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There were a series of narrow losses during Anscombe’s tenure — to Italy, Romania and Samoa — which might have painted a different picture of his tenure, but in a results-based business, he came up short. He was hired to lead the Canadians to the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

On top of the loss to the Americans, there was a disastrous Americas Rugby Championship last winter, where the Canadians suffered their first loss to Brazil as well as a first loss to Uruguay in 15 years.

In a statement, Rugby Canada general manager of rugby operations and performance Jim Dixon thanked Anscombe for his work, but said a review conducted after the June losses led to the current conclusion: Anscombe had to go.

“It is very apparent to all in the Canadian rugby community that in order for our men’s 15s team to be a successful and respected program we must continue to drive a culture of excellence, commitment and discipline.

“This goes for every level of the game. As a collective community we must address the gaps in our system and strive to provide our young players with the best possible environment to excel in the game. We have a lot of work to do in this regard. I am 100 per cent confident the national senior men’s 15s program staff, and most importantly the players, will respond to the challenge in front of them.

“The program will recommence in September with new resources in place to support them,” Dixon said in the statement.

Anscombe wasn’t surprised by the decision but did express anger and frustration to The Canadian Press on Thursday.