[EOYT] Canada vs. New Zealand Maori. 03/11/13

[LittleGuy]

and over 16,000 tickets sold is a solid number. Hopefully that will get to 20,000

I think it's very doable if it looks like a nice day heading into the game my guess will be somewhere close to the Ireland game in that 19-20,000 range. The lineups are encouraging, Canada's isn't fantastic but it's certainly a lot better than my worst fears, and the Maori have some solid players turning out. As of now the forecast is 7 C and 70% Showers but it's so far away that can be taken with a bag of road salt over the shoulder.

 

[canadafan]

I can see the Maori sleep walking into this match like the Irish did with the Americans this past June. If we are on top of our game and play virtually error free(yes I know that's unlikely) we could get one over them. Personally I think the Americans are going to get smashed the following week as we will wake the Maori up for them, like they did with the Irish for us.

 

[canadafan]

Still no news about Doug Wooldridge and which club has signed him?

 

[LittleGuy]

Still no news about Doug Wooldridge and which club has signed him?

Not a peep and the only one I can see reporting it at all is BCRN(who has had a lover's quarrel with Barkwill over the last few days HAHAHA). Maybe the announcement has been delayed till past the November test window since Wooldridge won't be joining his club it looks like until early December anyway.

 

[canadafan]

Probably waiting for the visa to come through.

 

[rusty_lock]

Well this is a little bit of a better squad than I expected to see for this match but unfortunately we are still missing some key players that we need to keep us competitive. My line up is not that dissimilar to your LG. The only change that I would make is at hooker allowing Kleeberger into the starting line up.

1. Buydens
2. Carpenter
3. Tiedemann (if fit)
4. Hotson
5. Phelan
6. Kleeberger
7. Moonlight
8. Ardron

9. Mack
10. Underwood
11. Evans
12. Scholz
13. Trainor
14. Hassler
15. Braid

16. Barkwell
17. Ilnicki
18. Wooldridge
19. Flagg
20. Dala
21. Mackenzie
22. Jones
23. Hearn

My thought is that if we're going to start the Carpenter at hooker experiment, lets start it in a test that doesn't count. As well, this gets more of our best players on the field at one time and will at least allow us to challenge at the breakdown a little bit better.

 

[rusty_lock]

What's your point? There's no evidence as yet that Carpenter is any better as a hooker than them.

Fiji don't have great props either. If there was rumours that Rupeni Caucau was considering playing there would it mean he would necessarily be any better simply because he is a better player in another position?

Carpenter has been getting some time at hooker with the Pirates and there is no doubt that he is better in open play than anyone else we could put in the #2 jersey. I have no idea how he is at scrum time but I'm not sure how much it is going to matter because the scrum will be going backwards a rate of knots against the Maori no matter who is the hooker. We might as well get the best players on the pitch we can and hope for the best. As hopeful and optimistic as I usually am I expect to lose this by 40 points.

 

[Shaggy]

Carpenter has been getting some time at hooker with the Pirates and there is no doubt that he is better in open play than anyone else we could put in the #2 jersey. I have no idea how he is at scrum time but I'm not sure how much it is going to matter because the scrum will be going backwards a rate of knots against the Maori no matter who is the hooker. We might as well get the best players on the pitch we can and hope for the best. As hopeful and optimistic as I usually am I expect to lose this by 40 points.

The scrum should be interesting, as the Maori are a little light in the prop department (and hooker dept) ... looking forward to seeing how Squires and Christie match up against the Canadian loose forwards

 

[LittleGuy]

Well this is a little bit of a better squad than I expected to see for this match but unfortunately we are still missing some key players that we need to keep us competitive. My line up is not that dissimilar to your LG. The only change that I would make is at hooker allowing Kleeberger into the starting line up.

1. Buydens
2. Carpenter
3. Tiedemann (if fit)
4. Hotson
5. Phelan
6. Kleeberger
7. Moonlight
8. Ardron

9. Mack
10. Underwood
11. Evans
12. Scholz
13. Trainor
14. Hassler
15. Braid

16. Barkwell
17. Ilnicki
18. Wooldridge
19. Flagg
20. Dala
21. Mackenzie
22. Jones
23. Hearn

My thought is that if we're going to start the Carpenter at hooker experiment, lets start it in a test that doesn't count. As well, this gets more of our best players on the field at one time and will at least allow us to challenge at the breakdown a little bit better.

These are my exact thoughts (I did have Carpenter starting at Hooker in my lineup canadafan did not) as well I find Barkwill to be much more effective off of the bench, he's more a Dala like player well liked by the team, feisty and energetic but better used in short spurts and as a spark/morale booster late in games.

This is a list of guys heading to the NACRA 7's...who won't be available for at least the Georgia game and possibly longer, good to see Wilson-Ross in that side as a reward for his ARC service.

Men's Maple Leafs Roster for NACRA Sevens - (Club, CRC Team) Hometown, Province

Justin Douglas - (Abbotsford RFC) Abbotsford, BC
Lucas Hammond - (Toronto Nomads/Ontario Blues) Toronto, ON - Captain
Pat Kay - (UVIC Vikes/BC Bears) Duncan, BC
Clayton Meeres – (James Bay AA/BC Bears) Chilliwack, BC
Pat Parfrey - (Swilers RFC/The Rock) St. Johns, NL
Jordan Sandover-Best, (UBC Thunderbirds) Vancouver, BC
Theo Sauder - (St. George's HS) Vancouver, BC
Jack Smith – (James Bay AA/Peterborough RFC) Peterborough, ON
Mike Scholz – (Castaway Wanderers/Ontario Blues) Oakville, ON
Jordan Wilson-Ross – (James Bay AA/Ontario Blues) Allison, ON
Nathan Yanagiya, (UVIC Vikes/Capilano RFC) Vancouver, BC
Adam Zaruba – (Capilano RFC/BC Bears) West Vancouver, BC

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

They have sold around 18500 tickets for the game, with a week left, will we break 20000? I sure think so and I would imagine we will have some walk-ups on game day as well! It also looks like it will be a nice day although it will be cold with the temperature hovering around 5 degrees celsius, I like the idea of playing in November in Canada, maybe the cold weather will give us some sort of advantage :lol:.

Should be another good showing for rugby in Canada and I look forward to seeing this full stadium again:

Now if only we had our full-strength side!

 

[LittleGuy]

They have sold around 18500 tickets for the game, with a week left, will we break 20000? I sure think so and I would imagine we will have some walk-ups on game day as well! It also looks like it will be a nice day although it will be cold with the temperature hovering around 5 degrees celsius.

Yeah I have yet to buy mine for example but am probably 75% to go, I'm holding out for a bit longer as I have one last variety that needs harvesting(not sure what day it will come off) and I was holding out on the weather, which seems like it will be quite crisp but not horrible something like 7 C and a stiff breeze only 30% chance of some showers.

Kudos to Rugby Canada in their marketing I was expecting a much smaller crowd to be frank with the time of year and already having had a few games in Toronto this year.

 

[canadafan]

Great to read ticket sales are going well.

 

[CDN_Rugby]

Less than 800 tickets now available. Looks like BMO Field will be sold out by Sunday.

 

[LittleGuy]

Less than 800 tickets now available. Looks like BMO Field will be sold out by Sunday.

Great news for Rugby Canada and the game in general, horrible news for me LOL. I still don't know if I can attend and it loks like my time frame for finding out just got a heck of a lot shorter. Does anyone know if every section has been opened? The North stand is the only one I wasn't completely sure about, it will definately be a sell out, and will probably get there tonight/tommorow. I'm only looking for an individual seat which gives me a decent chance of fidning one of the last available I guess.

Edit: North Stand is open....they have cracked 20,000 as well, dear god I hope we don't get whipped on Sunday in front of so many casuals without our top side.

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

Great news for Rugby Canada and the game in general, horrible news for me LOL. I still don't know if I can attend and it loks like my time frame for finding out just got a heck of a lot shorter. Does anyone know if every section has been opened? The North stand is the only one I wasn't completely sure about, it will definately be a sell out, and will probably get there tonight/tommorow. I'm only looking for an individual seat which gives me a decent chance of fidning one of the last available I guess.

Edit: North Stand is open....they have cracked 20,000 as well, dear god I hope we don't get whipped on Sunday in front of so many casuals without our top side.

I may have an extra ticket if you want it, wait out!

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

Less than 800 tickets now available. Looks like BMO Field will be sold out by Sunday.

That will be 22,453 tickets sold if it is sold out, will be a new record for North American Rugby! If I would have said 5 years ago that we would be able to host an international rugby match and get over 20,000 fans in November, who would have believed me? Now wouldn't it be awesome if they could get a game at BC Place next year against a Tier-1 country in November!

Btw glad too see we can consistently outdraw our National Soccer team, in their own stadium no less! Poofball pffftt who needs it!

 

[LittleGuy]

I may have an extra ticket if you want it, wait out!

That would be awesome, if I can't find one before I can figure out whether I can attend you would be a lifesaver.

I didn't get any word tonight and with the way sales are going I may only have till some time tommorow to find out. My problem is I still have Cabernet Franc that needs to be harvested, the variety is ready to go but the winery/producer has no space in the tanks that they can go into as they've fallen behind on their fermentation speed. I don't need to be here for the actual harvest but I do have to remove the bird netting in advance of that harvest which will take a full day, which would mean a Monday harvest on short notice would completely screw me over. On some longer notice or it not occuring on Monday I'm fine, I can set up noisemakers and stuff that will definately work for a day or two.

A similar scenario happened to me on Thanksgiving where a harvest day was dropped on my plate half way through Saturday for a Tuesday morning pick and screwed over my entire long weekend.

 

[canadafan]

Where did you hear the number that only 800 tickets left?

 

[LittleGuy]

Where did you hear the number that only 800 tickets left?

Rugby Canada's official twitter account only 797 remaining as of this late this afternoon.

 

[canadafan]

Thanks, ever heard anything about Wooldridge?