Journey to World Cup starts now
Maori bracing for fast, physical contest against Canadian squad under new coach
Fast, hard-hitting rugby and a fresh look for the hosts is what the participants expect from Friday night’s contest at B.C. Place Stadium between the New Zealand Maori All Blacks and Canada. Beyond, that, who knows? Fans should be able to count on a Haka and plenty of scoring.
“We expect them to play a fast, uptempo game against us,” Canadian captain Phil Mack said.
“A really tough game,” said Maori coach Clayton McMillan.
“On the sevens circuit, they’re big physical boys, so I’m expecting the same,” said Maori winger Ambrose Curtis.
“And a sore body afterwards,” he added with a laugh.
For the All Blacks, it’s the first of two games that give them a chance to represent not just their country, but their culture, as well.
For the Canadians, Friday represents something of a new beginning.
They have a new coach — Kingsley Jones — and a new target: winning a two-game Rugby World Cup qualifier beginning in January.
“Our focus has been getting to know Kingsley and what he expects of us, and putting time in on our defence,” said Mack.
“He’s a very player-centric coach. He empowers us to make decisions on the field,” Mack went on. “I enjoy that.”
And for Mack, he’s taking on a new job, too: he’s captaining Canada against the visiting Maori and in their subsequent three matches in November against Spain, Fiji and Georgia, all to be played in Europe.
“It’s a big honour, but there are a lot of great leaders on this team,” he said. “We share the load.” Against the Maori, much of Jones’ first squad will be made up of domestic players. The match falls outside the official World Rugby-sanctioned international window, so professional stars like D.T.H. van der Merwe, Jake Ilnicki, Evan Olmstead, Taylor Paris and Jeff Hassler aren’t available.
Still, experienced hands like Ray Barkwill, Hubert Buydens, Djustice Sears-Duru and Tyler Ardron are in the mix.
Ardon, in fact, plays for McMillan’s Bay of Plenty team in New Zealand.
“We’ve been giving him a bit of a ribbing,” the Kiwi coach said.
McMillan said he fully expects a highly motivated group of Canadians will be coming hard at his team, armed with aggression and something to prove.
“I’m sure there will be some disappointment from June,” he said. “We know that they’re a physical pack and they’ll be direct in how they play.”
Friday’s match is the beginning of a journey which hopefully ends with Canada qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
The Canadians missed at their first opportunity this summer against the USA, the first time the Canadians have not qualified for the World Cup in their first attempt.
“Most of these guys know the scope of where we are,” Mack said of the young group that’s assembled this week up at UBC to prepare for the All Blacks.
“Everybody understands the importance of those games,” he continued.
“But for right now, it’s about getting better. (Rugby World Cup) is four games away from now.”
And he’s hoping the Canadian side can put on a show in front of a big, energizing crowd.
“It’s a bit of a treat when it gets that full,” he said. “A number of the guys will have friends and family there.
“It’s definitely going to push us.”