Test Rugby: Canada v Wales

14.11.2008
Canada v Wales in Cardiff

Previews
Will Canada get a respite against a second string Welsh side on Saturday? I suspect not. There are a number of Welsh players itching to make it into the Welsh side that will face New Zealand a week later. Canada has stuck mostly with the team that were washed away by the Irish last week. Surely they cannot play that poorly again.

Previous Encounters
09.09.2007 Wales 42-17 in Nantes (World Cup, Pool B)
17.11.2006 Wales 61-26 in Cardiff
11.06.2005 Wales 60-3 in Toronto
12.10.2003 Wales 41-10 in Melbourne (World Cup, Pool D)
16.11.2002 Wales 32-21 in Cardiff

GWC Rugby Rankings: World Table-Wales 4th, Canada 17th

Prediction: Wales by 29 points

Teams

Wales
15 Morgan Stoddart (Llanelly Scarlets) Age 23, 2 Tests
14 Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues) 19, 1
13 Thomas Shanklin (Cardiff Blues) 29, 54
12 Andrew Bishop (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 23, 1
11 Mark Jones (Llanelli Scarlets) 29, 41
10 James Hook (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 23, 27
9 Martin Roberts (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 22, New Cap
8 Ryan Jones, Capt. (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 28, 23
7 Robin Sowden-Taylor (Cardiff Blues) 26, 5
6 Dafydd Jones (Llanelly Scarlets) 28, 31
5 Luke Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons) 25, 7
4 Ian Gough (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 32, 53
3 Rhys Thomas (Newport Gwent Dragons) 26, 5
2 Richard Hibbard (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 25, 6
1 John Yapp (Cardiff Blue) 25, 8
Replacements
16 Matthew Rees (Llanelly Scarlets) 28, 20
17 Eifion Lewis-Roberts (Sale Sharks) 27, New Cap
18 Alun-Wyn Jones (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 23, 24
19 Andy Powell (Cardiff Blues) 27, 1
20 Dwayne Peel (Sale Sharks, England) 27, 62
21 Dan Biggar (Neath Swansea Ospreys) 19, New cap
22 James Roberts (Cardiff Blues) 21, 4
Head Coach: Warren Gatland
Yapp last played for Wales v Argentina, June 2006.

Canada
15 James Pritchard (Bedford Blues, England) Aged 27, 22 tests
14 Ciaran Hearn (Castaway Wanderers) 22, 1
13 Bryn Keys Bryn Keys (Velox Valhallians) 22, 3
12 Ryan Smith (Calgary Irish) 28, 38
11 Justin Mensah-Coker (Plymouth Albion, England) 24, 11
10 Ander Monro (Colorno, Italy) 26, 10
9 Edward Fairhurst (Cornish Pirates, England) 29, 38
8 Aaron Carpenter (Cowichan RFC) 24, 18
7 Adam Kleeberger (University of Victoria) 24, 13
6 Jebb Sinclair (Castaway Wanderers) 22, 2
5 Joshua Jackson (Bordeaux Begles, France) 27, 19
4 Tyler Hotson (Northern Suburbs RFC, Australia) 23, 3
3 Jon Thiel (Bayside Sharks) 33, 43
2 Patrick Riordan, Capt. (University of Victoria) 28, 19
1 Kevin Tkachuk (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland) 31, 41
Replacements
16 Michael Pletch (Velox Valhallians) 25, 18
17 Frank Walsh (Vandals RFC) 31, 2
18 Michael Burak (Cornish Pirates, England) 27, 16
19 Sean Michael Stephen (Plymouth Albion, England) 25, 14
20 Morgan Williams (James Bay Athletic Association) 32, 54
21 Matthew Evans (Hartpury College, England) 20, 1
22 Dean Van Camp (Velox Valhallians) 25, 6
Head Coach: Kieran Crowley

For full lists of all Wales, and of Canada's international rugby tests go to http://www.rugbyinternational.net/