Big support for P.E.I. rugby player
Mudmen stalwart Phil Lanthier at national prop camp in B.C.
Phil Lanthier is in British Columbia competing with the top up-and-coming rugby props in the country.
The 28-year-old Mermaid native, who now lives in Cornwall, is attending a Rugby Canada front row camp as part of project prop, where the organization is looking at identifying potential national team members at the position.
“I’m really excited and I am really happy to be able to get out there and represent the
East Coast,” Lanthier said last week before departing for Victoria.
A key contributor as the Hunter’s Ale House P.E.I. Mudmen grew into a powerhouse in the region, Lanthier brings a rare mix of skills to the position.
At six-feet tall and 300 pounds, Lanthier has the strength to play a key role in the front row of a scrum while also bringing a deft touch with the ball in hands that are not seen in many guys his size.
“He’s not that typical, oldschool prop,” said P.E.I. Abbies’ head coach James Voye.
“Props at that size aren’t … typically as evasive as he is. He can make players miss or create space for other teammates.”
Lanthier, who was a nationally ranked wrestler as a junior athlete, started playing rugby and football in Grade 10 at Charlottetown Rural High School. He played rugby for Prince Edward Island at the 2009 Canada Games as an underage player.
“I have a lot of experience carrying the ball from football,” said Lanthier, a former fullback and quarterback. “I have great hands and speed to go along with it. …
“There were a lot of transferable skills that I am able to utilize (as part of) my whole arsenal whenever I go on the
“I’m really excited and I am really happy to be able to get out there and represent the East Coast.”
Phil Lanthier
rugby field.”
Voye, who coached the 2009 Canada Games team with Darryl Boudreau, called Lanthier a skilled player with a high rugby IQ.
“He will have this next (few) weeks to kind of thrive in that Rugby Canada environment. I think he’s really going to shine,” Voye said.
Lanthier, who played 8 man and flanker in high school, got involved with the Mudmen after graduating from high school. He enjoys the prop position, which he described as the point of attack.
“It’s definitely a very technical position. There’s a lot of moving parts to an eight-man scrum,” he said. “To get this experience and learn is going to just benefit me all around.”
But as good as Lanthier is on the field, he is aware of the big picture, too, which doesn’t go unnoticed by those around him.
“Phil has always been a proud P.E.I. Rugby person,” Voye said. “He’s always supported the rugby community and the junior programs and things like that.”