Ouch! Canada ‘A’ gets boffo start before being steamrolled

April 19, 2006

New Zealand U-21 Trialists 58 vs Canada 'A' 18

Rugby Canada reports:

The best of all possible starts saw Canada ‘A’ take a 15-0 lead in the first fifteen minutes of its first tour game against the New Zealand U-21 Trialists at Porirua Park in Wellington. Before long, however, the young home side found its feet and composure, and ran in ten unanswered tries to record a comfortable 58-18 win.

In the early going, Canada ‘A’ completely dominated the contest playing the game almost entirely in the New Zealand end, and it appeared as though the game was little more than a training session. Then the big, fast and skilled Kiwi youngsters took the game by the scruff of the neck and began dictating play. Time and again they beat Canada ‘A’ to the breakdown in numbers, ran at pace with numbers, and scored tries with ease as Canada ‘A’ struggled to contain the rampage.

The rest of the story...

EARLIER: CANADA 'A': PRAIRIE MAN LOOKS TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION

At 6’ 3” and 285 pounds, Saskatoon Wild Oats prop Hubert Buydens is the biggest man to grace the Canadian national team program since Norm Hadley captained the national side in the 1990s.

Not only is Buydens big, he’s naturally very strong as well, and that natural strength and size may eventually elevate him from the Canada ‘A’ team to the National Senior Men’s team. Buydens will play tomorrow in his first Canada game against the New Zealand U-21 Trialists. ...

In grade twelve, Hubert played in the Senior Bowl with the Saskatoon Hilltops winning three of five national championships with them, before winning a scholarship to the University of Saskatchewan, to play for the Huskies. In 2005 he went to the Vanier Cup, only to lose to the Wilfred Laurier Golden Hawks by a point. Over the years he has won a profusion of ‘Lineman of the Year’ awards.

While he was still in grade twelve, in the football off-season, he began playing for the Saskatoon Wild Oats RFC. Hubert made the U-18 Saskatchewan team in 2000 and the junior Prairie Fire team in the same season. The next year Hubert played his first game for the senior Prairie Fire Super League team. ...

Looking to the future the 24 year-old hasn’t yet considered a professional football career.

“Next year, or the year after, is my draft year. I’m not really sure. But if someone wanted to pay me to play football, or tiddlywinks, or anything, I’d probably take the offer.”

Pressed further on the hypothetical question of what sport he would choose to play if he were offered a contract to play rugby or football for the same money, Hubert offers: “That would depend. If it was to go to Hamilton or Winnipeg to play football or the same money to go to New Zealand or France and play rugby, I think I’d opt for going to NZ or France and see what it had to offer.”

(Lots more...) Source: Ian Kennedy – RC Press Officer.