Canada at another rugby crossroads, needing 10-point win for World Cup berth

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Qualifying for a ninth straight World Cup would allow Rugby Canada to quietly continue those renovations, while ensuring the World Rugby funding tap remains on. It would also help attract and hold onto sponsors.

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Failure would invite closer scrutiny and move rugby to the further edges of an already crowded sports table.

Should Canada fail short at the Estadio Charrua, it will have one final chance at qualification via a repechage tournament in November, likely in France. There, the 21st-ranked Canadian men would likely face several higher-ranked countries for the tournament’s final berth. 

Coach Kingsley Jones’ job appears safe, however. He only came on board in the fall and has received good reviews from his Rugby Canada bosses so far. 

Should Canada get past Uruguay, it could start immediate planning for the World Cup, not to mention looking forward to an immediate injection of US$448,000 from World Rugby in World Cup preparation money.

A win would also return Canada to the top 20 in the world rankings, at the expense of Spain. Uruguay will remain No. 17 even if it wins but could fall one down to No. 18 if it loses by more than 15 points.

Saturday’s winner slots into Group D at the 2019 World Cup in Japan as America 2, alongside No. 4 Australia, No. 7 Wales, No. 10 Fiji and No. 12 Georgia.

Canada’s loss to the 17th-ranked U.S. Eagles last summer marked the first time the Canadian men had failed to qualify at the first attempt. That prompted a “comprehensive review,” Rugby Canada’s second look into the men’s program since the 2015 World Cup and third including the post-mortem on the men’s sevens failure to make the Rio Olympics.

The sevens review cost coach Liam Middleton his job. Kieran Crowley quit as 15s coach soon after signing a short contract extension in the wake of what was essentially a limited vote of confidence in his 2015 World Cup review.

The latest review resulted in the firing of New Zealand coach Mark Anscombe last August, just 16 months into the job. It also called for the hiring of a high-performance director, an academy/Canada ‘A’ coach and more technical staff as well as use of a sports psychologist.

Some but not all of those recommendations have been acted on, with several jobs still to be filled. In the wake of last weekend’s loss, Jones cited the need for a full-time defence coach.

The changes continued. In November, Rugby Canada fired its top rugby man, general manager of rugby operations and performance Jim Dixon.

Dixon’s exit was paired with a restructuring that sees Rugby Canada downsize its corporate office in Richmond Hill, Ont., and move several departments to its centre of excellence in Langford, B.C.

Getting involved in a pro rugby league remains a key goal, although Rugby Canada is taking its time so as not to bet on the wrong horse.

“It’s a key part of being internationally competitive,” Vansen said of pro rugby. “The ability to attract and keep athletes playing the game, seeing an opportunity to be able to make a living playing the game is critically important.

“Having those role models in your back yard or being able to connect with them is an important thing.”

Vansen says Rugby Canada continues to hold talks with pro leagues, from the fledging Major League Rugby in the U.S. to Europe’s Pro 14 and the Super Rugby circuit in the Southern Hemisphere and Japan.

“I think there’s lots of room for multiple processional rugby leagues in North America as the game grows and gets recognition and people get exposed to it and see how exciting it is,” Vansen said.

While Super Rugby has been in contraction mode recently, Vansen believes the league still wants to still enter new markets after putting its own house in order.

Also on the domestic front, Vansen says his organization is also boosting its support of university and college rugby.

Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press