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Will RC Start Explaining Expenditures Now; How are the North Wales Boys Doing; Why Can't a 17 Year Old Play Senior Club Rugby but Can Play for Canada; 6 Nations Passes Ready for Pickup
A few questions to consider from readers, actually most editorials are triggered by readers who email in their comments and questions. By the way the Six Nations commences Saturday Feb. 6 and The Gold Passes are now available at the Strathcona for pick-up.
Rugby Canada and Accountability
Judging by today’s article on the rugby canada website you've rattled the cage pretty good there Mark. Maybe they'll start explaining all expenditures. I'll hold my breath, shall I?
This was in reference to our comment about both Kieran Crowley and Geraint John going down to examine the fields and facilities in NZ this week. Rugby Canada responded with an article giving a little more information on the financing and justification of the dual visit. So that’s a good outcome but should have been mentioned at the beginning, certainly RC must realize that the rugby public wants more transparency on these issues. There’s a lot of suspicion that there’s too much waste and extravagance at the top and RC should be especially attentive to justify their expenditures. When it was first announced that both were going down to NZ our 7s expert told me “I bet they’re not sending a manager then, one will go on the iRB dime as manager” and sure enough there wasn’t a manager announced in the team announcement. So is Geraint John going down on the iRB dime to examine facilities and Kieran Crowley going down on the iRB dime as 7s team manager? I’m not sure but reading the RC article it seems to infer that, “This week Geraint John, who traveled to New Zealand via the IRB Rugby World Cup Site Review Program, met with Canadian Head Coach Kieran Crowley, who is assisting Morgan Williams' first official tour of duty as Head Coach”. And if that’s the case is that fair to the 7s team and Morgan Williams? That’s the problem with Rugby Canada they never completely lay out their cards and hence get the reputation for being sneaky and deceptive.
North Wales
Good morning Mark, I have been out of country, just returned and catching up. I note no news on our dear Departed and I wonder if you can update us sometime. I would be very interested in learning what playing use they are getting or if indeed their season has started?
So it looks as if they’ve played two games so far losing to Leicester Tigers Academy 21-9 and then defeating a barbarians style team called the Wooden Spoon by a score of 22-14. This Saturday they’re playing away at Glamorgan Wanderers. Just to give you an idea of the level of competition, Glamorgan recently lost to Cross Keys and Steve Woodward played #10 for Cross Keys last year, this year he’s playing #10 for RGC 1404. Not exactly top level international competition but our esteemed Welsh high-performance director seems to think it will get them ready for the World Cup so who am I to dispute that. Here is the game preview from Glamorgan RFC.
Backs Coach Chris Ower takes charge of the Wanderers this weekend in the game against RGC 1404.
“It’s a great opportunity to play against a new team with many international players and we get a chance to see how good the depth in our squad really is” commented Ower.
“Most Saturdays we have extensive knowledge of the opposition but this week we are taking our structures into the unknown as we have little idea on how our opposition will play”.
The Wanderers name a 24 man squad and give a first senior outing to Ross Wardle from the Youth XV and he is joined in midfield by Matt Trowbridge who has impressed for the development squad after a lay off injured. There are also first starts this season for Danny Douthwaite and Chris Roberts. The experienced open-side Ben Rose captains the side with Richard Thomas also starting after recovering from a knee injury.
Young wings Ryan Healey and Rory Budina will be looking to add to their try count and with Chris Roberts at full back they form a potent attacking threat.
Playing Senior Club Rugby at 17?
The selection of David D into the 7 Team was a bit of a shock but it is great to see considering development of James O`Connor with the Wallabies.
As a coach of a lower mainland club with a focus over the last several years on 3rd div, like every club we have struggled with teams defaulting, field closures, island trips and numbers.
In problem solving, I have approached players and parents from our junior program whom I think are capable and up to the task of playing 3rd div so we don't take the field with 12 or 13 men.
So if Coach, Parents and Player/Child agree then what could be the problem? The BCRU has told us that they cannot play, they are too young, they will get injured, they cannot play more than 100min of rugby in one day, yadda, yadda, yadda.
So how does a 17yr old (I'm guessing here) schoolboy get selected to play for Canada at that level when we can’t fill gaps at the grass roots level?
So how do we develop and integrate our younger players into senior rugby if we don't have the backing of the BCRU?
I wish David all the best and i hope his experience translates to the International Rugby Scene.
Actually David D is 18 but Taylor Paris is 17 so this is a good point. Why are youth with parent's permission not allowed to play senior club rugby but we allow them to play internationally? There definitely is a double standard here and how are we to “blood” our young players if we don’t let them get involved in senior rugby before they’re 18. I know insurance is part of the issue but are we becoming puppets to the insurance industry now? What are the options? I would like to know what the standard is in other provinces and other countries, somehow I can’t see Argentina preventing a 17 year old from playing senior rugby which is probably why they seem to develop so much faster there. So what is the status in NZ, SA and Oz, I’d be interested to hear from readers. I’ll follow up with Jeff Sauve to get the reasoning and see if there are options.
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