A Win Is A Win!

Nanyak scores lone tally.

Speaking with many rugby types at Windsor yesterday, few had any idea re Canada’s performance Vs. Namibia. We quote Patrick Johnston’s (The Province) report, as it equates to much of what this pundit assessed and is an objective point of view;

“Shall we start with the good stuff or the bad stuff?

Canada’s 17-13 defeat of Namibia on Friday night in North Wales was, in so many ways, the quintessential Canadian performance of the past two years. A decent dose of offence, some painfully silly miscues at the breakdown, some strong scrums, some poor scrums and an opponent that Canada just couldn’t quite dismiss – which they really should have.

“We had a lot of opportunities. There’ll be a lot of good learning from the video footage of that game, I would think,” Coach Kieran Crowley told The Canadian Press. “Now we have something to build on going towards (the game against) Samoa.”

It’s a big game next week and there’s lots to consider. Canada last played the Samoans two years ago and the Colwyn Bay match saw the red and white run second best because of unforced errors as much as anything. This time around, it’s the third game on tour, with nearly a full squad available; this will be a true measuring stick for how the team stacks up on the global scene.

This team has shown so many flashes in Crowley’s six years in charge. It’s stunning to think how they struggled to hold on to the ball in his first tour in charge – but when you improve, you continue to push the expectations bar higher and higher. That’s how it should be.

Alright, fine, I’ll start with the bright spots:

1. When Canada held the ball, they held it well. The first half was a lesson in finding width. The Namibians went with a blitz defence, putting Connor Braid and anyone else standing at first receiver under immense pressure. It kept Canada from establishing a wide game and kept the Africans in the mix. The second half saw Canada getting the ball wider. Conor Trainor at outside centre is a serious attacking weapon but he was starved for ball in the first half. In the second half he was far more visible, speaking to a change in attack. They put phases together and kept winning penalties. It was a good sign.

2. The centre pairing was strong all game. Namibia didn’t once pierce the midfield line and both Hearn and Trainor ran well with ball in hand. The understanding between Hearn and Nanyak Dala appeared more than once, as Hearn, playing for the first time since his first season in red at inside centre, ran some hard and useful inside lines. Trainor found work in the second half and made it count, slicing through the Namibian line more than once.

3. Jordan Wilson-Ross was forced into the lineup when Jeff Hassler was dropped because of a late injury. The winger was exactly what the doctor ordered, using his pace and low centre of gravity to great effectiveness. He nearly scored a try a minute or two before Nanyak Dala dotted down. He came in off the wing and was a constant presence on defence. It was as good a first cap as you can ask for.

4. Kyle Gilmour and Nanyak Dala. The Canadian flankers were ferocious with ball in hand and both turned over Namibian ball multiple times. They made a lot of things work and they did exactly what they were in the lineup for. Dala got the Canadians’ only try, finishing off a well-worked sideline to sideline to sideline team move.

5. Jason Marshall was an excellent support runner. He may be a prop but he loves running the ball. That’s good, because he’s very good at it. It’s one of the big points keeping in the starting XV. His work at scrum time is hit and miss, but he was pretty decent today.

6. The defence. There wasn’t more than a handful of missed tackles. Against the USA in June, Canada’s defence was woeful and was a big reason why they dropped the high-scoring encounter in Sacramento. They were aggressive, getting up quickly in the Namibians’ faces and hitting with impact. They turned balls over all the time.

With all that said, there are some very worrisome dark spots from the win.

1. Consistency. It’s a continuing problem. Canada couldn’t string anything together in the first half. When they finally all got on the same page in the second half, there were plenty of instances where they drew penalties (and then McRorie kicked them) but there several others where passes went loose or easy off loads were spilled. It’s astounding how often players forget what they do well – instead of taking the hard line, they go for the big pass, even if they aren’t the best at that. You’d like to think it speaks to what is possible, because no one wants to think this is the upper limit of capability.

2. Finishing. This is pretty tied in to (1): keeping the ball, making smart decisions with it and working down the field. Overall, they did a good job of getting points from entries to the 22, but given all the possession in the second half, they should have come away with at least another try, probably two. Against a quality side, they won’t be in the game for long if they can’t get more five pointers.

3. Set pieces. The scrum had some very good moments – the first two sets of the game were very promising, as the Namibian pack disintegrated. But there were some very rough patches until Canada found the upper hand in the latter stages, even drawing a couple penalties against a front row that looked to be tiring. But there was enough trouble that against the Samoans next week, you really worry. They took penalties in moments that were fine attacking positions, forcing a couple kicks at goal which might have been passed over if there were a stable platform on offer. (Thankfully McRorie brought his kicking boots and showed very, very well.)

The lineout is improved, but there were still some overthrown balls. The summer tests saw plenty of problems at lineout time, there was much less of that today, but again, there were a couple cases of just handing away the ball from spots where all the danger was on the Namibian side.

3.5 Moonlight as number 8. It’s no secret I’m a big Moonlight fan. His work rate and leadership on the sevens team is incredible. As an openside for the XVs, he’s also been masterful. But as a number eight, he’s struggled for impact. He had trouble collecting the ball from the base of the scrum. Granted, there were some heavy shoves in front of him, but he was scrambled and nothing close to the steady hand we’re used to seeing from him. With Tyler Ardron still out with an ankle injury and unclear if he’ll be fit for either of the remaining two games, there’s still lots of time for him to sort out the story; but it’s also possible we’ll see Jebb Sinclair slide back there if Jamie Cudmore is available next week vs. Samoa. Then you start asking tough questions again – which backrower drops out? The two flankers have done very well; can you really send Moonlight to the bench? And what of newcomer Richard Thorpe?

4. Breakdown. The rucking was pretty poor in the early going – it kept the Namibians in touch of the game. There several instances where separation between ball carrier and support runners was hilarious. This is one thing you know they can be better at. It also ties into the selection questions in the back row.”