Shawnigan Lake School is again proving to be one of the central and spiritual homes of rugby in Canada.
But it’s the same old, same old. It has always been that way, as the school celebrates its 100th anniversary with a rugby palooza weekend with Sir Gareth Edwards of Wales, one of the greatest players ever to play the game, the honoured guest.
The Canadian national team held its training camp at Shawnigan Lake School ahead of today’s Test match against Japan at B.C. Place Stadium (3 p.m. TSN).
Those players from the camp not selected for the Test at B.C. Place will remain at Shawnigan Lake School and play as Emerging Canada in a game today against the Derek Hyde-Lay XV at 4 p.m. The late Hyde-Lay was the legendary rugby coach and PE instructor at the school. Players on the Canada long list will be sprinkled on both rosters.
“It’s an important game for the emerging players of Canada to take this opportunity and put their hand up,” Canada head coach Mark Anscombe said in a statement. “We’re always looking to grow our depth and this is another opportunity for players to show that they’re good enough to go to the next level.”
Anscombe is busy today in Vancouver with the Japan Test match, but he and his coaching staff will be breaking down the Shawnigan Lake game on video.
The action begins at 12:30 p.m. today with the B.C. Double-A girls’ high school champion Shawnigan Lake team taking on the B.C. High School Girls’ Selects.
Then it’s the turn of the Shawnigan Lake boys’ vaunted provincial high school dynasty, winner of seven of the past eight B.C. Quad-A championships, as the Stags meet a B.C. private schools all-star team at 2 p.m.
Meanwhile, across the strait, eight returnees from the 2015 World Cup highlight the starting roster today for world No. 18 Canada against No. 10 Japan at B.C. Place. The other seven starters were selected from the young Canadian team that played in the recent Americas Rugby Championship as Canada went 3-2, with Test victories over Uruguay and Brazil at Westhills Stadium in Langford, and a Test win in Santiago over Chile.
“It’s a great opportunity for a lot of them, and it’s their first chance to establish their claim to the future,” said new Canadian bench boss Anscombe of the emerging players getting their chance today on the big-time stage of B.C. Place.
But Anscombe has not gone with one of those younger players as the captain today. He has instead dipped deeply into the veteran pool and selected four-time World Cup forward Jamie Cudmore of Squamish.
Japan, a rising rugby nation, will host the 2019 World Cup. This is seen as the opening phases of Canada’s build-up to the 2019 World Cup under Anscombe, who takes over from fellow-Kiwi and 2011 and 2015 Canadian World Cup head coach Kieran Crowley.
Canada is 8-14-2 all-time against Japan, but has not beaten its trans-Pacific rival since 2005.
