Canada started their 2000 Epson Cup tournament with a convincing 29-11 victory over Tonga before an appreciative and often vocal home crowd of 4,000 in Vancouver.
Canada opened the scoring with fly-half Jared Barker kicking a penalty just three minutes in. But that was the only action he would see as he was knocked out of the game four minutes later with a fierce Tongan tackle.
Mark Irvine came on as a substitution moving to inside centre with Nichols vacating to the fly-half position and taking the kicks at goal, a role he is not used to.
"The way we play the game, the way our team is structured any one of the three backs can take that ball at (fly-half) with no problem," said the Ajax, Ontario native.
Canada got across the tryline at the 17 minute mark as they applied useful rucking pressure and 8 man Phil Murphy sprung speedy scrumhalf Morgan Williams from a metre out. Nichols converted to make it 10-0.
Canadian coach David Clark, in his first official match since taking over the job in January was pleased with how his young team played, but had especially glowing comments for his veteran captain Al Charron.
"When you sit up in the stands, and the reserves up there are saying "the man is unbelievable, how can he keep doing this". He lead the team extremely well."
Charron was a vacuum in defence at the back of the scrum, a place he would not have been, but for three key injuries at that position coming into the match. When he wasn't tackling any and all Tongans in the area, he lead wave after wave of attack from the scrum and in the loose, very much putting coach David Clarks stamp on the new mobile brand of rugby.
While he was happy with his young teammates and their level of play, the 33 year old veteran in his 55 appearance for Canada was upset at some of the spilled ball he that resulted in Tongan counter attacks.
"I don't really appreciate losing the ball into contact like I did in the second half. That will haunt me. That was the black mark on the game for me. I was reasonably pleased with the way I played, but there are always things to improve on," conceded Charron.
Tongan coach David Waterston was not nearly as complimentary about Charron's game, particularly the way he felt that the mobile flanker was lining up in the offside position in defense.
"Look he got away with it, good luck to the guy, so I am not moaning. You can't play offside like that," said the South African, who only met his new team Thursday in Vancouver. "If he does that against South Africa, they'll kill him. But he got away with it today. When you scavenge for the ball, you're one of those animals."
Canada extended their lead to 13-0 with a 15 metre penalty from Nichols, but on the stroke of half time the Tongans got one of their own from the foot of wing Tevita Tiueti, to reduce the gap to 10.
The Tongans got their first try of the game six minutes into the second half, after Kyle Nichols mishandled a ball around midfield that got scooped up by wing Aisea Kaufusi who won a 60 metre sprint to the line. Tonga missed the conversion attempt to make the score 13-8.
Canadian number 8 Phil Murphy, who provided exceptional mobility from the back of the scrum had a rollicking couple of runs in the loose, and was awarded for his hard work with a try from 3 metres out following a Tongan offside penalty. Nichols missed the conversion the score 18-8 at the 57 minute mark.
Tonga switched their kicker to Taunaholo Taufahema, who got them on the board with a 40 metre pelt that lowered the gap to 18-11.
As some light rain began to fall in earnest the Thunderbird stadium pitch became greasy for both sides resulting in a number of dropped balls and quick counter attacks. Winston Stanley, playing at fullback for the first time in a Canadian jersey made up for some less than sharp kicking from the hand with a sprint to the line from 12 metres out to extend the Canadian lead to 23-11. Nichols added two more penalties to round out the scoring for 11 points on the day.
Waterston pointed to a weak back row combination he had on the field as a major problem for his side, something he will address before their next match in Suva, Fiji in one weeks time.
"I would change our back row. It was in-experienced and it showed. Guys with their first tests today in the back row, and that really cost us any chance of competing in the game," said Waterston frankly.
David Clark was immensley pleased with his first win, and especially the play of his two rookie wings Fred Asselin and Sean Fauth who played his plan of keeping the Tongans chasing after loose ball to a tee.
"That was part of the plan. We wanted to put the ball behind them. We knew the Tongans had pace, and while we've got international pace on the wing, we had to do something to make them scramble," revealed Clark, adding "We definitely made them scramble. We put the ball behind him, we put it along the ground, they had to deal with it."
With the victory, their first in the Pacific Rim tournament since June 21, 1998, Canada join Fiji at 1-0 in the tournament table. The Fijians had an impressive 47-22 victory over Japan earlier in the day.
The Teams:
Tonga: 1 Hotili 'Asi, 2 Latiume Maka, 3 Ta'u Fainga'anuku, 4 Isi Fatani, 5 Ben Hur Kivalu, 6 Kisione Ahota'e'iloa, 7 Christopher Hala'ufi, 8 'Apai Kaitu'u, 9 Sione Tuipulotu, 10 'Elisi Vunipola (c), 11 David Tiueti, 12 Keni Fisilau, 13 'Epafasi Ta'ufo'ou, 14 'Aisea Kaufusi, 15 Tauna'holo Taufahema
Reserves: Osaoasi Filipine, Viliami Ma'asi, Fakataha Molitika, Sioeli Nau, Movete 'Oto'ota
Canada: 1 Garth Cooke, 2 Pat Dunkley, 3 Kevin Tkachuk, 4 Ed Knaggs, 5 John Tait, 6 Alan Charron (c), 7 Adam Van Staveren, 8 Phil Murphy, 9 Morgan Williams, 10 Jared Barker, 11 Fred Asselin, 12 Kyle Nichols, 13 Nik Witkowski, 14 Sean Fauth, 15 Winston Stanley
Reserves: Mark Irvine, Duane Major
Attendance: 4000
Referee: Klemp a.
Points Scorers:
Tonga
Tries: Kaufusi A. 1
Pen K.: Tiueti T.L. 1, Taufahema T. 1
Canada
Tries: Murphy P. 1, Stanley W.U. 1, Williams M. 1
Conv: Nichols K. 1
Pen K.: Barker J. 1, Nichols K. 3
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