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Just 23, Tyler Ardron has big shoes to fill as Canadian rugby captain. Hans de Goede, Gareth Rees and Al Charron are just some of the rugby icons to lead Canada to battle. Other Canadian skippers of note include Mark Wyatt, Spence McTavish, John Graf and Mike James. More recently, Morgan Williams, Pat Riordan and Aaron Carpenter have captained Canada. Ardron, who has got congratulatory emails offering advice and support from many of those captains, really is the new kid on the block. "I know it is a great honour and its great to be able to follow up in those guys footsteps," said Ardron, who turned 23 on Monday. It speaks volumes that after being named captain, Ardrons thoughts were not about himself but of those who helped him along his rugby road. "Theres so many things that if they hadnt happened right, I wouldnt be here now," said the willowy back-row forward from Lakefield, Ont. With Carpenter transitioning to a new position -- from No. 8 to hooker -- Canadian coach Kieran Crowley opted for a new leader ahead of the June internationals. His choice was Ardron, who is coming off his first pro season in Wales with Ospreys. While young, with just 15 caps going into Saturdays Pacific Nations Cup match against the U.S. Eagles in Sacramento, Ardron is no stranger to leadership. He captained the McMaster University team, as well as Canada at the IRB Junior World Trophy. Ardron, who made his national team debut in June 2012, also led Canada twice in 2013 before Crowley made it permanent this year. "Hes a good player, he knows the game," said Crowley. "His year at Ospreys has really helped him. Hes even being brought into the leadership group in the Ospreys camp. So that just shows you what their opinion of him is. "I see him as a leader who could be a leader for Canada for a long time to come. Hes grounded, he has good character. Hes still obviously learning the whole leadership role of it but Ive been very impressed with him." The six-foot-four 242-pounder showed his commitment to the team last November in Tbilisi when Georgian flanker Vito Kolelishvili clotheslined Canadian fly half Liam Underwood. Ardron, who was captain on the day, confronted the Georgian and a brawl began, with several Canadians engulfed in packs of Georgia players. Almost every player on the field got involved, with several mini-clashes breaking out as Canadian trainers tended to the prone Underwood. Kolelishvili and Ardron were both red-carded when peace was restored. The Canadian forward escaped further sanctions because he did not throw a punch. Rees, currently manager of the national mens program, says Ardrons rugby story is one of a "meteoric rise." "For me one of the most important things with a captain is his name is one of the first on the team sheet, from the selection point, and it is in his case," said Rees, a member of the International Rugby Board Hall of Fame. "By no means a finished product in terms of captaincy but a really good head on his shoulders. Hes very open to using and engaging the other senior players which is something that I learned over my course (as captain) is really important." "A guy who cares about the jersey," said Charron, who like Rees played in four Rugby World Cups. Charron, no stranger to leading by example, likes what he sees on the field with Ardron. "Ive been impressed with his play," added Charron, Rugby Canadas manager of player advancement and alumni relations. Ardron grew up playing hockey, adding rugby in Grade 9. A centre in hockey, he played at the triple-A level and had dreams of playing in the OHL before focusing on university and rugby. He moved to Victoria during his third year at McMaster to take his rugby to the next level. He had already won sevens gold at the 2011 Pan American Games, a squad whose members continues to excel for Rugby Canada. This was the first season he hasnt played a sevens, due to his pro commitments with his Welsh club team. Ardron, who rooms with fellow Canadian Jeff Hassler in Wales, played 22 games for Ospreys in his debut season. "It went really well," he said. "Jeff made the dream (all-star) team of the league and played a ton. As a forward we had a lot more rotation but I still played well over 20 games and had a ton of game time." Nicknames are key on a team that includes five Jones, two Smiths and two named Thomas. There is more to life than rugby, however. Ardron continues his university studies in finance and economics online. An avid reader, he can see a future in real estate. With his growing club and international demands, it makes for a busy schedule but Ardron has no regrets. "Any time you take a step back and think if I had just done the normal thing and finished my degree, Id be sitting behind a desk probably now and wishing I was doing this. So Ive got plenty of time to do that when Im done. I think I just need to always keep that in mind and take a step back and look at it that way." Canada is ranked 16th in the world by the IRB while the U.S. is No. 18. Both teams are coming off earlier losses to Japan in the Pacific Nations Cup. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Sale . TSN Hockey Insiders Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie both reported Thursday that there have been ongoing trade discussions between the Oilers and Los Angeles Kings over forward Sam Gagner. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Websites . Edmonton opened the season with 14 straight victories before falling Friday night 10-8 to the host Colorado Mammoth in National Lacrosse League action. http://www.cheapairjordan1uk.com/ .J. Barea during a three-game shooting slump that was getting him booed off his home court with regularity. Cheap Air Jordan 1 Uk .Y. -- As if the worst start in franchise history isnt bad enough, Buffalo Sabres President Ted Black braced his teams win-starved fans for potentially more tough times. Wholesale Air Jordan 1 Uk . Thats when the eight-time champion revealed that a painful back is slowing his serves -- and, all in all, giving him more trouble than his opponents so far.MONTPELLIER, France -- Stage 6 of the 100th Tour de France was a textbook demonstration of teamwork. Like playing pass the parcel, an Australian deliberately handed over the race lead to a South African teammate and friend, so he could be the first rider from that country to wear the famed yellow jersey. And the German, Andre Greipel, who won the stage with a fierce finishing sprint, owed a debt of gratitude to teammates who plied him with drinks all afternoon, ferrying bottles back and forth from cars at the back of the race, so he didnt melt in the scorching sun. "Room service," the big German said light-heartedly. As the new leader of cyclings showcase race, Daryl Impey can look forward to some first-class treatment, too. Being the first South African to wear the yellow jersey "will definitely change my life," Impey said. Rugby, cricket and, for the majority black population, football, are the big sports for South Africans. Impey can shop in the malls of Johannesburg, where he trains and lives, without being recognized, said his wife, Alexandra. But that was before his buddy on the Orica GreenEdge team, Simon Gerrans, passed him the race lead at the Tour. "Wearing the yellow jersey now is definitely going to change things for cycling, put it on the map in South Africa," said Impey. "Hopefully people will start recognizing me, maybe." Gerrans knows the feeling. To wear canary yellow at the Tour is to be king for a day -- or more depending on how long the rider keeps the lead. Gerrans had it for two unforgettable days. Fans clapped and cheered when they saw him. Reporters chased him. A particularly boisterous crowd of Aussie fans played air guitar for him. The jersey also carries extra responsibilities: news conferences, podium ceremonies and other distractions can eat into rest and recovery -- so important for riders to survive the three-week trek over 3,404 kilometres (2,115 miles). Injuries from crashes have already culled seven of the 198 riders who started in Corsica on June 29. Impey worked for Gerrans earlier at the Tour, helping him win Stage 3 and riding hard in the time trial Orica won as a team in Stage 4. Gerrans figured it was time for some pay-back. So on Thursday he rode in five seconds behind Impey in Montpellier. That was enough for the race lead to pass from one to the other, because they started the day with the exact same overall time, with Gerrans in first place and Impey second. "Daryl was a huge part of me getting the jersey so I thought it was a nice gesture to be able to pass it on to him now. Hopefully for a few days," Gerrans said. "To have the yellow jersey, it just really changes your life as a cyclist." "Ill have a bit more time to myself now and pass all that extra work on to Daryl," Gerrans added. "I dont count it as losing the jersey. I count it as passing it onto a mate.dddddddddddd It was the plan before the stage and we were able to execute it perfectly." Impeys father was a pro cyclist in South Africa, said his wife, Alexandra. She said Impey also used to train with Burry Stander, a two-time Olympic mountain biker killed Jan. 3 when he was hit by a minibus taxi while biking with his wife. Stander was the second leading cyclist to be killed in a road accident in South Africa in recent years. Carla Swart died in January 2011 when she was hit by a truck while training. Describing roads around Johannesburg as "pretty scary," Alexandra Impey said: "I feel more relaxed when hes training here in Europe." Greipels sprint-finish victory capped a hard day of riding for the pack, across 176.5-kilometres (110 miles) of flat, sun-kissed terrain from Aix-en-Provence. Anxious that the regions famous wind, the mistral, might blow hard and split up the race, teams cranked up the pace, reeling in a breakaway rider and motoring at high speed to make sure they wouldnt get left behind. This in heat that turned tarmac sticky, with temperatures in the thirties (above 90 Fahrenheit). Bottles flew from the peloton as riders emptied them and tossed them aside. At the finish, French rider Thibaut Pinot immediately pulled up at a drinks station, pouring a whole bottle of water over his head and downing another in huge gulps. "We rode strong all day in poor conditions," said Mark Cavendish, who won Stage 5 in a sprint but crashed late in Stage 6 and expended too much energy getting back into the race to challenge Greipel in the final dash. Water-carrying is the job of so-called "domestiques," racers who ride in support of leaders going either for overall victory or stage wins. "The yellow jersey doesnt get bottles, as a general rule," said Matt White, a director on Impeys team. While leaders concentrate on staying up front, their support riders drop back to team cars behind the peloton to pick up drinks. "Its a dangerous place to be, getting water bottles at 60 kilometres per hour (37 miles per hour) and putting them in your pockets," said White. So leaders dont do it. Domestiques stuff bottles into pockets and inside their shirts. ""You look like an idiot, but its the easiest way to carry them," said one of Greipels water carriers, Australian Adam Hansen. Then they race back to distribute the drinks to teammates. "When youve got to go all the way back and all the way forward, its hard work," said Hansen. So Greipel doesnt do it, to keep him fresh for finishing sprints where he excels. His stage win Thursday was his fifth at the Tour. Greipel said he downed four to five litres (8 to 10 pints) of liquid -- about 10 bottles -- as he rode. But he didnt get one of them himself. "Thats our job: to make it easy as possible for him," said Hansen. ' ' '