Blues Sr. Men: 23-man squad named for CRC opener vs. Rock

July 18, 2017

Ontario Blues Senior Men name 23-man squad for CRC opener against Atlantic Rock

(TRURO, NS) - The Ontario Blues Senior Men's team will take the pitch for their Canadian Rugby Championship (CRC) opener against the Atlantic Rock this Saturday (July 22, 2017) at 4:00pm Eastern Standard Time. The Blues have had a tremendously successful off-season and are looking to bring that momentum into their 2017 CRC season.

The roster for the Blues opener includes four changes from the 23-man roster that beat Glendale in May. Will Kelly will replace Jon West, Kolby Francis is in for Paul Ciulini, Peter Milazzo replaces Seb Pearson and Dolezel will take the place of DJ Sears-Duru.

Possible CRC debutants are Will Kelly, Alex Colborne, Mario Van der Westhuizen, Pat Lynott and Francis. If Francis plays, it will also be his first cap for the Ontario Blues.

Rob Brouwer is back from injury and will captain the Ontario side that is looking for their sixth MacTier Cup. Rob Brouwer and Josh Campbell are the only players from the original Ontario Blues Senior Men's team (2009). Currently in the national program, Rob debuted for the Blues on August 21, 2009 against the Midwest Thunderbirds in Elkhart, Indiana. Campbell debuted in the game, as well. The Blues won the game by a score of 38-5.

The Blues met the Atlantic Rock just two weeks ago on the Canada Day weekend in Peterborough and came out victorious in that match by a score of 29-17. The story line could be very different though, as the Rock will have home field advantage this time around and both teams will have many of their regulars back in their lineups.

This Saturday marks the first time that the Ontario Blues Senior Men will play a regular season game in Nova Scotia, though they have a strong historic record in the Maritimes. The Blues have a 5-1 record in St. Johns, Newfoundland and won their only friendly match in Halifax 40-19 over the Rock in May of 2015.

The Blues and Rock have played each other in CRC action a total of 12 times. Ontario has won 10 of those matches, while the Atlantic side has won two.

Ontario Blues Senior Men vs. Atlantic Rock - July 22, 2017

FORWARDS

Rob Brouwer (Lindsay) CAPTAIN

Pat Lynott (Bytown)

Ryan Surgenor (Bytown)

Tom Dolezel (London)

Eric Howard (Brantford)

AJ Quattrin (Aurora Barbarians)

Mike Sheppard (Stoney Creek)

Hank McQueen (Balmy Beach)

Kolby Francis (Brantford)

Andrew Wilson (Crusaders)

Lucas Rumball (Balmy Beach)

Jeremy Wright (Lindsay)

Peter Milazzo (Toronto Saracens)

BACKS

Andrew Ferguson (Crusaders)

Mario Van der Westhuizen (Guelph)

Will Kelly (Brantford)

Alex Colborne (Toronto Scottish)

Kainoa Lloyd (Mississauga)

Rory Mcdonnell (Brantford)

John Sheridan (Markham Irish)

Shawn Windsor (Stoney Creek)

Josh Campbell (London)

Dan Moor (Balmy Beach)

STAFF

Coach Chris Silverthorn

Asst Coach Cory Hector

Manager Mark Winokur

Analyst Rodin Lozada

Athletic Therapist Chris Kelly

ONTARIO BLUES - CANADIAN RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

July 22, 2017 vs. Atlantic Rock - KO 4pm ET

August 13, 2017 vs. Prairie Wolf Pack - KO 3pm ET

August 16, 2017 vs. BC Bears - KO 7pm ET

August 19, 2017 vs. TBD - KO 7pm ET/9pm ET

CANADIAN RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP - PAST CHAMPIONS

2016 - Ontario Blues

2015 - Prairie Wolf Pack

2014 - Ontario Blues

2013 - Ontario Blues

2012 - Ontario Blues

2011 - Ontario Blues

2010 - Atlantic Rock

2009 - BC Bears

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/