in Colorado again as last years was though.

 

[London_Italian]

All good stuff, the Canada vs Italy match should be a close one! Was highly impressed with the Canadians at the RWC, as well as the good nature of their supporters that i met in New Zealand. How are the playing numbers currently in Canada? Could Canada break into the top 10 soon?

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

Kingston has a thriving rugby community though and they got over 5,000 for the Churchill cup a couple of years ago. The club in town is strong, their are three collegiate teams (Queens being one of the strongest in Ontario) and high school rugby has a strong following. I think kingston is a great spot for the game.

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

Playing numbers vary, I would say Canada has a healthy 20,000 to 25,000 playing the game. The problem is getting kids playing at a younger age. Rugby receives a lot of competition from American Football and now Soccer.

 

[LittleGuy]

Kingston has a thriving rugby community though and they got over 5,000 for the Churchill cup a couple of years ago. The club in town is strong, their are three collegiate teams (Queens being one of the strongest in Ontario) and high school rugby has a strong following. I think kingston is a great spot for the game.

I forgot about that game Rugger and thats a solid crowd I think for this one 4,500-5,000 would be a healthy showing. It's a shame the college year dosen't coincide with the game it would be great for Queens and RMC students to be there in large numbers, as well there should be a substantial amount of visitors to the Thousand Islands tourist areas at that time of year, hopefully some American fans will come over the border from Syracuse and Northern New York State. Hopefully hosting three or four games a year becomes a regular thing and we can get some games out East and to the Prairies as well.

I'm guessing for anywhere from 10,000-14,000 for the Italy game at BMO and I'm sure Swangard will probably pack them in to capacity about 5,500.

 

[Melhor Time]

I am really pleased with Canada´s home series for June. I am esuqlly pleased for both Italy and Canada. Italy will face Argentina, Canada and the USA. This is a gret schedule for them. The only low point being a game in Argentina on the Saturday followed by one in Canada on the Friday. Thats a short turn around considering its a long flight.

Hopefully Toronto can get a 10,000+ crowd.

Hopefully it happens again in 2013 with Scotland and Romania visiting instead. Georgia going this year to North America is perfect for Tier Two rugby.

I think Canada are in great shape and I´d like to see the following team:

15 Matt Evans
14 Ciaran Hearn
13 Conor Trainor
12 Phil MacKenzie
11 Taylor Paris
10 Nathan Hirayama
9 Sean White
8 Aaron Carpenter
7 Chauncey O´Toole
6 Adam Kleeberger
5 Jamie Cudmore
4 Jebb Sinclair
3 Jason Marshall
2 Pat Riordan
1 Hubert Buydens

* Assuming DTH van der Merwe is unavaliable. Otherwise he would be 13 with Hearn on the bench.

 

[LittleGuy]

I think DTH's recovery schedule leaves him with about a 50/50 chance of being a part of the tour, its also possible he may join the team in time for the later games.

I would still like to see Monro at #10, and I can't confirm it 100% but I think Riordan may have retired I know he is not playing in the BC Premier league due to retirement so I would assume that this applies to the national team as well if this is the case Monro is likely to be the captain of the team.

Cudmore might miss the first game if Clermont advances deep into the Top 14 playoffs, this happened last year with the Churchill Cup.

The core of the team is looking good in the future and I hope we can be stronger at 12 then as has been the case recently despite Smyth performing surprisingly O.K. for most of the RWC it was time for him to retire and someone to step in Scholz looked like the go to guy but performed very poorly in the warm up games.

My lineup right now would be (assuming everyone is healthy and Riordan has retired)

1. Hubert Buydens
2. Ryan Hamilton
3. Jason Marshall
4. Jebb Sinclair
5. Jamie Cudmore
6. Adam Kleeberger
7. Chauncey O'Toole
8. Aaron Carpenter
9. Ed Fairhurst(against Italy and Georgia) + Sean White(in the USA games)
10. Ander Monro
11. James Pritchard
12. Conor Trainor
13. DTH van De Merwe
14. Phil Mackenzie
15. Matt Evans

16. Andrew Tiedemann
17. Scott Franklin
18. Tyler Hotson
19. Nanyak Dala
20. Jamie Mackenzie + Sean White (if Ed Fairhurst is available)
21. Nathan Hirayama
22. Taylor Paris(in the USA games) + Ciaran Hearn(against Italy and Georgia)

 

[LittleGuy]

It appears as though the game Canada was supposed to play in the United States on June 30th may not be going ahead, it has been removed from Rugby Canada's calender of events. This could be until it is verified but I haven't heard anything about it since January.

There are a few other tidbits, Hooker(and Captain) Pat Riordan has indeed retired. Pat ends his Canadian career with 43 caps and 20 points(4 Tries), his club career consisted of stints with the BC Bears, Pontypridd, Gold Coast Breakers and the University of Victoria. I know Pat's leadership as Captain will be missed, he was extremely popular with the team. At Hooker Canada could likely be looking towards giving Ryan Hamilton or possibly Ray Barkwill a shot, Barkwill has cracked the Super Rugby Western Force "A" squad and has played with the Ontario Blues in the CRC. He is 31 but might be able to make it into the next RWC cycle with Canada.

For the next Captain the options would probably be Vice-captain Ander Monro, Adam Kleeberger or my choice Aaron Carpenter who has captained Canada once already. James Pritchard might be an option for a vice-captain spot, he has also informed the Canadian managment team that he intends to keep on playing for Canada as long as possible and that he will have to be pushed out by better players before his International career comes to an end.

 

[CDN_Rugby]

I also read that Pritchard thinks he has another WC left in him; having Pritch around for another few years is a definite boost. And as far as captain goes, I agree with you that it should probably be Carpenter of Kleeberger, they're probably the two hardest working guys in Canadian rugby.

With Riordan retiring though, the #2 shirt is wide open. One would think it's Hamilton's but if his lineout throwing remains inconsistent, who's next? A Pletch? (God, I hope not) Or an untested and unheard of Ray Barkwill? In either case, hooker is the only position I feel nervous about going into the summer tests.

And I heard that DTH has been given the green light to resume contact, so I'd assume that he'll be part of the plans this summer. Do you know what the status is on Marshall's arm injury? Having both of them healthy for the Italy game would go a long way in managing to grab a scalp.

 

[LittleGuy]

I also read that Pritchard thinks he has another WC left in him; having Pritch around for another few years is a definite boost. And as far as captain goes, I agree with you that it should probably be Carpenter of Kleeberger, they're probably the two hardest working guys in Canadian rugby.

With Riordan retiring though, the #2 shirt is wide open. One would think it's Hamilton's but if his lineout throwing remains inconsistent, who's next? A Pletch? (God, I hope not) Or an untested and unheard of Ray Barkwill? In either case, hooker is the only position I feel nervous about going into the summer tests.

And I heard that DTH has been given the green light to resume contact, so I'd assume that he'll be part of the plans this summer. Do you know what the status is on Marshall's arm injury? Having both of them healthy for the Italy game would go a long way in managing to grab a scalp.

I agree with you on Hooker being a position of worry, I think it was the weakest spot on the field for us(possibly the #12's at the time as well) even when Pat was still in the program. If Barkwill can get some caps with the full Western Force team he'll almost certainly have to get a shot at cracking the roster, but I'm not really sure how high a level the "A" sides are especially on one of the weaker teams of Super Rugby. Hamilton did look better at the RWC, but as you said the lineout throwing has been a problem with him, as well how far can he go into games a full 80 seems like an extremely tough task and the backup options aren't inspiring either(Pletch ahhhhhhhhhhhhh LOL) or someone like Franklin playing slightly out of position.

I haven't heard a timeline yet on Marshall, I had heard of the injury and I was thinking of giving Jeff Hull a shout out or waiting for his Pro Report to come out to clarify how long it was. Something I forgot to mention in my last post is it appears Chanucey O'Toole has already been released by Ospreys since he is traveliing to Hong Kong with the 7's side and has removed the Osprey's information from his twitter account.

It's great to hear players like Pritch and Cudmore wanting to stay in the program, it seems as though they really beleive the team is getting better, after the 07 RWC a lot of players bailed quickly with tons of potential years left. I think Crowley said 80% could return which meant about 24-25 out of the 30 man squad, we have already had Smith, Riordan retire and Walsh along with Erichsen will be simply too old in four years as well.

 

[CDN_Rugby]

I agree with you on Hooker being a position of worry, I think it was the weakest spot on the field for us(possibly the #12's at the time as well) even when Pat was still in the program. If Barkwill can get some caps with the full Western Force team he'll almost certainly have to get a shot at cracking the roster, but I'm not really sure how high a level the "A" sides are especially on one of the weaker teams of Super Rugby. Hamilton did look better at the RWC, but as you said the lineout throwing has been a problem with him, as well how far can he go into games a full 80 seems like an extremely tough task and the backup options aren't inspiring either(Pletch ahhhhhhhhhhhhh LOL) or someone like Franklin playing slightly out of position.

I haven't heard a timeline yet on Marshall, I had heard of the injury and I was thinking of giving Jeff Hull a shout out or waiting for his Pro Report to come out to clarify how long it was. Something I forgot to mention in my last post is it appears Chanucey O'Toole has already been released by Ospreys since he is traveliing to Hong Kong with the 7's side and has removed the Osprey's information from his twitter account.

It's great to hear players like Pritch and Cudmore wanting to stay in the program, it seems as though they really beleive the team is getting better, after the 07 RWC a lot of players bailed quickly with tons of potential years left. I think Crowley said 80% could return which meant about 24-25 out of the 30 man squad, we have already had Smith, Riordan retire and Walsh along with Erichsen will be simply too old in four years as well.

Yeah, strange about O'Toole. When he's on he's a world beater and when he's off he'll look ordinary in a CRC game. Attitude issues maybe?

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

He has not been released by ospreys yet, he was released temporarily to partake in the hk sevens. He is heading back to Wales after the completion of the HK Sevens.

 

[LittleGuy]

He has not been released by ospreys yet, he was released temporarily to partake in the hk sevens. He is heading back to Wales after the completion of the HK Sevens.

Oh OK. thanks for the clarification Rugger, I know he will not be under contract after the end of the year though as he has already stated he needs a place to play next year. It did seem a little odd that they wouldn't just let him play out the string, they must not need him very much if they are releasing him for 7's play especially since Canada is playing the sisters of the poor in Hong Kong.

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

He is 3rd string at the ospreys right now so they really do not need him. Hopefully he joins a side next year that will give him a chance to play, I kind of had a feeling when he signed for ospreys he was going to be hard pressed for game time.