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BY MIKE HAYAKAWA Staff Writer When the Canadian under- 17 rugby team roster was selected in the summer, Law- son Mann was not included. But when the team made a two-week tour of Wales to play four exhibition games, the 16- year-old Stouffville resident and Grade 11 Markham District High School student was on 32- member contingent. Injuries to some original picks opened the door for Mann, who was thankful for the chance to represent Canada and make his first overseas trip. Playing fullback, the experiâ€" ence in Wales was one he won’t soon forget, Mann said. What caught his attention was the popularity of rugby in Wales. Stoufli/ille teenager shines with Canadian rugby team during Welsh tour FROM FILL-IN T0 STAR ‘Rugby in Wales has so much culture and history. It’s a way of ltfe to those people, like hockey is to us’ “Rugby in Wales has so much culture and history. It's a way of life to those people. like hockey is to us," he said. “Everyone grows up watch- ing and playing rugby and as you would expect, they develop into great players. To put this into perspective, it was our national team against their regional teams. “The competition was very strong. We (the Canadian under-175) had only played as a team for two days before the first match. “Even then, every practice was competitive because you never knew if you would dress for the next game, be in the reserves on the bench or be in the starting lineup until the night before.” In the four games Team Canâ€" ada played against top Welsh regional teams, Mann was one of four players on the squad that saw action in each. Used as a substitute in the first two matches, Mann as a starter in the third match and also played in the final one that was supposed to reflect the best group of players on Team Canada. In that match, Team Can- ada won its only game of the tour. It was also a game of vivid moments for Mann. “We played that entire game with wind, rain, thunder and lightning. The field was like a lake and gravel-sized hail covered the field in ice,” he Mann's performance dur- ing the tour didn't go unno- ticed as he was named the most improved back on the final night of the tour. recalled. Mann's overseas appearance wasn’t just a one-time oppor- tunity as he is expected to be a part of the same contingent competing at a tournament in Millfield, England. ‘Every practice was competitive because you never knew if you would dress for the next game, be in the reserves on the bench or be in the starting lineup until the night before.’ Stoufiville’s Lawson Mann, a 16-year-old Markham District school student, was a member of the Canadian under-17 men’s rugby team that did a two-week, fourâ€"game tour in Wales. SmflWIe Sun-Tribune. Thursday, larj.10, 2008 19