Canada & Chile face off in Langford February 22

Wednesday, February 20, 2019 ~ LANGFORD

by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News

When Canada and Chile meet this Friday night February 22 for their game at Westhills Stadium in Langford there will be great action as the two Men’s Rugby 15’s teams hone their skills.

The Americas Rugby Championship test matches (country vs country) are a six-team tournament.

It’s relatively cold weather out there. “But for 80 minutes we forget about the weather,” says Lucas Rumball who is the Rugby Canada team captain for this match. It’s the third match for Rumball as team captain.

“It’s great to get back on Canadian soil in front of a Canadian crowd again,” said Rumball. “When you play at home, the crowd always delivers,” he said today during a media event at the Al Charron Rugby Canada National Training Centre in Langford.

“In the first two games we let ourselves slip in key moments,” said Rumball. “But we’re in a good spot to bounce back on the right foot,” he said today.

The first game was played February 2 in Uruguay [Canada 17 – 20 Uruguay]. The second game was played February 9 in Brazil [Canada 10 – 18 Brazil].

For men’s national team head coach Kingsley Jones the upcoming February 22 match against Chile and the March 1 game here in Langford against Argentina are an opportunity for newer players to boost their skills.

Jones says there’s a theory to “drop guys who didn’t play so well” but he sees value in giving them a chance to try again. “Sometimes we’re better in those moments when things don’t quite go our way,” Jones said today.

“Chile has a good coach and they’re well organized,” said Jones, as he prepares his team for Friday’s match. “When the momentum changes we need to deal with that.”

The head coach for Chile is Pablo Lemoine. “We’ll be ready for the game, and enjoy it,” said Lemoine today. “The weather is different for us. It was 36°C in South America when we left,” he said, but added: “The shift is all part of rugby.”

Chilean team captain Martin Sigren has played rugby for as long as he can remember. “I like rugby for all the values it can bring you,” he said today in Langford. “Rugby is very big for our people. It’s something we all dream of.” He was impressed with the Rugby Canada national training centre.

Rugby Canada organizers say that 21st World Rugby ranked Canada has never lost to 29th seeded Chile, boasting a 5-0 record all-time dating back to their first meeting in 2002.

Sponsored by World Rugby, the America’s Rugby Championship series started in Uruguay, followed by Brazil and the two games in Langford (February 22 and March 1). Then there’s a week off, followed by a game in Seattle on March 8.

Fans should arrive in plenty of time ahead of the 7 pm game on Friday night February 22. It’s recommended to park in the Belmont Secondary School parking lot through the Glen Lake Road entrance. The Langford Parkway entrance will be busier than usual due to a bowling tournament and indoor boat show.

About 1,000 seats in the stadium will be open for these winter-time games. Westhills Stadium is undergoing renovation to add more bleacher seating ahead of the spring/summer sports field season.

Ahead of Friday’s game the field is being cleared of the exceptionally heavy February snowfall, says Dustin Hopkins, interim general manager for Rugby Canada. Turf professionals have been called in to carefully remove the snow with a brushing technique — no snow plows on the turf!

Tickets for the two games in Langford can be purchased at https://rugby.ca/en/tickets or at the Rugby Canada office at 3024 Glen Lake Road after 6pm PT on Friday.

Both the February 22 and March 1 games will be broadcast live at 7 pm PT on TSN 5. The game in Seattle on March 8 will be streamed live on www.tsn.ca/TSNApp
with a tape delay to 8pm PT on TSN 2.

Here’s the Canada Roster for February 22 at Westhills Stadium, Canada vs Chile:

1. Hubert Buydens – (NOLA Gold) Saskatoon, SK
2. Eric Howard – (NOLA Gold) Ottawa, ON
3. Cole Keith – (Toronto Arrows) Sussex, NB
4. Mike Sheppard – (Toronto Arrows) Brampton, ON
5. Kyle Baillie – (NOLA Gold) Summerside, PEI
6. Justin Blanchet – (Bedford Blues) Montreal, QC
7. Lucas Rumball – Captain (Toronto Arrows) Mississauga, ON
8. Dustin Dobravsky – (Castaway Wanderers) Hanover, Germany
9. Jamie Mackenzie – (Toronto Arrows) Oakville, ON
10. Pat Parfrey – (Unattached) St. John’s, NL
11. Kainoa Lloyd – (Toronto Arrows) Mississauga, ON
12. Ciaran Hearn – (London Irish) Conception Bay South, NL
13. Nick Blevins – (Calgary Hornets) Calgary, AB
14. Andrew Coe – (Markham Irish) Toronto, ON
15. Theo Sauder – (Toronto Arrows) Vancouver, BC
16. Benoit Piffero – (Blagnac Sporting Club) Montreal, QC
17. Noah Barker – (Glendale Raptors) Courtenay, BC
18. Ryan Kotlewski – (Westshore RFC) Calgary, AB
19. Conor Keys – (Rotherham Titans) Stittsville, ON
20. Nakai Penny – (Seattle Seawolves) Penticton, BC
21. Will Percillier – (Stade Francais) Mill Bay, BC
22. Gordon McRorie – (Calgary Hornets) Calgary, AB
23. Doug Fraser – (Austin Elite) Ladysmith, BC