Blues Sr. Men: Starting XV announced for CRC Game 3 vs. BC Bears

August 15, 2017

Blues Senior Men announce Starting XV for CRC Game 3 vs. BC Bears

(CALGARY, AB) - After winning their first two Canadian Rugby Championship (CRC) matches, the Ontario Blues Senior Men's team will meet the other undefeated team on Wednesday, August 16. The BC Bears are also off to a very strong start to the 2017 CRC season. Both BC and Ontario have defeated the Wolf Pack and the Rock and have booked their ticket to the Gold medal game on Saturday, August 19. This game will be a warm up for the two teams, as they will meet each other once more in the Gold medal match.

Head Coach Chris Silverthorn has decided to rest his starters in this contest, so that they are fresh for the Gold medal match.

Patrick Lynott (Bytown Blues), Mario Van Der Westhuizen (Guelph Redcoats) and Kyle Lagasca (Toronto Saracens) all get their first starts with the Blues.

Peter Milazzo (Toronto Saracens) will captain the Blues team against BC. He is the youngest captain in Blues Senior Men's history (21 years old).

The Blues are 7-3 against the Bears all time (3-2 in BC and 4-1 in Ontario). British Columbia's last win over Ontario was in Burlington in 2012. Their most recent match saw Ontario win 50-21 at Fletcher's Fields in 2016. British Columbia has a strong side this year, though and it was highly evident in their 42-0 rout of the Wolf Pack.

Ontario leads BC by 1 point in the standings, after getting bonus points in both their win against the Atlantic Rock and the Prairie Wolf Pack. British Columbia just narrowly defeated the Atlantic Rock in their second game and did not receive a bonus point.

The British Columbia Bears match kicks off at 7:00pm ET from Calgary Rugby Park. It will be streamed LIVE at www.facebook.com/rugbycanada.

For full schedule, standings and scoring leaders, go to www.canadianrugbychampionship.com.

ONTARIO BLUES SR. MEN vs. BC BEARS - AUGUST 16, 2017

1. Pat Lynott, Bytown Blues

2. Andrew Quattrin, Aurora Barbarians

3. Ryan Surgenor, Bytown Blues

4. Paul Ciulini, Aurora Barbarians

5. Mike Sheppard, Stoney Creek Camels

6. Marcello Wainwright, Toronto Saracens

7. Peter Milazzo, Toronto Saracens (Captain)

8. Seb Pearson, London St. Georges

9. Mario Van Der Westhuizen, Guelph Redcoats

10. Mitch Richardson, Stoney Creek Camels

11. Dan Moor, Balmy Beach

12. Kyle Lagasca, Toronto Saracens

13. Andrew Coe, Markham Irish

14. Brandon McLeod, Aurora Barbarians

15. John Sheridan, Markham Irish

16. Eric Howard, Brantford Harlequins

17. Rob Brouwer, Lindsay RFC

18. Tom Dolezel, London St. Georges

19. Lucas Rumball, Balmy Beach

20. Andrew Wilson, Crusaders

21. Andrew Ferguson, Crusaders

22. Josh Campbell, London St. Georges

23. Kainoa Lloyd, Mississauga Blues

STAFF

Chris Silverthorn - Head Coach

Cory Hector - Assistant Coach

Mark Winokur - Team Manager

Chris Kelly - Athletic Therapist

Rodin Lozada - Video Analyst

Dr. Chris Gallimore - Team Doctor

ONTARIO BLUES - CANADIAN RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

July 22, 2017 vs. Atlantic Rock - KO 4pm ET (24-17 Win)

August 13, 2017 vs. Prairie Wolf Pack - KO 3pm ET

August 16, 2017 vs. BC Bears - KO 7pm ET

August 19, 2017 vs. TBD - KO 7pm ET/9pm ET

CANADIAN RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP - PAST CHAMPIONS

2016 - Ontario Blues

2015 - Prairie Wolf Pack

2014 - Ontario Blues

2013 - Ontario Blues

2012 - Ontario Blues

2011 - Ontario Blues

2010 - Atlantic Rock

2009 - BC Bears

ABOUT THE ONTARIO BLUES

The Ontario Blues program is the high performance representative program for male and female rugby players in Ontario. Rugby Ontario is represented at the provincial level by the Ontario Blues High Performance program. The program includes representative teams from Under-15 to Senior in both Women’s and Men’s Fifteens. Specifically, the program is designed to develop and showcase rugby players for Canadian representative national teams.

ABOUT RUGBY ONTARIO

Rugby Ontario is the provincial sports governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to establish a stronger identity for rugby in Ontario by promoting the sport’s core values and by fostering a culture of inclusiveness and excellence on and off the field of play.

To learn more, visit https://www.rugbyontario.com/