{"id":595966,"date":"2026-04-11T01:20:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T01:20:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/595966\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T01:20:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T01:20:10","slug":"glad-for-winnipeg-fans-to-get-a-taste-winnipeg-free-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/595966\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Glad for Winnipeg fans to get a taste\u2019 \u2013 Winnipeg Free Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

The last time Winnipeg hosted an international rugby match, Whitney Houston\u2019s I Will Always Love You topped the music charts and Harrison Ford ruled the box office in The Fugitive.<\/p>\n

The Canadian men\u2019s national team was also a pesky squad that punched well above its weight on the pitch, finding ways to contend with European powerhouses like Wales and England.<\/p>\n

Gareth Rees remembers those days fondly. The former fullback helped make up the backbone of that Canadian team, which also took it to the United States at Maple Grove Rugby Park in 1993.<\/p>\n

The Americans were dominated 20-9 that day.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s scary that it was 33 years ago,\u201d Rees, a Duncan, B.C. native who captained Team Canada for parts of his 15 years with the squad, told the Free Press.<\/p>\n

\u201cI distinctly remember it, because we weren\u2019t fully pro then, so we weren\u2019t making a lot of dough. But we got to town, and everyone wanted to have us here \u2014 lots of support, lots of fun. So we got a really good reception, and then we beat the Americans pretty well. So it was a pretty great week when we were here.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Gareth Rees, inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2014,\u00a0captained Team Canada for parts of his 15 years with the squad. \n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

More than three decades later, the Canadian men\u2019s team returns to Winnipeg to face world-ranked No. 24 Zimbabwe at Princess Auto Stadium on July 18. It will be the second match of a double-header that will see Tonga face Portugal earlier in the day.<\/p>\n

Both matches will be pivotal for all four programs, which are competing in the inaugural Nations Cup, which includes the 12 unions that qualified for next year\u2019s Rugby World Cup.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s great for this generation of guys to get the same opportunity, but in a way more different environment, and more fans and a lot more people know what they\u2019re doing out there on the field,\u201d said Rees, who is tackling the growth of the sport as the director of strategic partnerships with Rugby Canada these days.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg is the final stop of the national team\u2019s Canadian-hosted matches, and the final contest in the July swing of the Nations Cup, which will resume in November. Canada is also in Edmonton for a pair of contests against Spain and Portugal on July 4 and 11, respectively.<\/p>\n

The Bombers will be in Ottawa for a tilt with the Redblacks on July 19, giving Winnipeggers a full weekend of action to watch.<\/p>\n

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The Canadian men\u2019s rugby team battles against the U.S. men\u2019s squad during a match last summer. The team will play an international match in Winnipeg on July 18 for the first time in more than three decades.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s an incredible opportunity to see this game played at the highest level. It\u2019s been 33 years since we\u2019ve hosted an international, and in that time, the game has become professionalized and has grown and evolved quite a bit,\u201d said Rugby Manitoba president Christian Taylor.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things for non-rugby people that I often hear from them is that they wouldn\u2019t necessarily go out of their way to watch it, but when it\u2019s on \u2014 the Women\u2019s World Cup final in the fall \u2014 they are captivated by it. It\u2019s fast, it\u2019s physical, it\u2019s skilled. And so I think those are things that people really enjoy about the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rees said Zimbabwe is a team the Canadians have targeted as an opponent that presents a strong chance to win in July. He also expects those in attendance to get a true feel for the international qualities that rugby offers.<\/p>\n

One example will be the Tongans, who execute a war dance before every match that they call Sipi Tau. It\u2019s similar to the famous haka performed by the New Zealand All Blacks, and only adds to the entertainment value.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have four different continents playing rugby in Winnipeg. That kind of sums up rugby,\u201d said Rees.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s so many elements to rugby, it\u2019s not just about what goes on, on the field, and that\u2019s what I\u2019m really glad for Winnipeg fans to get a taste of and get to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

All contests will be broadcast on TSN. Tickets for both matches are available at Ticketmaster.<\/p>\n

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Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter
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Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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