TORONTO - Forward Kelly Russell will lead a balanced Canadian side at the IRB Womens Rugby World Cup in Paris this summer. Pavel Zacha Jersey . The 27-year-old captain from Bolton, Ont., one of 26 women named to coach Francois Ratiers roster Monday, will be looking to erase the memories of a disappointing sixth-place finish at the 2010 tournament. The Canadian womens best result is fourth, achieved at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 tournaments. Other returning veterans of the 2010 tournament are Kim Donaldson, Mandy Marchak, Barbara Mervin, Julia Sugawara, Brittany Waters and Julianne Zussman. Five or six players were unavailable for selection due to injury or sevens commitments. "This is the 26 best players we had available," said Ratier, who took over the Canadian women in March 2013. "My goal at the beginning was to have a balanced squad between veterans and new players — experience and fresh minds," he added. "At the end, thats what I have." The youngsters include 19-year-old fly half Emily Belchos. New Zealand has won the last four womens World Cups, beating England in the final of the last three tournaments. Canada can take confidence from staying close to the Black Ferns in 33-21 and 16-8 losses on tour in June. "We were pretty pleased about the performance in New Zealand," said Ratier. "But we didnt show everything. So we keep some surprises, maybe. Well see. "We are not so far (behind). In a World Cup, in one game, you never know." Russell plays No. 8 at the back of the scrum, one of several positions that Ratier considers the spine of his team. The others are hooker (Donaldson and Mary-Jane Kirby), scrum half (Stephanie Bernier), fly half (Belchos is one of several contenders) and fullback (Elissa Alarie). "She (Russell), for me, is the centre of this spine — because of her experience, the way she leads and the good communication between her and I" said Ratier. Russells younger sister Laura is also on the World Cup roster. The 12-team tournament runs Aug. 1-17 in France. Canada has been placed in Pool A with Spain, Samoa and England. Canada opens against Spain, a team it beat at the 1991 and 2006 World Cups, on Aug 1 before facing Samoa on Aug. 5 and England on Aug. 9. Canada has never played Samoa. The Canadian women beat a young England squad 27-13 last summer but lost 30-3 when they met again last November. Only the three pool winners and the best-placed runner-up team advance to the semifinals. "Obviously in our pool, England is the favourite," said Ratier. "Its a fact. So it forces us to win and score a lot of points against Spain and Samoa." Ratier, a native of France who came to Canada 11 years ago and now makes his home in Montreal, has also coached the Rugby Club de Montreal (2003-2008), Concordia University (2007-2008) and the Quebec provincial team. He was also technical director of the Quebec Union and assistant coach with The Rock and Canada ‘A in 2009. In addition, he has worked with the Canada U-17 mens side. The Canadian women will gather for a one-week training camp in France prior to the tournament. Canadas Womens Rugby World Cup Roster: (with club and home town) Elissa Alarie, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Rugby Club, Trois-Rivieres, Que.; Emily Belchos, Barrie, Ont., Markham Irish RFC; Brittany Benn, Guelph Redcoats, Napanee, Ont.; Stephanie Bernier, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Tyson Beukeboom, Aurora Barbarians, Uxbridge, Ont.; Latoya Blackwood, St. Anne de Bellevue, Montreal; Andrea Burk, Capilano RFC, North Vancouver; Olivia DeMerchant, Woodstock Wildmen, Mapledale, N.B.; Kim Donaldson, Burnaby Lake Rugby Club, Toronto; Jessica Dovanne, Velox RFC, Victoria; Magali Harvey, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Mary-Jane Kirby, Highland RFC, Brampton, Ont.; Hilary Leith, Capilano RFC, Vancouver; Kayla Mack, Wild Oats RFC, Saskatoon; Mandy Marchak, Capilano RFC, Winnipeg; Barbara Mervin, Velox RFC, Peterborough, Ont.; Jacey Murphy, Aurora Barbarians, Alliston, Ont.; Karen Paquin, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Marie-Pier Pinault-Reid, Club de Rugby Quebec, Quebec City; Kelly Russell (capt.), Toronto Nomads, Bolton, Ont.; Laura Russell, Toronto Nomads, Bolton, Ont.; Maria Samson, Calgary Hornets, Calgary; Julia Sugawara, Burnaby Lake RFC, Surrey, B.C.; Amanda Thornborough, Brandon Barbarians RFC, Brandon, Man.; Brittany Waters, Meraloma Athletic Club, Vancouver; Julianne Zussman, Town of Mount Royal RFC, Montreal. Head Coach: Francois Ratier Forwards Coach: Gary Dukelow Backs Coach: Colette McAuley Technical Adviser: John Tait Strength and Conditioning: Steve Mackinnon Travis Zajac Devils Jersey . A 23-year-old rookie, Stroman is 4-2 with a 3.44 earned run average in 12 games this season, the past seven of those being starts. He logged the first scoreless outing of his career on Friday versus Oakland in a no-decision. Ryane Clowe Devils Jersey . The 31-year-old Spain midfielder hasnt played since Madrid lost in the Copa del Rey final to Atletico Madrid in May due to back and foot injuries.Its been quite the week for Welsh football. A number of magnificent stories emanating from Englands neighbour to the West have been worthy of praise. The South Wales derby arriving on the world stage of the Premier League, Swansea City holding strong in the Europa League, Gareth Bale scoring in Champions League for Real Madrid, West Broms Boaz Myhill with a clean sheet against Crystal Palace, and Chris Coleman seemingly front runner for the managerial position with the Eagles. All aforementioned positive Welsh footballing stories pale in comparison to the continual top performances by two players on opposite ends of their playing careers. The legendary Ryan Giggs and the upstart Aaron Ramsey featured prominently in the Champions League midweek; a testament to the quality of both players. Giggs Manchester United and Ramseys Arsenal face one another this Sunday in what sets up to be a mouth-watering tie and statement match for both sides. Ramsey will play a key role. And based on form and possible squad selection, its hard to rule out some sort of Giggs intervention in the all-important match. Welsh football has an esteemed class of top players having come from the tiny British nation. Ian Rush, John Charles, Mark Hughes and Neville Southall immediately come to mind. And while Bale is the current poster boy, no player comes close to the accomplishments of Ryan Giggs. The most decorated player in Premier League history, Giggs added another notch to his belt Tuesday, playing in his 950th match for Manchester United in a 0-0 draw at Real Sociedad. Giggs was influential in the middle of the park with United holding 55 per cent of possession and were two hit goal posts away from taking all three points. While his central midfield partner, Maraoune Fellaini was a mess and all over the place before being sent off, Giggs was a pillar of strength, bringing stability to the position and team organization. Nothing flashy, but efficient. Giggs 950th match for United puts him in the same illustrious category as all-time greats Paolo Maldini and Pele for extended service to one club. Nearing the age of 40, Giggs has undoubtedly lost a step, but his football instincts and adaptability still make him an important squad player at Old Trafford. The Welshmen has re-invented himself from a pacey left-winger into a savvy, composed central midfielder. Nowadays, Giggs picks his spots when moving forward in attack, preferring to use his superior vision and distribution to influence a match. Giggs resume speaks for itself – 13 Premier League titles, as well as a myriad of other silverware – and stands alone as the only player to play and score in every Premier League season. Now an assistant coach, it must be an awkward transition, not only in his career, but serving as the bridge between the leadership of Sir Alex Ferguson to David Moyes. Coaching is a new role for him, and balancing his contributions on the field with staff responsibility speaks to how highly regarded he is at the club, from the top down. The fact he continues to contribute at a high level speaks to the class of the player. Hes only played nine matches, and must be used conservatively but the games he has played in speak to his importance. Hes played in three of Uniteds four Champions League matches, as well as appearing against Chelsea, Liverpool twice, and Southampton. United has clear weakness in the middle of the park. Fellaini is struggling to settle and Tom Cleverley has failed too convince. Cory Schneider Devils Jersey. Phil Jones has been a fit in the midfield in certain matches. So it falls to Giggs to bring consistency to the position alongside Michael Carrick. It may not be ideal casting too much responsibility on a 39-year-old nor is it ideal to do the same with 18-year old Adnan Januzaj on the wing but thats where United is at for the time being. Despite their ages, Giggs and Januzaj both seem up for it. Important for both, Manchester United is returning to form. They are undefeated in October and their last eight overall heading into Sundays match with Arsenal. Squad rotation and role definition is all-important to this return to form. Giggs is a big part of that. Arsenal does not have the luxury of a deep squad. Relying on the young legs of a Welshman of their own is a must. Ramsey, 22, has been a revelation these early days. The winning goal in a 1-0 shock away victory at Borussia Dortmund not only puts the Gunners in pole position to advance from a very difficult Group F in the Champions League, but also incredibly brings Ramseys goal tally to 11 in 17 appearances in all competitions this season. Ramsey had 11 goals combined in the last four years in various competitions for Arsenal and Cardiff City. His emergence has tipped him as early front-runner for Player of the Year. Its strange to think the player is only 22, having originally featured with Arsenal in 2008/09. Ramsey has always been highly rated, but the early returns failed to live up to his lofty billing. The impatient nature of modern football had some questioning whether hed ever meet the standard of a top, regular Premier League footballer. There was legitimate reason to question. The player often looked timid, lost in his own skin, prone to mistake with little stature. The previous description has been the furthest from the truth in recent months. Its all seemed to come naturally for Ramsey this campaign. The cool finishing in front of goal stands out. Ramseys finish against Liverpool on the weekend was a testament to patience and confidence on the ball. Liverpool foolishly gave Ramsey too much time and space outside the 18-yard box. With awareness, Ramsey let the ball bounce three times, not rushing his effort, before delivering a top corner blast for his sixth tally in Premier League play; a class goal by every sense of the description. In previous years in a similar situation, the player would have rushed the effort or become over-anxious at the opportunity. His newfound calmness is striking, not only in goal scoring opportunities but also in possession of the ball. Taking players on, back heels, and cheeky interventions have become commonplace. Its no coincidence this growth has shown itself with other top creative players around him. The influence of Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil is a positive one and cannot be discredited. Playing in a midfield of much lesser quality at Arsenal in previous years, where the line between brilliance and error was paper-thin, the context put too much of an onus on a player ill-prepared to take upon such a role. The midfield is now a strength at Arsenal; Ramsey is a prominent piece but not alone. Bale may have moved on to Spain but the Premier League remains in good Welsh hands. The savvy, record setting custodian and the lively, full of confidence young gun are making sure the Welsh Dragon is not forgotten in a sea of Belgian quality in the Premier League. @WheelerTSNgareth.wheeler@bellmedia.ca Cheap NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap Jerseys From ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys AuthenticWholesale Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaNFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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