After a high-scoring, wide open affair against the storied Derek Hyde Lay XV last Sunday, coach Mike Shelley and his U20 Canadian men's team take to the pitch on Friday afternoon for their second hit out of an 18 day training camp at Shawnigan Lake School. The team is preparing for the Junior World Rugby Trophy in Tbilisi, Georgia, and the game against the DHL team - made up of current and former national team fifteens and sevens players, saw the U20s fall by a 60-40 score line.

While he winces at the number of tries allowed, Shelley was also pleased with the offensive attack of his side, maintaining that the defensive lapses can be fixed.

"Our defensive line - the reason we let so many points in was it was a bit lax at times," he explained. "Sometimes one player would play out of position and that would leave a big hole. Then players like Ryan Smith and Conor Trainor in mid-field can exploit little spaces like that.  It is pretty easily remedied and easily demonstrated in our video sessions."

He says the real key and reason for the pre-tournament matches, is to allow the systems they have been developing to stabilize and allow players to become comfortable with each other's abilities and with the style of play the former pro rugby player and Coach of the Prairie Wolf Pack is bringing in his first year leading the team.

"We have got a Canadian code, if you like as to how we are going to play," he says. "We will vary it. It's not a play book American Football style. It's a structure that they can work within and we can adjust it to anyone we are playing against.

"We will change strategies when we are playing but we are working on bringing in this structure and getting it together."

The match against the Atlantic U21 side - a team made up by players from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and New Brunswick, kicks off at 4:45 PM at Shawnigan Lake School at the Rugby Pavilion. Admission is free.


Canada U20 side vs Atlantic U21
1. Scott Macleod
2. Andrew Cho
3. Graeme Mahar
4. Evan Olmstead
5. Cameron Pierce
6. John Humphries
7. Dustin Dubrovsky
8. Tyler Ardron C
9. Lucien Nel
10. Liam Underwood
11. Jeff Hassler
12. Patrick Parfrey
13. Clayton Meeres
14. Josh Bair
15. Kurtis Appeldoorn

Replacements:
16. Casey Cavers
17. Jordan Power
18. Scott MacDonald
19. Cam Stones
20. Matt Kelly
21. Andrew Ferguson
22. Carlin Hamstra
23. Mike Fuailefau
24. Dylan Mundy
25. Patrick Kay