11 Arrows Selected for Rugby Canada November Camp

With files from Rugby Canada

Eleven Arrows have been named to Rugby Canada’s 36-man roster for the national program’s upcoming high-performance training camp.

Congratulations to centre Guiseppe du Toit, scrum-half Jason Higgins, prop Cole Keith, fly-half Will Kelly, centre Ben LeSage, utility back Pat Parfrey, hooker Andrew Quattrin, prop Tyler Rowland, flanker Lucas Rumball, No. 8 / flanker Siaki Vikilani, and lock Adrian Wadden on their selections to attend the November camp in Langford, B.C.

The 11 players will be joined at the camp by four members of the Arrows staff: coaches Aaron Carpenter and Peter Smith, performance analyst Rodin Lozada, and General Manager Mark Winokur.

October 15, 2020 (Langford, BC) – Head coach Kingsley Jones has named a 36-player squad invited to a three-week high-performance training camp in Langford, BC.  The players will assemble at the Al Charron National Training center from November 9th to 29th.

Only Canadian-based players have been considered for selection to this camp due to COVID-19 related restrictions and quarantine requirements upon entry to Canada.  In addition, Jones has eight Canadian players currently in French leagues and one player in New Zealand at his disposal but opted not to bring these players to camp as they are currently involved in active competitions.

The majority of the players selected have returned to training over the past eight weeks with either the Rugby Canada National Development Academy or the Toronto Arrows daily training environment. The high performance camp will serve as a next step in these players return to rugby pathway.

The camp will strictly follow Return to Sport guidelines for the Province of BC as set by the Provincial Health Authorities and associated agencies.  The combined cohort of the camp will be less than 50 individuals including coaches/staff, medical staff, and players for the three-week period.

Head coach Kingsley Jones said, “We are very much looking forward to November and getting to work with the players for the first time in over 12 months.  It’s been a tough 2020 for everyone, particularly watching rugby being played around the world and recently with international rugby added back to the calendar.”

“We’re excited to see some experienced names including, Sears Duru, Ilnicki, LeSage, Rumball, and Parfrey,” continued Jones, “But equally as excited to include a number of National Development Academy players  who have progressed exceptionally well in the past 14 months such as Liam Murray, Josh Thiel and Michael Smith to name a few.  In addition, a number of our centralized 7s players will be taking part in preparation for next years’ Olympic Games and beyond. Theo Sauder, Brock Webster, Phil Berna, Andrew Coe, and Cooper Coates will all be in  camp.”

Jones concluded, “As expected, the squad has a large number of Toronto Arrows players taking part and we are pleased that the Arrows coaching team of Aaron Carpenter, Pete Smith and Rodin Lozada will be supporting Jamie Cudmore,  Phil Mack and I in coaching during the camp.  We will also be joined by Arrows COO and general manager Mark Winokur.”

“Our Arrows organization is honoured to be involved in this training camp, and we’re very excited to get back onto the field with Rugby Canada,” said Arrows Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Mark Winokur. “With challenges exacerbated by the pandemic over the past several months, this camp is the best and most productive way to get back to doing what we love. This will be the biggest step we can take in 2020 to get back on the road to a successful return to the game, and to better times ahead.”

High Performance Men’s Training Camp:

Backs:

Phil Berna, UBC
Cooper Coats, Halifax Tars
Andrew Coe, Markham Irish
Guiseppe du Toit, Toronto Arrows
Doug Fraser, Old Glory DC
Brock Galagher, Strathcona Druids RFC
Jason Higgins, Toronto Arrows
Will Kelly, Toronto Arrows
Ben LeSage, Toronto Arrows
Kainoa Lloyd, Mississauga Blues
Quinn Ngawati, Rugby United New York
Issac Olsen, Castaway Wanderers
Patrick Parfrey, Toronto Arrows
Theo Sauder, Vancouver Rowing Club
Crosby Stewart, UVIC
Josh Thiel, San Diego Legion
Brock Webster, Oshawa Vikings

Forwards:

Frank Carson, UBC
Matt Heaton, Rugby ATL
Jake Ilnicki, Seattle Seawolves
Cole Keith, Toronto Arrows
Izzak Kelly, Canada U20 / UBC
Conor Keys, Rugby ATL
Dewald Kotze, Strathcona Druids RFC
Liam Murray, James Bay AA
Marc-Antoine Ouellet, Club de Rugby de Québec
Andrew Quattrin, Toronto Arrows
Tyler Rowland, Toronto Arrows
Lucas Rumball, Toronto Arrows
Connor Sampson, UBC
Djustice Sears-Duru, Seattle Seawolves
Michael Smith, UBC
Jake Thiel, James Bay AA
Siaki Vikilani, Toronto Arrows
Taitutsi Vikalani, Burnaby Lake Rugby Club
Adrian Wadden, Toronto Arrows

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About Rugby Canada:

Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of Rugby Union in Canada. They administer and operate Men’s and Women’s Senior and Junior National programs in both rugby XV’s and 7s, as well as govern the Club and community game for more than 30,000 registered participants from coast to coast in conjunction with ten Provincial Union members.

Rugby Canada is headquartered at the Al Charron National Training Centre in Langford, BC, with staff also working from Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa. Rugby Canada business operations, programs and events are delivered nationwide, including the internationally recognized HSBC Canada Sevens annual tournaments.

For more information, please contact: [email protected]

Header Photo Credit: Quinn Width