From Langford to Oz and Montevideo, the Canadian national rugby teams fanned out across the Southern Hempishere this weekend to mixed results.
Host Uruguay scored at the death in the 80th minute Saturday to pilfer a 20-17 Test victory over Canada to open the men’s XVs Americas Championship.
It’s becoming a habit, much to the chagrin of Canadian rugby, after Uruguay also upset Canada last year in the Americas’ repechage to qualify for the 2019 World Cup in Japan. The desperate Canadians eventually qualified for the World Cup, through the at-large, last-chance repechage in November at Marseille, France, but are maybe starting to feel the Uruguayans edging ahead in the hemispheric sweepstakes.
“Uruguay certainly understand how to win a little bit better than our group,” said Canadian head coach Kingsley Jones, before the game.
“But we are getting there, on the back of a few wins from November. We’re trying to get that winning habit, which is important, because games are won and lost by fine margins.”
As Canada again discovered on Saturday. Tries by Ciaran Hearn, a Castaway Wanderers product out of Windsor Park in Oak Bay, former University of Victoria Vikes stalwart Jamie Mackenzie and Theo Sauder of UBC gave Canada a 17-13 lead into the waning seconds before Uruguay struck for a converted try on the last play of the game.
The Canadian squad is a combination of veterans and those looking to break into the roster on a more regular basis.
“It’s a mixed group, with some veterans released to us from European pro club teams, and some guys who missed out playing in November [in the World Cup repechage], but who have been training well with us,” Jones said.
After Canada’s game next Saturday in Sao Paulo against Brazil, the Americas tournament shifts north for games at Westhills Stadium in Langford against Chile on Feb. 22 and Argentina XV on March 1. Both games will be broadcast live on TSN 5.
Canada closes out against the U.S. on March 8 in Seattle. That’s also a grudge match in the wake of the U.S. drubbing of Canada in the direct North American qualifier for the 2019 World Cup in 2017 at San Diego.
WOMEN’S SEVENS: In the Sydney Sevens women’s tournament, Langford-based Canada met its first speed bump on the road to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. The Canadians, quarter-final losers to the potent New Zealand Black Ferns, responded with a 12-5 consolation victory over Russia and were set to play France in the fifth-sixth game scheduled past press time late Saturday.
Sydney is the third of six women’s World Series tournaments, out of which the top four nations will advance directly to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Canada, the 2016 Rio Olympics bronze medallist, was second in the standings after the first two World Series events, but will drop after this weekend’s fifth- or sixth- place showing in Sydney.
“This year, with the Olympic qualification, we made the goal simple: We’ve got to be top four in every tournament,” said Canadian head coach John Tait of Mill Bay, heading into Sydney.
Although Canada fell short of that ambition Down Under, there are three women’s World Series tournaments remaining in the season to make up for it — including the Canada Sevens from May 11-12 at a revamped 6,000-seat Westhills Stadium.
MEN’S SEVENS: The Canadian men’s sevens team, also based in Langford, were in their Sydney World Series tournament and finished 1-2 in a pool that included Kenya, France and the U.S.
That sent the Canucks careering to the consolation side of the draw, where they opened Saturday with a 35-21 victory over Scotland before losing 24-19 to Argentina, despite a 70-yard try by Victoria’s Connor Braid.
The top-four teams in the 2019 World Series will advance directly to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Canadian team came into the Sydney Sevens in 11th place after the first three of 10 World Series events.
The Canada Sevens Tournament, which annually sells out the lower bowl of B.C. Place, is March 9-10.
