Canada rugby coach Kingsley Jones, facing limited preparation time and players being out-of-season, has included four sevens players in his backline for Friday's game against Chile in Brazil.
The match at Municipal Stadium Francisco Ribeiro Nogueira in Mogi das Cruzes, some 65 kilometres east of Sao Paulo, is the first of two for Canada in the new Americas Rugby Trophy.
Canada takes on Brazil on Oct. 26 in the three-country developmental tournament, which does not carry test status. Chile defeated Brazil 57-36 on Sunday.
At the test level, Chile is ranked 21st while Canada is No. 23 and Brazil No. 27.
Jones has chosen 26-year-old Cooper Coats to start at fly half with fellow sevens player Josiah Morra and David Richard on the wing and Josh Thiel at inside centre.
"Cooper at (No.) 10 is exciting," Jones said from Brazil. "We've always seen that. Like any (No.) 10, Cooper just needs time to mature. He's matured a lot. His game understanding is excellent. His ability doesn't need to be questioned. He's a very good and skilful player. It's just that management of the game. And now he needs time in the (No.) 10 jersey really to learn his craft.
"We've wanted to try him there for a long time. It's not fair to chuck him in a test-level situation. So this allows us an opportunity to get Cooper into that position. I'm excited to see him."
Callum Botchar (back-row forward) and Alex Russell (wing/fullback), also from the sevens program, start on the bench.
Canada will be led by co-captains Lucas Rumball and Ben LeSage. Lock Kyle Baillie, who has more than 30 caps for Canada, returns after an extended injury absence and may not play the full 80 minutes.
Matthew Klimchuk (backrower) from Rugby Canada's Pacific Pride academy and Pride graduates Emerson Prior (prop) and Botchar are also among the replacements. Klimchuk, a six-foot-three 230-pounder from Regina, impressed at the under-20 level and is seen as a bright prospect for the senior side.
"A lot of it has been shaped by who's been playing rugby," Jones said of his selection for the Chile game.
"Plus those Pride and sevens players are familiar with our structures and patterns, having trained at (Rugby Canada's) central location (in Langford, B.C.) and been part of that."
The Chileans dispatched both Canada and the U.S. en route to qualifying for the 2023 World Cup, their first-ever trip to the tournament. Chile downed Canada 54-46 in a two-game aggregate qualifier last October.
The Chileans lost 22-21 to Canada on a last-minute Robbie Povey penalty kick in the opening leg in Langford, B.C., before rallying to win 33-24 in Valparaíso for their first-ever victory over the Canadian men.
Chile subsequently edged the 19th-ranked U.S. Eagles 52-51 in July to join No. 5 England, No. 8 Argentina, No. 10 Japan and No. 11 Samoa in Pool D at the 2023 World Cup in France.
"I'm expecting a fully loaded Chilean team," said Jones, whose team is staying at the same hotel as Chile.
The Canadian men, who arrived Monday, will get just two training sessions and a captain's run before Friday's game. Jones' route to Brazil took him from Victoria to Vancouver, Toronto and Sao Paulo.
"Other guys had slightly longer paths," said Jones, a former Wales captain.
Canada
Liam Murray, Langley, B.C., Dallas Jackals (MLR); Andrew Quattrin, Holland Landing, Ont., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Tyler Rowland, Mississauga, Ont., Toronto Arrows (MLR); Josh Larsen, Nanaimo, B.C., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Conor Keys, Stittsville, Ottawa, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Kyle Baillie, Summerside, P.E.I., Halifax Tars; Lucas Rumball, Toronto, Toronto Arrows (MLR); Corey Thomas, Broome, Australia, Los Angeles Giltinis (MLR); Ross Braude, Pretoria, South Africa, Toronto Arrows (MLR); Cooper Coats, Halifax, Halifax Tars/Canada sevens; Josiah Morra, Toronto, Castaway Wanderers/Canada Sevens; Josh Thiel, Victoria, James Bay AA/Canada sevens; Ben LeSage, Calgary, Los Angeles Giltinis (MLR); David Richard, Milton, Ont., Mississauga Blues RFC/Canada sevens; Robert Povey, Oxford, England, Houston Sabercats (MLR).
Replacements
Lindsey Stevens, Sydney, Australia, Los Angeles Giltinis (MLR); Emerson Prior, Brockville, Ont., Peterborough Pagans/Utah Warriors (MLR); Conor Young, Yamba, Australia, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Callum Botchar, Vancouver, Canada sevens; Matthew Klimchuk, Regina, Regina Rogue UVic; Jason Higgins, Cork, Ireland, San Diego Legion (MLR); Gabriel Casey, Ottawa, Bytown Blues/UVic; Alex Russell, Chichester, England, McGill University/Canada sevens.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2022
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
