Rugby is clearly a contact sport. If you lose in that aspect, you lose games. The Langford-based Canadian national team found that out in a 33-23 loss to a large Tongan team to close out the Pacific Nations Cup at Churchill Park in Lautoka, Fiji.
“The game is about collisions and we lost those collisions massively against a good Tongan side,” said Canadian head coach Kingsley Jones.
“They ran directly at us.”
The world No. 21 Canadians finished the PNC 0-3 following earlier losses of 38-13 to world No. 9 Fiji in Suva and 47-19 to the world No. 13 U.S. Eagles in Denver. The PNC is to prepare the rim countries for the 2019 World Cup this fall in Japan.
“There was lots of learning for us,” said Jones, the Welshman, who resides in Sooke.
“We found out a lot about ourselves. The jelling the team has had to do, on and off the field, has been worthwhile. The challenge is getting the continuity and getting the selections right and getting the right combinations before we head to Japan [for the World Cup] in September. A few guys put their hands up today.”
Not even the insertion into the lineup of captain Tyler Ardron and Victoria greats Phil Mack and DTH van der Merwe — rested and kept out against Fiji last week — could change the outcome against world No. 15 Tonga.
Jones said he liked Canada’s work on set pieces against the Tongans.
“There’s lots to build on. We are growing in many areas. Unfortunately for us, we take two steps forward in one thing and two steps back in another. Today, that [latter] was in the collisions.”
Fiji finishes up against Samoa, while the U.S. and No. 11 Japan, both 2-0, meet in the game to decide the PNC championship today in Suva.
Of the 31 players on the Canadian PNC roster, 23 made the trip across the Pacific from Langford.
Canada now returns for pre-World Cup matches against Irish provincial power Leinster on Aug. 24 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont., against the B.C. all-stars Aug. 30 at Westhills Stadium in Langford and against the U.S. on Sept. 7 at B.C. Place.
“It’s a big month still remaining for us in terms of our preparation,” said Jones.
