A challenging Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) campaign went against Canada on the scoresheet but was of held value forJones and his team—using it as an opportunity for selection and development as they continue their build to the 2019 RWC.

“The Pacific Nations Cup was our first set of tests together following a tight training camp in Langford. Competing against some tough teams provided us a lot of really good experience and was a great opportunity for the team to get to know each other and start to gel as a unit,” said Jones.

“We were competitive enough for periods in the Fiji and Tonga tests, but we failed to get the results we may have wanted. We have to stay focused on the bigger picture of the Rugby World Cup. These games allowed the coaching staff to find our strongest combinations with different lineups and selections and we’ll continue to build on that in this next set of warm up matches in Canada,” he added.

The team rejoined this week in Hamilton where they’ll take on Leinster on August 24, before heading to Langford to face a BC Rugby All Stars team on August 30th, and then finish off their RWC send-off in Vancouver against USA on September 7th.

“This next phase is where we really ramp up our preparations for the World Cup. We’ve got a strong group of players that can play several positions at a good level which bodes well for us,” said Jones.“With this team now, we’ve seen a bit of what they can do and going up against the likes of Leinster and another showing against USA will really test us for what we’re going to face in Japan. We’ve got some tough challenges ahead of us but there’s a good energy in the team and we’ll come at it with everything we’ve got.”

Fans in the Hamilton area can purchase tickets for Saturday’s match at HERE. Broadcast details are still being confirmed and further information will be released on Rugby Canada’s channels when it becomes available.

Canada RWC 2019 Long List:

Tyler Ardron (Lakefield, ON) Chiefs

Kyle Baillie (Summerside, PEI) New Orleans Gold

Noah Barker (Courtenay, BC) Glendale Raptors

Justin Blanchet (Montreal, QC) Unattached

Nick Blevins (Calgary, AB) Calgary Hornets

Rob Brouwer (Lindsay, ON) Toronto Arrows

Hubert Buydens (Saskatoon, SK) New Orleans Gold

Luke Campbell (Victoria, BC) Toronto Arrows / JBAA

Andrew Coe (Markham, ON) Markham Irish

Dustin Dobravsky (Hanover, Germany) Castaway Wanderers

Guiseppe du Toit (Maple Ridge, BC) Toronto Arrows

Doug Fraser (Ladysmith, BC) Austin Elite

Jeff Hassler (Okotoks, AB) Seattle Seawolves

Ciaran Hearn (Conception Bay South, NL) Unattached

Matt Heaton (Godmanchester, QC) Darlington Mowden Park

Eric Howard (Ottawa, ON) New Orleans Gold

Jake Ilnicki (Williams Lake, BC) Seattle Seawolves

Cole Keith (Sussex, NB) Toronto Arrows

Will Kelly (Ancaster, ON) Toronto Arrows

Conor Keys (Stittsville, ON) Unattached

Josh Larsen (Parksville, BC) Austin Elite

Travis Larsen (Parksville, BC) Austin Elite

Ben LeSage (Calgary, AB) Calgary Canucks

Kainoa Lloyd (Mississauga, ON) Toronto Arrows

Phil Mack (Victoria, BC) Seattle Seawolves

Jamie Mackenzie (Oakville, ON) Toronto Arrows

Gordon McRorie (Calgary, AB) Calgary Hornets

Peter Nelson (Dungannon, UK) Unattached

Shane O'Leary (Cambellton, NB) Nottingham Rugby

Evan Olmstead (Vancouver, BC) Unattached

Patrick Parfrey (St. John's, NL) Toronto Arrows

Taylor Paris (Barrie, ON) Castres Olympiques

Benoit Piffero (Issoire, France) Blagnac SCR

Nakai Penny (Penticton, BC) Seattle Seawolves

Andrew Quattrin (Holland Landing, ON) Toronto Arrows

Lucas Rumball (Scarborough, ON) Toronto Arrows

Theo Sauder (Vancouver, BC) Toronto Arrows

Djustice Sears-Duru (Oakville, ON) Seattle Seawolves

Mike Sheppard (Brampton, ON) Toronto Arrows

Matthew Tierney (Oakville, ON) Castres Olympiques

Conor Trainor (Vancouver, BC) USON Nevers

DTH van der Merwe (Regina, SK) Glasgow Warriors

Pre-Rugby World Cup:

Canada vs. Leinster

August 24

Tim Hortons Field – Hamilton, ON

Kick-off: 3pm ET/ 12pm PT

Broadcast: TBC

Canada vs BC All-Stars

August 30, 2019

Westhills Stadium, Langford, BC

Kick-off: 9:30pm ET / 6:30pm PT

Tickets: $10 for adults and $5 for youth & can be purchased from Eagle Ridge Community Centre or the stadium gates on match day

Canada vs. USA

September 7

BC Place – Vancouver, BC

Kick-off: 10pm ET/ 7pm PT

Broadcast: TBC

Rugby World Cup:

Canada vs. Italy

September 26

Fukuoka Hakatanomori Stadium

Fukuoka, Japan

Kick-off: 16:45pm local time (2:45am ET/*11:45pm PT on Sep. 25)

Broadcast: TBC

Canada vs. New Zealand

October 2

Oita Stadium

Oita, Japan

Kick-off: 19:15pm local time (5:15am ET/2:15am PT)

Broadcast: TBC

Canada vs. South Africa

October 8

Kobe Misaki

Kobe, Japan

Kick-off: 19:15pm local time (5:15am ET/2:15am PT)

Broadcast: TBC

Canada vs. Namibia

October 13

Kamaishi Recovery Memorial Stadium

Kamaishi, Japan

Kick-off: 16:45pm local time (2:45am ET/*11:45pm PT on Oct. 12)

Broadcast: TBC