Canada Profile

Colours: Red
Nickname: Canucks
Major Honours: Pacific Rim title (1996,1997,1998)

Coach: Australian-born David Clark played 27 for Queensland before he was named as Queensland Rugby Director of coaching and then appointed Director and Head Coach at the Australian Institute of Sport. Clark was axed as coach of the Canada in 2001 shortly after being appointed, but so popular was he with the team, that the senior players went on strike refusing to play until the Aussie was re-instated.

Captain: Al Charron is Canada's most-capped player, he has already played in three World Cups and is arguably the country's most famous rugby-export. His commitment to Canadian rugby is unparalleled and the respect he commands from the team is well-known.

Player(s) to watch:At 116 kg prop Rod Snow is surprisingly quick on his feet and is more often than not spotted out wide on the wing. The most-capped prop in Canadian rugby with 42 appearances behind him, including two World Cups, Snow is an institution in the Canucks' front row and brings a wealth of experience to the side.

Profile: Canada, once a rugby nation known for it's hard nosed style of play and toughness from 1-15, has slipped in international rankings in recent years out of the top 10, but has none-the-less provided top class players to leagues in England, Wales and France.

Becoming a bit of a victim of it's own success in producing this talent, having these players available for important Tests has been a challenge, often leaving the squad under-manned in key positions.

The Canucks can point to a number of key matches over the past decade or so as high-tide marks for performance.

A quarter-final appearance at the 1991 World Cup before bowing out to New Zealand by 29-3; a victory at Arms Park in Cardiff over Wales, downing France in Canada 18-16 before Les Bleus travelled to New Zealand for a 2-0 series win over the All Blacks; a 27-27 draw against Ireland in 2000, and a 26-23 win over Scotland in Vancouver in 2002.

The win over Scotland was the start of seven victories in a row before losing to Wales in Cardiff and France in Paris, while Scotland went on to defeat the Springboks later in the year.

Like the USA, the sheer geography of Canada means that talent is scattered across the country making the job of coaches and selectors very challenging.

Having qualified in the four previous World Cups, it was no surprise when the Canadians made it five in a row when qualifying for the 2003 World Cup in Australia.