My World Cup drama
A former Stirling County and Stirling University rugby player says his World Cup experience was‘incredible’– despite being caught up in one of the most devastating typhoons to hit Japan in more than 60 years.
Gordon McRorie, who used to ply his trade as a scrum-half at Bridgehaugh, sported the red of Canada at the World Cup currently being staged in Japan.
The 31-year-old starred in matches for the team, known as the Canucks, against New Zealand, South Africa and Italy. But they lost all three games.
Their only points were picked up when their final Pool B match, against Namibia, was cancelled because of Typhoon Hagibis and the match was declared a 0-0 draw.
Despite the disappointing exit, McRorie was buoyed by the opportunity to take on some of the world’s top players.
He said:“It was an incredible experience in Japan. We were so welcomed by every community right from the start.
“We didn’t get the results we wanted obviously, but going up against the likes of the All Blacks and Springboks is something every rugby player dreams about. It was a great way to test ourselves against the best and keep building moving forward.”
The match in Kamaishi, against Namibia, was cancelled over safety fears.
The powerful typhoon was considered to be the most devastating to hit the Kantō region of Japan since Ida in 1958.
Winds speeds reached up to 160 mph, leaving a death toll of more than 50 people, with more missing and thousands affected by power outages.
Following their exit, the Canadian rugby squad took to the streets of Kamaishi once the storm had past to help locals clean up the devastation left in it’s wake.
McRorie said:“We were obviously gutted about the decision to cancel our Namibia game but we wanted to give back in a little way to the people of Kamaishi who had given so much to us - anything we could do to help the people affected by the typhoon.
“It’s an amazing community up there and we thank them for their hospitality.”
In 2011, McRorie, originally from Auchterarder, decided to go travelling and settled in Calgary.
He became one of the star players for the Prarie Wolf Pack in the Canadian Rugby Championship.
His performances there got Canadian international scouts interested and once he became eligible to play for their national team through residency, in mid-2014, he won his first cap against Japan.