U19 Blues welcome EIRA U19s for two-game series in Guelph

June 26, 2018

Ontario Blues Under 19 Men welcome Eagle Impact Rugby Academy U19s (Formerly Boys High School All-Americans) to the University of Guelph for two-game series this week

(GUELPH, ON) – The University of Guelph will be the scene for a two-game series between the Ontario Blues Under 19 Men’s team and Eagle Impact Rugby Academy U19s (Formerly USA Rugby’s Boys High School All-Americans this week). The mini-series will see the two teams face off on Thursday at 7:00pm ET and Saturday at 3:00pm ET.

The U19 Blues go into the series with two long-list exhibition matches under their belt against Quebec sides. They came out victorious in both matches and continue preparations for the Canadian Rugby Championship on July 16-22, 2018 in Saskatoon. The Under-19 Blues are part of the pathway to selection for the Canada Under-20 squad and the Canadian Rugby Championship will allow the athletes to be seen and identified by National selectors.

In last year’s series, the Boys High School All-Americans (now Eagle Impact Rugby Academy U19s) defeated the Blues in both matches. In the first match, the Americans defeated Ontario 26-5, but in the second match, the Blues were able to stay with the strong American side for most of the match, ultimately coming just short and losing by a score of 22-17.

The Blues’ starting roster for Game 1 includes representatives from 17 Ontario clubs. With only one returning player in the roster from last year’s squad and many graduates of the age-grade Jr. Blues program, this is a great development opportunity for a young Ontario squad.

There is no stream planned, so follow along on Rugby Ontario's twitter for updates.

To find out more about the team, go to www.rugbyontario.com/blues-u19-men.

To find out more about the partnership between Rugby Ontario and the University of Guelph’s Athletic Department, click HERE.

UNDER 19 BLUES ROSTER - GAME 1 VS. EAGLE IMPACT RUGBY ACADEMY U19s

1. Jackson Scott (Captain), Norfolk Harvesters^

2. Alex Circelli, Aurora Barbarians

3. Aaron Pacha, Guelph Redcoats

4. Owen Stirling, Guelph Redcoats

5. Carter Smith, Brampton Beavers

6. Max Goodwin, Aurora Barbarians

7. Liam Geddes, Lindsay RFC

8. Braden Bruce, Peterborough Pagans

9. Kevin Oh, Waterloo County

10. Quenton McLean-Lavado, Toronto Scottish

11. Devan Hunter, Toronto Scottish

12. Kevin Vertkas, Toronto Nomads

13. Jack Shaw, Crusaders*

14. Dominic Johnson, Crusaders

15. Joshua Ho, Aurora Barbarians

16. Josh Tinney, Cobourg Saxons

17. Javian Prince, Brampton Beavers

18. Ty Webb, Barrie RFC

19. Levi Konecny, Ajax Wanderers

20. Caleb English, Aurora Barbarians^

21. Timico Smith, Mississauga Blues^

22. Malik James, Balmy Beach^

23. Will Cheesewright, Crusaders

24. Talen de St. Croix, Brantford Harlequins

25. Cameron Hurst, Mississauga Blues

26. Mason Flesch, Cobourg Saxons

*Returning player

^Under-18 Blues graduate

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. The program includes representative teams from Under-15 to Senior in both Women’s and Men’s Fifteens and Under-18 Men's and Women's Sevens. 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/