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Canada set sight on WC qualifier

The extended squad features 20 previously capped players at the test level while nine other players without test experience are also included.

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"Due to the nature of the long campaign we have named an extended squad in order to cover the full five-week tour," Anscombe said. "We have an extended squad named to get us through the early stages and we’ll reassess for the last two games when we travel to South America,"

Ray Barkwill, Nick Blevins, Phil Mack, Pat Parfrey, Benoit Piffero, Taylor Paris, Djustice Sears-Duru and Conor Trainor have all been capped more than 10 times for Canada and are joined by Gradyn Bowd, Rob Brouwer, Admir Cejvanovic, Liam Chisholm, Eric Howard, Ryan Kotlewski, Lucas Rumball, Dan Moor, Clay Panga, Brock Staller and Matt Tierney. In total, Canada's 20 players with previous test experience have earned a combined 268 caps.

This year will also see the inclusion of overseas players highlighted by Trainor and Paris’ involvement, both of whom are having stellar seasons in France’s Pro D2. Oakville’s Sears-Duru has also been released from the Glasgow Warriors while Tierney also joins the squad from Top 14 side Pau. Matt Beukeboom and George Barton join up from their academy French sides.

Along with the uncapped Beukeboom and Barton, Cole Keith, Conor Keys, Rory McDonell, Ollie Nott, Reegan O’Gorman, Carl Pocock and Robbie Povey round out the squad.

"There are nine guys in the squad that haven’t been capped and it’s exciting to see what these guys have," Anscombe said. "It’s a good opportunity to see what we have in certain areas and if these guys can step up. Some of these young guys have good futures ahead of them so the sooner we can get them up and comfortable playing this level the better off we’ll be down the road,"

Canada will play its first three games of the tournament on home soil as they will face Argentina on February 4 and Chile on February 11 at Westhills Stadium in Langford, BC. They will then head to the mainland to face the USA on February 18 at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC, before heading to South America to face Uruguay and Brazil in the final two weeks.

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Last year, Canada finished third after wins over Uruguay, Brazil and Chile. In last year’s tournament, 19 players earned their first test cap for Canada. The tournament has proven to be a quality breeding ground for players with many of last year’s debutants going on to play for Canada during their RISEAsOne Series in June and the annual November Tour.

The Americas Rugby Championship (ARC) provides Canada with an additional four test matches a year. The game against Argentina is not a sanctioned test match. The competition provides more exposure and opportunity for Canada’s senior men’s squad as they work towards 2019 Rugby World Cup qualification.

"It’s all building to the qualifier," Anscombe said. "We’ve got an opportunity to see what these young guys have got.  By giving some guys opportunities here we’re extending the depth of our squad, seeing if guys can handle the step up and we’ve got to make sure we’re ready to go when the qualifier hits and they understand the level of rugby that’s going to be required from them to be successful,"

Canada: Ray Barkwill, George Barton, Nick Blevins, Matt Beukeboom, Rob Brouwer, Gradyn Bowd, Admir Cejvanovic, Liam Chisholm, Eric Howard, Conor Keys, Cole Keith, Ryan Kotlewski, Phil Mack, Rory McDonell, Gordon McRorie, Dan Moor, Oliver Nott, Reegan O’Gorman, Clay Panga, Pat Parfrey, Taylor Paris, Benoit Piffero, Carl Pocock, Robbie Povey, Lucas Rumball, Djustice Sears -Duru, Brock Staller, Matt Tierney, Conor Trainor

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