The Langford-based Canadian men’s rugby team is approaching it as being nine points down at halftime of a 160-minute rugby game.

One team has to be leading, and the other trailing, at the half. Happens every day in sports.

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“We’re 9-0 down at the half going into the wind,” said head coach Kingsley Jones.

“One team is usually in that sort of position every game.”

Uruguay won the opening Test of the two-game, total points Americas qualifier for the 2019 World Cup 38-29 last Saturday at B.C. Place. The second leg is Saturday (noon PT on TSN) in Montevideo.

“We’re going to keep focusing on winning the game, and approach that first, and then we have a strategy for the last 15 minutes depending on the scoreboard,” added Jones, in a telephone news conference Thursday from South America with the Canadian sports media.

If there is any confidence in the Canadian camp, it’s that Canada did not feel it was even remotely close to its best last Saturday in Vancouver.

“The general feeling is that we didn’t give our best performance and there is room for improvement in many aspects,” said Jones.

“We need to channel our frustration and disappointment from the first game into a positive and improved performance Saturday and be confident. We have to make sure the guys don’t lack confidence. We underperformed. We left points out there [on the B.C. Place turf]. But we can improve in a week. The motivation is with us. We need to win here. That hasn’t changed, regardless of the first game.”

Jones even put a percentage number to it: “If we improve our performance by 30 per cent, I believe we can get the result we need.”

Past Canadian players from rugby to soccer, however, can tell of how arduous it was for them to play in Central or South America in terms of partisan Latin crowds and sapping conditions. Canada arrived from drizzly and grey B.C. to 34-degree summer temperatures in Montevideo on Tuesday, but that is expected to go down to 25 to 27 degrees by Saturday.

“It’s obviously a tough trip. It is very hot and acclimatization will be important for us,” said Jones, who announced his roster Thursday.

Scrum-half Phil Mack of Victoria will again captain Canada.

“We’ve put ourselves on the back foot and have to play our very best to pull this out, and that’s exactly what we plan on doing,” said Mack, the graduate of Oak Bay High and the UVic Vikes.

“We have to eliminate some errors and see where it all falls.”

Jones called it “a major blow” to have fly-half Connor Braid of Victoria out with a high-ankle sprain. Pro Shane O’Leary, who has been out months with injury, returns and will take Braid’s spot. Veteran pro DTH van der Merwe of Victoria, who scored his 29th Test try last weekend, will also start among the backs with Nick Blevins, Ben LeSage, Taylor Paris and Brock Staller.

But there’s a lot missing back there with injuries to Braid, Jeff Hassler, Conor Trainor and Duncan’s Matt Evans coming at the worst time possible for Canada.

There will again be plenty of Island content up front. Canada’s starting frontline of Hubert Buydens, Ray Barkwill and Jake Ilnicki spent considerable time at Windsor Park playing for Castaway Wanderers. The second line features Josh Larsen of Parksville and former University of Victoria Vikes star Brett Beukeboom.

Canada collectively has a massive challenge ahead of it Saturday.

“We can’t leak tries like we did at B.C. Place,” said Jones.

“We missed too many tackles and we’ve got to be better with our technique. We’ve worked very hard on our defence this week and there’s been a lot of talk around improving our line speed in order to put Uruguay under pressure with ball in hand.”

This is the first time Canada has had to go through the back-door Americas qualifier. Canada was put into this spot after losing for the first time in its history to the U.S. Eagles last summer in the direct North American qualifier.

Canada is 8-3 all-time against Uruguay. But, tellingly, Uruguay has won the last two meetings.

If Uruguay takes the Americas back-door slot by winning Saturday, or losing by nine points or less, Canada’s last hope rests with winning the at-large, four-team last-chance world repechage tournament this summer for the 20th and final berth into the 2019 World Cup, to be hosted by Japan.

Island fans will get to see the Canadian team live in a Test match against Brazil on Feb. 17 at Westhills Stadium. It is not a qualifier but part of the separate Americas Rugby Championship. If Canada can’t win by at least 10 points Saturday, it will suddenly become preparation for the last-chance World Cup qualifier in June.

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com