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Gill to lead Canada's U20s in Portugal

Richmond Rugby product a key returning player with national team
rugby
Harjun Gill

 For the second straight year, Richmond Rugby Club product Harjun Gill has been named to Canada’s roster for the upcoming World Rugby U20 Trophy 2015 in Lisbon, Portugal.

 

The Trophy is the second level of the World Rugby tournament structure for U20 national teams. The winner of the Trophy is promoted to next year’s World Rugby U20 Championship. The Canadians earned qualification into this year’s tournament after beating the USA 69-25 in the two-match aggregate series.

 

Gill and team captain Lucas Rumball will be leaned on heavily based on their experience as returning players.

 

“It’s invaluable to have those two players with us because they’ll be able to pass along information from the things that they went through last year,” said Canadian head coach Jeff Williams said. “There are all kinds of external factors that can be distracting for players and they’ll be able to draw on their experiences and keep the guys focused and on task.”

 

Gill, a standout fly half, is in his sophomore season with the UBC Thunderbirds.

 

Canada has drawn into a pool with Hong Kong, Namibia and Tonga and will open the tournament against Namibia on May 12. The other pool will feature Fiji, who was relegated after last year’s Championship, along with Georgia, Portugal and Uruguay.

 

 “There are no easy games for us,” added Williams. “The way I’m looking at it, we’re underdogs and we need to prove that we can play with these teams.

 

The team will depart for Portugal on May 7 before opening the tournament five days later.