Rugby Canada has been overly focussed on the performance of the men’s 15 side for too long at the cost of developing the amateur grassroots game across the country. Rugby definitely suits Canadian athletes as it’s an all round game that require toughness, which we pride ourselves on. It’s a big reason our women do so well. However the men’s game is much more competitive and nationally we’ve failed to develop the competitive levels below the national team for years. Take university rugby for example. Nearly every school in Canada has a team, either club or varsity, but we do not have an official national championship. Many areas also do not have proper facilities which encourage players and parents to want to participate beyond school.
I’m from South Africa where a standard residence at university would have a team that would thrash most Canadian provincial sides. School rugby is pathetic. We used to play social touch rugby almost everyday out on the playing fields. I haven’t seen anyone here doing it or even attempting to. The ice hockey, soccer, and American football keep it out. Nobody talks about the great Canadian team of the World Cup in 1994 - that’s 30 years ago.
I can guarantee they would not "thrash" the top 3 provincial sides. The issues however is in the accessibility to play for rep sides, since Canada is so large and 99% of players have to fund everything themselves. It makes it tough for the top players on the amateur side to put forward that kind of money to do it, causing most of the provincial teams to be at 50% of the strength they could be.
Thank you for shining this spotlight on the disappointing management of Canada's men's rugby XV under Jones. Used to be a regular feature at Rugby World Cups... not anymore Well done to the Canadian women XV!
Canada's men's 15 program went downhill after the departure of Kieran Crowley. He took a lot of flak from the Canadian rugby public for narrow loses to Scotland and, at the 2015 World Cup, Romania and Italy, but the reality is Canada almost won those matches because of Crowley not despite him, and the proof was the way Canada was soundly beaten by practically all the teams it played against, even lower-ranked teams, after he said goodbye to the program. Blame also should go to World Rugby, who as far as I can tell has done very little to develop rugby in North America, the feeling of the World Rugby leaders being that rugby could never compete here with the four main pro sports (football, basketball, hockey and baseball) and the up-and-coming pro soccer leagues along with a US college sports system firmly entrenched in the American cultural-economic landscape. World Rugby (formally the iRB) long ago needed to be nurturing a rugby competition between the US and Canada along the lines of the Bledisoe Cup, but it didn't have the foresight to do so. Likewise, the Rugby World Cup should have been co-hosted by the US and Canada by now, but the powers that be at Rugby Canada and Rugby USA never even tried to push World Rugby to bring the RWC here. Lastly, in the last ten years or so Canada has very much fragmented as a cohesive 'thing' with a national consciousness, and in fact the Federal government took an explicit "post-national" ideological position which did many "Canadian national teams" little favors. It's no coincidence that countries like Japan, Georgia and even Chile, with a (rightly or wrongly) much more narrow and focused nationalist vision have been remarkably competitive and continue to go from strength to strength.
And, a day after this was posted, Canada put the French XV to the sword at WXV1 and move back to no2 in the world rankings. I'd be more concerned about a crowd for the games measured in the low hundreds. Women's rugby has the potential to be "self funding", but Canada aren't even close to that, yet!!
I think its worth shouting out Kevin Rouet. The fact that the women's team look so well coached despite their relative issues speaks volumes to me. And how he managed to keep Canada at a high level post-pandemic, leading into the last WC.
It's like our 15th sport. So no. The male competition is much, much, more competetive. The question is idiotic. It's not the same game. But at least, against World Rugby, I can play with the women.
@@sueyourself5413 With such a smaller pool is harder to develop a team that can compete with teams that already have a good system. Yet W Canada has done that.
@@cheloxmv No it isn't. You just need a team of 25 athletes, they don't have to be particularilly good. Have you ever even played? "Cause you're embarassing yourself on that PC pedastal.
Put the Mens and womens teams in the same field the woman's team won't get a try it is not a level playing field. The sport is different. My School Rugby team was good. If I call up my current Old Boys team and tell them they have a match against The Canada Womens team they will say YES and WHEN. It is a different sport, You go up against a male English pack, you will learn. I know Canada well and Like Canadians. Your team should do better, top young players should go out to any of the British teams, France or NZ and play. The Knowledge they bring back will develop the future.
Rugby Canada has been overly focussed on the performance of the men’s 15 side for too long at the cost of developing the amateur grassroots game across the country. Rugby definitely suits Canadian athletes as it’s an all round game that require toughness, which we pride ourselves on. It’s a big reason our women do so well. However the men’s game is much more competitive and nationally we’ve failed to develop the competitive levels below the national team for years. Take university rugby for example. Nearly every school in Canada has a team, either club or varsity, but we do not have an official national championship. Many areas also do not have proper facilities which encourage players and parents to want to participate beyond school.
I’m from South Africa where a standard residence at university would have a team that would thrash most Canadian provincial sides. School rugby is pathetic. We used to play social touch rugby almost everyday out on the playing fields. I haven’t seen anyone here doing it or even attempting to. The ice hockey, soccer, and American football keep it out. Nobody talks about the great Canadian team of the World Cup in 1994 - that’s 30 years ago.
I can guarantee they would not "thrash" the top 3 provincial sides. The issues however is in the accessibility to play for rep sides, since Canada is so large and 99% of players have to fund everything themselves. It makes it tough for the top players on the amateur side to put forward that kind of money to do it, causing most of the provincial teams to be at 50% of the strength they could be.
Thank you for shining this spotlight on the disappointing management of Canada's men's rugby XV under Jones. Used to be a regular feature at Rugby World Cups... not anymore
Well done to the Canadian women XV!
thanks!
Canada's men's 15 program went downhill after the departure of Kieran Crowley. He took a lot of flak from the Canadian rugby public for narrow loses to Scotland and, at the 2015 World Cup, Romania and Italy, but the reality is Canada almost won those matches because of Crowley not despite him, and the proof was the way Canada was soundly beaten by practically all the teams it played against, even lower-ranked teams, after he said goodbye to the program. Blame also should go to World Rugby, who as far as I can tell has done very little to develop rugby in North America, the feeling of the World Rugby leaders being that rugby could never compete here with the four main pro sports (football, basketball, hockey and baseball) and the up-and-coming pro soccer leagues along with a US college sports system firmly entrenched in the American cultural-economic landscape. World Rugby (formally the iRB) long ago needed to be nurturing a rugby competition between the US and Canada along the lines of the Bledisoe Cup, but it didn't have the foresight to do so. Likewise, the Rugby World Cup should have been co-hosted by the US and Canada by now, but the powers that be at Rugby Canada and Rugby USA never even tried to push World Rugby to bring the RWC here. Lastly, in the last ten years or so Canada has very much fragmented as a cohesive 'thing' with a national consciousness, and in fact the Federal government took an explicit "post-national" ideological position which did many "Canadian national teams" little favors. It's no coincidence that countries like Japan, Georgia and even Chile, with a (rightly or wrongly) much more narrow and focused nationalist vision have been remarkably competitive and continue to go from strength to strength.
And, a day after this was posted, Canada put the French XV to the sword at WXV1 and move back to no2 in the world rankings.
I'd be more concerned about a crowd for the games measured in the low hundreds.
Women's rugby has the potential to be "self funding", but Canada aren't even close to that, yet!!
its strange after their olympics success isn't it
I think its worth shouting out Kevin Rouet. The fact that the women's team look so well coached despite their relative issues speaks volumes to me. And how he managed to keep Canada at a high level post-pandemic, leading into the last WC.
great shout!
will Canada men bounce back? share us your thoughts 👇
Meow
It's like our 15th sport. So no. The male competition is much, much, more competetive. The question is idiotic. It's not the same game.
But at least, against World Rugby, I can play with the women.
I think is harder to dispute the women hegemony of the Black Ferns and England, and yet Canada team had done that.
@@cheloxmv It really isn't. The player pool is much smaller, therefore the skill level is much lower.
Your comment is ignorant at best.
@@sueyourself5413 With such a smaller pool is harder to develop a team that can compete with teams that already have a good system. Yet W Canada has done that.
@@cheloxmv No it isn't. You just need a team of 25 athletes, they don't have to be particularilly good.
Have you ever even played? "Cause you're embarassing yourself on that PC pedastal.
Put the Mens and womens teams in the same field the woman's team won't get a try it is not a level playing field. The sport is different. My School Rugby team was good. If I call up my current Old Boys team and tell them they have a match against The Canada Womens team they will say YES and WHEN. It is a different sport, You go up against a male English pack, you will learn. I know Canada well and Like Canadians. Your team should do better, top young players should go out to any of the British teams, France or NZ and play. The Knowledge they bring back will develop the future.
Did you try and miss the point this badly, or are you just accidentally this dense?
That's a dumb point. Many heavyweights could KO Maywheater, are they better boxers than him? Hell no.