The sold out ticket announcement for Sundays match between Rugby Canada and the New Zealand Maori All Blacks at BMO Field means it will be the largest crowd in modern Canadian rugby history. Billboards around Toronto and popup ads on the internet are heavy with the games tagline of Face the Haka, but past the attendance numbers and one of the worlds most famous pre-game rituals, a lot of uncertainty surrounds the match itself. The haka fully deserves the amount of clever marketing attention its receiving but to only look forward to a ceremony and not the subsequent 80-minute match is the sporting equivalent of a bride caring too much about her wedding and forgetting about the marriage itself (insert stat about current divorce rate...). Sunday is a loaded match, as its only the fifth time in history Canada has faced the haka/played the Maori, and a heavy personnel change for both sides since their last meeting in November 2012 makes the exact game difficult to predict. The Maori All Blacks have named arguably their strongest side, signaling clear intentions and demonstrating how the program is being used in a high performance direction alongside the All Blacks. The Maori, working closely with the national team selectors, have named a clear seasoned leader in each position to help develop the younger players surely destined for the full All Blacks jersey. Canadians will recognize a few Maori players named in the starting 23 from the All Blacks at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, and will especially remember the name Zac Guildford as he dotted down four times against the Canucks in their pool match in Wellington. This tour serves as a great opportunity and redemption for gifted Guildford after a spate of alcohol-related incidents saw his contract with the New Zealand Rugby Union almost terminated. Because the game on Sunday falls outside the IRBs November international window, Canada has exercised their right to hold off on naming a lineup until the morning of the game. Gripping their cards so close to their chest makes the game very hard to preview from a media standpoint, but it also signals how seriously they are taking this match - even though its not a full international test. Canada lost all four of their matches to the Maori since 2003 but have narrowed the differential every time and the game at Oxford last year was the closest yet. In front of packed grounds at Iffley Road, home of Oxford University, the normally convincing Maori werent for the full 80, racking up too many penalties but still earning a 32-19 victory. A very late try out wide to the Maori in that game meant the eventual score line did not reflect the Canadians efforts, who were still within a converted try of a scalp with eight minutes remaining. Had the Canadians been slightly better with ball in hand and ball retention, the game could have been even closer. But two very different sides will line up on Sunday compared to a year ago. The kickers who combined for 32 points in that match are gone, the Maori have a new coach, a new captain and only one returner in the front row in their 23 and Canada are missing eight of their top players because of professional commitments. 14 of the 30 players who started for Canada or the Maori last year are completely gone from their 26-man rosters due to non-selection, injuries or not being released by professional clubs. With so many question marks in terms of specifics, one has to step back and compare the front of the jerseys as opposed to whos wearing the numbers on the back. The culture and history of the NZ Maori runs deeper than the traceable bloodlines of each player on their team, and much deeper than what any outsider could comprehend. This is partially why the haka stirs so much intrigue; it gives everyone else a taste of the fierce pride of the Maori culture that is normally subliminal behind their laid back and friendly demeanor. At a press conference on Wednesday, the word culture passed the lips of Maori captain Tim Bateman and new Maori coach Colin Cooper countless times. A former Maori player, coach Cooper spoke of his teams mana, a Maori word meaning honour, and how it would help bring his team together. "The challenge is coming here on a short turnaround to take on Canada in their backyard. What will help us probably is that were Maori and (that) will galvanize us - team unity will be brought together by our culture." This culture and mana means it usually doesnt matter which 23 players fill the Black jerseys, an expectation is there. Canadas coach Kieran Crowley, who played and coached with Cooper at Taranaki in New Zealand, hopes establishing a clear pathway to the Canadian national team will help develop a strong team culture. "When I first began (coaching Canada), I couldnt see a clear path. Weve worked hard to do that and now I can. This will help create team culture and most importantly, consistency." Crowley said consistency remains Canadas focus and will be how he will measure his teams long-term success. Hopefully, this Canada/USA New Zealand Maori Tour will become an annual fixture on the rugby calendar as it is sponsored by AIG, who are looking to grow the sport into a lucrative North American frontier. If so, it would provide an ideal medium for both programs to develop exactly what the two coaches identified - culture and consistency. Canada would have a perfect benchmark to measure itself as a program too, and New Zealand is given an opportunity to grow the All Blacks brand globally while still protecting and sharing the Maori culture on its terms. The tour also presents an opportunity to strengthen the culture within the Maori squad - everyone knows the value of a good road trip. Dustin McGowan Authentic Jersey . It was the second consecutive win for the Pacers (2-5), who lost their first five preseason games. Jeff Teague led the Hawks (1-5) with 17 points and eight assists and Al Horford had 12 points and seven rebounds. Mike Scott scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half. Christian Yelich Marlins Jersey . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. 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This is about Canadian skaters continuing to break new ground at home and on the international stage. Patrick Chan is on the verge, he hopes, of being the first Canadian man to win Olympic Gold. He has treated us in the past to superb performances at nationals, en route to his World Championship wins. In light of his performances this season, we can expect nothing less of him here. Saving and peaking are words not in his vocabulary. He will no doubt hold nothing back as he goes after his 7th Canadian title. This is about what is believed to be a Canadian farewell to Olympic Champions and ice dance legends Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who unless we can convince them otherwise, will leave competitive skating after the Games. They have been building throughout this season and are looking stronger and fitter, more refined and in tune each time out. They will look at their performance here as a gift to themselves to be able to perform their Olympic programs in front of their Canadian fans while in peak condition. They will likely be soaking it all in and storing it to memory so that it can be looked back on fondly down the road. So too I bet, will the audiences. This is a welcome back to the nationals for six-time Canadian Medalists Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje. Kaitlyn was injured last year in practice a month before nationals and so was unable to compete. Her injury, a broken fibula, was so severe the doctors even ruled out the possibility of competing at Worlds last March. Three months to the day after the accident and after methodically and relentlessly working through the pain of rehab, Kaitlyn and Andrew competed and finished 5th at The World Championships and once again showed us how they can grow stronger and more resilient throough adversity.dddddddddddd Injury free and at the top of their game, they hope that they will put up the kind of numbers here that are worthy of podium contention in Sochi. This is about two rival pair teams continuing the rich tradition of Canadian pairs as they duke it out once again for the Canadian title. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch were Canadian Champs in 2011, Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford in 2012. Last year in the closest of contests Meagan and Eric defended their title, beating Kirsten and Dylan by less than a point in the short and just over a point in the long. It was one of those events where when its over you literally sit back in your seat and think, "Wow! What a fight!" At last years World Championships, the edge once again went to Meagan and Eric who finished third and just one spot ahead of Kirsten and Dylan. Both teams have the same goals, Canadian title and Olympic medal. As teams, they cant get much closer. As a competition, it doesnt get much better. And then there are the unknowns. Kevin Reynolds, the quad king, who had a break-out season last year finishing 5th in the world, has not competed this year due to boot problems. There are seven guys going after three spots. Patricks got one of those spots and Kevin certainly has the credentials to earn the second, but he will be pressured in this, his first competition of the season. Canadian ladies champion Kaetlyn Osmond is feeling the same kind of heat as hers has been a season of untimely injuries which have cost her valuable training time. Six women fighting for two spots. Kaetlyn has posted by far the best scores to date, but she will contend with a Canadian Champion and some young and feisty up-and-comers and so will have to be on her toes, so to speak. This is about dreams coming true and bitter disappointments. About your last four years being defined by the next four minutes. About becoming a champion, a medalist, an Olympic team member or going down trying. As Roosevelt said in The Man in the Arena, "His place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." This is the 100-year anniversary of the Canadian Skating Championships. The tradition continues. Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '