In early December, a contingent from the WRU visited their Rugby Canada counterparts in Vancouver and Toronto. National Performance Manager Gethin Watts led a touring party that included Wales U18 attack coach Danny Milton and international skills coaches Chris Horsman (scrum) and Geraint Lewis (forwards).
“The idea is to grow this partnership between Welsh and Canadian rugby, focusing on a range of disciplines including training and education,” said Watts. “It served as an invaluable benchmark for both parties, showing us where we’re at in terms of our progression, and what we can work on to continue developing.”
“It has reinvigorated my belief that we can use our position as a small nation to our advantage,” Watts continued. “I was extremely impressed to witness the commitment of Canadian players at all age groups who, in some instances, have to travel seven hours by flight just to make training camps. It shows how fortunate we are in this country.”
The North America trip was recently reciprocated when Dustin Hopkins, Rugby Canada’s Rugby Development Manager, arrived at the WRU’s National Centre of Excellence. “It’s been an excellent few days of learning with Gethin and the team,” said Hopkins. “One of World Rugby’s core aims is to grow the game globally, and this is the sort of programme that enables that growth to flourish.”
“I see it as an investment in both unions. As Canadian coaching improves, the result is increased competition at all age groups, which can only be good for the world game. We can’t afford to isolate ourselves in Canada. We’re a very large country, but at present one with limited rugby resources, so the help of the WRU has been invaluable to us.”
The thriving relationship between the unions looks set to continue, with a Wales-based international age group competition featuring Canada set to be announced later this month.
