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Canadian men expect physical challenge from hard-hitting Tonga in Tokyo rugby test

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Canada’s rugby test against Tonga on Saturday in Tokyo comes with a modest prize — fifth place at the six-team Pacific Nations Cup.

But next year, such a game could mean World Cup qualification.

World Rugby says the top three teams from next year’s Pacific Nations Cup will book their ticket to the 2027 World Cup in Australia. But given No. 10 Fiji and No. 14 Japan have already qualified by virtue of their performance at last year’s World Cup, a top-five finish would do it for Canada if Fiji and Japan finish above it.

That is the future. The present sees coach Kingsley Jones looking to deepen his young talent pool as the 22nd-ranked Canadian men look to work their way back to the sport’s showcase after failing to qualify for last year’s World Cup for the first time.

It has been a bumpy path at times. Canada lost its opening two Pacific Nations Cup games, beaten by 55-28 by Japan on Aug. 25 in Vancouver and 28-15 by the 19th-ranked U.S. on Aug. 31 in Carson, Calif.

“We’ve got better,” Jones said from Tokyo. “I think we’re also a little bit frustrated and disappointed with the performance against the U.S.A. We see it as a lost opportunity that day … After a pretty strong finish against a good Japanese team.”

Canada trailed 38-7 at the half before outscoring Japan 21-17 in the second half at B.C. Place Stadium.

“We just want to keep building,” Jones added. “Sometimes it’s two steps forward, one step back. But we need to see some progress in this game.”

It won’t be easy. Jones is expecting a physical test Saturday in extreme heat and humidity.

“They have a big strong, heavy (forward) pack … We need to be prepared for that,” he said. “We need to make sure that we can stay in the game. We feel that we’ve got fitter and fitter, obviously being together for over four weeks (together) now. And we hope to be in the fight in the 50th, 60th minutes.”

The Canada-Tonga game kicks off a triple-header Saturday at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium with Fiji versus the U.S. in one semifinal and No. 13 Samoa versus Japan in the other.

The tournament final and third-place game are set for Sept. 21 in Higashiosaka City.

Canada last played Tonga in August 2023, losing a pair of World Cup warm-ups 28-7 and 36-12 in Nuku’alofa. The Pacific Islanders have won the last four meetings since an ill-tempered 36-27 loss to Canada in Kingston, Ont., in June 2013, also at the Pacific Nations Cup.

Tonga had one man red-carded in the first half and two more sent to the sin-bin in the second half of that game, which saw Canadian winger Matt Evans exit on a stretcher.

While Tonga leads the overall series 6-5-0, Canada has a 3-2-0 edge in games played in neutral venues. All three of those victories came at the World Cup with Canada winning 37-4 in 1987 in New Zealand, 24-7 in 2003 in Australia and 25-20 in 2011 in New Zealand.

Both teams could use a win. Tonga has lost four straight and seven of its last eight since the 36-12 win over Canada in August 2023. Canada is 2-4-0 since that meeting.

Jones has made several lineup changes with three sevens players — blindside flanker Matt Oworu, fullback Cooper Coats and wing Josiah Morra — slotting into the starting 15.

Tyler Matchem, a 20-year-old graduate of Rugby Canada’s Pacific Pride developmental program, could earn his first cap for Canada off the bench.

Veteran prop Djustice Sears-Duru is sidelined after an arm injury suffered in the dying seconds of the U.S. loss.

The Pacific Nations Cup is sponsored by Asahi.

Canada Roster

Calixto Martinez, White Rock, B.C., Old Glory DC (MLR); Andrew Quattrin, Holland Landing, Ont., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Conor Young, Yamba, Australia, RFC LA (MLR); Kaden Duguid, Edmonton, Vancouver Highlanders; Mason Flesch, Cobourg, Ont., Chicago Hounds (MLR); Matthew Oworu, Calgary, Pacific Pride; Ethan Fryer, Issaquah, Wash., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Lucas Rumball, Toronto, Chicago Hounds (MLR); Jason Higgins, Cork, Ireland, Chicago Hounds (MLR); Peter Nelson, Dungannon, Northern Ireland, Dungannon RFC; Josiah Morra, Toronto, Toronto Saracens; Ben LeSage, Calgary, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Takoda McMullin, White Rock, B.C., Vancouver Highlanders; Andrew Coe, Markham, Ont., RFC LA (MLR); Cooper Coats, Halifax, Halifax Tars.

Replacements

Dewald Kotze, Edmonton, Dallas Jackals (MLR); Cole Keith, Apohaqui, N.B., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Tyler Matchem, Pictou County, N.S., Pacific Pride; Callum Botchar, Vancouver, NOLA Gold (MLR); Siôn Parry, Cardiff, Wales, Ebbw Vale RFC (Wales); Brock Gallagher, Edmonton, Dallas Jackals (MLR); Mark Balaski, Castlebar, Ireland, Pacific Pride; Talon McMullin, White Rock, B.C., Vancouver Highlanders.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024

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Canada’s Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Routliffe pick up second win at WTA Finals

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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe remain undefeated in women’s doubles at the WTA Finals.

The 2023 U.S. Open champions, seeded second at the event, secured a 1-6, 7-6 (1), (11-9) super-tiebreak win over fourth-seeded Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in round-robin play on Tuesday.

The season-ending tournament features the WTA Tour’s top eight women’s doubles teams.

Dabrowski and Routliffe lost the first set in 22 minutes but levelled the match by breaking Errani’s serve three times in the second, including at 6-5. They clinched victory with Routliffe saving a match point on her serve and Dabrowski ending Errani’s final serve-and-volley attempt.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will next face fifth-seeded Americans Caroline Dolehide and Desirae Krawczyk on Thursday, where a win would secure a spot in the semifinals.

The final is scheduled for Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 5, 2024.

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Allen nets shutout as Devils burn Oilers 3-0

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EDMONTON – Jake Allen made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season and 26th of his career as the New Jersey Devils closed out their Western Canadian road trip with a 3-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.

Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist and Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier also scored for the Devils (8-5-2) who have won three of their last four on the heels on a four-game losing skid.

The Oilers (6-6-1) had their modest two-game winning streak snapped.

Calvin Pickard made 13 stops between the pipes for Edmonton.

TAKEAWAYS

Devils: In addition to his goal, Bratt picked up his 12th assist of the young season to give him nine points in his last eight games and now 15 points overall. Nico Hischier remains in the team lead, picking up an assist of his own to give him 16 points for the campaign. He has a point in all but four games this season.

Oilers: Forward Leon Draisaitl was held pointless after recording six points in his previous two games and nine points in his previous four. Draisaitl usually has strong showings against the Devils, coming into the contest with an eight-game point streak against New Jersey and 11 goals in 17 games.

KEY MOMENT

New Jersey took a 2-0 lead on the power play with 3:26 remaining in the second period as Hischier made a nice feed into the slot to Bratt, who wired his third of the season past Pickard.

KEY RETURN?

Oilers star forward and captain Connor McDavid took part in the optional morning skate for the Oilers, leading to hopes that he may be back sooner rather than later. McDavid has been expected to be out for two to three weeks with an ankle injury suffered during the first shift of last Monday’s loss in Columbus.

OILERS DEAL FOR D-MAN

The Oilers have acquired defenceman Ronnie Attard from the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for defenceman Ben Gleason.

The 6-foot-3 Attard has spent the past three season in the Flyers organization seeing action in 29 career games. The 25-year-old right-shot defender and Western Michigan University grad was originally selected by Philadelphia in the third round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Attard will report to the Oilers’ AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.

UP NEXT

Devils: Host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Oilers: Host the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2024.

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Mahomes throws 3 TD passes, unbeaten Chiefs beat Buccaneers 30-24 in OT

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, and Kareem Hunt pounded into the end zone from two yards out in overtime to give the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs a 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.

DeAndre Hopkins had two touchdown receptions for the Chiefs (8-0), who drove through the rain for two fourth-quarter scores to take a 24-17 lead with 4:17 left. But then Kansas City watched as Baker Mayfield led the Bucs the other way in the final minute, hitting Ryan Miller in the end zone with 27 seconds to go in regulation time.

Tampa Bay (4-5) elected to kick the extra point and force overtime, rather than go for a two-point conversion and the win. And it cost the Buccaneers when Mayfield called tails and the coin flip was heads. Mahomes and the Chiefs took the ball, he was 5-for-5 passing on their drive in overtime, and Hunt finished his 106-yard rushing day with the deciding TD plunge.

Travis Kelce had 14 catches for 100 yards with girlfriend Taylor Swift watching from a suite, and Hopkins finished with eight catches for 86 yards as the Chiefs ran their winning streak to 14 dating to last season. They became the sixth Super Bowl champion to start 8-0 the following season.

Mayfield finished with 200 yards and two TDs passing for the Bucs, who have lost four of their last five.

It was a memorable first half for two players who had been waiting to play in Arrowhead Stadium.

The Bucs’ Rachaad White grew up about 10 minutes away in a tough part of Kansas City, but his family could never afford a ticket for him to see a game. He wound up on a circuitous path through Division II Nebraska-Kearney and a California junior college to Arizona State, where he eventually became of a third-round pick of Tampa Bay in the 2022 draft.

Two year later, White finally got into Arrowhead — and the end zone. He punctuated his seven-yard scoring run in the second quarter, which gave the Bucs a 7-3 lead, by nearly tossing the football into the second deck.

Then it was Hopkins’ turn in his first home game since arriving in Kansas City from a trade with the Titans.

The three-time All-Pro, who already had caught four passes, reeled in a third-down heave from Mahomes amid triple coverage for a 35-yard gain inside the Tampa Bay five-yard line. Three plays later, Mahomes found him in the back of the end zone, and Hopkins celebrated his first TD with the Chiefs with a dance from “Remember the Titans.”

Tampa Bay tried to seize control with consecutive scoring drives to start the second half. The first ended with a TD pass to Cade Otton, the latest tight end to shred the Chiefs, and Chase McLaughlin’s 47-yard field goal gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead.

The Chiefs answered in the fourth quarter. Mahomes marched them through the rain 70 yards for a tying touchdown pass, which he delivered to Samaje Perine while landing awkwardly and tweaking his left ankle, and then threw a laser to Hopkins on third-and-goal from the Buccaneers’ five-yard line to give Kansas City the lead.

Tampa Bay promptly went three-and-out, but its defence got the ball right back, and this time Mayfield calmly led his team down field. His capped the drive with a touchdown throw to Miller — his first career TD catch — with 27 seconds to go, and Tampa Bay elected to play for overtime.

UP NEXT

Buccaneers: Host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Chiefs: Host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

AP NFL:

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