Canada’s Men’s Head Coach Kingsley Jones named a 28 man roster for the first two 2019 Americas Rugby Championship matches in Uruguay and in Brazil on February 2 and 9, respectively. Veterans Ciaran Hearn, Hubert Buydens, Nick Blevins and Ray Barkwill, each have over 50 caps and helped the team earn the final spot for 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan by winning the repechage in November in France.
The team includes some new faces with Justin Blanchet, who is originally from Quebec playing for the Bedford Blues, and former Canada Under-20s flyhalf Will Kelly and Will Percillier playing for the Dragons in Wales and Stade Francais, respectively. Seattle Seawolves Nakai Penny also joins the squad. Andrew Coe, who previously played for Canada in 7s and XVs, returns for the first time since November of 2017.
The team includes 15 players who are playing Major League Rugby in 2019 and return to their clubs during the bye week so they may play for their clubs Feb. 15-17.
Jones said that “With currently over 45 Canadians playing MLR this year, along with our overseas pros in mid-season, we are working directly with our athletes & clubs to manage their workloads and professional commitments throughout the ARC. Our relationship with the MLR Teams, in particular, Toronto Arrows, Seattle Seawolves, NOLA Gold, and Austin Elite have been excellent so far.”
Canada will depart for Montevideo on January 26, ahead of the ARC opener against Uruguay on February 2nd and Brazil in Sao Paolo on February 9th.
After the bye week, Canada will play Chile on February 22nd at Westhills Stadium and then face Argentina XV on March 1 at 7 pm PT. The team will conclude the Series against the U.S., the defending two-time ARC Champs. at Starfire Sports in Seattle on March 8. That same weekend the fourth annual HSBC Canada Sevens at BC Place in downtown Vancouver, which provides fans with the opportunity to watch international rugby within a few hours drive.
Tickets for the two fixtures in Langford, BC can be purchased at https://rugby.ca/en/tickets. Westhills Stadium is currently under construction, so the total capacity for these two test matches is 1,000, so don’t wait to purchase tickets!
Canada Roster:
Kyle Baillie – (NOLA Gold/Atlantic Rock) Summerside, PEI
Noah Barker – (Glendale Raptors/BC Bears) Courtenay, BC
Ray Barkwill – (Unattached/Ontario Blues) Niagara Falls, ON
Justin Blanchet – (Bedford Blues) Montreal, QC
Nick Blevins – (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
Hubert Buydens – (NOLA Gold/Prairie Wolf Pack) Saskatoon, SK
Luke Campbell – (James Bay AA/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
Andrew Coe – (Markham Irish/Ontario Blues) Toronto, ON
Dustin Dobravsky – (Castaway Wanderers/BC Bears) Hanover, Germany
Guiseppe du Toit – (Toronto Arrows/BC Bears) Maple Ridge, BC
Doug Fraser – (Austin Elite/BC Bears) Ladysmith, BC
Ciaran Hearn – (London Irish/Atlantic Rock) Conception Bay South, NL
Eric Howard – (NOLA Gold/Ontario Blues) Ottawa, ON
Cole Keith – (Toronto Arrows/Atlantic Rock) Sussex, NB
Will Kelly – (Dragons/Ontario Blues) Ancaster, ON
Conor Keys – (Rotherham Titans/Atlantic Rock) Stittsville, ON
Ryan Kotlewski – (Westshore RFC/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
Josh Larsen – (Austin Elite) Parksville, BC
Ben LeSage – (UBC Thunderbirds/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
Kainoa Lloyd – (Toronto Arrows/Ontario Blues) Mississauga, ON
Jamie Mackenzie – (Toronto Arrows/Atlantic Rock) Oakville, ON
Pat Parfrey – (Unattached/Atlantic Rock) St. John’s, NL
Nakai Penny – (Seattle Seawolves/BC Bears) Penticton, BC
Will Percillier – (Stade Francais) Mill Bay, BC
Lucas Rumball – (Toronto Arrows/Ontario Blues) Mississauga, ON
Theo Sauder – (Toronto Arrows/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
Djustice Sears-Duru – (Seattle Seawolves/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON
Mike Sheppard – (Toronto Arrows/Ontario Blues) Brampton, ON
2019 Americas Rugby Championship Schedule
Americas Rugby Championship
Canada vs. Uruguay
February 2
Estadio Charrúa
Montevideo, Uruguay
Kick-off: 21:40 local time (7:40pm ET/4:40pm PT)
Broadcast: TBC
Americas Rugby Championship
Canada vs. Brazil
February 9
Venue TBC
Sao Paolo, Brazil
Kick-off: 20:15 local time (5:15pm ET/2:15pm PT)
Broadcast: TBC
Americas Rugby Championship
Canada vs. Chile
February 22
Westhills Stadium
Langford, BC
Kick-off: 10 pm ET/7pm PT
Broadcast: TBC
Americas Rugby Championship
Canada vs. Argentina XV
March 1
Westhills Stadium
Langford, BC
Kick-off: 10 pm ET/7pm PT
Broadcast: TBC
Americas Rugby Championship
Canada vs. USA
March 8
Starfire Sports
Seattle, USA
Kick-off: 10 pm ET/7pm PT
Broadcast: TBC
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