Canada faces challenging road en route to 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan

In addition to the Americans, Uruguayans and whoever else might stand in the way, Anscombe faces structural challenges in assembling his Canadian team.

At Rugby Canada’s annual general meeting last month, the New Zealander spoke highly of his players’ character and willingness to follow his program.

But he also painted a disturbing picture of a national team talent pool that was unfit and ill-prepared because of the lack of top-level domestic club competition.

“There’s no sugar-coating it,” Anscombe, just back from a European scouting trip, said in an interview. “There’s work to be done.”

Anscombe said players arrived out of shape for his first test match as Canada coach against Japan, with provincial rugby seasons either over or about to start.

“When we tested our squad in June last year it was quite appalling,” Anscombe told the AGM.

In the 10 weeks ahead of the Japan game, 14 players had had less than two games while 13 had less than five. Only two had more than five.

Canada lost 26-22.

And in the November tests, when Anscombe was able to call on his top overseas players, he determined only three had been playing at a good level and preparation (two from the Pro12 and one from the English Premiership).

Eighteen others came from domestic club rugby, and four each from the English and French second-tier.

Conditioning for Anscombe means two things: fit to play and conditioned to play in the intense, pressure-filled cauldron of international ruby.

“Guys are getting fitter but they’re not match-conditioned at a higher level,” he said. “If you drive your motor vehicle around a racing circuit at 30 miles an hour, you’re comfortable taking risks at 30 miles an hour and doing things and executing things at 30 miles an hour.

“But if you have to go into a competition and do it at 60, then I’m certain that you’re not comfortable manoeuvring that vehicle around once in a blue moon at 60, are you? Our guys are comfortable at club level but they’re not getting challenged enough at that higher end … You don’t have time on the ball, you don’t have space on the ball. You’re getting challenged a lot more. The hits are a lot harder.

“No matter how good you are, you only get better at that if you get familiar with doing it regularly.”

In a 46-21 romp over a poor Russian side last June, Canada ran in four converted tries in the first 20 minutes. Anscombe said his players were averaging 60 running metres a minute in the first 20 minutes before falling to 40 running metres a minute, then 25 as the match wore on.

Super Rugby, in contrast, sees players hit 80 metres a minute and the All Blacks and England can get up to 100 metres a minutes, Anscombe said.

For the Americas Rugby Championship earlier this year, the Canadian coach deliberately looked to test young talent.

The reason?

“We keep bringing out the same old guy that we know’s not good enough to play rugby at the high level but because we have to make the numbers, get the squad together, we keep throwing back names that get found out time and time again.”

Looking for some long-term projects, he chose 12 players 22 or younger.

“Did all of them step up? No, but some showed some real good promise.”

It came at a short-term cost. After finishing fifth in the six-team tournament with a 1-4-0 record, the Canadian men dropped to an all-time low of No. 23 in the world rankings.

Anscombe and his strength and conditioning coach, Michael Deasy, are hoping to work with the provinces to up the fitness levels of Canadian players.

“If we’re going to be successful, we’ve got to be fit. And we’re just not fit enough and guys break down through that,” he said.

That takes money if you want to establish programs across the country to monitor and support players trying to improve together.

During the AGM, Anscombe was asked what would be at the op of his wish list. He answered a pro team in Canada.

Rugby Canada has had talks with Pro12, which covers Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. It has also approached Super Rugby but that elite circuit, which features teams from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Japan, seems more in contraction than addition mode.

Anscombe believes a pro team could come to Canada “within the next couple of years.”

While attempts to link up with the American PRO Rugby failed and the circuit closed shop after its inaugural season, he still sees a North American league being an opportunity.

Rugby just needs a shop window in North America, Anscombe argues. Once people see it, they will believe there is a future in the sport.

“You’d be amazed at how quickly the game will develop and the players will improve,” he said.

In the meantime, Anscombe is using his contacts to place Canadians in top-notch training environments, with Pat Parfrey, Conor Keys, Cole Keith and Kyle Baillie going to New Zealand ahead of the summer tests.

Canada plays No. 12 Georgia on June 10 in Calgary before facing No. 16 Romania on June 17 in Edmonton as warmups for the World Cup qualifying series against the U.S. on June 24 at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field and July 1 in San Diego.

“I think, quite positively, that we could be putting our best team since I’ve been here together in June,” he said.

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Format for Wednesday World Cup draw in Kyoto, Japan

Band 1: The four highest ranked directly qualified teams (New Zealand, England, Australia, Ireland)

Band 2: The next four highest ranked directly qualified teams (Scotland, France, South Africa, Wales)

Band 3: The final four directly qualified teams (Argentina, Japan, Georgia, Italy)

Band 4: Africa 1, Americas 1, Europe 1, Oceania 1

Band 5: Oceania 2, Americas 2, Playoff winner, Repechage winner

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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Canada faces challenging road en route to 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan

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