Skill, speed, contact … then share a meal
Ray Barkwill, who learned the game just down the highway, says there are several reasons to watch him and his beefy brethren this weekend.
“It’s non-stop action. We don’t stop for commercials or anything,” says the notably-bearded 36-year-old “hooker” of Canada’s national men’s rugby team. “You’ll see a level of skill and speed with physical contact, which Canadians love. Come to the event, hear the roar of the crowd.”
The event is Canada vs. U.S. Saturday afternoon at Tim Hortons Field in the first of a home-and-home qualifying series for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. More than 8,500 tickets have been sold so far, with about 14,000 fans expected to be in Hamilton for the game. Two special GO trains to and from Hamilton have been added for Saturday.
The back leg will be played in San Diego on Canada Day, and the winner on aggregate advances directly to the World Cup as the “Americas 1” team. The loser has a good chance of reaching Japan, too, through two repechage opportunities.
Currently, the Americans are rated 17th in the world, and Canada 23rd.
“It’s a rivalry when our two countries play, it doesn’t matter what sport,” says Barkwill, who grew up in Niagara Falls. “We have a pretty good record against them (38-16-1), but they’ve been good against us (five straight wins) recently. This time, we’ll finally put our No. 1 team against them.”
Canada won the Americas I ranking for the 2015 World Cup, but the U.S. also quali-
fied later and both North American teams went 0-4 in group play.
This will be the first time that the national men’s senior team has played an international in Hamilton, so a little background music is in order.
The national team plays Rugby Union, the oldest brand of the game, stemming from an incident at England’s Rugby School in 1823 when William Webb Ellis caught a football (soccer ball) and ran with it. And the game built from there.
Rugby Union became part of the Summer Olympics in 2016, although that is the seven-aside game, not the 15-aside we’ll see here this weekend.
Influenced by a New Zealand-born teacher, Barkwill began playing in Grade 7, then attended Westlane Secondary School where rugby was a major sport. From there he advanced to local club teams, the Niagara Wasp, and in 2007 he captained Brock University to its first OUA title in 2007.
He’s also played in Western Australia and last year played for Sacramento Express in a short-lived Rugby Union pro league in the U.S. He played for Canada in the 2015 World Cup. Barkwill’s position is “hooker.” “I hook the ball back with my feet from the scrum,” he explains, “and you see me throw the ball to teammates. The game is about hitting people in a legal way, tackling people hard.”
Rugby at all levels has a reputation for being extremely physical, gusting up to vicious, on the field with the exact opposite atmosphere defining postgame interaction.
“All that animosity goes on on the field but afterward you have a meal together,” Barkwill says. “We’ll do that in Hamilton, too. I have friends on the U.S. team and I’ll be their worst enemy on the field. After the game we’ll have a beer and a few laughs.”