Blues Roster set for pre-CRC clash with Atlantic Rock; Photo Credit to Jose Romelo Lagman
Last July, the Ontario Blues defeated eastern Canadian rivals Atlantic Rock by a score of (24-12) at Swilers RFC in St. John’s, Newfoundland – picking up their first win on the 2016 Canadian Rugby Championship schedule. The Ontario Blues are looking to come out on top in a showdown against the Rock when the two teams meet again in a pre-Canadian Rugby Championship showdown on July 3rd at Nicholls Oval Park in Peterborough, Ontario. Kickoff is at 12pm EST – tickets starting at $10 with free entry to kids under the age of 12.
Following the Blues' big victory against the Major League Rugby's Glendale Raptors, the Men will look to gear up for their 2017 MacTier Cup run. The Blues are coming off their fifth MacTier Cup in the last six years.
Blues Head Coach Chris Silverthorn believes that his team has what it takes to win consecutive MacTier Cups while competing at this year's 2017 Canadian Rugby Championships.
“We’re definitely the favourite and we have a very strong team. We had an outstanding pre-season – beating the New York Old Blue, the top team in the Eastern United States, and beating the Glendale Raptors who have been the American champions for three consecutive years.”
Silverthorn has confidence in his team’s ability leading up to the 2017 Canadian Rugby Championships and realizes the potential of his athletes on the international stage.
“The goal and focus of this team is to develop players for the national team. The whole principle of the Canadian Rugby Championship is to accelerate the players’ development so they are able to play at the international level.”
Silverthorn is still in the process of evaluating players for the 2017 CRC’s and expects to make cuts following Monday’s showdown with the Rock. Many of the Blues' core players are still traveling with team Canada, giving young players like Will Kelly and Kevin Vertkas the opportunity to suit up for the Senior side.
BLUES SENIOR MEN'S ROSTER - July 3, 2017
# | PLAYER | CLUB |
1 | PATRICK LYNOTT | BYTOWN BLUES |
2 | ANDREW QUATTRIN | AURORA BARBARIANS |
3 | TOM DOLOZEL | LONDON ST. GEORGE’S |
4 | MIKE SHEPPARD | STONEY CREEK CAMELS |
5 | PAUL CIULINI | AURORA BARBARIANS |
6 | JEREMY WRIGHT | LINDSAY |
7 | LUCAS RUMBALL | BALMY BEACH |
8 | ANDREW WILSON | CRUSADERS |
9 | MARIO VAN DER WESTHUIZEN | GUELPH REDCOATS |
10 | WILL KELLY | BRANTFORD HARLEQUINS |
11 | RICH LEBEL | WATERLOO COUNTY |
12 | ALEX COLBORNE | TORONTO SCOTTISH |
13 | JOSH CAMPBELL | LONDON ST. GEORGE’S |
14 | KYLE LAGASCA | TORONTO SARACENS |
15 | JOHN SHERIDAN | MARKHAM IRISH |
16 | CAMERON SANDISON | CRUSADERS |
17 | RYAN SURGENOR | BYTOWN BLUES |
18 | KEVIN VERTKAS | TORONTO NOMADS |
19 | MAC KEA | LINDSAY |
20 | MARCELLO WAINRIGHT | TORONTO SARACENS |
21 | GRAYSON PERRY | CRUSADERS |
22 | DAN MATHIE | CRUSADERS |
23 | KOLBY FRANCIS | BRANTFORD HARLEQUINS |
ABOUT THE ONTARIO BLUES
The Ontario Blues program is the high performance representative program for male and female rugby players in Ontario. Rugby Ontario is represented at the provincial level by the Ontario Blues High Performance program. The program includes representative teams from Under-15 to Senior in both Women’s and Men’s Fifteens. Specifically, the program is designed to develop and showcase rugby players for Canadian representative national teams.
ABOUT RUGBY ONTARIO
Rugby Ontario is the provincial sports governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to establish a stronger identity for rugby in Ontario by promoting the sport’s core values and by fostering a culture of inclusiveness and excellence on and off the field of play.
To learn more, visit https://www.rugbyontario.com/
WANT MORE INFORMATION?
Kevin Baxter
Communications Coordinator - Rugby Ontario
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