With files from Matt Tidcombe, Rugby Canada Communications
LANGFORD — Canada’s senior men’s head coach Mark Anscombe has made five changes to his starting XV for Saturday’s Americas Rugby Championship match against Chile as Canada seeks its 100th test victory.
Djustice Sears-Duru, Benoit Piffero, Ollie Nott, Gradyn Bowd and Guiseppe du Toit all come into the starting XV that will once again be captained by Gordon McRorie.
Du Toit and Nott, along with Conor Keys, will all make their test debuts for Canada on Saturday. Cole Keith, Reegan O’Gorman, Matt Beukeboom, Robbie Povey and George Barton can all earn that honour too if they come on as replacements.
“It’s exciting to see some new blood and see what they can do,” Anscombe said. “We’ve got to be realistic in what we expect from them but it’s a great opportunity and all part of the process of building for the future.”
Matt Tierney, who makes his first test start for Canada, joins Sears-Duru and Piffero in the front row. Liam Chisholm is paired with Keys at lock while Lucas Rumball and Admir Cejvanovic join Nott in the back row.
McRorie starts at scrum-half with Bowd at fly-half. Taylor Paris and Dan Moor once again start on the wings while du Toit is joined by Nick Blevins in the centres. Vancouver’s Brock Staller starts at fullback.
“Chile are on the back of a loss like we are,” Anscombe said. “The conditions aren’t going to help but they’ll be competitive. There was only a period of ten minutes where they were dominated by Brazil last weekend, the rest of that game was pretty even.
“They’ve got a reasonable forward pack that’s capable of winning good ball so we’re going to have to be aware and alert and make sure our defence is on the ball.”
Canada comes into Saturday’s game on the heels of a 20-6 defeat to Argentina in their tournament opener last weekend at Westhills Stadium. Chile opened its campaign with a 17-3 loss to Brazil in Sao Paulo.
In their lone previous encounter, Canada beat Chile 64-13 last year in the 2016 ARC in Santiago. Canada ran in nine tries, the second most ever scored by a Canadian team in a test match, while their 64 points was the third most ever scored during Canada’s storied test history.
Canada will look to win its 100th test match Saturday. Canada is 99-140-5 all-time since its first test match in 1932.
Saturday’s game kicks off at 8pm ET/5pm PT and can be seen LIVE on TSN GO. Tickets are still available by clicking here.
Canada’s Men’s Team to face Chile – Name, (Club/CRC) Hometown:
1. Djustice Sears -Duru – (Glasgow Warriors/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON
2. Benoit Piffero – (Blagnac Sporting Rugby Club/Atlantic Rock) Montreal, QC
3. Matt Tierney – (Section Paloise/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON
4. Conor Keys – (UVic Vikes/Atlantic Rock) Stittsville, ON
5. Liam Chisholm – (UVIC Vikes/BC Bears) Kenora, ON
6. Lucas Rumball – (Balmy Beach RFC/Ontario Blues) Scarborough, ON
7. Ollie Nott – (UVIC Vikes/BC Bears) Qualicum, BC
8. Admir Cejvanovic – (Burnaby Lake RFC/BC Bears) Burnaby, BC
9. Gordon McRorie – Captain (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
10. Gradyn Bowd – (UVIC Vikes/Prairie Wolf Pack) Red Deer, AB
11. Taylor Paris – (Agen) Barrie, ON
12. Guiseppe Du Toit – (UVIC Vikes/BC Bears) Maple Ridge, BC
13. Nick Blevins – (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
14. Dan Moor – (Balmy Beach RFC/Ontario Blues) Toronto, ON
15. Brock Staller – (UBC Thunderbirds/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
16. Eric Howard – (Brantford Harlequins/Ontario Blues) Ottawa, ON
17. Rob Brouwer – (Lindsay RFC/Ontario Blues) Lindsay, ON
18. Cole Keith – (James Bay AA/Atlantic Rock) Sussex, NB
19. Reegan O’Gorman – (Marist Albion) Vancouver, BC
20. Matt Beukeboom – (Section Paloise) Lindsay, ON
21. Phil Mack – (James Bay AA/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
22. Robbie Povey – (Bedford Athletic/Prairie Wolf Pack) Northampton, England
23. George Barton – (Clermont Espoirs) Duncan, BC
Canada’s 2017 Americas Rugby Championship Schedule:
Canada 6-20 Argentina — Feb. 4, Westhills Stadium, Langford, BC
Canada vs. Chile — Feb. 11, Westhills Stadium, Langford, BC, 8pm ET/5pm PT
Canada vs. USA — Feb. 18, Swangard Stadium, Langford, BC, 8pm ET/5pm PT
Uruguay vs. Canada — Feb. 25, Estadio Domingo Burgueno, Uruguay
Brazil vs. Canada — March 3, Pacaembu Stadium, Brazil
