Match Preview – Brazil vs Canada

Two teams with identical records will battle it out at the Estádio do Pacaembu in São Paulo on Friday in the opening act of the last round in the Americas Rugby Championship. Of course wins and losses do not tell the entire story, and the route to here has been very different for Canada and Brazil.

The shuddering loss to Uruguay in Maldonado could be viewed as a wake-up call for Canadian rugby, or perhaps an inevitability. Whatever the point of view, it comes after three performances that did not inspire great confidence. The tournament opener in the Langford tundra might be excused but one wonders what the results against Chile and the USA might have been had Taylor Paris not been available to score five times in two games.

What Canadians can take positives from is the exposure of some future leaders to international rugby for the first time. The likes of Matt Tierney, Matt Beukeboom, and George Barton will see time against Brazil, minutes that will pay off in the long term if not immediately. Eric Howard is given an opportunity to succeed Ray Barkwill at hooker and Admir Cejvanovic looks to put himself in the frame for June test selection after showing steady progress in the ARC.

Liam Chisholm has earned a spot in the second row after showing his physicality as a reserve, and as the tallest man on the field should be a primary lineout target for Howard. The Beukeboom Brothers will also be leaders here, and one hopes Canada takes the simplest route to success in this area given Brazil’s significant height disadvantage and Canada’s poor lineout performance thus far. There are options Lucas Rumball and Cejvanovic as well but things need not be overly complicated.

It’s not clear whether Robbie Povey is injured or dropped but regardless Gradyn Bowd is in at flyhalf and he will be under the microscope. His ability to take on the line is helpful but his kicking has tactical kicking has left much to be desired. Guiseppe du Toit’s selection at fullback is interesting and less a surprise given Brock Staller’s difficulties.

On the left wing is Rory McDonell, who at 28 makes his test debut having been previously included in the Canada ‘A’ squad during the Americas Pacific Challenge. Normally a fullback, he is quick and deceivingly strong despite his relatively small stature. He will be tasked with supporting du Toit in shutting down the kicking game of Josh Reeves.

It’s that kicking game that has hampered Brazil since their opening round win over Chile. Not in execution but in over-exuberance. With the Sancery brothers among the most dangerous runners in the competition, the propensity to kick away possession has been frustrating for an outside observer. Perhaps it is a desire to find opportunity in chaos, or simply a perceived lack of confidence in the forwards to win the breakdown. Whatever the reason, it has not worked.

In fact the Tupis have looked at their best with ball in hand. Against the Argentina XV in Ushuaia, Moisés Duque scored a wonderful try up the middle and his distribution skills opened the door for at least two more had his teammates not literally dropped the ball. Canada would be wise to keep an eye on Duque as the main man in the Brazilian attack, but must do so on two fronts now with the return of older brothers Lucas. Matheus Cruz looks a good prospect to work with in the future but ‘Tanque’ brings a real x-factor to the scrumhalf position with his ability to find gaps on the fringes. His presence alone will lift the confidence of the team.

The Brazilian forwards have looked unsettled in the competition as the old guard hands on and new players are only just beginning to emerge. Pedro Bengaló is a giant figure in the scrum and his contest with Rob Brouwer should be interesting given they are both tall for the position. Luiz Vieira is a boost to the second row while Olympic attendee Arthur Bergo offers a wider game to João Luiz da Ros on the flank and perhaps a little more lineout ability.

If the edge in the set piece goes to Canada, it’s hard to see a route to victory for Brazil. The two sides look very similar in selection to their meeting last year where Canada came away 52-25 winners in Langford. Playing on Brazil’s home turf and without a great run of form could work against Canada, but a loss would still be an upset of considerable proportion. That such an outcome is even being loosely considered is perhaps cause enough for concern.

 

BRAZIL
1 Jonatas Paulo, 2 Yan Rosetti, 3 Pedro Bengaló, 4 Lucas Piero, 5 Luiz Vieira, 6 André Arruda, 7 Arthur Bergo, 8 Nick Smith (capt.), 9 Lucas Duque, 10 Josh Reeves, 11 Lucas Tranquez, 12 Moisés Duque, 13 Felipe Sancery, 14 Ariel Rodrigues, 15 Daniel Sancery

Replacements: 16 Luan Almeida, 17 Wilton Rebolo, 18 Matheus Rocha, 19 Diego López, 20 João Luiz da Ros, 21 Matheus Cruz, 22 Matheus Cláudio, 23 Stefano Giantorno

CANADA
1 Rob Brouwer, 2 Eric Howard, 3 Matt Tierney, 4 Brett Beukeboom, 5 Liam Chisholm, 6 Matt Beukeboom, 7 Lucas Rumball, 8 Admir Cejvanovic, 9 Gordon McRorie (capt.), 10 Gradyn Bowd, 11 Rory McDonell, 12 Nick Blevins, 13 Conor Trainor, 14 Dan Moor, 15 Guiseppe du Toit

Replacements: 16 Ray Barkwill, 17 Djustice Sears-Duru, 18 Cole Keith, 19 Reegan O’Gorman, 20 Clay Panga, 21 Phil Mack, 22 George Barton, 23 Brock Staller

 

Date: Friday, March 3
Venue: Estádio do Pacaembu, São Paulo
Kickoff: 19:00 local (14:00 Pacific, 17:00 Eastern)
Referee: Damián Schneider (UAR)
Assistants: Ricardo Sant’Anna (CBRu) & Murilo Bragotto (CBRu)
Broadcasts: ESPN, TSN Go