Rugby Canada to revamp men’s national team program in wake of firing coach
TORONTO — Having canned its men’s national team coach, Rugby Canada is now embarking on a makeover midway through a World Cup qualification campaign.
The review which resulted in Thursday’s firing of New Zealand’s Mark Anscombe just 16 months into the job, calls for the hiring of a high-performance director, an academy/Canada ‘A’ coach and more technical staff as well as use of a sports psychologist.
The added resources will work with a larger group of players centralized in Langford, B.C.
The governing body also promises to reopen the door between the men’s sevens and 15s squads to ensure that the “best possible” players are available for 23rd-ranked Canada’s next attempt at World Cup qualification — against No. 18 Uruguay in January/February.