Players do the lunge under the watchful eye of strength and conditioning coach Joe McCullum (left). This was the first full camp to prepare for the 2009 World Championships.(Andrew Smith photo)

Preparations begin for World Championships 2009 - in Japan
By Andrew Smith  - U20 Press Officer

Through a dense mist on Saturday, Nov. 29, Team Canada’s finest prospects took to the field for an afternoon practice session. Through limited visibility, 45 junior national rugby players from across Canada were on display as they displayed their skills to make it past the final cuts for the Team Canada Under-20 Men’s Team.

The training camp, hosted at Shawnigan Lake School on Vancouver Island, B.C. was the final stage of forming a team destined for the June 2009 Junior World Championship in Japan.

Recently, through the Rugby Canada Foundation Player Sponsorship Program, Rugby Canada and Tier II funding, the junior program expanded as players were no longer required to pay their own travel and expenses. The under-20 program, a merger of U19 and U21 teams, was set in place to speed the development of Canada’s young players and to expose the athletes to higher level of rugby.

Team Manager Brian Hunter sees the practice sessions and program as a vital step in improving Canada’s performance on an international stage.

“The under-20 program is a key building block for the senior national program,” Hunter said. “It helps [Team Canada] identify the up and coming talent. The practices allow us to develop their skills and their size.”

The training sessions featured an array of players including veterans of previous international matches as well as new players to the program.

The opportunity provides an invaluable experience for players such as Andrew Crow out of St. Michaels University School in Victoria.

“It’s pretty amazing,” he says after being called up for the weekend training session. “There’s a great group of guys. It looks like there are some really solid players and I’m really excited to be here.”

According to Coach Tim Murdy, the international exposure is key to developing young players like Crow.

“The Junior World Championship experience is something of great value for the whole national program,” Murdy said. “The experience of playing at the international level cannot be replicated through club or university level.”

With strong leadership through veterans Harry Jones and Toni Wodzicki, the team is looking to pose a strong threat to their Junior World Championship Pool D opponents in Fukuoka, Japan. The young players will have to face off against Wales, Australia and Tonga if they wish to make it past the group stages.