Lucas Rumball: 'We're unified in what we need to do going forward'

Canadian captain Lucas Rumball has seen it all when it comes to rugby in his homeland.

Starting a rugby journey in Ice Hockey heartland, the powerhouse back cut his teeth in the now-defunct Canadian Rugby Championship.

Leaving his mark on the local scene, Rumball would take the next step into full-time professional rugby in North America's Major League Rugby competition, which in turn would see him become one of Canada's standout performers at the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

Discussing the pathways within Canadian Rugby, Rumball offered a nuanced and insightful look at how his journey to the top of the rugby pyramid differs from those breaking through today.

"When I was coming through, it used to go through either the university or club level," Rumball said.

"If you were good enough, you'd go into the Canadian Rugby Championship (CRC), which was four region-based teams in the country.

"That would be the highest domestic competition in the country, and from there, the Canadian selectors and coaches would look at those games and pick.

"So that was the pathway when I was growing up, and how I got selected and worked up through the ranks of the CRC. Unfortunately, that doesn't exist anymore, so I think the MLR (Major League Rugby) fills the void now."

Completing its seventh season in 2024, the MLR continued its steady growth after the challenging 2020 season, which was affected by COVID-19. Since then, the league has morphed and grown, with twelve franchises scattered across the United States.

Previously, Canada had a franchise of its own in the Toronto Arrows, a team with which Rumball had a close affinity as the team's captain before its ultimate demise in 2023 in the wake of president and general partner Bill Webb's passing.

Now lacking a full-time professional outfit for homegrown players to foster their skillset and with an ever-compressing international schedule, there was a level of uncertainty surrounding Canadian Rugby heading into the 2024 season.

Certainly, work remains to be done, but with so many players dispersing to clubs around the MLR and with a now-growing international calendar, shoots of positivity are beginning to blossom. When asked about the ideal situation for Canadian Rugby in the long term, Rumball laid out an ideal scenario that would undoubtedly enhance the game both at the grassroots and professional levels.

"There was the disappointment of Toronto losing its spot in the MLR but a lot of the guys have found new homes across the competition.

"In a perfect world, you would have both by bringing back that Canadian MLR Team, whether in Vancouver, Toronto or wherever and having guys playing as many internationals as possible will make a big difference.

"I know it's tough right now in terms of some of the results and the way some things have been going. But sticking with the same group to really get these guys up to speed, I think, is the way to go.

"I think both need to happen (a Canadian MLR franchise and more tests) because the only way you see true sustained growth for a nation is when you have the ability for guys to develop underneath the guys that are at that international level so that there's constant competition for spots."

Focusing on the here and now, Rumball, who has enjoyed an immensely productive Pacific Nations Cup (PNC) campaign to date with twenty-seven carries, thirty-six tackles and three turnovers, has been impressed with what he has seen from his newer colleagues, namely backrow partners Ethan Fryer and Mason Flesch.

"They've been great," the skipper said, "you know there are big shoes to fill, and International Rugby is always a huge step up from club rugby."

"It's awesome! It's always a pleasure in the back row when you see two guys who can work hard and cover different aspects of the game that maybe you're not the best at." Rumball said of the pairing.

Offering analysis on what each of his backrow colleagues brings to their burgeoning combination, Rumball was quick to point out the exceptional work at the line-out of Flesch.

Taking the lead as the chief line-out caller, the 24-year-old has put the responsibility that comes with the role squarely on his shoulders. Displaying leadership through his actions, Flesch has become Canada's banker at set piece time, netting twelve grabs of his own through the opening two rounds.

"With the line-out side of things, it's nice to have Mason there, who you can rely on to make the calls.

"When you have a player like Mason who is that hybrid forward with this height and size. He has the ability to slide out into that six roll, so you have the locks, which are both line-out options, which gives you even more options in both attack and defence."

Covering acres of space on the other flank, New England Free Jacks standout Ethan Fryer has been a constant presence with a seek and destroy mentality that has seen him make thirty-four tackles and three turnovers so far in the campaign.

Still just 22-years-old, Fryer has been touted as a future star of Canadian Rugby, praise his captain feels is more than justified.

"He's huge; he took his opportunity in July with both hands and ran with it, impressed in every game.

"It comes from being in a good setup in the New England Free Jacks with a bunch of other Canadians like Kyle Bailey, Andrew Quattrin and Connor Keys, who are all there to help him out."

"I think the sky really is the limit for him," Rumball concluded.

Now leading a squad unbridled by past mishaps, most notably the disappointment of not making the cut as a qualifying team for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Rumball appeared invigorated by the challenge of growing this new-look side from the ground up. With the likes of the great Jamie Cudmore and DTH van der Merwe having long since hung up their boots, this new generation of Canadian players are taking a proactive approach to developing their own legacy.

Central to this pursuit of excellence is a willingness to not only accept but seek out different perspectives both in the playing group and within the coaches box.

Parking egos and short-term ambitions for the betterment of the team's long-term growth, the squad are focusing on routinely adding layers to their collective game plan in anticipation of bigger challenges to come.

When pressed about this mindset, the self-aware skipper explained with absolute clarity the key focus point for his team in 2024.

"It's been a growth mindset, I would say, with the team right now.

"We know this isn't the year where qualification is on the line; that's next year for us.

"So it's about how much we can learn and how much we can grow as a group so we can raise that bar when there is qualification on the line next year.

"We're unified in what we need to do going forward, and we are aware it's going to take time."

Spearheading the Canadian camp is the highly experienced head coach Kingsley Jones, who brings with him three decades of top-level rugby experience spanning just about every corner of the rugby world.

Assembling a team of top-class coaches in his latest escapade Jones ties together an eclectic staff ensuring a melting pot of ideas with the sole focus of driving Canadian Rugby to new heights.

"He's got a good support system there with him as well with Phil Mack (former Canadian scrumhalf) as a guy I played with and John McFarland (former Springbok defence coach) running the defence.

"As I said before, the international games are fast, and you don't get used to them very quickly. So it's about getting as many games under your belt as possible so we can grow and be firing for next year."

Reflecting on his team's opening two rounds of this year's PNC, Rumball broke down the key factors that saw his team struggle early on in the contests.

"I would say the two games had different reasons for the slow start.

"Against the Japanese, we were not shell shocked, but the speed of the game that they brought and the execution that they brought on attack put us on the back foot.

"It took us fifteen to twenty minutes to dive into the contacts a little bit more, to slow the ball down and to make it more attritional for them.

"In The US Game, I would say, we put the pressure all on ourselves quite early with how we exited and with our restart game."

Ahead of their final match of the campaign against South Pacific Island nation Tonga, Rumball expressed excitement for what will be an all together different challenge.

"Tonga offers a different playing style and different challenge for us.

"It's probably more of a physical game, especially in that contact area, where they love running the ball hard and on the defensive side, they love making a big shot.

"It's going to challenge our physicality, which I would say had been quite good in the Japanese and the American games. So, I'm excited to see how we meet and adapt to that challenge.

"If we can up our physicality and improve on some of those exits and restarts, then I think we'll put ourselves in a good spot."

Concluding the conversation and in an attempt to put the clearly team-first veteran in a position to speak about himself for a moment, Rumball was asked about his personal ambitions.

Once again, with clarity of mind and a twinkle in his eye, Rumball said, "My goal would be that 2027 World Cup in Australia," before quipping with a chuckle, "I think the 2031 one would be nice in North America, but I doubt my body will allow me to hold up, although, my mind will be there."

Canada will play their final match of the 2024 Pacific Nations Cup against Tonga on Saturday, September 14th. Kick-off will be at 16.00 local time (08.00 BST), and all of the action will be broadcast live and for free on RugbyPass TV.