Men’s rugby program revamped
TORONTO (CP) — Having canned its men’s national team coach, Rugby Canada is now embarking on a makeover midway through a World Cup qualification campaign.
The review which resulted in Thursday’s firing of New Zealand’s Mark Anscombe just 16 months into the job, calls for the hiring of a high-performance director, an academy/Canada ‘A’ coach and more technical staff as well as use of a sports psychologist.
The added resources will work with a larger group of players centralized in Langford, B.C.
The governing body also promises to reopen the door between the men’s sevens and 15s squads to ensure that the “best possible” players are available for 23rdranked Canada’s next attempt at World Cup qualification — against No. 18 Uruguay in January/February.
CEO Allen Vansen says the organization is looking both at the short-term needs to ensure World Cup qualification and a longer-term strategy to improve the quality of Canada’s talent and game.
“It’s a complicated journey but it’s one we have to be very strategic about,” he said in a media conference call Friday.
The review, released Friday, offered eight recommendations with the last one being the removal of Anscombe.
“It’s become very clear through the review process, through speaking with the players and looking at the performance of the team, which is the most important thing, we didn’t feel that Mark was the right person to continue as the head coach,” said Jim Dixon, Rugby Canada’s GM of rugby operations and performance.
Anscombe, who was under contract through the 2019 World Cup, leaves in frustration.
“They keep saying things are in place,” he said. “What’s happening in Toronto to help the athlete? What’s helping in Alberta to help the athlete? Vancouver? Because I speak to the provinces and the answer is absolutely nothing.
“To be honest, all this has done is deflect blame off one person and that’s Jim Dixon. That’s what annoys me.”
Anscombe found himself in Rugby Canada’s crosshairs after a disastrous 52-16 loss to the 17thranked U.S. Eagles on July 1 in San Diego. The two teams had tied 28-28 in Hamilton on June 24 in the opening leg of the World Cup qualifying series.
That prompted a “comprehensive review,” Rugby Canada’s second look into the men’s program since the 2015 World Cup and third including the post-mortem on the men’s sevens failure to make the Rio Olympics.
The sevens review cost coach Liam Middleton his job. Kieran Crowley quit as 15s coach soon after signing a short contract extension in the wake of what was essentially a limited vote of confidence in his World Cup review.