CanadianRugger

I love how Parksider is allowed to post paragraph after paragraph of conjecture and personal opinion masquerading as facts and has never been called out for it. This isn't an academic page but I don't think I've ever seen one link to a news article, video or source for his information. Poor form.

Really good example of this is Michael Pyke, professional rugby union player for Canada turned Aussie Rules Player. The guy was a basketball player growing up and was scouted to a number of Canadian Universities. Picked up rugby in high school and ended up playing pro for Edinburgh in the Pro14 and US Montauban in Top 14 and also had a number of Canada caps. At 25, sent a tape to the Sydney Swans and was playing first grade within a year.

Hassler played high school rugby, it was never his primary sport though. He walked on to the Sevens team when he got hurt playing CIS Football. I've been playing, watching and following Canadian Rugby Union for 20+ years. You can talk about any player and I could name them, I even played with a few of them over the years. Jason Marshall had a good rugby career, he played in the Top14, ProD2 and NPC. Played in a World Cup and was a strong ball carrier. He would make a good forward in League. He was never a rugby player before his football career ended but you can't say a pro career spanning from 2008-2015 in Europe and National is not a success. Tevaughn Campbell is elite, Damian McGrath, the Canadian Sevens Coach has said that if Tevaughn Campbell is representative of the quality of athlete in Football, than Rugby would be wise to look to that sport for potential recruits. I hardly think it's an indictment, this is a Sevens side that is well funded and is top 10 in the world,very recently coming sixth overall a few years ago. In any case, I could begin naming more players if you like but the point has already been made. I would love to see what a player like Paul Lasike could do on a Rugby League pitch. He has been destroying people since leaving the NFL. He was critical in the US won over Scotland last year. Their first Six Nations scalp ever btw.

There are dozens of examples in Rugby Union in Canada of successful football converts, here are a couple: Jeff Hassler: All Canadian Running Back at University of Saskatchewan, Ospreys Rugby, Canada 7s, Canada XVs Pro14 Dream Team Jason Marshall: All-Canadian Quarterback at Simon Fraser, drafted to CFL. Prop Forward Hawkes Bay, Aurillac, SU Agen Hubert Buydens: University of Saskatchewan All-Canadian Linebacker, Prop for Canadian National Team, Manawatu Turbos, NOLA Tevaughn Campbell: Ex-CFL now NFL Cornerback, also Rugby 7s player for Canada. Tevaughn Campbell broke the CFL all-time record in the 40 yard dash and literally walked on to the Canada Sevens team. He had never touched a rugby ball before. Elite Football players can become rugby players quite easily, the money just needs to be right to actually attract them.

Picture I took at TD Stadium at the 2017 Grey Cup. 40,000 people were in attendance as the stadium is expandable for big games.

Because there isn't a saturation of interest in NA yet. The relationship between NA Expansion Clubs and the existing M62 Corridor Clubs is symbiotic.

I've been saying since the beginning. The biggest danger to the TWP and other upstart League Franchises in NA, France and elsewhere is the RFL and Super League clubs themselves. The RFL and clubs come from Pro-Brexit areas, they don't want expansion anymore than they want to remain in the EU. It's all about Making England Great Again as if it were 1955.

This comment from the St Helens Chairman makes no sense. In fact, it is illogical. France has the strongest professional rugby union clubs in the NH. There are literally three levels of Pro Rugby Union in France and their clubs are the richest in the world. By his logic no clubs should be in France then because its the Mecca of professional rugby union in the NH.

Watching the match in beautiful BC. It's going to be 13 here today and while I miss attending Wolfpack matches in person, can't complain about this weather!

Stadium is actually in a great location. It's basically right beside downtown Ottawa in a very posh neighborhood that is almost identical to Liberty Village. That neighborhood is called "the Glebe". OSEG own three different sports clubs: Ottawa Red Blacks, Ottawa Fury and Ottawa 67s hockey club. They have a proven track record of building pro sports teams. This is a Blue Chip investor folks.

I find Lussick very slow and he doesn't get a lot of punch on offense. I find Sidlow and Sims are far better. Toulouse is one of the only teams in the championship that can legitimately challenge us. They are fully professional and I would not be shocked if they are promoted over us at the end of the season.

Toronto's Defence at the ruck was terrible. Gadwin Springer with three very poor tackling attempts led to to three tries. He is benched next game. Lussick also looked terrible, I have a hard time believing he played in the NRL every time I watch him. I love Stanislas Robin though. He is exactly what I think a scrum-half should be and he ripped The Pack to shreds in the second half. Everyone talks about Jonathan Ford but I think Robin and Kheirallah are Olympique's two best players. They can literally create plays out of nothing.

Here is another POV, perhaps Toronto signed better players this year: Gadwin Springer Joe Mellor Jon Wilkin Ricky Leutele Tom Olbison Bodene Thompson And now Anthony Mullaly. Unlike last season, Toronto have a legit Super League calibre team. It has little to do with the coach.

I agree completely with separate rules at the professional level. They do this in other sports like Ice Hockey so I don't see why we can't with Rugby. Watching an amateur club game contrasted with watching The Premiership, Super Rugby, Top 14, test rugby, etc. Is like watching Apples and Oranges. Two entirely different games.

Rugby Union has a cult like following in Canada and we have produced a number of World Class Professionals for the European game, like this "beefy bloke":