Canada lost 43-55 to Great Britain on Tuesday morning despite a solid start to the match. The loss leaves the team winless in three games at the 2018 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship in Sydney, with matches against Colombia and United States left to play.

The beginning of the first quarter saw Canada and Great Britain exchange tries back-and-forth, with neither team really managing to gain the ascendancy. However, as the quarter wore on, GB began to show their quality in defence by forcing Canada into a hat-trick of turnovers and managing to score off each and take 15-10 lead.

The pattern of play in the second quarter, played out similarly to the first. However, this time it was the Canadians who were on the up. Using a 3-2-2-1 balanced lineup, consisting of Mike Whitehead, Shayne Smith, Travis Murao and Cody Caldwell, Canada succeeded in pinning-back GB and forcing them into turnovers. The change in momentum would help Canada get within 3 tries before halftime, trailing 23-26.

The match’s third quarter would prove to be Canada’s undoing, losing possession of the ball several times and finding it difficult to stop GB’s high-pointers, Jim Roberts and Aaron Phipps. It would result in Great Britain opening a sizeable eight-point lead heading into the fourth, 32-40.

Canada, despite facing a steep deficit, kept fighting hard in the fourth quarter and though they would eventually succumb to a 43-55 defeat, managed to take some positives into Wednesday’s key matches against Colombia and USA.

Canada Head Coach Patrick Côté speaking after the match:
“We knew it was going to be a very difficult match, as Great Britain have been strong for quite some time now. We made some adjustments in preparation for the match this morning, hoping to get a quicker start out of the team. I believe those changes worked, as we started off by playing quite well in the beginning.”

“Over the first three games, I’ve been very surprised, in a positive way, by the performances of our younger players. Branden, Shayne and Eric have all played exceptionally well, putting in solid shifts. Considering that they are playing in their first ever world championship, its been positive seeing them perform the way they have”

“Colombia is next. They are a team we know well, as we have played them quite often in our zone. We’ll look to start off aggressively on offence and play more zonal defence. We’ll try to control the rhythm of the match and limit their space on the court.”

NEXT MATCHES:
Canada v. Colombia (August 7 at 22:30 EST // 19:30 PST)
Canada v. USA (August 8 at 04:30 EST // 01:30 PST)

Wednesday will be a defining day for Team Canada at the 2018 Wheelchair Rugby World Championship, as it will determine where the team will finish in Pool B. The Canadian’s will first play Columbia, a team they beat 58-41 at last year’s 2017 Americas Championship.

Colombia are one of three nations making their first Worlds appearance in Sydney. Low-pointer Carlos Neme will be one to watch, having been named in the All-Tournament Team at the recent qualification tournament for the Worlds in Nottwil, Switzerland. Expect them to pick up a win or two in the pool phase.

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KEY FACTS – COLOMBIA

World Championship: First Appearance at WRWC
Paralympics: Not Participated
World Ranking: 15^th
2018 WRWC Qualification: 4^th Place – IWRF 2018 World Championship Qualification Tournament
Head Coach: Jhonattan Vargas
Squad: Jhon Orozco (3.5), Anderson Muñoz (3.0), Moises Alonso (3.0), Giovanni Vanegas (2.0), Julian Vargas (2.0), Cristian Amaya (2.0), Christian Ordoñez  (2.0), Paola Martinez (2.0), Uriel Rodriguez (1.5) Carlos Neme (1.0), Disledy Gonzales (1.0), Manuel Mongua (0.5).

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In their second match on Wednesday, Canada will play long-time rivals the United States. It will mark the 8^th time that these two teams meet at a World Championship, with USA holding a narrow 4-3 edge.

Team USA have the most successful history at the IWRF World Championships, winning four of the six editions so far. The only multiple winners of the tournament are looking to get back to top of the podium in Sydney, after their worst result in 2014 in Odense, Denmark, where they finished with bronze.

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KEY FACTS – USA

World Championship: 1^st Place (1995, 1998, 2006, 2010), 2^nd Place (2002) 3^rd Place (2014)
Paralympics: Gold (1996, 2000, 2008), Silver (2016), Bronze (2004, 2012)
World Ranking: 2^nd
2018 WRWC Qualification: 1^st Place 2017 IWRF Americas Championship
Head Coach: James Gumbert
Squad: Chuck Aoki (3.0), Jake Daily (2.5), Josh Wheeler (2.5), Ernest Chun (2.0), Alejandro Pabon (2.0), Joe Delagrave (2.0), Chuck Melton (2.0), Talbot Kennedy (1.5), Adam Scaturro (1.5), Chad Cohn (1.0), Lee Fredette (1.0), Jeff Butler (0.5)

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Canada’s matches against Colombia and USA will be available to be watched live on Wheelchair Rugby Canada’s Facebook page HERE.

All matches will also be available live on cbcsports.ca and via the CBC Sports app will be livestreamed on cbcsports.ca and via the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android devices, as well as cbc.ca/watch and via the CBC TV App.