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Round one, done.

Damian McGrath’s era started with some close calls, a couple disappointments and a pair of wins over opponents who just had to be beaten.

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Dubai is over, Canada finished 13th. That’s exactly the finished in the overall standings last season. The mood then, of course, was very different: last season is regarded by everyone as a failure. Even McGrath predecessor’s acknowledged it as such, recognizing that his dismissal was the logical conclusion in a results-based business.

McGrath’s task is obviously very different. He’s got four years to work with, not less than two years. He can afford some hiccups.

“It has been a very interesting start,” McGrath told me Sunday from Dubai. “We finished 13th and to be perfectly honest it is a very fair reflection on where we stand.

“There were plenty of positives. We could and very probably should have beaten Fiji and Argentina. we lost to Wales but defended manfully despite being on the wrong end of an overwhelming possession count.”