View from the Cheap Seats is kind of an extension of the newsroom. Whenever our three regular reporters, Calvin Daniels, Thom Barker and Randy Brenzen are in the building together, it is frequently a site of heated debate. This week: What are Canada’s prospects in the Rugby World Cup?
Good news, bad news
The good news is, Canada is in the Rugby World Cup. The other good news is, Canada is guaranteed four games. The other other good news is, Canada actually has a chance of beating Romania.
The bad news is, even though we made it to the World Cup, in this field, we suck so badly that our only hope, barring a complete meltdown by Ireland, Italy or France is to finish 1-3 in Pool D and limp away with optimism for 2019, or, more realistically, 2023.
I love the fact that Canada is starting to compete at a high level in international sports such as rugby, football (soccer) and cricket (yes, cricket), but we have a long, long way to go.
There were some positive signs in the summer’s Pacific Nations Cup. Canada held its own against Somoa and Tonga (and even Japan) in the beginnings of games, but fell apart when push came to scrum. Ultimately, we couldn’t even defeat the hapless United States in the race for last place in that tournament.
Currently, Canada is tracking better (marginally) than five other teams in the World Cup, only one of which (Romania) is in our group.
I am really looking forward to watching the competition. The good news is, anything better than last place will be good news.
-Thom Barker
Competitive
The World Cup of Soccer might get most of the attention, which I admit confuses me, but it is the case.
For me though the excitement level jumps this week at the Rugby World Cup kicks-off in Britain Friday.
I am a fan of rugby, both 15s and the much more open and fast 7s version, whose interest in the sport has been growing in recent years.
The physicality of rugby appeals, as does the natural flow of a game, opposed to the start and stop of football.
It has become the sport that tops my personal list of those I wish had a professional league with teams in Canada involved.
It is also easily in my top-five favourite sports having me tune into many games via YouTube.com
This year’s World Cup event is of particular interest since Canada will be involved, including roster members Hubert Buydens and Nanyak Dala both from Saskatoon, SK. and Dth Van Der Merwe from Regina.
The Canucks are in a Pool ‘D’ and it will not be an easy swim to the second round.
Canada is in Pool ‘D’ with Romania, Italy, France and Ireland.
Ireland goes into the event as one of the favoured teams, although they have recently slipped from three to six in the world rankings, just one up on France.
Italy is ranked 14th, Romania 17th, and finally Canada at 18th.
To get an automatic berth in the 2020 World Cup a team needs a top-three pool finish, which is what the achievable goal for Canada has to be.
They are likely behind the eight-ball early as they play Ireland in their first game (Sept. 19).
Reasonably the red-clad Canucks must defeat Italy (Sept. 26) and Romania (Oct. 6). They face France Oct. 1.
Rankings wise they are close, but Canada is stumbling to the Worlds, having gone winless in the recent Pacific Nations Cup. They dropped a 20-6 decision to Japan (13th ranked) then lost 28-18 to Tonga (11th ranked), before losing a heartbreaker 21-20 to Samoa currently ranked 12th in the world.
Canada then looked very average in a 41-23 loss to the United States in a recent ‘friendly’ warm-up Aug. 22 for the worlds.
Canada has been out-muscled in the scrum, looked shaky on the line-outs and sloppy passing. It is not a good scenario to be struggling on so many fronts ahead of Worlds.
That said Canada has looked better of late. Canada won its final Rugby World Cup warm-up game on Canadian soil defeating the Glasgow Warriors 19-12 in Halifax Aug. 28.
Then on English soil they had a 16-15 victory over Georgia in Esher, England, Sept. 2.
Canada did falter against number nine-ranked Fiji in their final pre-World Cup match. Fiji left the Twickenham Stoop with a 47-18 win.
I am not expecting greatness from Canada, a World Cup top-eight would be the greatest achievement in Canadian sport history, and highly unlikely. But I do expect a try from the team, and hopes of competitive games with a shot at top-three in their pool.
And of course there is the thrill of watching the rest of the event, in particular if the juggernaut New Zealand All Blacks can repeat as champions.
- Calvin Daniels
Oh, Canada
Well, Canada might not have qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil in basketball due to a complete and utter choke job by everyone on the Team Canada roster, but Canada did manage to qualify for the 2015 Rugby World Cup, which will be held in England (and Wales for all Welsh games except against England).
But, Canadian sports fans, I’m afraid that that is where the good news ends.
You see, for as much as I love Canada and our national teams, I still can’t see them actually making any sort of waves at the 2015 World Cup.
Sure, they might actually end up finishing in third place in Pool D with wins over Romania and Italy and earning an automatic berth into the 2019 Rugby World Cup, however I don’t see them getting much farther than that.
As in hockey, the top six nations in rugby are also heads and shoulders above the rest.
Canada is ranked 17th heading into the tournament; a good ranking for them, but not a strong one in terms of the tournament overall.
Now to turn my attention on the rest. The All Blacks from New Zealand are clearly the top-ranked team in the competition.
That will not change as they’ll run over their entire pool, crushing Tonga, Georgia and Namibia easily while getting a bit of a test from Argentina, before rolling over their competition en route to their third World Cup title.
-Randy Brenzen
