St. John's, Nfld: The British Columbia Senior Men's Provincial Team are headed to Newfoundland this weekend with their captain Eric Wilson returning to bolster their roster. With Wilson at the helm, BC takes on the reigning Canadian Rugby Championship champs the Rock at Swiler's Rugby Complex this Saturday at 3:00pm.

BRITISH COLUMBIA VS THE ROCK
Date: Saturday, August 27th, 2011
Time: 3:00pm Kickoff
Location: Swiler's Rugby Complex (St. John's)
Competition: Canadian Rugby Championship

MATCH PREVIEW
"We are playing the reigning champions in their final match at home and we are expecting this to be a turbulent and atmospheric occasion," said BC head coach Kris de Scossa. "As we are traveling with a young team to Newfoundland, it is good to have our Captain back as we will benefit from Eric's experience."

After watching his squad fall 35-23 to the Prairie Wolf Pack on the sidelines due to injury last week, Wilson is relishing the opportunity to lead his squad onto the pitch for their final game of the season. His team mates are ready for the challenge and after downing The Rock 46-21 back on July 29th, are confident ahead of this week's clash.

"I've never played in Newfoundland but traveling there has a reputation amongst the guys. There is a great atmosphere there and I'm sure it's going to be rowdy," said Wilson. "Hopefully we can carry out a similar game plan as we did in our last meeting with our forwards matching the power of their tight five and putting our runners into space out wide."

Starting at scrum half, Wilson will have a number of lethal runners in his back line to distribute to. In just his second start for the BC Senior Men's team, fellow Meraloma standout Bryan Tyrer gets the nod at fly half. Making his debut at inside centre is 19-year-old Brock Staller, a key member of Meraloma's 2011 CDI Premier League run to the Rounsefell Cup Final this past spring. Staller was also a member of the Vancouver Wave Under-20 program that competed in the 2011 BC Dunbar Keg competition. Staller will partner with BC's top try scorer Jo Dolesau (Burnaby Lake RC) in the centres.

"It is great to have another young guy who has been through the BC High Performance pathway making it to the next level," De Scossa said of Staller's selection. "It is an important step for our younger players to make that leap and we take pride in the fact that we have are developing these guys for the future."

The back three remains unchanged from BC's clash with the Wolf Pack last week, with Shawn Mercier (Meraloma RC) and Conrad Rybkowski (Abbotsford RFC) on the wings and James Bay Athletic Association's Connor Braid slotting in at full back.

The Rock's forwards have proven to be a force in the set piece this season but the BC pack has gained considerable experience together. The BC forwards will remain unchanged from last week with Anthony Luca (Burnaby Lake RC), Edvin Sabic (Burnaby Lake RC) and John MacKenzie (Meraloma RC) filling out the front row. The solid pairing of Liam Chisholm (Kelowna Crows RFC) and Nathan Mantle (Burnaby Lake RC) will earn their fifth straight start together in the engine room. The back row will consist of Abbotsford's Chris Chalmers and Meraloma's Josh Clarke on the wings, with Aaron Goddard (Buranby Lake RC) suiting up at no. 8.

The match scheduled for 3:00pm KO in Newfoundland (10:30am Pacific) will be available for viewers via webcast:
http://playerv2.streamit.ca/PlayerV2.aspx?eventid=56

BC Roster vs The Rock
1. Anthony Luca (Burnaby Lake Rugby Club)
2. Edvin Sabic (Burnaby Lake Rugby Club)
3. John Mackenzie (Meraloma Rugby Club)
4. Liam Chisholm (Kelowna Crows RFC)
5. Nathan Mantle (Burnaby Lake Rugby Club)
6. Josh Clarke (Meraloma Rugby Club)
7.Chris Chalmers (Abbotsford RFC)
8. Aaron Goddard (Burnaby Lake Rugby Club)
9. Eric Wilson (Meraloma Rugby Club) - Captain
10. Bryan Tyrer (Meraloma Rugby Club)
11.Shawn Mercier (Meraloma Rugby Club)
12. Brock Staller (Meraloma Rugby Club)
13. Josefa Dolesau (Burnaby Lake Rugby Club)
14. Conrad Rybkowski (Abbotsford RFC)
15. Connor Braid (James Bay AA)

Reserves
16. Andrew Lackner (Burnaby Lake Rugby Club)
17. Scott MacKay (Burnaby Lake Rugby Club)
18. Mike Georgas (Meraloma Rugby Club)
19. Taylor Stogryn (Bayside RFC)
20. Colin Mckenzie (Burnaby Lake Rugby Club)
21. Johnathan Morris (Castaway Wanderers RFC)
22. Matt Yanagiya (Capilano RFC)

BC Team Staff
Head Coach - Kris De Scossa
Manager - Connie McGinley
Doctor - Don Hedges
Therapist - Laura Andrews
Analyst/Communications - Andrew Smith

BC 2011 CRC Schedule
July 30th - BC Sr Men 43 - 19 The Rock
August 2nd – Ontario Blues 46 - 21 BC Sr Men
August 13th - BC Sr Men 31 - 29 Prairie Wolf Pack
Sat. August 20th - Wolf Pack 35 - 23 BC Sr Men
Sat. August 27th at 3:00pm - BC Sr Men vs The Rock at Swiler's Rugby Complex

BC 2011 CRC Standings
1. Ontario Blues - 12 pts ( 2-1 record, 4 bonus points)
2. Prairie Wolf Pack - 12 pts ( 2-2 record, 4 bonus points)
3. British Columbia - 10 pts ( 2-2 record, 2 bonus points)
4. Atlantic Rock - 4 pts ( 1-2 record, 0 bonus points)

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