TORONTO — Its mesmerizing, but very much unglamorous; uncomplicated, and still bewildering to a point of frustration. Rugby is so many things, but above all, rugby is truth. Saturday at BMO Field (8pm et/5pm pt on TSN), Canada will challenge Ireland for two, 40-minute periods of hellish contact, and the game will lay bare talents and limitations. It is why labels — sometimes convenient things — are frivolous in a game where two teams of 15 large men engage in a kind of ceaseless percussion, slamming into each other forevermore, conducting the brutal symphony. The strongest arent always the strongest; the fastest sometimes never get up to speed. And so too does the word amateur mean little. It doesnt really matter if you play for love or money when youre at the bottom of a ruck, the slow-rolling human onion, and a forearm is squeezing your throat, and a knee is jabbing your spine, all so you can move an oval inch by messy inch. But Irelands interim head coach Les Kiss was only trying to be complimentary at a Tuesday press conference, when he explained how amateurism imbues Canadians with something special. "There is another reason they play that is outside the professional realm, and there is another heart and desire that comes to the game," he said. Although many of Irelands rugby superstars — Brian ODriscoll, Rory Best and Jonathan Sexton — are away on a tour of Australia along with the very best from Britain and Ireland, Kiss has a roster full of pros. Ireland is ranked eighth among the International Rugby Boards top 100 countries, and Canada is 13th. Canada has never beaten Ireland. Kiss spoke slowly, making sure his point wasnt misinterpreted. "I dont see any less desire and passion and intent in their game when they put on the Canadian jersey." But something about the sound of the word amateur twists Canadian captain Aaron Carpenters face, like its a blister in his brain. "[Some might say] Oh, youre an amateur team, but then the guys go, Well, no; in our minds we are professionals," he said. Carpenter, who looks like a cube with flesh stretched across it, is among the few Canadians making a living playing rugby in Europe. But he speaks on behalf of teammates who juggle rugby life with real life. "We train like professionals, we eat like professionals. So what is that boundary? Just because we dont have a professional league in our country, that is the reason were amateurs?" The boundary has always been the touchline. Beyond it, Canadians are respectable, good-natured, but still dilettantes; within it, the game has revealed intimidating Canadian power and purpose, a daunting opponent in every World Cup. Heading into Saturday, Canada is riding a three-game winning streak, defeating the USA, Fiji and Tonga in a Pacific Nations tournament. Since 2008, head coach Kieran Crowley, who won the World Cup with New Zealand in 1987, has developed Canada into a team made not just of impressive strength, but also confident skill. Ryan Hamilton, Nathan Hirayama, Adam Kleeberger, Jason Marshall and Jebb Sinclair were young at the 2011 World Cup; now they are leaders. Nearly halfway to the 2015 World Cup, Ireland is a good test before two qualifying matches against the Americans on August 17th and 24th. But funding the mens national program, always difficult, is becoming more awkward. Prior to the 2011 World Cup, Sport Canadas Athlete Assistance Program allowed Rugby Canada to spread government funding. Less than $20,000 per athlete per year is not substantial, but it gave some the chance to train full-time at Rugby Canadas B.C. hub. But after several senior players retired following the 2011 tournament, and with Rugby 7s — a quicker, less crowded cousin of the 15s game — becoming an Olympic sport in 2016, funding was altered. No longer could the superhero-sized forwards at the front hope for funding, only the nimble backs, capable of playing the 7s and 15s game, are eligible for 17 government stipends. Few forwards have full-time pro contracts; the rest, for now, play for nothing. Crowley is confident his players are developing, and believes he has depth, but it is only really in select positions. He is trying to build a car, hoping he has all the parts for an engine. "The tight five [forwards at the front] is an area we have major concerns in, simply because those guys arent getting the games at the level they need to, or they coaching they can," Crowley said. For decades, Canada was recognized around the world for grooming forwards of otherworldly strength. Some European players once thought mountainous Canadians lived in the bush, hewing wood by day then breaking bodies on the field at night. That label could diminish. "Were doing everything we can to get [players] over to New Zealand and Europe and they are starting to pick up contracts, which is great. But there is no money for them to train and play in Canada right now," said Gareth Rees, Canadas team manager, and its greatest player. Rees and former national teammate Al Charron — the biggest of Canadas bygone big men — continue to negotiate sponsorship deals and potential playing opportunities overseas. A North American professional league, and ground sharing with Major League Soccer teams, has long been discussed, but its simply a dream. Some Canadians players will leave, because rugby demands, then demands more. "I find it frustrating that we may lose some of these athletes to go and work and support their families, who are world class," Rees said. "They may not get on a plane to go to the World Cup." And though hope maybe the one thing Rees has in abundance, he knows Crowleys coaching, alongside 7s coach Geraint John, breeds needed confidence. With so little to go around, they share all they can. Crowley helped John coach the 7s team to Pan-American gold in 2011. John is Crowleys valued assistant, helping ease the transition for well-worked 7s players joining the national team. "I think we undervalue that constantly," Rees said. "Most unions, those two coaches are fighting each other to get players and it is kind of destructive. I think it is very healthy the relationship they have, and the total commitment they have to the Canadian cause, not just the Canadian 7s or 15s." The limitations could be disheartening, but Canadas resolve has steadily hardened into an unbreakable thing. "We try and work with one another to try and get the best for, not only the best result for Canada, but the best result for the player," Crowley said. "We want the players to be able to perform each time. Were working together on that." Maybe its a mistaken belief, but damn you, and your labels and your expectations. "It annoys us because we train like professionals, and the guys know that theyre in the gym when theyre not on the field. And when they are on the field, theyre training like us guys overseas are," Carpenter said. The ledger shows a hard, frustrating reality, yes; but the truth lies on the field, too. All things must be earned Saturday night, victory or defeat. And the long push will go on. Custom Rays Jerseys . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Custom Rays T-shirts . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. http://www.customraysjersey.com/ . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. Rays Jerseys China . Pirlo limped out of Sundays 1-0 win over Udinese after just 13 minutes. Juventus says Pirlo underwent tests on Monday which revealed he has "a second-degree lesion to the collateral medial ligament in his right knee. Cheap Custom Rays Jersey .C. -- Todd Fiddler scored a hat trick, including the overtime goal, as the Prince George Cougars survived an 8-7 win against the Kamloops Blazers in Western Hockey League play Sunday. SEATTLE -- Elvis Andrus used his bat to offset a couple of defensive miscues.Andrus had a homer, three doubles and two errors, Jonathan Lucroy hit a two-run homer and the Texas Rangers held off the slumping Seattle Mariners 10-7 on Tuesday night.Texas, which leads the AL West by 8 1/2 games, had a season-high seven doubles among its 15 hits and won for the eighth time in 10 games.Other than the first at-bat with the strikeout, a huge night for Elvis coming on a night where defensively, a couple mistakes, Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. A really huge night with the homer, the doubles, the hit-and-run double, really he just continues to come up with huge hits for us in different situations.Martin Perez (10-10) allowed four runs -- two earned -- and seven hits in six innings to win for the third time in his last 13 starts. Sam Dyson pitched the ninth for his 32nd save.James Paxton (4-6) allowed six runs -- four earned -- and nine hits, throwing 103 pitches in 4 1/3 innings.The Rangers snapped a 4-4 tie with three runs in the fifth. Lucroy chased Paxton with his ninth homer since joining the Rangers -- he had 13 with Milwaukee prior to the Aug. 1 trade. Drew Storen relieved and gave up doubles to Andrus and pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland.I finally got a pitch up in the zone and barreled it up, Lucroy said. Ive been a little late on some heaters, a little ahead on some offspeed stuff. I finally got a pitch I could handle and didnt miss it.Andrus opened the seventh with his fifth home run off Arquimedes Caminero to make it 8-4. Seattle cut it to 8-6 in the bottom on a bases-loaded walk to Kyle Seager and Leonys Martins sacrifice fly.Andrus added an RBI double in the eighth. Seth Smith answered with a pinch-hit homer in the bottom half, his 12th, to make it 9-7. Lucroy drew a bases-loaded walk in the ninth for the final run.I feel way worse for Martin, than actually for me with those two errors, Andrus said. Hes been battling a lot and today was throwing a great game, and it really gets me upset when stuff like that happens. But, I think it helped me, too, with my offense. It already happened, its in the past, so lets try to do somethiing offensively so I can help him.ddddddddddddSeattle, which was 10 games above .500 on Aug. 22, fell to 70-68 and 12 1/2 games behind the Rangers. The Mariners have lost 10 of 13.We could never just quite get out in front of it, Mariners manager Scott Servais said. I thought our offense did a really great job, getting after it and trying to create opportunities. We were one hit away a couple times from getting the lead, but we just couldnt do it.Seager pulled the Mariners even in the third with a two-run homer, his 26th, matching his career high set last season.Paxton struck out four in the first inning, with one of them costing him a run. Ian Desmond struck out, but reached on a wild pitch. Carlos Beltran singled him to third and Adrian Beltre punched an opposite-field dribbler into right for an RBI single.BELTRE KEEPS SCORINGAdrian Beltre doubled to open the fifth and scored ahead of Lucroys home run, giving him a Rangers record of 12 consecutive games with a run scored. It was Beltres 585th career double, tying Rafael Palmeiro for 19th on the career list.TRAINING ROOM:Rangers: RHP Tanner Scheppers was activated from the 60-day DL (left knee surgery). ... Texas recalled INF Joey Gallo and OF Jared Hoying from Triple-A Round Rock.Mariners: RHP Tom Wilhelmsen, eligible to come off the 15-day DL (low back spasms), is on track to throw a simulated game on Thursday after an incident-free bullpen on Tuesday. ... Veteran OF Norichika Aoki was recalled after a short stint at Triple-A Tacoma.UP NEXT:Rangers: RHP A.J. Griffin (7-3, 4.41 ERA) has allowed three runs or fewer in six of his last eight starts. Griffin has won his last two starts, beginning with six scoreless innings in a victory over Cleveland.Mariners: LHP Ariel Miranda (2-1, 5.76 ERA) makes his sixth start since being acquired from Baltimore on July 31 in the trade for Wade Miley. Miranda was tagged for four runs in the first in his last start against the Angels, but followed with five scoreless innings for the victory when the Mariners rallied. ' ' '