Carpenter challenges Canucks to lose nearly men tag

CANADA’s joint most-capped player Aaron Carpenter admits failure to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in the competition’s history is an “unthinkable” proposition for the country he has served for 13 years.

The Canucks, ever-presents on the game’s biggest stage since it began in 1987, head into the first game of the two-legged play-off against border rivals USA next Saturday as rank underdogs after winning just two of their last 10 Tests before last night’s game against Romania.

Mark Anscombe’s side have slipped out of the world’s top 20 as a result, while in contrast the Eagles’ fortunes have soared under former England coach John Michell, who is set to take up a post with the Bulls back home in South Africa once the qualifiers are over.

“For the last two to three years we’ve been a ‘just about’ team, coming up just short of the line,” said the Ontario-born, Doncaster back rower.

“The US have had the best of us but we’ll have to see what we can come up with. I feel it would be unthinkable for us not to be at the World Cup, a huge backward step for Canadian rugby.

“The Union are taking a slightly rose-tinted view that we have to blood young players and stick by them, which is 100 per cent true, but you’ve also got to take results into consideration as well and they haven’t stacked up lately.”

Should Canada lose out in the battle for the Americas 1 spot and a place alongside England, France and Argentina in Pool C at RWC 2019, they will face a tricky playoff against Uruguay.

Los Teros beat them 17-13 in the Americas Rugby Championship earlier this year and are now ranked two places higher. The winner of that game will go forward to Japan as Americas 2, while it’s the lottery of the global repechage for the loser.

Carpenter drew level with the great Al Charron’s as Canada’s all-time caps record holder when he came off the bench to make his 76th Test appearance in last week’s dispiriting 13-0 home loss to Georgia, and has not ruled out a fourth World Cup appearance if the North Americans make it through to a ninth straight tournament.

“The idea four World Cups is appealing but I’ll see how the body is holding up,” the 34-year-old said. “At the moment I’m happy to keep cracking on.”