Canada hoping Ardron will be ready
Team Canada underdogs at World Cup opener
Team Canada officials are holding their breath to see if Lakefield’s Tyler Ardron recovers from an injury in time for the Canadian men’s rugby team’s Rugby World Cup opener against Ireland on Saturday.
Ardron, Canada’s captain and a pro with the Ospreys in Wales, has not played since injuring his knee July 29 against Samoa in the Pacific Nations Cup.
If not, Aaron Carpenter will fill in at No. 8 while veteran lock Jamie Cudmore takes over as captain.
Canada was ranked 12th in the world heading into the 2007 Rugby World Cup and 14th going into the 2011 competition.
The Canadian men are No. 18 as they prepare to open the 2015 tournament against sixthranked Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday.
Canada is a 66-1 underdog to upset the Irish, according to British bookmaker William Hill.
Despite the long odds and a bumpy road to the tournament, Canada’s spirit is strong.
“When we’ve got all our best players healthy and on the pitch, we’re here to upset some people,” veteran lock Jamie Cudmore said on the eve of his fourth World Cup. “We’re not here to make up the numbers.
“As tough as it’s been this summer. I know the quality and the fight that’s in this squad ... I think it’s going to be a really positive World Cup for us.”
Hurt by injuries and players unavailable, Canada has gone 2-11-0 in Test play since the start of 2014. Only No. 19 Uruguay and No. 20 Namibia are ranked lower than Canada at the tournament.
The rankings slide comes despite better Canadian coaching and facilities. While Canada has progressed, other countries have done more.
“We are only just hanging on and we’re going to get further behind unless we get some sort of professional environment in North America, some professional competition,” Canadian coach Kieran Crowley said.