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Sports 16 SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 18, 2011 STANDING ON GUARD: Oakville's (from left) Jamie Mackenzie, Phil Mackenzie and Mike Scholz will represent Canada at next month's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Canada, which is ranked 14th in the world, opens the tournament Sept. 14 against Tonga. It will also face Japan, France and the world's top-ranked team, New Zealand, in its pool. Oakville trio ready to ruck and maul with rest of the world By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF It was an easy choice for Phil Mackenzie. When the Ontario rugby tryouts con- flicted with the Oakville Waterfront Festival, it was pretty obvious where the then 14-year- old wanted to be. I wanted to go the Waterfront Festival, he said, but after much convincing by my dad, I went to the tryouts. Mackenzie made the provincial team and would continue to progress through the ranks, making the national under-17 team. Now a decade after nearly blowing off the provincial team tryouts, Mackenzie will lead a trio of Oakville rugby players on to the sports grandest stage. Mackenzie will be joined by his younger brother Jamie and Mike Scholz at next months Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. Its great to get the opportunity to play for your country, said Jamie Mackenzie, who will join his teammates in Victoria Friday before heading to Australia to prepare for the tournament. So many guys would die to have this opportunity so were going to go out and put everything we have into it. I never thought I would have the chance to represent my country but I got a few breaks and played well when I needed to, said Scholz. The same could be said of Canada as the World Cup approaches. Over the past two weeks, the Canadian side recorded back to back victories over its biggest rival, the United States. In the first match, a rare home game at BMO Field in Toronto, Phil Mackenzie pounced on a botched pass in the American end for his first try with the national team. That sparked a comeback from a 15-10 halftime deficit as Canada won 28-22. Mackenzie was named Man of the Match in front of a crowd of 10,621. It was an awesome experi- ence to play in front of so many Canadian fans that are passionate about rugby. I just tried to enjoy it as much as I could, he said. Im not going to lie, it was pretty emotional before the game. To see the people that came from all over to see us play, and then pull through and get the W. The Man of the Match was the icing on the cake. Mackenzie added another try in Saturdays 27-7 win over the U.S. in Colorado. With the wins, Canada jumped from 16th to 14th in the world rankings, nevertheless, theyll still have their work cut out for them in a group that includes the tournament host and worlds top-ranked team, New Zealand, as well as France (ranked fourth), Japan (13) and Tonga (15). Its not the worst thing in the world to be an underdog, Phil Mackenzie said. As a group, were very confident in how were going to perform. (Canada) is not known to be big players on the rugby scene but weve got a chance to sur- prise some people, Jamie Mackenzie added. Jamie followed his brother into the sport at Appleby College and with the Oakville Crusaders. Now they play together professionally with Esher in the English Championship. Phil earned his first pro contract with Coventry, then moved to Esher last year. When an injury side- lined the teams scrum- half, it was looking for a replacement. Jamie came in for a tryout and earned a spot on the team, which won seven of its last eight games to avoid relegation to a lower division. Its a great atmosphere and the people actually care about rugby, the younger Mackenzie said. Its more of a job. Youre working hard and you need to put up results. Rugby wasnt always Scholzs top priority. Though he went to high school at Oakville Trafalgar, a school with a proud rugby tradi- tion, he opted for other sports. At OT they did rugby runs, which were five kilometres. I didnt really care for that, he said. I played a lot of hockey and lacrosse and I played football in Grade 9. Some of the guys from the team were telling me to play so I joined halfway through Grade 10. Once he started playing, Scholz was hooked. He made provincial teams and made his debut with the national team, play- ing one game in 2009. After sitting out last season due to shoulder surgery, he returned determined to make the Canadian squad. I moved to Victoria to make a push for the national team, the 23-year-old said. I wanted to give it my best shot. Now hes hoping for a strong performance at the Rugby World Cup can help him join the Mackenzie brothers in the pro ranks. All three say the sport has provided them with incredible experiences and the oppor- tunity to travel around the world. They would like to see rugby continue to grow in Canada and in a way consider themselves ambassadors for the sport. All three are shar- ing their experiences leading up to the Rugby World Cup through Twitter (@ Phister13, @jmackerdoo, @mscholz16). Weve been getting a lot of media expo- sure, Scholz said. I think its the first time our games have got national press coverage. Before they played at York University with temporary stands. Now were playing at BMO and the games are on TSN. And perhaps by letting the next wave of players know what the game can offer, the decision between attending a tryout or a festival wont be that hard. So many guys would die for this opportunity so we're going to go out and put everything we have into it. Jamie Mackenzie, on playing for Canada at the Rugby World Cup. MICHAEL IVANIN / OAKVILLE BEAVER