Team Canada is preparing for its upcoming Americas Rugby Championship matches in Langford with a new man at the helm.
Head coach Kieran Crowley, who has been with Rugby Canada since 2008 and been through two men’s World Cup cycles with the program, has resigned his position to take on a job coaching a professional team in Europe.
On Wednesday, the Langford-based organization named women’s national fifteens coach Francois Ratier as Crowley’s interim replacement.
“I am confident the players will continue to step up and perform under Francois’ leadership at the Americas Rugby Championship,” Rugby Canada general manager of rugby operations and performance, Jim Dixon, said in a release.
Ratier’s role with the women’s program will not interfere with guiding the men’s team into the ARC, Dixon said, as there are no women’s matches or camps planned during that time.
Ratier helped coach the men’s fifteens at the 2014 Pacific Rugby Challenge in Fiji, and guided the women’s fifteens to the 2014 World Cup final against England.
The men’s fifteens finished last in their pool at last year’s World Cup with an 0-4 record, a result seen as disappointing by many national team watchers. Despite that, Crowley last month was announced by Rugby Canada as coach for the team through the 2019 Rugby World Cup qualifiers. He informed the organization of his resignation earlier this week.
“We are disappointed to see Kieran leave, however we appreciate all he has given our program over the past eight years and wish both him and his family the very best as he takes on a new challenge in Europe,” said Gareth Rees, men’s program manager for Rugby Canada.
Team Canada hosts Uruguay on Feb. 6 and Brazil on Feb. 20 at Westhills Stadium in the ARC, as well as playing the U.S.A. in Texas on Feb. 13. The squad then heads south to play Argentina and Chile.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com
