THIRTY-THREE PLAYER SQUAD NAMED FOR CANADA\u2019S MEN\u2019S RUGBY TEAM\u2019S AUTUMN TESTS<\/p>\n
October 27, 2025 (Langford, BC) – Head Coach\u00a0Stephen Meehan\u00a0has named a 33-player roster for\u00a0Canada\u2019s Men\u2019s Rugby Team\u00a0ahead of the program\u2019s upcoming autumn tests in Europe. Canada will face\u00a0Romania, Georgia, and Portugal, with each fixture set to be played in the respective host nation.<\/p>\n
Canada opens the tour against Romania on\u00a0November 8\u00a0in the second edition of the\u00a0Cernavod\u0103 Cup, before meeting\u00a0Georgia on November 15\u00a0and\u00a0Portugal on November 22\u00a0in the team\u2019s final international test matches of 2025. These fixtures bring Canada\u2019s total to\u00a0nine test matches\u00a0this year, offering valuable experience as the program continues building toward the\u00a02027 Rugby World Cup.<\/p>\n
Earlier this year Canada hosted\u00a0Belgium\u00a0and\u00a0Spain\u00a0in Edmonton before competing in the\u00a0Pacific Nations Cup, where they faced the\u00a0United States,\u00a0Japan,\u00a0Fiji, and\u00a0Tonga. Canada finished fourth in the tournament,\u00a0securing qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup<\/a>\u00a0in the process.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got three matches ahead, and with a demanding travel schedule, it will be interesting to see how our team adapts both on and off the field.\u201d Said Head Coach Stephen Meehan, \u201cWe faced Romania twice in 2024, so we\u2019re looking forward to that challenge again and to compete for the Cernavod\u0103 Cup \u2014 a great opportunity to focus our preparation and play for a meaningful trophy. Georgia are a very strong side, which will test us in different ways, while Portugal brings a unique style of play that will require us to adjust our approach.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is to continue developing the ability to adapt our game week to week, responding to the different styles and challenges that each opponent presents.\u201d<\/p>\n The squad will be\u00a0captained by Lucas Rumball, with\u00a021 players returning\u00a0from Canada\u2019s Pacific Nations Cup roster, including\u00a0Jack Shaw\u00a0and\u00a0Austin Creighton, who both earned their first caps against Tonga.<\/p>\n Seven players will be aiming to make their international debuts on tour:\u00a0Ryan Cozens, Barnaby Waddell, Jeffrey Young, Morgan Di Nardo, Josh McIndoe, Bryce Worden, and James Naylor. Cozens, Young, Di Nardo, and McIndoe have all previously represented\u00a0Canada\u2019s U20 Men\u2019s Rugby Team.<\/p>\n The squad also features\u00a011 Pacific Pride Development Academy graduates, including\u00a0Kyle Tremblay\u00a0and\u00a0Emerson Prior, who debuted earlier this year against Belgium and Spain, and\u00a0Sam Miller, who returns to the national team after a season with\u00a0Southern Districts Rugby Club\u00a0in Australia.<\/p>\n Matt Tierney\u00a0and\u00a0Robbie Povey\u00a0also return to the lineup. Tierney last appeared for Canada in 2021 and Povey in 2023. Tierney having played for Canada in the 2019 Rugby World Cup has since competed professionally in France\u2019s\u00a0Top 14\u00a0with\u00a0Castres Olympique, while Povey continues with the\u00a0Utah Warriors\u00a0in\u00a0Major League Rugby (MLR).<\/p>\n \u201cThere are some ongoing challenges around player availability and the uncertainty created by changes within Major League Rugby.\u201d Said Meehan, \u201cas a result, a number of players have taken time to reflect on their careers, which has opened opportunities for emerging players to step up, showcase their abilities, and push for selection ahead of 2027. This tour is an exciting moment for both experienced and aspiring players to come together and continue building our program.\u201d<\/p>\n In looking ahead to 2026, Meehan added, \u201cthe proposed 2026 Nations Championship represents an exciting opportunity for us to align more closely with our international peers and continue climbing the world rankings. Facing at least two of these three teams again in 2026 would provide valuable experience as we build toward the Rugby World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n MATCH SCHEDULE<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s Men\u2019s Rugby Team vs Romania \u2013 The Cernavod\u0103 Cup Broadcast information will be available shortly.<\/p>\n CANADA\u2019S MEN\u2019S RUGBY TEAM\u2019S AUTUMN TEST SQUAD<\/p>\n FORWARDS
Saturday, November 8 2025
7:00am PT \/ 10:00am ET \/ 5:00pm Local
Arcul de Triumf, Bucharest
Buy tickets here.<\/a>
\u00a0
Canada\u2019s Men\u2019s Rugby Team vs Georgia
Saturday, November 15, 2025
5:00am PT \/ 8:00am ET \/ 4:00pm Local
Ajarabet Arena, Batumi
Buy tickets here.<\/a>
\u00a0
Canada\u2019s Men\u2019s Rugby Team vs Portugal
Saturday, November 22 2025
8:00am PT \/ 11:00am ET \/ 4:00pm Local
Est\u00e1dio Cidade de Coimbra
Buy tickets here.<\/a><\/p>\n
Callum Botchar (Vancouver, BC) – James Bay AA \/ NOLA Gold \u00a0
Ryan Cozens (Sidmouth, ENG) – Sidmouth RFC \/ Cardiff Metropolitan University\u00a0
Austin Creighton (Edmonton, AB) – Nor\u2019Westers Athletic Association \/ James Bay AA
Mason Flesch (Cobourg, ON) – Cobourg Saxons\u00a0\/ Chicago Hounds
Cole Keith (Sussex, NB) – Belleisle Rovers RFC \/ New England Free Jacks \u00a0
Izzak Kelly (White Rock, BC) – Bayside RFC \/ Capilano RFC
Dewald Kotze (Edmonton, AB) – Strathcona Druids RFC \/ Seattle Seawolves
Sam Miller (Mount Denson, NS) – Valley Rugby Union \/ Southern Districts\u00a0
Matthew Oworu (Calgary, AB) – Pacific Pride\u00a0\/ Chicago Hounds
Si\u00f4n Parry (Cardiff, WAL) – Rhiwbina RFC \/ Ebbw Vale RFC
Emerson Prior (Brockville, ON) – Brockville Privateers \/ Westshore RFC \/ Utah Warriors
Lucas Rumball (Scarborough, ON) – Balmy Beach RFC \/ Chicago Hounds
Kyle Steeves (Winnipeg, MB) – Winnipeg Wombats \/ New England Free Jacks
Matt Tierney (Oakville, ON) – Oakville Crusaders
Piers Von Dadelszen (Vancouver, BC) – New England Free Jacks
Barnaby Waddell (Exeter, ENG) – Okehampton RFC \/ Bridgend Ravens\u00a0
Bryce Worden (Sussex, NB) – Burnaby Lake RFC
Jeffrey Young (Toronto, ON) – Toronto Nomads\u00a0\/ Bedwas RFC
\u00a0
BACKS
Nic Benn (Caves Beach, AUS) – Utah Warriors
Morgan Di Nardo (Toronto, ON) – Toronto City Rugby \/ University of Victoria\u00a0
Noah Flesch (Cobourg, ON) – Cobourg Saxons \/ Chicago Hounds \u00a0
Brock Gallagher (Edmonton, AB) – Strathcona Druids RFC \/ Seattle Seawolves\u00a0
Jason Higgins (Cork, IRE) – Cork Constitution \/ Chicago Hounds \u00a0
Spencer Jones (Cambridge, NZ) – Hamilton Old Boys \/ Utah Warriors\u00a0
Josh McIndoe (Victoria, BC) – Castaway Wanderers \/ Greerton Marist Rugby Club\u00a0
Takoda McMullin (White Rock, BC) – University of British Columbia\u00a0
Josiah Morra (Toronto, ON) – New England Free Jacks \/ Toronto Saracens\u00a0\u00a0
James Naylor (Cottingham, UK) – Rotherham Titans
Peter Nelson (Dungannon, NIR) – Dungannon RFC
Robbie Povey (Calgary, AB) – Rotherham Titans \/ Utah Warriors
Jack Shaw (Oakville, ON) – RFC LA \/ Castaway Wanderers\u00a0
Kyle Tremblay (White Rock, BC) – Bayside RFC \/ Pacific Pride\u00a0
Cooper Coats \u00a0(Halifax, NS) – Halifax Tars RFC \/ NOLA Gold \u00a0
\u00a0
NON-TRAVELLING RESERVES
Karl Hunger (Beaconsfield, QC) – Beaconsfield RFC \/ Pacific Pride\u00a0
Alexandre Janlin (Toulouse, FR) – L\u2019Isle Jourdain
Shane O\u2019Leary (Ballina, IRE) – Ballina Killaloe RFC \/ Miami Sharks\u00a0
Jesse Kilgour (Barrie, ON) – Barrie RFC \/ Pacific Pride
\u00a0
STAFF
Stephen Meehan \u2013 Head Coach\u00a0
Anthony Mathison \u2013 Forwards Coach\u00a0
Graeme Moffat \u2013 Skills Coach
Callum Gibbins \u2013 Defence Coach
Richard Andrews \u2013 Head Analyst \u00a0
Luke Robinson \u2013 Analyst Intern
James Rees \u2013 Head S&C Coach\u00a0
John Cunningham \u2013 Assistant S&C Coach
Lisa Ruggles \u2013 Lead Therapist\u00a0
Ben Motum \u2013 Assistant Therapist\u00a0
Jordan Monks \u2013 Assistant Therapist
Shauna Ericksen \u2013 Assistant Therapist
Dr. Longland \u2013 CMO \/ Team Doctor
Dr. Hendrik Boshoff \u2013 Team Doctor\u00a0\u00a0
Neil MacDougall \u2013 Manager\u00a0
Ryan Sinclair \u2013 Assistant Tour Manager
Maxine O\u2019Leary \u2013 Media Manager<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"THIRTY-THREE PLAYER SQUAD NAMED FOR CANADA\u2019S MEN\u2019S RUGBY TEAM\u2019S AUTUMN TESTS October 27, 2025 (Langford, BC) – Head…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":244548,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[567],"tags":[64,63,760,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-244547","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-rugby","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-rugby","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244547\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}