Canadians expect to face ‘fully loaded’ Chilean squad at Americas Rugby Trophy – Sports

Canadian rugby coach Kingsley Jones, faced with limited preparation time and off-season players, has included four sevens in his backline for Friday’s game against Chile in Brazil.

The match at the Francisco Ribeiro Nogueira Municipal Stadium in Mogi das Cruzes, about 65 kilometers east of Sao Paulo, is the first of two for Canada in the new Americas Rugby Trophy.

Canada will face Brazil on Oct. 26 in the three-country development tournament, which does not have Test status. Chile beat Brazil 57-36 on Sunday.

In testing, Chile is ranked 21st while Canada is No. 23 and Brazil No. 27.

Jones picked Cooper Coats, 26, to start at the opening half with Josiah Morra and David Richard on the wing and Josh Thiel at inside center.

“Cooper at (No.) 10 is exciting,” said Brazil’s Jones. “We’ve always seen that. Like any (No.) 10, Cooper just needs time to mature. He’s matured a lot. His understanding of the game is excellent. His ability doesn’t need to be questioned. He’s a very good and skillful man. It’s just that management of the game. And now he needs time in the (No.) 10 shirt to really learn his craft.

“We’ve wanted to try him there for a long time. It’s not fair to throw him into a testing situation. So it gives us the opportunity to put Cooper in that position. I’m delighted to see him.”

Callum Botchar (forward-back) and Alex Russell (winger/back), also from the seven-man program, start on the bench.

Canada will be led by co-captains Lucas Rumball and Ben LeSage. Lock Kyle Baillie, who has more than 30 caps for Canada, returns after an extended injury absence and may not play the full 80 minutes.

Matthew Klimchuk (backrower) of Rugby Canada’s Pacific Pride academy and Pride graduates Emerson Prior (prop) and Botchar are also among the substitutes. Klimchuk, a six-foot-three, 230-pound player from Regina, has impressed at under-20 level and is considered a bright prospect for the senior squad.

“A lot of it was shaped by who played rugby,” Jones said of his selection for the game against Chile.

“Furthermore, these Pride and Sevens players know our structures and patterns, having trained at and been a part of (Rugby Canada) central location (in Langford, BC).

The Chileans sent Canada and the United States on their way to qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, their first-ever trip to the tournament. Chile beat Canada 54-46 in a two-game aggregate qualifier last October.

The Chileans lost 22-21 to Canada on a last-minute penalty from Robbie Povey in the first leg in Langford, BC, before rallying to win 33-24 in Valparaíso for their first-ever victory over the men Canadians.

Chile then edged the 19th-ranked USA Eagles 52-51 in July to join No.5 England, No.8 Argentina, No.10 Japan and No.11 Samoa in Pool D of the 2023 World Cup in France.

“I expect a packed Chilean team,” said Jones, whose team is staying at the same hotel as Chile.

The Canadian men, who arrived on Monday, will only get two practices and a captain’s run before Friday’s game. Jones’ route to Brazil has taken him from Victoria to Vancouver, Toronto and Sao Paulo.

“Other guys had slightly longer runs,” said Jones, a former Wales captain.

Canada

Liam Murray, Langley, BC, Dallas Jackals (MLR); Andrew Quattrin, Holland Landing, Ont., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Tyler Rowland, Mississauga, Ont., Toronto Arrows (MLR); Josh Larsen, Nanaimo, BC, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Conor Keys, Stittsville, Ottawa, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Kyle Baillie, Summerside, PEI, Halifax Tars; Lucas Rumball, Toronto, Toronto Arrows (MLR); Corey Thomas, Broome, Australia, Los Angeles Giltinis (MLR); Ross Braude, Pretoria, South Africa, Toronto Arrows (MLR); Cooper Coats, Halifax, Halifax Tars/Canada Sevens; Josiah Morra, Toronto, Castaway Wanderers/Canada Sevens; Josh Thiel, Victoria, James Bay AA/Canada sevens; Ben LeSage, Calgary, LA Giltinis (MLR); David Richard, Milton, Ont., Mississauga Blues RFC/Canada sevens; Robert Povey, Oxford, England, Houston Sabercats (MLR).

Substitutes

Lindsey Stevens, Sydney, Australia, Los Angeles Giltinis (MLR); Emerson Prior, Brockville, Ont., Peterborough Pagans/Utah Warriors (MLR); Conor Young, Yamba, Australia, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Callum Botchar, Vancouver, Canada seven; Matthew Klimchuk, Regina, Regina Snape UVic; Jason Higgins, Cork, Ireland, San Diego Legion (MLR); Gabriel Casey, Ottawa, Bytown Blues/UVic; Alex Russell, Chichester, England, McGill University/Canada sevens.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on October 20, 2022