Canada clip Eagles' wing to take Bowl
Mon, 23 Jun 2008 08:28
In a game of two halves, Canada raced clear of the United States Eagles - winning the Bowl Final at the Churchill Cup tournament 26-10 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, at the weekend.
The Eagles raced into a 10-0 lead inside the first quarter, but a four-try second half from their cross-border rivals saw the Cannucks take the spoils.
"It's pretty obvious what happened," Eagles captain Mike Hercus said.
"We played good rugby for the first half and once our fitness level wore down, they just ran away with the game.
"We got together three weeks ago and lacked the fitness we needed straight away.
"It's tough to come off the World Cup and the training we did for that and not have another major tournament for six months. Some teams turn around and play another tournament. It makes it hard to set any clear goals, but with [Scott] Johnson on board, though, it's pretty evident that's going to change."
Before a crowd of nearly 9,500 boisterous fans, both teams took the field eager to claim bragging rights in the only official Test match of the tournament, with the US taking an early lead off a Mike Hercus penalty kick before five minutes had elapsed.
Inside minute six, Canada were given a chance to retaliate, but wing James Pritchard's kick was no good, leaving the tally at 3-0 until a solid US offensive effort stretched the Eagles' lead further 10 minutes later.
In an impressive collaborative effort, US captain Todd Clever received the kick from the opposition and dished off to speedster Takudzwa Ngwenya, racing into space on the outside before unloading to Salesi Sika, who touched down for the try. With a successful conversion from Mike Hercus, by minute 18 the Eagles had secured a 10-0 lead.
Showcasing structured offense, the US put down the opposing attack for the remainder of the first half. They also continued to dominate possession, sending the Canadians into the locker room still scoreless.
However, following a rest, Canada turned the tables after the break, and came thundering back to score four unanswered tries in the last 40 minutes.
With less than two minutes gone in the second half, Sevens flyhalf Nanyak Dala bolted in to close the gap within five and James Pritchard's accurate boot boosted the score to 10-7.
As the game pressed on, Canada pressed for another score and was brought down several times by the US defence before centre Ryan Smith slipped one past the Eagles to push his team over the top 14-10, following another successful Pritchard conversion.
Canadian bolter Dala, who was voted the Man of the Match, would again prove troublesome for a fading US team in the second half, turning it up a notch to burn in for his second try of the day and a missed kick held the tally at 19-10.
"We took it slowly in the first half and had to pump it up in the second," Dala said after the match.
"I think our fitness was a lot better than theirs and we started playing some rugby in the second half.
"Kieran [Crowley] has been coaching us to get us trying to move 20 or 30 meters up field rather than just 10. He is getting us to think more about the game and that helps us get into the right positions to score tries."
Searching for some fresh legs to get its offense going, before the end the US had all but emptied its bench, but still could not counter Canada's swift footing and quick passing, as the team spread the ball around before finally handing off to Brian Smith for his second try inside 31 minutes.
Another Pritchard conversion put Canada up 26-10 and would remain as such until the final whistle sent the Bowl home with Canada, its fourth consecutive victory in the Can-Am meetings.
Canadian head coach Kieran Crowley also earned his first win at the national team helm after a solid comeback effort from his team.
"We slowed down to their pace in the first half and allowed them to take advantage, but we dug back out of that hole in the second," Crowley said.
"We've had three good weeks and winning this Test match against the US is a rewarding end."
"We can't play this sport physically inept," Eagles head coach Scott Johnson said.
"I would much rather put a team out on the field that can last 80 minutes than put a team of them that are good rugby players. We've competed in every game, but we've got to surge through. Looking ahead to the NA4, I've told the players can't expect to make the squads - not unless they are physically prepared."
The scorers:
For the United States:
Try: Sika
Con: Hercus
Pen: Hercus
For Canada:
Tries: Dala 2, Smith 2
Cons: Monro 3
Teams:
United States: 15 Chris Wyles, 14 Takudzwa
Ngwenya, 13 Paul Emerick, 12 Salesi Sika, 11 Gavin DeBartolo, 10 Mike Hercus, 9 Mike Petri, 8 Kort Schubert, 7 Jason Lett, 6 Todd Clever (captain), 5 John Van der Giessen, 4 Ben Wiedemer, 3 Mate Moeakiola, 2 Mark Crick, 1 Mike MacDonald.
Replacements: 16 Mone Laulaupeaalu, 17 Chad Slaby, 18 Brian Doyle, 19 Henry Bloomfield, 20 Robbie Shaw, 21 Valanese Malifa, 22 Albert Tuipulotu.
Canada: 15 Mike Pyke, 14 Justin Mensah Coker, 13 Bryn Keys, 12 Ryan Smith, 11 James Pritchard, 10 Ander Monro, 9 Ed Fairhurst, 8 Aaron Carpenter, 7 Nanyak Dala, 6 Adam Kleeberger, 5 Luke Cudmore, 4 Tyler Hotson, 3 Scott Franklin, 2 Pat Riordan (captain), 1 Kevin Tkachuk.
Replacements: 16 Hubert Buydens, 17 Mike Pletch, 18 Mike Webb, 19 Stu Ault, 20 Andrew Wilson, 21 Pat Fleck, 22 David Spicer.
Referee: Federico Cuesta (Argentina)
Touch judges: Rob Debney (England), Andy McPherson (Scotland)
