Rugby Canada team vs. Neath
Mark Bryant
Mark
Following a stinging 52-10 defeat suffered at the hands of
Pontypridd on Saturday, Rugby Canada makes five changes to its
line-up in preparation for its last match of the Welsh Challenge Cup
against Neath at the Knoll on Tuesday evening.
Professional second-rower Tony Healy has been given leave from
his Moseley club to play for Rugby Canada on Tuesday. The 6'6",
250 pound lock, who has earned 14 caps in the Maple Leaf jersey
since 1996, will be a welcome addition to the Rugby Canada
engine-room where Leif Carlson suffers from a sore back but is the
fittest of the other three locks available.
The 29 year-old Healy brings a wealth of experience to a
second-row contingent in which none of the other participants are
capped. Healy, a former competitive swimmer, had played rugby for
only three years when he earned his first cap and went on to play in
six winning tests before suffering his first defeat in a Canadian
jersey.
He played a season in France with Marmande, and after playing
against Uruguay in Canada's World Cup Qualifying tournament in
Buenos Aires last August, joined Moseley.
Coach Pat Parfrey makes two other changes in the scrum. Prop,
Toronto's Brian McCarthy replaces Abbotsford's Harry Toews who
returned to professional duty with the Leicester Tigers after the
Pontypridd match, and Victoria's Pat Dunkley rotates into the
hooking spot for fellow Victorian Mark Cardinal with whom he has
shared the throwing in duties.
Happily Victoria fly-half Bob Ross, who has amassed 269-points in
a Canadian jersey and scored all the Rugby Canada's points in its
10-0 win over Aberavon, is over the flu and is fit to play on Tuesday
night. Other changes in the backs sees Victoria's Shane Thompson
reinserted in the centres along with veteran 11-cap holder, Toronto's
Scott Bryan. Canada's top-try scoring Victoria right-wing Winston
Stanley is re-inserted for Vancouver's Courtney Smith. Toronto's
Joe Pagano continues at fullback where he has played every game of
the campaign.
Facing Neath, who share a similar one-win-and-two-loss record
with Rugby Canada, manager Don Whidden says that despite the
harsh loss to Pontypridd, the bouts of flu, and the incessant rain, the
Rugby Canada party remains upbeat. " No matter what happens in
the last game we've already improved on last year's Welsh Cup
record. We like our chances against Neath and look forward to
coming home with an even better record than we now have."
Neath hold fourth place in the Welsh Premier eight team league with
a 5 and 4 record. They have beaten Georgia 59-14 and lost to Natal
Wildebeests 36-18 and to the Edinburgh Reivers 18-16 in the
current Welsh Challenge Trophy. Rugby Canada beat Aberavon
10-0, but lost to Caerphilly 11-7 and to Pontypridd 52-10.
Rugby Canada vs Neath.
1. Brian McCarthy Toronto
2. Pat Dunkley Victoria
3. David Penney St. John's
4. Tony Healy Victoria
5. Leif Carlson Vancouver
6. Ian Gordon Victoria
7. Rob Robson Victoria
8. Ryan Banks Burnaby
9. John Graf (Capt) Vancouver
10. Bob Ross Victoria
11. Jeremy Cordle Victoria
12. Scott Bryan Toronto
13. Shane Thompson Victoria
14. Winston Stanley Victoria
15. Joe Pagano Toronto
Bryan Ray
>2. Pat Dunkley Victoria
>3. David Penney St. John's
>4. Tony Healy Victoria
>5. Leif Carlson Vancouver
>6. Ian Gordon Victoria
>7. Rob Robson Victoria
>8. Ryan Banks Burnaby
>9. John Graf (Capt) Vancouver
>10. Bob Ross Victoria
>11. Jeremy Cordle Victoria
>12. Scott Bryan Toronto
>13. Shane Thompson Victoria
>14. Winston Stanley Victoria
>15. Joe Pagano Toronto
Well, this had better be a decidedly better result that the last game,
or things will really look dismal for the World Cup, seeing as there
are at least 7 players who will be competing for a starting spot at
that time. Those, IMO, would be Dunkley, Healy, Graf, Ross, Cordle,
Bryan, and Stanley. Of the others; McCarthy, Penney, Carlson, and
Gordon have played professionally, Pagano has been capped something
like 7 times, Thompson came out of CCSD, and Robson and Banks are both
Super League stalwarts. There is no reason this side should be getting
slaughtered by Pontypridd like they did. Absolutely no excuses. As a
very patriotic Canadian rugby fan, it's very disappointing to be going
into a World Cup with very little hope of reaching it to the second
round. It's not that we don't have the players to do it, it just seems
to me that we don't have the commitment at the coaching level or the
execution on the field. Something has to give. IMO, it's time to start
rebuilding. The CCSD is an excellent program, and by the time 2003
rolls around, we will see its benefits. For now, however, it's time to
stop giving guys like Mark Cardinal, Ian Gordon, and Eddie Evans caps.
And, as much as I hate to say it, maybe even Rob Robson, Brian
McCarthy, Tony Healy, and I hate to say it, Al Charron and John Graf.
All guys who are great players and leaders, but on the wrong side of
30, and since RWC 99 isn't looking very promising right now, maybe
it's time to look to RWC 2003. Bring in guys like Kyle Nichols, Jon
Thiel, Adam Marshall and how about some of these guys to look out for
for 2003. Here's a sort of make believe Canada Development 15 for the
future. All of these are uncapped players.
1 Mark Lawson (UVic Jutes) 183cm 113kg 18yrs
2 Matt Plant (Capilanos) 182cm 104kg 18yrs
3 Adam Dowhy (Oak Bay Castaway Wanderers) 186cm 107kg 18yrs
4 Brendan Traynor (Ajax Wanderers) 198cm 113kg 24yrs
5 Dean Parchomchuk (UVic Jutes) 198cm 108kg 19yrs
6 Adam van Staveren (Ajax Wanderers) 189cm 98kg 23yrs
7 Tim Jackson (York Yeomen) 188cm 100kg 20yrs
8 Bryan Taylor (Barrie) 198cm 98kg 18yrs
9 Ed Fairhurst (Oak Bay Castaway Wanderers) 181cm 84kg 19yrs
10 Mike Danskin (Oak Bay Castaway Wanderers) 180cm 84kg 18yrs
11 Darrel Underwood (UVic Jutes) 176cm 77kg 20yrs
12 Drew Graham (Pictou County) 187cm 106kg 19yrs
13 Matt King (Balmy Beach) 182cm 90kg 18yrs
14 Jeff Williams (Cole Harbour) 183cm 78kg 22yrs
15 John Cannon (Oak Bay Castaway Wanderers) 185cm 89kg 18yrs
Ah well, I've bitched enough. I hope our boys do better against Neath.
Bryan Ray
Philippe Torres
> 4 Brendan Traynor (Ajax Wanderers) 198cm 113kg 24yrs
> 5 Dean Parchomchuk (UVic Jutes) 198cm 108kg 19yrs
You will have Mike James on the 2nd row for the world cup. He is
talented, experienced and still young (24 or 25). I do not judge the
current results of The canadian team very relevant : how many players
are not part of the tour due to clubs obligations ?
And the world cup is still 8 months ahead...
cheers, Philippe
Bryan Ray
>talented, experienced and still young (24 or 25). I do not judge the
You mistake me, Philippe. I was not suggesting that those players
should be on the world cup team, just that they are very much the
future of Canadian rugby, I was looking more at 2003. Of course Mike
James and John Tait will be the second row for us in the World Cup.
James has really progressed with Perpignan, so much so that he is very
much a 1st class international calibre lock now. I expect big things
from those two locks come Wales time.
Bryan Ray