Canadian players ready to make history as new pro rugby league kicks off in U.S.

Canadian international Ray Barkwill will help make history Sunday as professional rugby comes to North America.

Barkwill, a gritty hooker with a heart as big as his beard, will line up for Sacramento against visiting San Francisco and fellow Canadian Nick Blevins on Opening Day of the Professional Rugby Organization (PRO Rugby).

Sanctioned by USA Rugby and World Rugby, PRO Rugby also features teams in Denver, Ohio and San Diego. The other game Sunday sees Ohio at Denver.

“It’s always exciting to go to a new team, and a new country,” said Barkwill. “But on top of it, a new league, and something that we’ve all had visions of wanting to see started — professional rugby in North America.”

“It’s been so much fun right now,” he added. “We’re seeing where we’re going to go in the next four months.”

Canadians Kyle Baillie (Ohio), Hubert Buydens (San Diego) and Phil Mackenzie (San Diego) have also signed on with the new league. Other names of note include Australia’s Timana Tahu (Denver), England’s Dominic Waldouck (Ohio), Italy’s Mirco Bergamasco (Sacramento), Tonga’s Kurt Morath (San Diego), New Zealand’s Mils Muliaina (San Francisco) and Jamie Mackintosh (Ohio), and South Africa’s Pedrie Wannenburg (Denver).

Teams will play a 12-game season that wraps up July 31. The June schedule is minimal to accommodate players needed by their national teams.

Rugby Canada has talked of fielding a team north of the border in 2017 and continues to talk with the organizers.

“We didn’t get some of the answers we needed early on,” said Gareth Rees, Rugby Canada’s director of commercial and program relations. “But we’re pretty happy that the players are down there and getting some experience.

There is no rush, however.

“To be quite honest, for the moment, the standard of the CRC (Canadian Rugby Championship) … is probably as high if not higher,” Rees added.

The new league is run by CEO Douglas Schoninger, a New York-based businessman with a history of stadium financing.

“I came in as a fan and as a businessperson at the same time,” he said in a December interview.

The 35-year-old Barkwill says while things are still being put in place, everything is going well.

“It’s been great. From the league’s point of view, it’s been going well. Now it’s about us getting together as players on a team to put the product out there and be good at it,” said the Victoria-based Niagara Falls native.

Barkwill, whose wife Laura Russell plays for the Canadian women’s team, says he will be free to play for Canada in the June internationals.

He chose the new North American league over offers from England and Ireland. Another option was staying in Victoria and pursuing teaching opportunities.

The league is starting modestly.

Denver will host games at the 4,000-seat Infinity Park in Glendale, a stadium that has served as home to the Churchill Cup. Sacramento will play at Bonney Field while Ohio plays at Memorial Park in Obetz and Dan Diego at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego. The San Francisco entry will play out of Boxer Stadium.

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