What happened in men’s soccer, where the United States vastly surpassed Canada, and in men’s hockey, where the Americans pulled up to at least comparable with Canada, appears also to be happening in rugby.
Langford-based Canada lost its third consecutive Test match to the Americans, dropping a 41-23 decision Saturday in Ottawa.
The XVs streak is compounded by the U.S. victory over Canada this summer in men’s sevens that qualified the Americans for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympic Games.
Canada was within hailing distance Saturday at 20-16 and attacking toward the U.S. goalline with 14 minutes remaining when Phil Mack of Victoria was whistled to the sin bin.
That proved costly as the Americans took advantage and scored three tries.
“In the second half, we got back into it, kept the ball, put some phases together. But the sin bin hurt us again,” Canada’s head coach, Kieran Crowley of Mill Bay, said in a statement through Rugby Canada.
“We’re giving up too many penalties, too much stupidity around that area, and too many turnovers. It just wasn’t good enough.”
It was Canada’s fifth consecutive Test loss of the summer after going 0-4 in the recent Pacific Nations Cup.
Nathan Hirayama, from the University of Victoria Vikes, started at fly-half Saturday and kicked a conversion and drop goal.
Cornish Pirates pro Aaron Carpenter scored a try and captained Canada, with Tyler Ardron out due to injury.
“We’re hurting a little bit right now,” Carpenter said in a statement.
“Every loss, we take on the chin. We know we have to do better. We have to look inside at ourselves and ask what we can do more. It’s just not good enough right now.”
Players from Island clubs involved on Saturday were Hirayama and Mack, Hubert Buydens, Nanyak Dala and Ciaran Hearn from Castaway Wanderers, John Moonlight from James Bay and Matt Evans from Duncan.
Ottawa was the final pre-2015 World Cup Test match at home. Canada has a non-Test next Saturday in Halifax against club side Glasgow Warriors in what is dubbed the Battle of New Scotland.
That is followed by pre-World Cup Tests against Georgia on Sept. 2 in Esher, England, and against Fiji on Sept. 6 at The Stoop in London.
Canada’s World Cup opener is against No. 2 Ireland on Sept. 19 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.
The other Group D matches for No. 18 Canada are Sept. 26 against Italy in Leeds, Oct. 1 versus France in Milton Keynes and Oct. 6 against Romania in Leicester.
Canada began its 2015 World Cup lead-up with a training camp in July at Shawnigan Lake School.
SCRUM NOTES: With a Pacific focus to the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, the Canadian team send-off dinner was held in Victoria. With a cross-Atlantic trek for the 2015 World Cup, the send-off affair is taking place on Tuesday at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto.
