Canada on the March – The Maple Leafs prepare for action

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The Maple Leafs are a team that should never be overlooked. They currently rank third in the world and are about to meet up for a selection training in Nova Scotia (13-21 August).

They suffer from the same problem as the Wallaroos and the Eagles: they inhabit a country so vast that regular practice together is hard to achieve. Till now they have limited themselves to two East and West Camps each (Montreal and Victoria), but now 50 players assemble in Halifax on the east coast to mark a real take-off for the World Cup. They will use the refurbished Graves-Oakley complex as their base. The week will climax with a Reds v Blacks match on 20 August at the Wanderers ground, where there is room for 4,000 spectators.

Halifax harbours great hopes of becoming the permanent home of the national squad, like Langford for the 7s squad.

The Maple Leafs were disappointed with their showing at the last World Cup in Ireland. But it was only a loss in the pool stages to New Zealand, the eventual champions, that left them in fifth place. They walloped Wales and Australia in the knock-out stages. Their minds were full of the triumphs of 2014 where they were finalists.

That is what they intend to be next time round.

Canada was one of many nations that found it impossible to stage any rugby last season. Only those who moved abroad to play avoided that vacuum. Just a glance at Canadian performances last season in the Premier 15s is needed to recognise their quality.

They have immense power and skill available in the pack: up front they can offer Emily Tuttosi, Olivia DeMerchant, Mackenzie Carson and DaLeaka Menin. Behind them come such as Sophie de Goede, Courtney Holtkamp, McKinley Hunt, Abby Duguid, Joanna Kitlinski and Sara Svoboda. Further back Taylor Black and Paige Farries were first choices for Exeter and Worcester.

And that ignores those who didn’t play in England, like No 8 Cindy Nelles, who impressed knowledgeable onlookers in New Zealand last season. In larger numbers are the Quebec-based players, mainly backs, who had the misfortune to experience a much more disrupted season in France. Names like Elyssa Alarie, Anais Holly and Alex Tessier are familiar to British spectators.

Four years ago Sandro Fiorino took over as the interim head coach of what proved to be a very callow Maple Leafs touring squad that was heavily beaten three times by England. Times have changed. He is now thoroughly at home in his post and faces the difficult business of selecting from strength. All we can hope is that he will have every player fit and ready to go when the call comes.