Canada national rugby union team

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Canada
Logo Canada Rugby.svg
Union Rugby Canada
Nickname(s) Canucks / Maple leafs
Emblem(s) the Maple leaf
Ground(s) BMO Field
Coach(es) New Zealand Kieran Crowley
Captain(s) Aaron Carpenter
Most caps Al Charron (76)
Top scorer Gareth Rees (487)
Most tries Winston Stanley (24)
Team kit
Change kit
First international
 Japan 9 – 8 Canada 
(31 January 1932)
Largest win
 Canada 71 – 3 Barbados 
(24 June 2006)
Largest defeat
 England 70 – 0 Canada 
(13 November 2004)
World Cup
Appearances 7 (First in 1987)
Best result Quarter Finals, 1991

The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board (IRB) as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and eight tier two nations. Canada competes in competitions such as the Pacific Nations Cup and the Rugby World Cup. The geographic size of Canada means that talent is scattered across the country making the job of coaches and selectors very difficult.[citation needed] British Columbia has the most active participation in the sport[citation needed] and comprises the bulk of the national teams players.[citation needed]

Canada has been playing international rugby since the early 1930s, making their debut in 1932 against Japan. Canada have competed at every World Cup since the tournament was first staged in 1987, the only North American team to do so. Canada achieved their best result at the World Cup in 1991, where they reached the quarter-finals. Canada is the dominant power of North American rugby and considered second only to Argentina in the Americas. The team has achieved victories over traditionally stronger Six Nations teams such as France, Wales, Italy, and Scotland on at least one occasion in past years. Canada is currently ranked 13th in the IRB World Rankings.

In 2013, Canada will join the IRB Pacific Nations Cup playing the Pacific Islanders: Fiji and Tonga. They will also play Japan and neighbouring Tier 2 team USA.[1]

Contents

History[edit]

Early years[edit]

In 1874 the first North American international game took place in Cambridge, Massachusetts between McGill and Harvard universities. Later that same year a second game was played, but this time Harvard were the hosts, and the game was played with early "American Football" rules. Today, in carrying on the oldest annual sporting competition in North America, McGill University and Harvard University continue the tradition of competing for the Covo Cup, at alternating venues each November, using the original rules of rugby football. McGill University can therefore lay claim to being the oldest rugby club in Canada, but due to rugby's popularity among students and the McGill University Rugby Football Club's affiliation with the university, the claim as the oldest independent rugby club goes to the still active Westmount Rugby Football Club.

A Canadian Rugby Football Union was established in 1884, although this organisation went on to become the Canadian Football League, as rugby football in Canada evolved into Canadian football. In 1902–1903 the first Canadian team toured Britain. In 1909, Earl Grey, then Governor General of Canada, donated a trophy to the CRU to be awarded for the Rugby Football Championship of Canada. This trophy became known as the Grey Cup. However the rules used in Canada were vastly different from the rules used in countries that were part of the IRB. In the years that followed, the CRU would legalise forward passing and make other changes that would make Canadian football a totally different sport, similar to American football.

Post-World War I[edit]

During World War I and II rugby union was suspended but in the inter-war period there was something of a renaissance. In 1919 a Canadian Services team played overseas against representatives from England, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. The formation of the Rugby Union of Canada took place in 1929 and this was followed by a tour of Japan by a Canadian representative side in 1932 to help foster trade between the two countries. About half the team were Canadian born (mostly British Columbia players) and the rest were originally from Britain. They lost 9–8 and 38–5 in the two test matches.

The original Canadian Rugby Union disbanded just before World War I. Canada's team to the United Kingdom in 1962 was dominated by British Columbia players. The Rugby Union of Canada was re-formed in 1965 as the Canadian Rugby Union. The 1966 British Lions played a non-cap match in Toronto on their way back from Australia and New Zealand, a match they won 19–8. Canada established themselves as the strongest team in North America, though they struggled to compete with the major test-playing nations in Europe and the Southern Hemisphere.

Modern era[edit]

Canadian rugby team

Canada were one of the 16 nations that were invited by the International Rugby Board (IRB) to compete at the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987, hosted by both Australia and New Zealand. Canada were grouped with Wales, Ireland and Tonga in Pool 2. In their first ever World Cup match they defeated Tonga 37 points to 4. However they lost their subsequent matches 46–19 to Ireland and 40–9 to Wales, and finished third in the pool (not advancing to the finals).

Canada had to qualify for the 1991 Rugby World Cup. Canada took part in the Americas tournaments, and finished first in the Americas qualifying standings. At the 1991 Rugby World Cup, Canada was placed into Pool D, alongside France, Romania and Fiji. Canada beat Fiji and Romania but lost their fixture against France 19–13 to finish second in the pool, advancing to the quarter-finals. They were then knocked out in the quarterfinals by the All Blacks, 29-13. The 1991 tournament stands as Canada's best ever finish in a Rugby World Cup.

Canada beat Wales 26–24 on November 10, 1993 at Cardiff Arms Park; and beat France 18–16 on June 4, 1994 at Twin Elms Rugby Park in Nepean, Ontario; and battled to a 27–27 draw against Ireland on June 27, 2000 at Markham, Ontario; and chalked up a 26–23 win against Scotland in Vancouver, British Columbia on June 15, 2002. The win over Scotland was the start of a streak of seven victories before losing to Wales (in Cardiff.)

Canada has never beaten England in six games, but has played their national XV, B team, and Under 23 teams eleven times (for which Canada awarded its players international caps.) The most notable result was a 15–12 victory over a strong England XV on May 29, 1993 at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. Unfortunately for the Canadians, on the eve of the match England's management chose not to award international caps (due to fact that some players were touring with the British and Irish Lions in New Zealand at the time.) Additionally, before defeating Scotland proper in 2002, Canada beat Scotland XV 24–19 on May 25, 1991 at Saint John, New Brunswick.

As they were quarter finalists in 1991, they automatically qualified for the 1995 Rugby World Cup. They were in Pool A with the hosts South Africa, defending champions Australia, and Romania. Canada finished third in the pool, winning their match against Romania but losing 27–11 to Australia and 20-nil to the Springboks. Canada won the now defunct Pacific Rim tournament three years in succession in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Canada finished second in Round 4 of the Americas 1999 Rugby World Cup qualifying, losing only to Argentina, and qualify for the World Cup. Canada finished third in their pool (with France, Fiji and Namibia), winning their match against Namibia but losing their other two fixtures. The victory against Namibia was uncharacteristic for Canada, as they ran the score up to 72–11, one of their most lopsided victories, as there was a very slight statistical chance that they could have advanced on points scored. This trashing was the one bright light in an otherwise gloomy and disappointing 1999 World Cup performance.

Like all second- and third-tier nations, the Canadians have had problems having these players available for important games. As a consequence Canada has slipped out of the top 10 rugby union nations, but has nevertheless provided top class players such as Dan Baugh, Rod Snow, Mike James, Colin Yukes, Dave Lougheed and Jamie Cudmore to teams in England, Wales and France. The Canadians qualified for the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

Canada qualified as Americas 1, finishing at the top of Round 4 Americas tournaments, winning five of their six fixtures to enter the 2003 World Cup in Australia, their fifth world cup in a row. Canada's sole win was a 24–7 result against Tonga as they lost their games against Italy, Wales and the All Blacks.

Since 2003 Canada has played host to the Churchill Cup, making the final in 2010 but losing to the England Saxons 38 to 18. In 2004 and 2005 they replaced China in the Super Powers Cup. For the 2004 Superpowers Cup, Canada was substituted for China. In 2005 the competition was renamed the Super Cup. Canada beat Japan 15–10 in the final.

In 2006 Canada completed the qualification process for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. They were in a 3-team group also containing Barbados and the United States. Each played the other once. On June 24, 2006, Canada defeated Barbados 71–3, in Bridgetown, their largest ever win.[2] Canada achieved a record win over the USA in the match in Newfoundland on August 12, 2006, defeating the USA 56–7 in front of a capacity crowd, when player James Pritchard scored a national record 36 points with three tries, six conversions and three penalties in the match, beating the record of 29 he had set against Barbados in their previous match.[3] The win assured Canada of a place in the 2007 World Cup as Americas 2 in Pool B.[4] Also that year, a Canadian team won the NA4 and the national team beat the US earlier in the Churchill Cup.

2007 World Cup[edit]

Canadian team after a group stage match during the 2007 World Cup
Canada take on Wales during the 2007 World Cup
Canadian fans at the 2007 World Cup

Going into the World Cup Canada were ranked as severe outsiders, and given odds of 5000/1 to win the tournament.[5] Pool B also contained Australia, Fiji, Japan and Wales. In their opening match in Nantes on 9 September the Canadians lost 42–17 to Wales.[6] They followed this with a 29–16 loss to Fiji, whom they had needed to beat to have realistic hopes of progressing to the Quarter Finals.[7] They drew 12–12 with Japan in Bordeaux, conceding an injury-time try by Koji Taira.[8] In their final game they lost 37–6 to an Australian side consisting mostly of second-string players.[9] It meant they finished bottom of Pool B, and returned home from a World Cup without winning a single game for the first time ever.

The Kieran Crowley Era[edit]

Following the 2007 Rugby World Cup a new epoch in Canadian rugby began with the installation of Kieran Crowley as head coach of the men's national team. By April 2008 the former New Zealand All Black took over coaching duties with aspirations to positively shape the Canadian rugby psyche and improve upon recent results.[10]

In Autumn 2008 the Canadians toured Europe, beating Portugal in their opening match, but suffering heavy defeats in their subsequent games in Ireland, Wales and Scotland. In 2009 the Canadians will host a tour by the Welsh and Irish.[11]

Canada beat the United States in a two-legged playoff game in July 2009 to qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and enter the tournament as Americas 1.[12] Canada began its Rugby World Cup preparations well, by finishing runner-up in the 2011 Churchill Cup for the second year in a row, losing 37–6 in the final to the England Saxons (England's second-string side).

This good form carried on in a two-legged home and away series of warm-up matches against the USA Eagles. In the home leg on August 6 at the BMO Stadium, Canada secured a 28–22 victory in front a record 10,621 fans. In the away leg played on August 13 at Colorado, Canada won 27–7. Their warm-up schedule continued with a match against the Australian Barbarians on August 26, featuring several of Australia's World Cup squad, including Berrick Barnes, Drew Mitchell and Rob Horne. Despite a strong performance, particularly by the Canadian pack, the Barbarians claimed a comfortable 38–14 victory. The Canadians played their final warm-up game on August 30, beating a representative Queensland Reds side 33–14.

2011 Rugby World Cup[edit]

The Canadians began their Rugby World Cup campaign on September 14 against Tonga, winning 25–20. They followed this up with a 46-19 loss to France on September 18th. The Canadian side played had only a 4 day turn-around after their first match (compared to their opponents who had twice as long), but let the game slip out of their reach within the final 20 minutes. They produced a repeat result of 2007, by playing to a 23-23 draw against Japan. Their Rugby World Cup campaign concluded with a 79-15 loss against the All Blacks. Canada finished fourth in their pool, narrowly missing out on automatic qualification for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Stadium[edit]

The national team currently does not have a permanent home stadium and as such play their matches at various locations across Canada. BMO Field in Toronto, Ontario has been proposed as the national team's home stadium, even though it cannot provide a suitable rugby climate year-round. However, rumours have the national team playing out of the proposed Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia if it is constructed.[citation needed] This would place the national rugby stadium in the country's main rugby stronghold of British Columbia, and in a city whose winter climate is considerably milder than that of most of the rest of Canada.

In August 2011 it was announced that the national team would have a permanent training centre located in Langford, British Columbia.[13]

Record[edit]

World Cup[edit]

World Cup record World Cup Qualification record
Year Round P W D L F A P W D L F A
AustraliaNew Zealand 1987 Pool Stage 3 1 0 2 65 90 Automatically qualified
United KingdomRepublic of IrelandFrance 1991 Quarter Final 4 2 0 2 58 62 4 3 0 1 67 38
South Africa 1995 Pool Stage 3 1 0 2 45 50 Automatically qualified
Wales 1999 Pool Stage 3 1 0 2 114 82 3 2 0 1 97 83
Australia 2003 Pool Stage 4 1 0 3 54 135 6 5 0 1 192 80
France 2007 Pool Stage 4 0 1 3 51 120 2 2 0 0 125 10
New Zealand 2011 Pool Stage 4 1 1 2 82 168 2 2 0 0 47 30
England 2015 To be determined - - - - - -
Japan 2019 To be determined
Total 7/7 25 7 2 16 469 707 17 14 0 3 528 241


Overall[edit]

Top 25 Rankings as of 17 June 2013[14]
Rank Change* Team Points
1 Steady  New Zealand 90.08
2 Steady  South Africa 86.94
3 Steady  Australia 86.87
4 Steady  England 85.76
5 Increase1  France 81.59
6 Decrease1  Wales 81.36
7 Steady  Samoa 80.50
8 Steady  Ireland 79.58
9 Steady  Argentina 76.67
10 Increase2  Tonga 76.17
11 Steady  Scotland 76.05
12 Decrease2  Italy 75.08
13 Steady  Canada 72.40
14 Steady  Fiji 71.29
15 Steady  Japan 70.91
16 Steady  Georgia 67.66
17 Steady  United States 67.14
18 Steady  Romania 66.18
19 Steady  Russia 61.99
20 Steady  Spain 60.44
21 Steady  Uruguay 59.87
22 Steady  Portugal 58.82
23 Steady  Namibia 58.70
24 Steady  South Korea 58.10
25 Steady  Belgium 57.52
*Change from the previous week
Canada's Historical Rankings
Canada IRB World Rankings.png
Source: IRB - Graph updated to 20 May 2013[14]

Updated to June 15, 2013.

Opponent Played Won Lost Drawn Win percentage
 Argentina 9 3 6 0 33.3%
 Australia 6 0 6 0 0%
 Barbados 1 1 0 0 100%
Barbarians.png Barbarians* 2 0 1 1 0%
 Belgium 1 1 0 0 100%
British and Irish Lions flag.svg British and Irish Lions* 1 0 1 0 0%
 Chile 2 2 0 0 100%
 England 6 0 6 0 0%
 England U23* 2 0 2 0 0%
England England XV* 9 1 8 0 11.1%
 Fiji 9 3 6 0 33.3%
 France 8 1 7 0 12.5%
France France XV* 2 0 2 0 0%
 Georgia 3 2 1 0 66.7%
 Hong Kong 6 5 1 0 83.3%
 Ireland 6 0 5 1 0%
Ireland Ireland XV* 1 0 1 0 0%
 Italy 7 2 5 0 28.5%
 Japan 21 8 11 2 38.0%
 Namibia 1 1 0 0 100%
 New Zealand 5 0 5 0 0%
New Zealand New Zealand XV* 1 0 1 0 0%
New Zealand New Zealand Māori* 3 0 3 0 0%
 Portugal 3 3 0 0 100%
 Romania 3 2 1 0 66.7%
 Russia 3 3 0 0 100%
 Samoa 3 0 3 0 0%
 Scotland 4 1 3 0 25%
Scotland Scotland XV* 1 1 0 0 100%
 South Africa 2 0 2 0 0%
 Spain 1 1 0 0 100%
 Tonga 7 5 2 0 71.4%
 United States 49 36 12 1 73.47%
 Uruguay 8 7 1 0 87.5%
 Wales 12 1 11 0 8.3%
 Wales U23* 1 0 1 0 0%
Wales Wales XV* 3 0 3 0 0%
Total 210 90 115 5 44.04%

*Note: Canada has awarded international caps for several games against national XV selections, B national teams, and Under 23 teams.

Wins against Tier 1 nations[edit]

Players[edit]

Current squad[edit]

Canada's 44-man squad for their Summer 2013 games, including the 2013 IRB Pacific Nations Cup, the June international against Ireland, and the two Rugby World Cup Qualifiers vs the United States.[15]

Head Coach: New Zealand Kieran Crowley


Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by the International Rugby Board.

Player Position Date of Birth (Age) Caps Club/province
Ray Barkwill Hooker (1980-08-26) 26 August 1980 (age 32) 2 Canada Ontario Blues
Micha Govorchin Hooker 0 Canada Pacific Tyee
Ryan Hamilton Hooker (1988-04-09) 9 April 1988 (age 25) 11 Canada Pacific Tyee
Benoit Piffero Hooker (1987-05-21) 21 May 1987 (age 26) 0 Canada The Rock
Hubert Buydens Prop (1982-01-04) 4 January 1982 (age 31) 14 Canada Prairie Wolf Pack
Tom Dolezel Prop (1984-08-13) 13 August 1984 (age 28) 10 Canada Ontario Blues
Doug Wooldridge Prop (1985-12-19) 19 December 1985 (age 27) 7 Canada Ontario Blues
Jason Marshall Prop (1985-02-05) 5 February 1985 (age 28) 17 France Stade Rochelais
Andrew Tiedemann Prop (1988-07-21) 21 July 1988 (age 24) 16 Canada Prairie Wolf Pack
Brett Beukeboom Lock (1989-08-13) 13 August 1989 (age 23) 3 England Plymouth Albion
Jamie Cudmore Lock (1978-09-06) 6 September 1978 (age 34) 27 France Clermont
Aaron Flagg Lock (1989-06-16) 16 June 1989 (age 24) 0 Canada Pacific Tyee
Tyler Hotson Lock (1985-05-30) 30 May 1985 (age 28) 29 England London Scottish
Jon Phelan Lock (1986-01-20) 20 January 1986 (age 27) 7 France Lille
Cameron Pierce Lock (1991-10-26) 26 October 1991 (age 21) 0 France Pau
Jebb Sinclair Lock (1986-04-08) 8 April 1986 (age 27) 25 England London Irish
Nanyak Dala Flanker (1984-06-18) 18 June 1984 (age 29) 18 Canada Prairie Wolf Pack
Thyssen de Goede Flanker (1988-06-24) 24 June 1988 (age 24) 0 Canada James Bay AA
Adam Kleeberger Flanker (1984-03-02) 2 March 1984 (age 29) 35 Canada Victoria Vikes
John Moonlight Flanker (1987-07-02) 2 July 1987 (age 25) 3 Canada Ontario Blues
Chauncey O'Toole Flanker (1986-02-22) 22 February 1986 (age 27) 19 Canada The Rock
Tyler Ardron Number 8 (1991-06-16) 16 June 1991 (age 22) 5 Wales Ospreys
Aaron Carpenter (c) Number 8 (1983-01-09) 9 January 1983 (age 30) 47 England Cornish Pirates
Phil Mack Scrum-half (1985-09-18) 18 September 1985 (age 27) 9 Canada Pacific Tyee
Jamie Mackenzie Scrum-half (1989-02-28) 28 February 1989 (age 24) 3 Canada Ontario Blues
Eric Wilson Scrum-half (1983-04-27) 27 April 1983 (age 30) 2 Canada Meraloma Rugby
Sean White Scrum-half (1988-06-28) 28 June 1988 (age 24) 18 Canada Pacific Tyee
Connor Braid Fly-half (1990-05-31) 31 May 1990 (age 23) 4 Canada Pacific Tyee
Nathan Hirayama Fly-half (1988-03-23) 23 March 1988 (age 25) 9 Canada Victoria Vikes
Harry Jones Fly-half (1989-06-26) 26 June 1989 (age 23) 1 Canada Capilano
Nick Blevins Centre (1988-11-11) 11 November 1988 (age 24) 8 Canada Prairie Wolf Pack
Phil Mackenzie Centre (1987-02-25) 25 February 1987 (age 26) 17 England Sale Sharks
Patrick Parfrey, Jr. Centre (1991-11-01) 1 November 1991 (age 21) 0 Canada The Rock
Conor Trainor Centre (1989-12-05) 5 December 1989 (age 23) 7 Canada Pacific Tyee
Sean Duke Wing (1988-05-07) 7 May 1988 (age 25) 9 Canada Pacific Tyee
Mike Fuailefau Wing (1991-03-20) 20 March 1991 (age 22) 0 Canada Pacific Tyee
Jeff Hassler Wing (1991-08-21) 21 August 1991 (age 21) 4 Wales Ospreys
Ciaran Hearn Wing (1985-12-30) 30 December 1985 (age 27) 24 Canada The Rock
Taylor Paris Wing (1992-10-06) 6 October 1992 (age 20) 5 France SU Agen
DTH van der Merwe Wing (1986-04-28) 28 April 1986 (age 27) 24 Scotland Glasgow Warriors
Matt Evans Fullback (1988-01-02) 2 January 1988 (age 25) 18 England Cornish Pirates
James Pritchard (vc) Fullback (1979-07-21) 21 July 1979 (age 33) 47 England Bedford Blues
Liam Underwood Fullback (1991-06-03) 3 June 1991 (age 22) 0 Canada Ontario Blues
Jordan Wilson-Ross Fullback (1989-01-17) 17 January 1989 (age 24) 0 Canada Ontario Blues

Notable former players[edit]

The following players have either made a large contribution to the national side through numerous selections, prominent play or have managed to maintain a career playing professionally at a high level. Many of these players have competed at multiple Rugby World Cups and/or have gone on to play professional rugby at its highest level in Europe or the Southern Hemisphere.

Individual all-time records[edit]

Most caps[edit]

# Player Pos Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Won Lost Draw %
1. Al Charron Flanker 1990-2003 76 76 0 44 9 0 0 0 40 36 0 52.63
2. Winston Stanley Wing 1994-2003 66 64 2 123 24 0 0 1 27 38 1 41.66
3. Scott Stewart Fullback 1989-2001 64 62 2 84 5 9 14 0 29 34 1 46.09
4. Rod Snow Prop 1995-2007 62 59 3 40 8 0 0 0 27 33 2 45.16
5. Bobby Ross Fly-half 1989-2003 58 40 18 419 7 51 84 10 30 28 0 51.72
6. Ed Fairhurst Scrum-half 2001-2012 57 35 22 46 4 4 6 0 22 34 1 39.47
7. Mike James Lock 1994-2007 56 56 0 20 4 0 0 0 26 29 1 47.32
Morgan Williams Scrum-half 1999-2008 56 52 4 68 13 0 0 1 18 36 2 33.92
9. Gareth Rees Fly-half 1986-1999 55 54 1 487 6 51 110 9 31 24 0 56.36
Kevin Tkachuk Prop 2000-2010 55 39 16 25 5 0 0 0 18 37 0 32.72

Last updated: Canada vs Russia, 17 November 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[16]

Most tries[edit]

# Player Pos Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop
1. Winston Stanley Wing 1994-2003 66 64 2 123 24 0 0 1
2. James Pritchard Fullback 2003- 49 48 1 494 14 86 84 0
DTH van der Merwe Centre 2006- 24 22 2 65 13 0 0 0
Morgan Williams Scrum-half 1999-2008 56 52 4 68 13 0 0 1
5. Aaron Carpenter Number 8 2005- 51 41 10 50 10 0 0 0
Kyle Nichols Centre 1996-2002 25 22 3 61 10 1 3 0
7. Al Charron Flanker 1990-2003 76 76 0 44 9 0 0 0
John Graf Scrum-half 1989-1999 54 51 3 89 9 7 9 1
Pat Palmer Wing 1983-1992 17 17 0 36 9 0 0 0
Ryan Smith Centre 2003-2011 51 38 13 45 9 0 0 0

Last updated: Canada vs Russia, 17 November 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[17]

Most points[edit]

# Player Pos Span Mat Start Sub Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop
1. James Pritchard Fullback 2003- 49 48 1 494 14 86 84 0
2. Gareth Rees Fly-half 1986-1999 55 54 1 487 7 51 110 9
3. Bobby Ross Fly-half 1989-2003 58 40 18 419 7 51 84 10
4. Mark Wyatt Fullback 1982-1991 29 29 0 227 1 23 55 4
5. Jared Barker Fly-half 2000-2004 18 17 1 226 2 24 55 1
6. Winston Stanley Wing 1994-2003 66 64 2 123 24 0 0 1
7. John Graf Scrum-half 1989-1999 54 51 3 89 9 7 7 1
8. Scott Stewart Fullback 1989-2001 64 62 2 84 5 9 14 0
9. Morgan Williams Scrum-half 1999-2008 56 52 4 68 13 0 0 1
10. 2 players on 65 points

Last updated: Canada vs Tonga, 8 June 2013. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[18]

  • Note, Gareth Rees points total is in dispute, some sources claim 487 while others including the IRB claim 491.

Most points in a match[edit]

Australian born James Pritchard is Canada's second highest try scorer and points scorer of all time, he also holds the record for most points in a match with 36 against the USA in 2006.
# Player Pos Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Opposition Venue Date
1. James Pritchard Wing 36 3 6 3 0  United States Canada St John's 12/08/2006
2. James Pritchard Wing 29 3 7 0 0  Barbados Barbados Bridgetown 24/06/2006
3. Gareth Rees Fly-half 27 0 9 3 0  Namibia France Toulouse 14/10/1999
4. Bobby Ross Fly-half 26 1 3 5 0  Japan Canada Vancouver 13/07/1996
5. Mark Wyatt Fullback 24 0 0 8 0  Scotland XV Canada Saint John 25/05/1991
6. Gareth Rees Fly-half 23 0 1 7 0  Argentina Argentina Buenos Aires 22/08/1998
James Pritchard Fullback 23 1 3 4 0  Tonga Canada Kingston 08/06/2013
8. 4 players on 22 points

Last updated: Canada vs Tonga, 8 June 2013. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[19]

Most tries in a match[edit]

# Player Pos Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop Opposition Venue Date
1. Kyle Nichols Centre 20 4 0 0 0  Japan Canada Markham 15/07/2000
2. Steve Gray Centre 12 3 0 0 0  United States Canada Vancouver 10/05/1987
James Pritchard Wing 27 3 7 0 0  Barbados Barbados Bridgetown 24/06/2006
James Pritchard Wing 36 3 6 3 0  United States Canada St John's 12/08/2006
5. 43 players on 2 tries

Last updated: Canada vs Russia, 17 November 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[20]

Most matches as captain[edit]

# Player Pos Span Mat Won Lost Draw % Pts Tries Conv Pens Drop
1. Al Charron Flanker 1996-2003 25 13 12 0 52.00 10 2 0 0 0
Gareth Rees Fly-half 1994-1999 25 10 15 0 40.00 285 4 38 60 3
3. Pat Riordan Hooker 2008-2011 23 12 10 1 54.34 15 3 0 0 0
4. John Graf Scrum-half 1995-1999 15 9 6 0 60.00 58 6 5 6 0
Morgan Williams Scrum-half 2005-2007 15 5 9 1 36.66 25 5 0 0 0

Last updated: Canada vs Russia, 17 November 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[21]

Youngest players[edit]

# Player Pos Age Opposition Venue Date
1. Taylor Paris Wing 18 years and 31 days  Belgium Belgium Brussels 06/11/2010
2. Mark Schiefler Centre 19 years and 46 days  United States United States Saranac Lake 08/06/1980
3. Gareth Rees Fly-half 19 years and 131 days  United States United States Tucson 08/11/1986
4. Dave Spicer (Fly-half) 19 years and 166 days  England England Twickenham 13/11/2004
5. Winston Stanley Wing 19 years and 308 days  United States United States Long Beach 21/05/1994
6. Bobby Ross Centre 20 years and 4 days  Ireland Canada Victoria 02/09/1989
7. DTH van der Merwe (Fullback) 20 years and 57 days  Barbados Barbados Bridgetown 24/06/2006
8. Mike Pyke Wing 20 years and 64 days  United States Japan Tokyo 27/05/2004
9. Connor Braid (Fullback) 20 years and 159 days  Belgium Belgium Brussels 06/11/2010
10. Nick Trenkel (Centre) 20 years and 175 days  Australia France Bordeaux 29/09/2007

Last updated: Canada vs Russia, 17 November 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[22]

Oldest players[edit]

# Player Pos Age Opposition Venue Date
1. Kevin Wirachowski (Prop) 40 years and 243 days New Zealand New Zealand Māori Canada Toronto 02/08/2003
2. Ro Hindson Lock 38 years and 311 days  Argentina Canada Burnaby Lake 30/03/1990
3. Mark Cardinal Hooker 38 years and 162 days  Namibia France Toulouse 14/10/1999
4. Rod Snow Prop 37 years and 151 days  Australia France Bordeaux 29/09/2007
5. Al Charron Lock 37 years and 94 days  Tonga Australia Wollongong 29/10/2003
6. Gord MacKinnon Flanker 36 years and 280 days  South Africa South Africa Port Elizabeth 03/06/1995
7. Julian Loveday (Wing) 36 years and 99 days  Tonga Tonga Nuku'alofa 03/07/1999
8. Mike Luke Hooker 35 years and 245 days  United States United States Albany 12/06/1982
9. Dave Lougheed Wing 35 years and 193 days  Italy Australia Canberra 21/10/2003
10. Tom Woods Centre 34 years and 201 days  Japan Japan Tokyo 18/05/1997

Last updated: Canada vs Russia, 17 November 2012. Statistics include officially capped matches only.[23]

Upcoming Fixtures + Recent Results[edit]

Upcoming fixtures[edit]

Date Tournament Location Venue Opponent Score
June 15, 2013
Test match
Toronto, Canada
BMO Field
 Ireland
June 19, 2013
Pacific Nations Cup
Nagoya, Japan
Mizuho Rugby Ground
 Japan
August 17, 2013
2015 Rugby World Cup Qualifier
Charleston, USA
Blackbaud Stadium
 United States
August 24, 2013
2015 Rugby World Cup Qualifier
Toronto, Canada
BMO Field
 United States
November 3, 2013
Exhibition
Toronto, Canada
BMO Field
New Zealand Māori All Blacks

Recent results[edit]

Date Tournament Location Venue Opponent Score
June 8, 2013
Pacific Nations Cup
Kingston, Canada
Richardson Stadium
 Tonga
36-27
June 5, 2013
Pacific Nations Cup
Ottawa, Canada
Twin Elm Rugby Park
 Fiji
20-18
May 25, 2013
Pacific Nations Cup
Edmonton, Canada
Ellerslie Rugby Park
 United States
16-9
November 23, 2012
Exhibition
Oxford, England
Oxford University Sports Centre
New Zealand Māori All Blacks
19-32
November 17, 2012
International Rugby Series
Colwyn Bay, Wales
Eirias Park
 Russia
35-3
November 9, 2012
International Rugby Series
Colwyn Bay, Wales
Eirias Park
 Samoa
12-42
June 23, 2012
Summer Test Series
Burnaby, Canada
Swangard Stadium
 Georgia
31–12
June 15, 2012
Summer Test Series
Toronto, Canada
BMO Field
 Italy
16–25
June 9, 2012
Summer Test Series
Kingston, Canada
Richardson Stadium
 United States
28–25
October 2, 2011
Rugby World Cup
Wellington, New Zealand
Westpac Stadium
 New Zealand
15–79

- Green background indicates a win. Red background indicates a loss. Yellow background indicates a draw.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ USA and Canada join IRB PN Cup
  2. ^ "Canada beat Barbados 71-3 in Rugby World Cup qualifier". Caribbean Net News. June 26, 2006. Retrieved 23 November 2012. 
  3. ^ "Canada book Wales RWC encounter". BBC News. 13 August 2006. Retrieved 28 April 2010. 
  4. ^ "Canada claim Americas 2 spot". therugbyworldcup.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2006. 
  5. ^ "Rugby World Cup 2007 Latest Betting - 07-11-07". Online-gambling-insider.com. 2011-11-18. Retrieved 2012-03-16. 
  6. ^ "Wales 42–17 Canada". BBC News. 9 September 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2010. 
  7. ^ Malin, Ian (17 September 2007). "Fiji send Wales a mixed message". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 28 April 2010. 
  8. ^ Millward, Robert (26 September 2007). "Canada 12 Japan 12: Japan celebrates ending losing streak after draw". The Independent (London). Retrieved 28 April 2010. 
  9. ^ Malley, Frank (30 September 2007). "Mitchell double helps subdue brave Canada". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 28 April 2010. 
  10. ^ "Former All Black appointed Canada coach". rugbyweek.com. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2013. 
  11. ^ [1][dead link]
  12. ^ "Canada qualify for 2011 World Cup". BBC Sport. 2009-07-12. Retrieved 2009-07-13. 
  13. ^ [2][dead link]
  14. ^ a b "World Rankings". International Rugby Board. Retrieved 10 June 2013. 
  15. ^ "Senior Men Gather Ahead of Busy Summer Series". Rugby Canada. 2013-05-19. 
  16. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/most_matches.html?id=25;type=team
  17. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/most_tries.html?id=25;type=team
  18. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/most_points.html?id=25;type=team
  19. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/most_points_match.html?id=25;type=team
  20. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/most_tries_match.html?id=25;type=team
  21. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/most_matches_captain.html?id=25;type=team
  22. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/youngest_appearance.html?id=25;type=team
  23. ^ http://stats.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/records/player/oldest_appearance.html?id=25;type=team

External links[edit]