Ahead of Canada’s opening game of the 2015 Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) against Japan in San Jose this weekend, Head Coach Kieran Crowley has confirmed that Tyler Ardron will captain the 31-man squad.
Ardron is joined in the squad by fellow Osprey, Jeff Hassler, while scrum-half Phil Mack, who spent a short period with the region at the start of 2013/14 as injury cover, is also included.
Following the Japan fixture, Canada will host three PNC matches on home soil. On July 24 at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, Canada will square off against Tonga.
The Canadians then head to Toronto to take on Samoa at BMO Field as part of a triple-header. All six nations – Canada, USA, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Japan – will then return to Burnaby for the Pacific Nations Cup finals day on August 3.
At the end of the PNC, Canada will announce its 31-man Rugby World Cup squad. From there, they will face the USA in Ottawa on August 22 and then battle Glasgow Warriors in Halifax on August 29 before heading overseas to face Georgia on September 2nd in Esher and Fiji on September 6th in London at The Stoop.
Canada begins its World Cup pool play on September 19 against Ireland at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.
Canada’s Pacific Nations Cup Roster:
Tyler Ardron – Captain (Ospreys) Lakefield, ON
Ray Barkwill - (Castaway Wanderers/Ontario Blues) Niagara Falls, ON
Brett Beukeboom - (Cornish Pirates) Lindsay, ON
Nick Blevins - (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
Connor Braid - (Unattached/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
Hubert Buydens – (Castaway Wanderers/Prairie Wolf Pack) Saskatoon, SK
Aaron Carpenter - (Cornish Pirates/Ontario Blues) Brantford, ON
Thyssen de Goede - (James Bay AA/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
Matt Evans - (Cornish Pirates) Maple Bay, BC
Kyle Gilmour - (Rotherham Titans/Prairie Wolf Pack) St. Albert, AB
Jeff Hassler - (Ospreys) Okotoks, ON
Ciaran Hearn - (Castaway Wanderers/Atlantic Rock) Conception Bay, NL
Nathan Hirayama - (UVIC Vikes/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
Tyler Hotson - (Doncaster Knights) Vancouver, BC
Harry Jones - (Capilano RFC/BC Bears) North Vancouver, BC
Phil Mack - (James Bay AA/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
Phil Mackenzie - (Sale Sharks/Ontario Blues), Oakville, ON
Gordon McRorie - (Calgary Hornets/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
John Moonlight - (James Bay AA/Ontario Blues) Pickering, ON
Callum Morrison - (UBC Old Boys Ravens/BC Bears) Victoria, BC
Evan Olmstead - (Parramatta Two Blues/Prairie Wolf Pack) Calgary, AB
Jon Phelan - (Doncaster Knights/Atlantic Rock) Montreal, QB
Benoit Piffero - (Blagnac/Atlantic Rock) Montreal QB
James Pritchard - (Bedford Blues) Parkes, NSW, Australia
Djustice Sears-Duru - (Oakville Crusaders/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON
Richard Thorpe - (London Welsh) Beckenham, England
Andrew Tiedemann – (Plymouth Albion/Prairie Wolf Pack) St. Albert, AB
Conor Trainor - (UBCOB Ravens/BC Bears) Vancouver, BC
Liam Underwood - (Balmy Beach RFC/Ontario Blues) Toronto, ON
DTH Van Der Merwe - (Scarlets) Regina, SK
Doug Wooldridge - (Lindsay RFC/Ontario Blues) Lindsay, ON
Unavailable:
Jamie Cudmore – (Clermont Auvergne) Squamish, BC
Nanyak Dala - (Castaway Wanderers/Prairie Wolf Pack) Saskatoon, SK
Tom Dolezel - (London St. George’s/Ontario Blues) London, ON
Jake Ilnicki – (Castaway Wanderers/BC Bears) Williams Lake, BC
Jason Marshall - (Agen/BC Bears) North Vancouver, BC
Taylor Paris - (Agen) Barrie, ON
Jebb Sinclair – (London Irish/Atlantic Rock) Fredericton, NB
Canada Senior Men’s Schedule:
Pacific Nations Cup:
July 18 – Canada vs. Japan (San Jose, USA)
July 24 – Canada vs. Tonga (Swangard Stadium, Burnaby)
July 29 – Canada vs. Samoa (BMO Field, Toronto)
August 3 – Canada vs. TBD (Swangard Stadium, Burnaby)
Road to the Rugby World Cup:
August 22 – Canada vs. USA (Twin Elm Rugby Park, Ottawa)
August 29 – Canada vs. Glasgow Warriors (Wanderers Grounds, Halifax)
September 2 – Canada vs. Georgia (Esher, England)
September 6 – Canada vs. Fiji (The Stoop, England)
Rugby World Cup:
September 19 – Canada vs. Ireland (Cardiff, Wales)
September 26 – Canada vs. Italy (Leeds, England)
October 1 – Canada vs. France (Milton Keynes, England)
October 6 – Canada vs. Romania (Leicester, England)