Canadian rugby team announce roster for second test against USA Eagles
CANADA'S NATIONAL SENIOR WOMEN'S RUGBY TEAM ANNOUNCES ITS ROSTER FOR A SECOND TEST AGAINST THE USA EAGLES. THE TWO TEAMS SQUARED OFF MONDAY IN SHAWNIGAN LAKE, BC WITH THE CANADIANS HAVING A LAST-MINUTE VICTORY THANKS TO OLYMPIAN HEATHER MOYSE'S GAME-WINNING TRY. MOYSE WILL AGAIN COME OFF THE BENCH FOR CANADA ON FRIDAY AT BEAR MOUNTAIN STADIUM IN LANGFORD, BC.
THIS EVENT IS BEING USED TO SELECT FOR AUGUST'S 2010 WORLD CUP IN LONDON.
A similar but not identical squad has been announced for Canada’s NSWT second match against the USA Eagles on Friday at Bear Mountain Stadium in Langford, BC.
Friday will be the 27th meeting of these two nations (USA lead 15-11) and since August 2009, it will be the grudge match as the series is tied, 2-2. Beyond the obvious national pride that is on the line, it is also the last chance for the players to make their case for selection for the 2010 World Cup.
The individual pressure played a role in last match’s choppiness, but the game settled by the last 10 and both teams can be expected to roll on from where they left off.
For Canada, it was on an especial high note as they had numerous scoring opportunities, including Heather Moyse’s eventual game-winner. With only minutes remaining, the USA answered back with convincing territory, and several good individual runs landed the Eagles within 10m of Canada’s line. The game would end there though, with Canada purposely kicking the ball out-of-bounds for the whistle.
This match marks a few individual milestones for Canada’s NSWT. Gillian Florence, Canada’s most-capped player in history, will receive her 60th cap on Friday. The gritty legend will likely be selected for the World Cup, making her only the second player in history to go to five World Cups.
Maria Gallo, who plays for Burnaby Lake Rugby Club, will earn her 50th cap against the same side that she earned her first cap. Like Florence, Gallo has had an illustrious rugby career, starting in 1999 when she debuted for her country in Saranac Lake versus the USA. Since then, Gallo has been to two XV’s World Cups (Spain 2002 & Canada 2006) and was captain for Canada at the 2009 Sevens Rugby World Cup in Dubai.
The combination of experience, skill and character make Gallo, originally from Argentina, an obvious choice for Friday’s match captain, but are the same reason she’s been on the national scene over 10 years. Her 50th cap will be a feather in the doctor’s cap, as her achievements extend past the touchline; Gallo has a PhD in Exercise Physiology and is an instructor at UBC in the School of Human Kinetics.
50 appearances for any country is an accomplishment, but especially so in North America where travel and financial logistics play a heavy factor in the number of international tests played per year, but Monday’s match had a peculiar disparity. Though the average age for Canada and USA differed only by a year, Canada’s 22-man roster more than doubled USA’s number of caps (413 – 184).
However, those numbers are not the ones that will matter come Friday, as the final match between these two countries before the 2010 World Cup should be another close one.
