RUSSIANS ARE COMING TO TWIN ELM AS CANADA AIMS FOR RUGBY WIN
Stittsville’s Keys hoping to make his mark with national side in front of capacity crowd
Conor Keys, a fresh-faced forward on Canada’s rugby team, shows patience and compassion beyond his 21 years.
It so happens the Stittsville native grew up with a kid sister, Olivia, who has autism.
“We found out a young age,” Keys said, following a Canadian training session at the Barrhaven rugby park now named Rowan’s Pitch, after the late Rowan Stringer. Keys played his first rugby games here.
“Then Olivia had an accident while she was growing up, was hit on the head with a golf club — she ran behind a neighbour who was swinging, and it caused a bit of brain damage.
“There were some difficult times with that,” Keys said. “But she’s 19 now. And it doesn’t show as much any more.”
Keys’ familiarity with autism helps explain how he was able to make such an impact on a young man from Alberta, named Bryce, after Canada’s 48-10 loss to Scotland in Edmonton last week. Post-game, Keys spoke to an autistic group from Calgary and after several minutes, broke the ice with Bryce, normally too shy to speak. Bryce was later heard to boast, “I have a friend on the national team!”
A friend indeed.
“I got an email from him yesterday,” Keys said. “I will send him an email tonight. Get some kit for him — get him in a Rugby Canada jersey.”
Keys will be wearing one himself on Saturday when a young, developmental Canadian side will take on Russia at Nepean’s Twin Elm Rugby Park, near Richmond.
A raucous, capacity crowd of about 5,000 is expected to pack into creaky Twin Elm, which has been the scene of frantic lastminute repairs.
Twin Elm board president Lee Powell has directed a volunteer crew to help repair stairwells and floors, a leaky roof and install a new water boiler.
Tens of thousands of dollars were raised to repair the building, lot and stands, and local businesses chipped in with supplies of labour, paint, flooring and carpet.
“One of the main things I have learned is how to go out and beg,” Powell said.
“It’s been a big adventure and a lot of work, but I am anticipating that by the time we have kickoff (4 p.m.) on Saturday, it will all be done.”
Too risky to attempt beforehand, a new power switch and solar roof panels will be hooked up after the game.
Canada versus Russia in hockey we know.
But Canada-Russia rugby? Neither nation is a world power at the moment.
Canada — which was briefly among the top eight rugby countries when Ottawa’s Al Charron was in his prime, reaching the quarterfinals of the 1991 World Cup — has fallen to 21st. Russia is 19th, but, like Canada, is challenged to attract top athletes into the sport.
Canadians worship hockey. Russians relish wrestling.
Nobody knows this better than new Canadian coach Kingsley Jones, who was Russia’s head coach for 30 test matches between 2011-14.
Asked about communication challenges, the former Welsh national trots out a couple of Russian expressions, but admits he had translators at the ready for his time coaching there. What to expect from Russia? “They have a big, physical pack, and a good No. 10 in Yuri Kushnarev, who controls the game,” Jones said. “They will struggle with their conditioning, perhaps, in the heat as it’s early in their season.”
This three-test summer series, which concludes in Halifax against the USA on June 23, is a buildup to a vital repechage tournament in November. Canada must win that tournament to qualify for the 2019 World Cup and keep its qualifying streak alive.
A more veteran group should be available then, but for now, young players like Keys and hooker Eric Howard, 24, of Kanata, are getting serious looks. Both are on the bench Saturday (15 starters, eight reserves).
“We’ve got a good group of young guys here,” Jones said. “Their willingness to learn and work is excellent. We just seem to be missing a generation — the 26-30 year olds, there’s not too many of them in the group.”
From the moment Jones was hired last fall, he recognized Canada had issues with player depth. It’s one thing to have a pool of 20 or so players to field a side of 15, but that doesn’t cut it
when there are injuries or players are unavailable due to pro commitments.
“For us, the main challenge is we don’t have a professional domestic game and our players are playing amateur rugby at club level and we are competing, at the international level, against full-time professional teams,” Jones said.
A new American pro loop, Major League Rugby (MLR), is providing new opportunities, and Howard, a former Ottawa Beavers player, is playing for New Orleans Gold of the MLR.
“It’s a quality level,” Howard said. “It’s helping me as a player.”
Overall, Jones has been impressed that “the likes of Luke Campbell, Lucas Rumball, Cole Davis ... are really stepping up.
“They were in the u20s not so long ago and they’re putting pressure on senior players for positions.”
Their next time to shine — at Twin Elm.