Rugby Canada fires head coach Mark Anscombe after World Cup qualifying loss
TORONTO — Mark Anscombe’s tenure as Canadian men’s rugby coach ended abruptly Thursday when the New Zealander was fired after just 16 months on the job.
Rugby Canada said the move came after an “extensive review” of the national men’s 15s program in the wake of Canada stumbling at the first hurdle of World Cup qualifying.
Anscombe, while not surprised, reacted to the news with disappointment and anger.
“At the end of the day, the team is only the product of a system and the system is (broken),” he said in an interview Thursday. “And no one’s doing anything to improve it.