Silverthorn names Ontario Blues Senior Men's Starting XV for CRC Opener

Ontario Blues Senior Men's Head Coach has named his Starting XV roster as they open up the Canadian Rugby Championship (CRC) against the Atlantic Rock.

The Blues travel to Montreal over the long weekend to take on their eastern rivals. The match will be the Ontario Blues’ CRC opener and they will look to come out of the gate strong.

The CRC opener will take place at Concordia University on Saturday August 4, 2018 and kickoff is set for 7:00pm ET. Rugby Quebec plans to live stream through their Facebook account.

The Blues and Rock have met each other in CRC action a total of 13 times. The Blues have won all but two of those matches including a 24-17 win in their 2017 meeting.

Senior Men’s CRC format for 2018 calls for a home-and-home between the Blues and the Rock, while the Western competitors – the BC Bears and Prairie Wolfpack – are also playing a home-and-home series. Prairie Wolfpack upset the defending champions in their series opener with a narrow 27-24 win on Friday.

The second match of the Blues’ home-and-home series will return to Burlington Centaurs Rugby Football Club (Sherwood Forest Park) in Burlington – the scene of the Blues’ monumental defeat of the Glendale Raptors in May of last year. The match will be taking place on Tuesday August 7, 2018 at 6:45pm ET and admission is $10 per person at the gate. The second match will be streamed live on Rugby Ontario’s YouTube, thanks to eThereLive.

For more information on the Ontario Blues Senior Men’s program, go to http://www.rugbyontario.com/blues-senior-men/.

Ontario Blues Senior Men’s Starting XV vs. Atlantic Rock - August 4, 2018

1. Djustice Sears-Duru, Crusaders

2. Andrew Quattrin, Aurora Barbarians/Ontario Arrows

3. Rob Brouwer, Lindsay RFC/Ontario Arrows (Capt.)

4. Paul Ciulini, Aurora Barbarians/Ontario Arrows

5. Mike Sheppard, Stoney Creek Camels/Ontario Arrows

6. Peter Milazzo, Toronto Scottish/Ontario Arrows

7. Lucas Rumball, Balmy Beach

8. Kolby Francis, Brantford Harlequins/Ontario Arrows

9. Andrew Ferguson, Crusaders/Ontario Arrows

10. Shawn Windsor, Stoney Creek Camels/Ontario Arrows (Vice Capt.)

11. Kyle Lagasca, Guelph Redcoats/Ontario Arrows

12. Jamie Leveridge, Crusaders/Ontario Arrows

13. Mitch Richardson, Stoney Creek Camels/Ontario Arrows

23. Kainoa Lloyd, Mississauga Blues/Ontario Arrows

15. Jesse Lofthouse, Markham Irish

Reserves

16. Eric Howard, Brantford Harlequins/New Orleans Gold

17. Emerson Prior, Peterborough Pagans/Trent Excalibur

18. Mo Yusuf, Peterborough Pagans/Trent Excalibur

20. Marcello Wainwright, Toronto Scottish/Ontario Arrows

21. Riley Dinardo, Toronto Scottish

24. Nate Boeyenga, Brantford Harlequins

25. D'Shawn Bowen, Kingston Panthers

Coaching Staff

Head Coach-Chris Silverthorn

Assistant Coach-Cory Hector

Assistant Coach-Aaron Carpenter

Manager-Mark Winokur

Performance Analyst-Rodin Lozada

Ontario Blues Senior Men’s Canadian Rugby Championship Schedule

GAME 1: Blues vs. Atlantic Rock – August 4, 2018 – Concordia University, Montreal QC 7:00pm ET ($10 at gate)

GAME 2: Atlantic Rock vs. Blues – August 7, 2018 – Burlington ON 6:45pm ET ($10 at gate)

SEMI FINAL: August 23, 2018 – Calgary, AB (Calgary Rugby Park)

GOLD/BRONZE: August 26, 2018 – Calgary, AB (Calgary Rugby Park)