Canada has edge in bruising encounter
It wasn’t a Test victory for Canada, but it still felt good. Especially for James Bay Athletic Association products Connor Braid and D.T.H. van der Merwe, who helped the Glasgow Warriors’ win their first Guinness Pro 12 League championship last season.
Langford-based Canada, with Braid and van der Merwe both starting, defeated the Warriors 19-12 in Halifax on Saturday. It was the final 2015 World Cup tune-up on Canadian turf and the result came as a relief to a Canadian side that has lost its last seven Test matches and 10 of its last 11.
“More than anything, we needed a win,” said Braid, a graduate of Oak Bay High.
“It didn’t matter what it looked like. We just needed a win. This is a morale booster.”
Canada’s tries came from van der Merwe, Matt Evans of Duncan and Jamie Cudmore of Squamish while Nathan Hirayama from the University of Victoria Vikes kicked two conversions. Glenn Bryce and Junior Bulumakau scored the Glasgow tries.
Fleet-footed winger Van der Merwe, who played for JBAA after his family emigrated from South Africa, now plays pro in Wales with the Scarlets. Van der Merwe, headed to his third World Cup for Canada, became the all-time leader in tries scored for the Warriors during his six seasons playing in Glasgow.
“D.T.H. and I are pleased to get one over on our old club,” Braid said by phone from Halifax.
The game was billed as the Battle for New Scotland, and it was a pitched affair.
“There was no love lost out there. It was a hardhitting game with bodies strewn about. The boys are hurting,” said Braid.
Canada was much improved from its lost Test summer.
“We closed out this time,” said Braid, referring to several recent losses late in games. “And we didn’t have as many turnovers as we have been giving away. We hung on to the ball and that was the key.”
Canada leaves today for England, where its World Cup preparations continue with Tests against Georgia on Wednesday in Esher and Fiji next Sunday at The Stoop in London. The preparations began with a training camp last month at Shawnigan Lake School.
“We’ve done a lot of hard work and we’ve been playing pretty well, but we needed a win to get some momentum and some confi- dence,” said Canadian head coach Kieran Crowley of Mill Bay. “I thought the boys played really well. Defensively, [the Warriors] were outstanding, but we got a couple of opportunities which we took. [Canada] certainly dug in and it was nice to get over the line for a change.”
Canada, ranked No. 18, opens the World Cup against No. 2 Ireland on Sept. 19 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Canada’s other Group D matches are on Sept. 26 against Italy in Leeds, Oct. 1 against France in Milton Keynes and Oct. 6 against Romania in Leicester.