Henshaw to miss World Cup opener due to injury

Aussie-themed bar Walkabout, which underwent a major upgrade previous year , will be showing the world cup games through September and October. It was a pretty cool scene when I was 12 years old to see him. You’ve got a core group that I believe will be playing at their peak – [Jonathan] Sexton’s probably going to be at his best and so should Sean O’Brien.

Henshaw has picked up his hamstring problem in the interim, gallingly for head coach Schmidt in the final training session before departing Irish shores. In fact, 41 per cent of singles would find themselves swooning over someone who can explain the finer points of an uncontested scrum or call a yellow card before the ref has raised his whistle. The Olmstead family wanted him to honour their heritage – mother Coleen is straight- up Canadian too – and wear the Maple Leaf.

All that said, there’s plenty to be positive about for Italian fans.

“I’ve cleared all my return-to-play protocols, and I feel great, I’ve trained full all this week. I went for it”, he says.

Canada’s pragmatic boss knows the extent of the upset required to beat a nation ranked sixth in the world but who had tipped the heights of second earlier this summer. But audiences love it; however much rugby purists may wipe away at tear at the sight of nifty wingers running rings around huge forwards and leaving them face down the mud, there’s an evident hunger for the spectacle of enormous human specimens locked in fierce combat.

Now 24, Evan first played for Canada at the U20 level, suiting up at the World Junior Trophy tournament held in Georgia in 2011.

Pritchard’s road to the Canadian team was a complicated one.

Canada also shares talent between the seven- and 15-man teams, something that doesn’t happen in Tier 1 countries. He showed well, eventually forcing his way onto the senior team to make his debut in the 2015 Pacific Nations Cup against Samoa on July 29 in Toronto.

Canada have slipped to 18th in the world standings in recent times, and Crowley admitted a sticky World Cup campaign could put his job on the line.

“I’m absolutely thrilled”, he says.

“We’ve got some great younger players coming through”, the Aussie-born player said graciously. “Definitely, without a doubt, it was the right decision”.

Kieran Crowley has downplayed any giant-killing talk ahead of Canada’s World Cup opener against Ireland.

But if you are planning to stay on the couch throughout the pool stages, there are a number of games you should be keeping a close eye on, starting this weekend.

There’s no doubt this squad is the best Ireland have had since 2007’s underachievers, and there’s genuine belief that a mark can be left this time around. “I think I’m the least-capped player on the team”.