Canada Lose 45-28 to Uruguay (HT 33-7): Finish 3rd in Tournament
The bad news is Canada lost and finished 3rd behind Uruguay and Zimbabwe, the good news is they won the second half 21-12.
The team gets A+ in tenacity and heart, perhaps a lower grade in skill and accuracy. Canada made a lot of errors, especially in the first half. Plus their discipline was lacking as they ran up a large penalty count in the first half.
The U20 program needs a rethink that’s for sure and we’ll cover that in a later article.
Who are the players to watch as they progress to senior levels. Talon McMullin at #12 was probably the MVP of the tournament for Canada. He’s as big as some of the forwards, he has the size and physicality to make it at the senior level. When he had the ball, good things happened. The #10 James Biss, #11 Alastair Marshall and #12 Talon McMullin all looked good and they’ll be at UBC this season which is good for their development and the UBC program. Matt Klimchuk #8 from the Pacific Pride played well and is continuing to develop. The hooker, David Scollon, put in a solid effort.
MATCH VIDEO
from Rugby Canada
Tries from David Scollon, Mathew Klimchuk, Liam Bowman and James Biss, as well as a series of conversions from Jamin Hodgkins, headlined a battling Canada performance which breathed new life into the match in the second half.
It was a tough start, said Canada Mens U20s Head Coach Adam Roberts. The boys put themselves under extreme pressure. Discipline and costly errors at the set piece put us down. But, again, our teams resiliency and character to come back, fight and stay in the battle is fantastic. Its a tribute to them and it shows well for the future that these guys can do it. The gumption and the attack is there, its the mental side we need to keep working on and keep playing these games under that pressure.
Having lost to Zimbabwe and triumphing over Chile earlier in the competition, this result against Uruguay ensured a third-place finish for Canada. Earlier in the day, Zimbabwe beat Chile 43-35 in a thrilling, high-scoring encounter to seal their spot in second place.
In Tuesdays second match, a blistering first half performance from Uruguay saw the visitors build a commanding 33-7 lead. Scollons try had pegged the away side back to 12-7 at one point but Uruguay showed their quality as the half went on.
After the break, Canada came out the stronger team and enjoyed the lions share of possession. That translated into points on the board as Klimchuk finished off a well-worked team try. A further Uruguay score made it 38-14, before Bowman went over followed by Biss after an expertly blocked kick to give Canada hope of a late comeback.
However, Uruguay completed the scoring with a last-play-of-the-game try to seal a 45-28 victory and their place atop the final standings.
Early on we kind of got punched in the mouth, said scrum half Adam Doyle. We found ourselves down to a pretty big score. I think the boys showed character, continued to fight as we did all tournament. It just shows the strength of character on this team and the bond that we have.
*Adam Roberts Names Canada U20 Team to Face Uruguay Today at 3:15pm PT*
from Rugby Canada
Head Coach Adam Roberts has confirmed his Canada Mens U20s match day roster to take on Uruguay in the final game of the 2022 Canada Conference.
Canada will face the Uruguayans at 6:15 p.m. Eastern / 3:15 p.m. Pacific today (Tuesday) at the University of Guelph. That follows Zimbabwe versus Chile which will kickoff at 3:30 p.m. Eastern / 12:30 p.m. Pacific. Admission for fans is FREE.
Heading into the match, Uruguay have an unassailable lead at the top of the standings having collected ten points from their opening two fixtures a 27-3 victory over Chile and a 35-12 win over Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, Canadas record includes a narrow 32-24 loss to Zimbabwe and a hard-earned 25-24 triumph over Chile.
Several changes to Canadas XV see Ethan Jurgeneit and Caden Wilson come into the pack, while Adam Doyle will line up at scrum half as all three earn their first starts of the tournament. James Biss will captain the side, while Mathew Klimchuk has been named vice-captain.
“Our boys have spent the past two weeks together, bonding, building our team culture, and identifying one another’s strengths, Roberts commented. The trust they’ve solidified will serve them well as we prepare for our biggest test as a team. This test series provides an opportunity for our U20s to take it to the next level and we look forward to battling Uruguay.”
WHERE TO WATCH
The U20s Canada Conference 2022 will be streamed LIVE on Rugby Canadas YouTube channel. Click here to access the page where the livestream will be located.
CANADAS MENS U20 MATCH DAY ROSTER VS URUGUAY
1. Ethan Jurgeneit (Barrie, ON) – Trinity Western University
2. David Scollon (Mississauga, ON) University of Guelph
3. Payton Teneycke (Brandon, MB) – UBC
4. Caden Wilson (Vancouver, BC) – UBC
5. Alastair Bruce (Cape Town, South Africa) – Pacific Pride
6. Sol Jacques (Penticton, BC) – UBC
7. Logan Weidner (North Vancouver, BC) RC Narbonne
8. Mathew Klimchuk (Regina, SK) – Pacific Pride
9. Adam Doyle (Kingston, ON) – Queens University
10. James Biss (London, England) – Durham University
11. Alastair Marshall (Hudson Bay, SK) – UBC
12. Talon McMullin (White Rock, BC) – Bayside RFC
13. Liam Bowman (Oakville, ON) – US Montauban
14. Kobe Faust (Uxbridge, ON) University of Guelph / Toronto Arrows
15. Jamin Hodgkins (Bermuda) – Cardiff Met University
REPLACEMENTS
16. Michael Di Lella Jr. (Orono, ON) University of Guelph
17. Joe McNulty (North Vancouver, BC) – Capilano RFC
18. Tyler Matchem (Halifax, NS) – Pacific Pride
19. Sam Reimer (Ajax, ON) – Pacific Pride / Toronto Arrows
20. Jack East (Wanaka, New Zealand) – Pacific Pride
21. Jacob Ince (Oakville, ON) – Guelph University
22. Mehdi Porchet (Geneva, Switzerland) – Stade Montois RFC
23. Ethan Fryer (Seattle, USA) – Pacific Pride / New England Free Jacks