As members of Canada's carded program get settled into their temporary homes in Colwyn Bay, North Wales - for a four month secondment to the RCG 1404 Team we caught up with some key stake holders in Rugby Canada to find out more about this unique program.

RC: This is a fantastic opportunity for young Canadian players to gain experience – how did it come about?

GJ: We have long enjoyed a good relationship with the Welsh Rugby Union. This is clear from the number of times they have played in Canada and all the professional support they offer us in terms of development. The ability to get this plan in place played heavily on my personal and professional relationships, and I was in a unique position to be able to initiate the idea and get everyone on side.

Without that cooperation from the Rugby Canada  board  who have been very supportive and the Welsh Rugby Union it is almost certain this concept never would have left the drawing board. The fact that it has is testament to the forward thinking of groups on both sides of the ocean. Also in our strategic plan which was written in 2005 it has always been a goal of Rugby Canada to have and create a partnership in Europe with a governing body and to get more players playing in a professional environment and now this project has allowed us to further this part of the plan.

RC:  – This is truly an exchange where Wales will act as a mentoring union, and it is not limited to players. Can you tell us more of the benefits?

Indoor Training centre at Colwyn Bay*

GJ- Yes there are more benefits not just the playing side and sending 9 / 10 players over. We have been able to get other aspects into the agreement and these benefits include – coach support, analysis support and video material, facility support, test matches in Canada and opportunities for young players from all over the country to visit and work with their coaches and in their academies which are probably the top academies in Europe and this will benefit both the men’s and women’s game.

Over the next few months we will be looking closely at these and working with the WRU on how these can be achieved. Currently John Tait our National Assistant Coach is benefiting from this by being involved in the program at the beginning – meeting the coaches and working with Clive Griffiths and then he will also observe the Ospreys in their preparation for next week's Heineken Cup game v Leicester.

For your information the two main coaches are Clive Griffiths (Head Coach) who worked with the Welsh National side  under Graham Henry, Steve Hansen and Mike Ruddock when they won the Grand Slam and also worked with us and helped us at Churchill Cup in 2007 with Ric Suggitt.

Exterior view of Indoor Training facility at Parc Elrias*

The other coach is Rudi Meyer who has an excellent record as a coach in skills and conditioning and he is already working closely with Tyler on the players needs, plus he came very strongly recommended to us by the IRB. Both of these will help not only our players but can provide help and expertise for all our coaches and we will be sharing their ideas with people back here.

RC  – You have spoken to some of the people who have been publicly critical of this concept. What has their response been?

View from the VIP box at the field*

GJ – This is a big reason why we wanted to share with people some of the other benefits of the program. Prior to Christmas I met with coaches in Vancouver Island's Premier League to discuss the project as they had the majority of the players. When they saw the benefits that would come to the Canadian players and all the other benefits plus the facilities  I can say nearly all of the coaches were in favour of the program.

This was very encouraging, as we are not targeting players just from Victoria but we will be looking closely at players from all over Canada to see if this will help in their development and the domestic competition (ARC) will help us here .

RC Will all of Canada's players be released for duty as needed during this period?

GJ Absolutely. This was one of the first parts of the agreement - that our players would not be hampered to play for Canada in Sevens or any other requirements. This is important as there will be a number of the players involved in the Sevens team through that four month period, so we were pleased that this is not going to be an issue.

RC  – Have you had any feedback from other people or countries regarding this?

GJ The project has received positives from many people and countries and also we have had support from the IRB regarding this who look at our programs very closely. Other countries who are similar to us wish they had this opportunity and support and what we must do now is make sure it works and it is a benefit to all of us while we continue to work hard in developing the game here in Canada at all levels – junior and senior and men and women.

*Images are of proposed facilties being constructed.

                                           Crowley - Bourne - support Intitiative

Kieran Crowley

Canadian team Head Coach Kieran Crowley is a big proponent of the North Wales Project - as he sees a number of benefits to the training environment his top players will be immersed in for four months.

"I see the North Wales project as a great opportunity for rugby in Canada," said Crowley. "It gives our players a level of competition that bridges the gap between club and international rugby.

"In some cases it will tell us whether players are able to make that step to the next level. The full time training environment under professional coaching and conditioning staff is the same athletes get in a professional club so exposure to this and the opportunity to play each week at a high level will enhance player’s performances.

"The experience that they will be able to bring back to Canada will benefit players and clubs here and provide opportunity for Canadian coaches and players to learn from a different environment."

Crowley also notes that unlike other situations with professional players at various club sides - the interaction they will have with Clive Griffiths and the rest of the RCG staff will be a big bonus.

"It gives us a sense of control over some of our players who might have otherwise been lost to environments that are not as accommodating as North Wales are," offered Crowley.

Currently Crowley's Assistant, John Tait, is in Wales monitoring the transition of the players and also taking on some coaching duties as well.

"The availability of these players for any International duty during the 4 months they are at Colwyn Bay is also a positive for Canada and doesn’t impact at all on our 7’s program," he confirmed. "The off field advantages through this strategic alliance with the Welsh Rugby Union are huge and I don’t think they will be fully appreciated until further down the track, provided we take advantage of them."

Rick Bourne

Rugby Canada Chairman Rick Bourne echoes those sentiments, saying, "This is a great opportunity to place young Canadian talent in a professional atmosphere and also have a business position for Canada on the North Wales team at a nominal fee to our program.

"I believe this gives our players the training and high level competition required to raise the bar for the performance required to compete at the highest level on the World stage," said Bourne from his Vancouver, BC office.