^^^^^ do you now where the rosters are listed online?

Back at square one
Canada No.8 talks toSky Sports about his injury setback...
By Tony Curtis - Follow me on Twitter @SkysportsTC.   Last Updated: February 29, 2012 2:57pm


The 25-year-old, who was a popular figure at the World Cup with his caveman beard, was just beginning to get into his stride at London Irish when he broke his hand.

Sinclair, who had made the switch to professional rugby after playing in Canada for The Rock, made his debut off the bench against Bath before starting the games against Leicester, Edinburgh, Cardiff Blues and Wasps.

However having impressed in the No.8 shirt, a thumb injury halted Sinclair's progress at the Exiles.

Sinclair, though, has continued to work hard behind the scenes and is relishing the rest of the season after making his return off the bench in the defeat to Northampton."Being injured for 10-12 weeks was frustrating. It is tough mentally trying to get yourself up for training when there are no games for you at the weekend."
Jebb Sinclair
Quotes of the week
"The hand is feeling good," Sinclair told Sky Sports.

Frustrating

"I didn't get a lot of time on against Northampton to test it out but I had a carry and a couple of tackles and it was fine.

"Having arrived at the club after the World Cup, I had just been getting to grips with the lineout calls and moves so it was frustrating to be then ruled out for three months.

"It means I am sort of back to square one now so I will just have to keep working hard.

"Being injured for 10-12 weeks was frustrating. It is tough mentally trying to get yourself up for training when there are no games for you at the weekend. But my work ethic and my mental strength are things I pride myself on.

"Even if I am going to be playing for just 10 minutes I always make sure I am in the best possible shape."

"We are looking for a big win against Wasps then after that - and I know it is a cliché - but we will take it one game at a time."
Jebb Sinclair
Quotes of the week
Sinclair, in fact, got 15 minutes against Saints on his comeback - with the powerful forward admitting he had been stepping up his rehab in a bid to play in that match and Saturday's clash against Wasps.

Appreciate

"I think I needed those 10-15 minutes against Northampton to get back into the game with the pace and that," he said. "It will be beneficial in the long run.

"With a break for the LV= Cup coming up after the Wasps game I had been pushing the club hard for me to play as it would have been hard to be sat out for another two weeks.

"I think now after playing these games that my body will appreciate the two weeks off."

Sinclair, whose contract expires at the end of the current campaign, believes that the Wasps game could be the springboard for Irish to launch their challenge for the play-offs.

"We are looking for a big win against Wasps then after that - and I know it is a cliché - but we will take it one game at a time.

"Hopefully we can win every game and if we do we should then be in the top-four or at least in fifth to reach the Heineken Cup."

Jebb Sinclair of London Irish was speaking courtesy of Gatorade. Team-mates Jonathan Joseph, Richard Thorpe and Adrian Jarvis joined him to offer tips and advice to amateur side Eton Manor as part of Gatorade's Save Your Season program. For more visit www.saveyourseason.co.uk

University 7s Form Guide - 2012 SEND TO FACEBOOK
University 7s Form Guide – Includes Rosters and Comments

[ed. comments below. Webcast on http://sportscanada.tv/index.php/rugby. More info and schedule at http://www.bcrugbynews.com/show_news.cfm?ID=642]
posted March 1 2012

The University 7s starts Friday and even though in the Men’s division UVic, Western and UBC are early favourites and ranked first in their respective pools there could be surprises. Here are the team rosters and the editor’s comments. Feel free to add to the "Form Guide" by using the facebook comment feature or our new SMS Text comment feature

UVic

The big problem for UVic is they will be playing a BC Premier game on Saturday afternoon so how they manage that conflict will be important. There's a number of capped 7s players on the team Sean Duke, Nathan Hirayama, Tony La Carte, Dustin Dobravsky, Beau Parker have all played for Canada at one time. Patrick Kay has played at a high level with the Dog River Howlers and at the National Junior levels.

Keaton Styles may be replaced by Kane Wyatt due to injury and Sean Duke may not be available Saturday due to personal commitments on the Mainland. So this definitely is not a lock for UVic in the competition but they should make the final.

UVic also boasts a top coaching staff with Doug Tate and Shane Thompson.

1 Remi Anctil
2 Liam Murray
3 Dustin Dobravsky
4 Beau Parker
5 Nathan Hirayama
6 William duPlessis
7 Sean Duke
8 Tony La Carte
9 Patrick Kay
10 Michael Fuailefan
11 Luke McCloskey
12 Keaton Styles

Western

Last year's finalists they also have a good shot at the title and at least making the finals. Conor Trainor is the big name but there are a couple of other BC boys on the team: Andrew Crow who played BCU18 (2008), and was captain of the Canada U20 team in 2010; Gareth Dyer from West Vancouver and a product of Capilano RFC. Another well known name is Seb Pearson who played for Canada U20 (2009) and professionally in Coventry, UK (Division One). He'll no doubt be very influential at the breakdown which is an important part of the 7s game.

1 Sebastian Pearson
2 Andrew Crow
3 Gareth Dyer
4 Mike Turnbull
5 Rory Tomlinson
6 Conor Trainor
7 Eric Kiplimo
8 Joe Dalia
9 Mike Penczak
10 Mike Santangeli
11 Ade Ojo
12 Kyle Freitag

UBC

Again some nationally capped 7s players with Harry Jones and Sean Ferguson. Francois Du Toit originally from South Africa will know his way around the rugby field. Dafydd Samuel a product of Shawnigan Lake at 6'3" and 210 lbs will look to have an impact. UBC won the Plate Final last year, 31-0, claiming third spot and they will look to improve on that performance this year.

1 Harry Jones
2 Sean Ferguson
3 Jon Hill
4 Alexander Daniel
5 Francois Du Toit
6 Erik Hunter-James
7 David Turner
8 Shane Bates
9 Gabe Grzybowski
10 Dafydd Samuel
11 Adam Gosselin
12 Charlie Thorpe

McMaster

McMaster placed 4th last year in the 8 team competition. They defeated Mount Royal 38-7 in the quarter-finals. Andrew Ferguson is one of the more recognizable names, he represented Canada at the U20 Trophy tournament in Georgia last year. A reader pointed out that Mike Paris is Taylor's brother so we'll see if a great sidestep and national 7s potential are in the genes.

1 Andrew Ferguson
2 Cameron Stones
3 Marcus Sullivan
4 Chad Strapp
5 Davour Stojanou
6 Jon Collins
7 Sam Roberts
8 Mike Paris
9 Chris Gordon
10 Jamie Carmichael
11 Braden Atkinson
12 Trevor Anderson

Regina

This is my choice for a dark horse as they are coached by Robin MacDowell who is a 7s specialist. He's represented Canada as a player and was the coach of our BCRN 7s team and also the Howler's Youth 7s team. One player to watch is Tendayi Chikukiva, he played for the Blue Bulls (SA) U21 team in 2010 and for the Springboks 7s team in 2008/2009. MacDowell will try to get the most out of some of the football players he's recruited such as Derek Belvedere (running back), Justin Edralin (defensive back), Tyler Perkins (defensive lineman). It will be interesting to see how Robin brings together this diverse mix of athletes from a former Springbok 7s player to a University level defensive lineman. This is a must see and if anyone can pull it off it will be Robin.

1 Brett Kannenberg
2 Alan Harvey
3 Tendayi Chikukiva
4 Daniel Smith
5 Brett Williams
6 Justin Edralin
7 Taylor Baker
8 Derek Belvedere
9 Tyler Perkins
10 Benjamin Chursinoff
11 Abraham Mugerwa
12 Taze Steeves

Mount Royal

Those familiar with BC Premier rugby will recognize two names, Clay Panga and James Buchanan, both played for Velox in their glory days. Both have had experience with the national 7s team either at the Maple Leaf level or with the "official" national team. Both also play for the Howlers 7s team. They will look to lead a mostly inexperienced team.

1 Matt Dujay
2 Johnny Elliott
3 Clay Rivard
4 Clay Panga
5 James Buchanan
6 Andrew Smit
7 Andrew Hull
8 Jeffrey Spackman
9 Tyler Faith
10 Brendan Hamilton
11 Adam Masson
12 Devon Oshiro

Calgary

A couple of names jump out here, a former Velox player Josh Schlebach who played loose forward and second row in XVs Also Carl Pocock played NA4 rugby back in 2007, for the Calgary Mavericks in the RCSL in 2008 and is a member of the Prairie Wolf Pack.

1 Alex Anderson
2 Elliot Berenger
3 Anders Berg
4 Andrew Cho
5 Simon Chung
6 Elliot Clease
7 Heath Driscoll
8 Tanner Nordstrom-Young
9 Carl Pocock
10 Josh Schlebach
11 Malcom Wilson
12 Josh Woloschuk

Royal Military College

Not much known about this group except one player I recognize from Velox and whose Dad is heavily involved in organizing Island junior rugby. Chris Pratt started at Velox in 2000 as a U12, he played through to U19 including some games in the 1sts and Prems. He went to RMC in 2008 and played the last 4 years in the Ontario University league. Other BC players include Rick Spiller – Cowichan (Vernon BC), Riley Saliken – Abby RFC (Abbotsford) and Jaemok Lee - Brentwood (Qualicum Beach).

1 1 Rhys Davies
2 2 Brandon Black
3 3 Kellow Moore
4 4 Matthew Taylor
5 5 Eric Young
6 6 Riley Saliken
7 7 Chris Pratt
8 8 Richard Spiller
9 9 Jaemuk Lee
10 10 Spencer McLeod
11 11 Colin Carswell
12 12 Kim Joshua

Saskatchewan

This is where my player knowledge starts to get thin and I'll need some input from readers on who to watch on the following teams. Email editor@bcrugbynews.com to share some background and insights, or use the Facebook comment to share your knowledge. Or even better use our new patented (almost) text to comment feature below. Check saskrugby.com for updates and details.

1 Benjamin Mah, Badgers
2 David Bennett, Krems
3 Adam Moar, Wild Oats
4 Bryn Walker, Badgers
5 Mike Sheinin, Wild Oats
6 Dakota Matthews, Badgers
7 Peter Le Messurier, Wild Oats
8 Patrick Young, Rogues
9 James Orr, Wild Oats
10 Brian Truman, Grads
11 Paul Mantyka, Wild Oats
12 Jeremy Andrew, U of S

Alberta

1 Taylor Robertson
2 Lucas Burt
3 Skyler Dietze
4 Ryan Wilkes
5 Lee Rehak
6 Graham Blyth
7 Ethan Borle
8 Sebastian Lackey
9 Michael Holowaychuk
10 Cody Thomas
11 Connor Tweed
12 Robert Elliot

UBC Okanagan

1 Ben White
2 Bryce Stirling
3 Christian Hill
4 Christpher Ho
5 David-James Pauls
6 Grady Krohman
7 James Scott
8 Jared Curry
9 Judah Campbell
10 Neil Fowler
11 Ryan Simair
12 Tim Coles

Humber

1 Jason Chuck
2 Phil Boonie
3 Greg Giliauskas
4 Daniele Patrizi
5 Alex McCallion
6 Garrett Magee
7 Ethan Belchos
8 Curtis Balance
9 Walter Suriano
10 Curtis Lauzon
11 Adam Maulgue
12 Lorenz Zapanta
You can text comments to 250-418-5072 and they automatically appear below
Use code 738 for this story. Start your text with the code, for example: 738 The score at the half is...

There's a number of capped 7s players on the team Sean Duke, Nathan Hirayama, Tony La Carte, Dustin Dobravsky, Beau Parker have all played for Canada at one time.

thumbs up, a few questions

1. what's the geographic breakdown?
2. is it an invitational or did people qualify via regional tournaments?
3. is Western meant to be Western Ontario or is it something else?
4.

I take it there's not a rule limiting guys to be attending said school?

Very happy to see Boyles in the line up for the U19s despite his age, and also noticed there was another Peterborough lad picked for the U17s. Glad to know our junior level production line is still churning out the goods. Also in reference to Jake Webster's postcard; from what I've seen he is a pretty impressive talent. Never forget my first game against him where we outplayed Lindsay for 3/4 of the game but he ran in 5 solo tries to steal them the win. Last autumn I believe he went to the UK to play for one of the better junior clubs up until February before coming back here to play Team Ontario.
I wouldn't put much into the game against the military academy; Leicester Academy will be a good indicator though.

DBRowan - A tough old night for our boys: 60-5 for Leicester Academy

Jesus....I just BBM'd one of the coaches with the team to see his opinion

not the best of reads:

http://www.leicestertigers.com/rugby/13505.php

Sorry if this is a duplicate, but Pritch is now doing a blog on Twitter via Scrum Five (@ScrumFiveRugby).
I gather that Mark Kohler has an injury that may keep him out for a couple more weeks.

We remain hopeful for our two Canadians, we are going to need both of them to be fit & well going into the play-offs.

I posted about a week ago that he was injured, but not sure what injury he has sustained.

I'm not certain but I thought it was a knee injury. The noises from the club indicate it's not too serious & he should be back in action fairly soon. Sorry to not be more definitive.

As long as he is ready to play for Canada this summer I will be happy.

I think / hope you will be happy then! He's had a good season for us, and will be a better player for it I think. We'd very much like to seem him back again next season.

The Canada U-19 management team has announced the starting 15 for their final test match against the Northampton Saints Academy. The match will be played at Franklin Gardens on the first team pitch. K.O is at 1:30 pm

1.    Paul Ahn            British Columbia
2.    Alex Mascott        British Columbia
3.    D.J. Sears            Ontario
4.    Matt Heaton        Quebec
5.    Darcy Ralph            Alberta
6.    Sawyer Herron        Ontario
7.    Fuku Vikillani        British Columbia
8.    Eric Garnham        Ontario
9.    Josh Boyles            Ontario
10.    Connor Hunter        British Columbia
11.    Jacob Webster        Ontario
12.    Mac Chown            Ontario   (Captain)
13.    Monty Tichowsky        Saskatchewan
14.    Daniel Lantos        Newfoundland
15.    Jonny LaPlaca        Ontario

The other 12 memebers of the Canadian squad will be dressing and are available to play in the match.

Sorry if I was misleading CanNz, I've heard nothing about Kohler. My comment was only that he's learning plenty from Pritch and is proving valuable, at FB and on the wing. I'd like to think that he has a place with us next season, but I guess that's up to him (and his agent!).

ServiceMaster Clean Weekend Predictions - March 3 2012 SEND TO FACEBOOK
Weekend Predictions: Caps @ Bays; CW @ Vikes; Abby @ Lomas; Lakers @ Ravens; Piggies @ Valhallians; Sharks @ Richmond; Seattle @ Rowers

posted March 2 2012
[ed. we'll add lineups as we receive them.]

Thanks to David Benoit and ServiceMaster Clean who sponsor our expanded predictions. Visit their website at: www.svmresidential.ca, they offer a number of residential cleaning services in the greater Vancouver area.




Capilano (6-1) at James Bay AA (6-1) - (MacDonald Park) 2:45pm

This is a good matchup with the teams occupying the top 2 spots in the standings. The Bays with Thyssen de Goede, Connor Braid and Sean White are a different team. Nolan Miles was described by the CW scribe as outstanding last weekend at loose forward, Luke Tait is finding his form so if the Bays have all their players injury free, at home, they're a formidable opponent. The Caps are playing good rugby right now after that scare against Burnaby in the first week of the spring season. They defeated the Bays at home last month so will have some confidence going into the game, the Bays will be looking for redemption. Without seeing the lineups it's difficult to predict but I'll say if the Bays are healthy and Morgan Williams is playing I'll give +3, playing at home +3. Prediction: Bays by 6.

CAPILANO

1-Daniel Fiss
2-Shaun Wilson
3-Jesse Ryan
4-Robbie McCall ©A
5-Ron Johnstone
6-Evan Mallory
7-Mike Langley
8-Glen McKinnon ©
9-Matt Yanagia
10-Kevin Guidi
11-Sam Franklin
12-Nate Rees (i)
13-Brady Carpenter
14-Cody Buchamer
15-Gordie Sawers
16-Luke Cudmore
17-Steve Williams
18-Charlie Jones

JAMES BAY

1 Scott Warren
2 JT Rowbotham
3 Russ Ward
4 Luke Tait (carded)
5 Adam Drury
6 Zac Coughlan
7 Thy de Goede
8 Nolan Miles
9 Spence Dalziel
10 Connor Braid
11 Dan Harlow
12 Hugo Belanger
13 Morgan Williams
14 Dave Moonlight
15 Sean White

Andrew Smith of BCRU writes:

A single point separates these two clubs in the Premier League standings and this weekend's rubber match is sure to draw a crowd. Their first meeting back on February 4th saw Capilano hold the Bays try-less with a convincing 23-6 victory. Since their previous meeting, James Bay's defence has been rock-solid and currently leads the league allowing just 11.29 points per game against. The Bays, led by their top-scorer JT Rowbotham (20 pts) are undefeated at home this season. Capilano RFC are currently riding a four game win streak where they have outscored opponents by at least 11 point margins. The Caps also boast the league's top scorer in scrum half Matt Yanagiya, who tallied another eight points last week against Abbotsford and now has 73 pts overall.

Castaway Wanderers (4-2-1) at UVic Vikes (1-6) - (Wallace Field) 2:45pm

UVic will basically be a team without a Prem backline as they'll be playing in the 7s tournament. So this is CW all the way, the only question is by how much. CW would have likely won the game anyway but it would have been close, without the likes of Hirayama, Duke, Kay, La Carte, etc. it will be worse. Prediction: CW by 17.

CASTAWAY WANDERERS

1. Hubert Buydens (RC)
2. Mike Pletch
3. Andrew Tiedemann (captain) (RC)
4. Jason Hodge
5. Gord Kehoe
6. Sam Powell
7. Riley Ilnicki
8. Nanyak Dala (RC)
9. Mike Dalsin
10. Matt Buckley
11. Mack Poole
12. Pita Savea
13. Mozac Samson
14. Mike Mizerski
15. Paul Buckley
16. Trevor Heiman
17. Clayton Thornber
18. Trevor Pollock
19. Rhys Jones
20. Jason Burt (I)
21. Johnny Morris
22. Luke Straith

Andrew Smith of BCRU writes:

The no. 6 Vikes will be stretched thin this weekend as they look to defend their National University Sevens crown in Langford. The squad will be without their headliners Sean Duke and Nathan Hirayama and will need a strong showing from their young pack to keep up with the Castaway Wanderers. CW will look to rebound from a tough 20-7 loss at the hands of James Bay last weekend and will boost a significant size advantage over the younger students. The loss for CW last Saturday saw the reigning Rounsefell Cup champions slip to fourth in the standings.

Abbotsford (0-6) at Meraloma (2-4-1) -(Connaught Park) 2:45pm

Abby have improved since bringing in Pack and Henderson from Bayside but it's too late to make the playoffs with only the top four teams in the picture. Lomas still have a chance but have to win with bonus points, they've been looking good in the spring. Lomas at home will get the job done. Prediction: Lomas by 10.

Andrew Smith of BCRU writes:

Heading into Saturday's clash at Connaught Park, both of these teams are on the rise. Abbotsford kept pace with Capilano last weekend just missing out on a bonus point in a 21-33 loss. The squad recorded three tries through Aaron Flagg, BC provincial team standout Konrad Rybkowski and Fraser Valley Under-20 rep player Pat Shields. Abby's defence is still struggling, allowing a league-worst 37.17 points per game, but odds are the club are soon to produce their first win in the province's top flight. Meraloma Rugby Club are slowly closing the gap, chasing down the top four teams currently holding down playoff berths in the Premier League. The Lomas downed Vancouver West rivals UBCOB Ravens with a convincing 29-12 last weekend and appear to have things back on track. The Lomas top scorer, Bryan Tyrer currently sits second in the overall scoring race with 62 points. Tyrer leads the league in penalty kicks with 10 to his credit this season.

Burnaby Lake (5-1) at UBCOB Ravens (2-5) - (Jericho Park) 2:45pm

Burnaby are a hard team to predict as their form is not totally consistent. Defeating Caps 25-0 then losing a few weeks later to the same team. They narrowly defeated the Vikes last weekend. They started with a 2 game cushion from the fall season but have a heavy schedule in March playing CW and then James Bay twice. I think it will be the Lomas and Burnaby fighting it out for the final playoff spot. So Burnaby needs to win this game against a team that hasn't had great success this season. The Ravens at home though could defeat an off-form Burnaby team. I'm assuming Burnaby shows up with their 'A' game and that Gotegote is playing this week. Prediction: Burnaby by 5.

BURNABY

1. Andrew Lackner
2. Preston Petrovitch
3. Scott Mackay
4. Nate Mantle
5. Admir Cejvanovic
6. Brad Mchugh
7. Gareth Morrey Jones
8. Aaron Goddard
9. Geoff Ryan (i) (Capt)
10. Rory Mcdonell
11. Esava Nakalanisa
12. Adam Martin
13. Joe Dolesau (i)
14. Jeke Gotegote
15. Evan Thomas

Andrew Smith of BCRU writes:

The most recent Premier League result between these two sides was a 36-3 Burnaby victory, carried over from their September 24th meeting. Since the Fall season, Burnaby has maintained their winning ways and currently sits third with a game-in-hand while the Ravens have slipped to 2-5. These two sides squared off in the 2011 CDI Premier League quarterfinals and it was the Ravens who came out on top of a 35-18 decision. Last weekend, Burnaby edged the UVic Vikes 42-35 in a Wallace Field shootout, thanks to a last minute try from BC provincial team prop Scott MacKay. Burnaby also boast the league's leading try scorer in Jeke Gotegote who has 10 tries and ranks third in overall scoring.

Cowichan (1-2) at Velox Valhallians (1-2) - (Velox) 2:30pm

Both these teams will be eyeing the coveted 3rd spot in the standings. Rowers and Sharks look to have the top two positions locked up on current form, the other four teams are still in the hunt for 3rd and the final playoff berth. There's some bad blood between the clubs stemming from a finger breaking incident in an aborted 3rd division match a few weeks ago so whether that spills over into the other divisions remains to be seen. The 3rds meet again on Sunday. These two teams share a common pattern over recent years, one year in the Premier, the next relegated to the lower divisions. Both clubs have lost top players to the other Island Premier sides. It's a tossup on current form, it may depend on discipline and motivation. The home field advantage may swing the balance. Prediction: Velox by 2.

Bayside (3-0) @ Richmond (0-3) - (King George Park) 2:30pm

On paper it shouldn't be close, Bayside without a loss, Richmond without a win. But home field can sway the contest if the visitors don't bring their top game. Bayside need to keep pace with VRC who are also 3-0. It should be a bonus point victory for the Sharks unless Richmond have brought in a ringer or two. Prediction: Bayside by 10.

Seattle (1-2) @ Vancouver Rowing Club (3-0) - (Brockton Oval) 2:30pm

Seattle don't travel well, that's a known fact, the border factor is definitely real. VRC at home, needing to keep pace with Bayside should secure the bonus point victory. Prediction: Rowers by 12.
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Capilano 27 at James Bay AA 47
Referee: Patrick Allard

The Bays were actually up 15-10 at the break not down 24-15 as Andrew's report states. The Caps came storming out in the second half and put up 14 straight points against the wind which had some of the local fans a little nervous. The Bays closed it to 24-18 and then went ahead 30-24 with two quick scores. The Caps scrapped back to make it 30-27 and it was anyone's game at that point. The Bays using the wind to their advantage tallied two more tries including one that is for the highlight reel; a hard tackle and errant pass by the Caps, picked up by Coughlan, to Moonlight, to Drury, back to Moonlight, to Morgan Williams, to Dalziel who ran the last 10 metres. It was the type of rugby you love to watch and we'll have it on the video highlights. The Bays are now 4 points clear in first place, with CW taking 2nd place. The Caps occupy 4th spot, 8 points ahead of the Lomas. Morgan Williams was our MVP hoodie winner.

Castaway Wanderers 74 at UVic Vikes 13 - (Wallace Field) 2:45pm
Referee: Visiting Referee

Not surprised by the lopsided score considering Vikes were without a Premier backline but a little surprised that CW ran up the score that high. The Vikes were double losers today, getting stomped in this game and losing to Western in the University 7s semi-final game. I imagine Doug Tate won't be happy with the day's events. I would say the Vikes are out of the playoff picture now, they won't play CW again this season but they may remember this result the next time they face the Oak Bay side. CW are in 2nd place one point ahead of Burnaby who have a game in hand. CW next face Burnaby at home on the 17th which will be a huge game to decide 2nd place in the standings.

Abbotsford 8 at Meraloma 17
Referee: Michael Jones

I missed the point spread by 1 but Abby are playing good rugby now, they'll give any side a tough game and they may notch a win against the demoralized Vikes on the 17th at home. Especially since the Hong Kong 7s will be around the corner and the Vikes will be missing their 7s players. They then take on the Ravens two weekends in a row, so some possible wins for the Abby side if they keep up this level of play. The Lomas will be disappointed not to get the bonus point and are 8 points adrift of a playoff spot.

Burnaby Lake 18 at UBCOB Ravens 12 - (Jericho Park) 2:45pm
Referee: John de Goede

Again missed the point spread by 1 but thought Burnaby would put up more points with Gotegote back in the lineup. Burnaby have a game in hand, they'll perhaps play the postponed game against Abby next weekend (10th) which is a bye weekend for other teams. If Burnaby win that with a BP they could end up tied with JBAA for top spot. Ravens tied with Vikes for second last spot are likely out of the playoff picture but still playing competitive rugby, they face the Bays on the 17th.

University 7s Championship -

Western Claim Men's Title: Guelph Claim Women's Title

posted March 3rd 2012

Even though Western struggled in some of the earlier games when it counted they came up big, taking out favourites UVic 26-19 in the semi-finals and then 3rd seed UBC 19-14 in the final.

The Day 1 games are archived at http://sportscanada.tv/index.php/rugby and likely Day 2 games will be available shortly.

What to make of the results?

I think it cements Conor Trainor's place as top University 7s player in the country, perhaps the best 7s player in the country period. Every aspect of his game was head and shoulders above other players, his counter-rucking was superb, his anticipation deadly and his running confident. There were a few players on UBC and UVic who were on the cusp of selection that may have fallen a bit in the pecking order, and a few players on Western who have raised their status in the eyes of the selectors.

On the Women's side Guelph were dominant and can claim the national XVs and 7s title in the same year.

The tournament has grown from last year and the venue has potential. 7s tournaments usually have a festival feel to them and there's some work to be done in that area. I've heard some talk of a fall date as a better choice but we'll see what transpires. The fan turnout wasn't huge and the tournament could have been promoted a lot better. The online video coverage was good and deserves commendation. I would suggest next year they maintain the same online video coverage but turn promotion over to local organizers. Perhaps consider getting some major TV coverage of the tournament as they have for a similar event south of the border.

Game Score Team vs. Team Score
27 0 UVIC 2 W UBC W 22
28 0 UVIC 1 W Guelph W 28
29 24 RMC (10) Regina (11) 5
30 27 UBC OKA (9) SASK (12) 7
31 40 UVIC (1) Alberta (8) 7
32 49 UBC (2) Humber (7) 0
33 14 Western (3) MT. Royal (6) 0
34 19 Calgary (4) McMaster (5) 27
35 12 Regina (L29) SASK (L30) 17
36 17 RMC (W29) UBCO (W30) 12
37 44 Guelph W (1) UBCO W (4) 0
38 20 UBC W (2) UVIC 2 W (3) 0
39 0 Alberta (L31) Mt.Royal (L33) 24
40 7 Humber (L32) Calgary (L34) 26
41 19 UVIC (W31) Western (W33) 26
42 24 UBC (W32) McMaster (W34) 12
43 28 Alberta (L39) Humber (L40) 19
44 21 MT.Royal (W39) Calgary (W40) 7
45 0 UBCO W (L37) UVIC2 W (L38) 10
46 24 UVIC (L41) McMaster (W42) 19
47 55 Guelph W (W37) UBC W (W38) 0
48 19 Western (W41) UBC (W42) 14

PRO REPORT: SINCLAIR RETURNS FOR LONDON IRISH

Saturday, March 3, 2012 - Submitted by Jeff Hull

It's been a long wait for Canadian World Cup star Jebb Sinclair, but this weekend the New Brunswick-born back-row gets his first start for London Irish since breaking his thumb, earlier this season. Returning from surgery a few weeks early, Sinclair dressed last weekend and came off the bench for the last fifteen minutes of the Exiles' 30 - 23 loss last weekend to the Northampton Saints.

Before being named as the starting #8 for this weekend's clash against London Wasps, Sinclair spoke to The Pro Report about his return to action.

"The body felt good. I was anxious to play again and hadn't felt that much nervousness in a few months, so it was exciting. Obviously the result of the game wasn't what we wanted. Losing it in the last minutes was tough, but overall we worked on a lot from our previous weekend's loss to Newcastle, so it wasn't all bad. Luckily the thumb held up alright and just like everything else when you get out there you forget about it, so that was good.

I wasn't out long enough to fully test it out, but I did get one run and a couple tackles and it seemed to be fine. Hopefully this weekend I'll factor in more against the Wasps, before our week off."

Sinclair was granted his wish, as Head Coach Toby Booth has looked to him to inject some power and pace into the Irish back-row for today's contest.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in England, Canadians are readying themselves for Round #1 of the RFU Championship's playoffs, which are set to begin in one week's time. Mark Kohler (currently injured) and James Pritchard of the Bedford Blues will be looking to make a push towards the final promotion playoffs, while Matt Evans, who scored a try last weekend for the Cornish Pirates, will be fancying his club's chances as well.

The other six Canadians in the Championship's ranks find themselves competing in the division's dreaded relegation pool. Months ago, it would have appeared to the informed observer that Esher RFC was a strong favourite to suffer demotion; however, a late charge, led by Canadian flyer Phil Mackenzie, has pulled Esher nearly even with their competitors.

Mackenzie's club is carrying a mere two point deficit forward into the relegation standings; remarkable, given their struggles for most of the season.

Interested fans can read a detailed preview of the upcoming Championship playoff pictures, here.

We will be working hard down the stretch to keep you up to date on all of Canada's stars overseas; right here, on The Rugby Canada Pro Report.

Has RugbyCanada made inquiries to get George Kruis of Saracena on board ? He would be a very valuable addition.

He has played for England u20 but his dad his Canadian.

And the university 7s results



http://bcrugbynews.com/show_news.cfm?ID=642

The Centre of Excellence has a special guest this week.  Craig White, visiting from the International Rugby Board, has been brought in to work with the men’s and women’s programs for both 15s and 7s.

Craig has 17 years experience working mostly in professional rugby; some of the notable teams he has worked with are Ireland, Wales, and the Wasps. He is currently working as a consultant for the IRB in the area of physical development as well as strength and conditioning, a job that takes him all over the world six months of the year.

Craig has been working closely with Rugby Canada’s players and staff to enhance the national programs.  

“When I go into certain organizations or teams I try and offer my experience and knowledge and see if I can enhance the program.  In return sometimes I try and pick up new things from people that I visit,” said Craig

His experience and knowledge to a variety of athletic organizations has offered a unique opportunity to the programs. “My involvement can differ when I go to places, sometimes I end up observing more and coaching more,” explains White regarding his level of interaction with the teams and staff.  

As for the specifics of his interaction with athletes , “I have a specialty in combat training for rugby and I run a few practical sessions that vary for the athletes.”

Craig also addressed some of the challenges that Rugby Canada is facing today.

 “Progress has been made over the past few years. Coach development and fast tracking coach development is very important. A more intense league within Canada or maybe a combined league with the Americans could possibly improve performance.”

When asked about his first impression of Rugby Canada’s new operation in Langford B.C Craig responded by saying “I think it’s great, it’s nice to have everybody under one roof.  There has been a few teething problems but those are getting worked out and I’m sure this will be a very progressive developmental program.”

Has RugbyCanada made inquiries to get George Kruis of Saracens on board ? He would be a very valuable addition.

He has played for England u20 but his dad his Canadian.

Jebus that would be a great pickup for us. RC should call him up and offer him a lifetime membership to Langara Fishing Lodge and a bucket of poutine! Seriously though, it might be difficult to convince him as he seems to be a decent prospect for England, but second row is an area where there is plenty of young talent at the moment whereas he would be a virtual automatic selection for Canada starting today so there may be some temptation on his part. Certainly worth a shot!

Doubt it, they don't have that kind of foresight, but I will email them anyway to make sure.[/kovana]

His profile http://www.espnscrum.com/england/rugby/player/105489.html

CanNZ - We were just throwing around the idea that RC should hire some part-timers to scout players in the UK, NZ and OZ and a few days later PUMITA throws a name into the hat. This way is an even cheaper route for Rugby Canada to identify and scout potential players: read the "All things concerning Canadian rugby thread" on PR.

Do you want to email rugby Canada, or should I?

CanNZ - Go for it man; go for it. If RC gets him, they owe PUMITA and you big time, meaning you will get zip from Rugby Canada.

Would be a good pickup but isn't back row your strength (just like ours)?

Would be a good pickup but isn't back row your strength (just like ours)?