{"id":797346,"date":"2026-07-12T16:07:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T16:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/797346\/"},"modified":"2026-07-12T16:07:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T16:07:11","slug":"canada-falls-to-portugal-in-second-match-of-world-rugby-nations-cup-in-edmonton-rugby-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/797346\/","title":{"rendered":"CANADA FALLS TO PORTUGAL IN SECOND MATCH OF WORLD RUGBY NATIONS CUP IN EDMONTON \u2014 Rugby Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"

Saturday, July 11, 2026 (Edmonton, Alberta)\u00a0\u2013 Following a\u00a0thrilling 42-42 draw against Spain last weekend<\/a>, Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team fell 38-14 to\u00a0Portugal, ranked 15th\u00a0in the world,\u00a0on Saturday night in Edmonton.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Canada opened the scoring and trailed by just five points at halftime, but four unanswered tries from Portugal in the opening 15 minutes of the second half put the match out of reach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s performance fell well short of the standards we set for ourselves and the expectations we had going into the match,\u201d said Head Coach Stephen Meehan. \u201cWe started positively, with a strong set piece and a well-worked opening try, but errors in possession and key moments allowed momentum to shift away from us, and we were unable to respond effectively.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

BACK-AND-FORTH BATTLE IN THE FIRST HALF\u00a0
Portugal threatened early in the sixth minute when winger Vincent Pinto broke down the edge of the pitch. Canada’s Peter Nelson produced a crucial try-saving tackle, and Portugal knocked the ball on in contact to relieve the pressure\u00a0on Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The red and white struck first in the 18th minute when the ball was moved wide to Kyle Tremblay on the wing. Tremblay beat his defender before offloading to Takoda McMullin in support, with McMullin crossing under the posts. Nelson added the conversion to give Canada a 7-0 lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Canada continued to apply pressure midway through the half and came within centimetres of the try line in the 24th minute, but a knock-on at the ruck ended the attacking opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Portugal responded in the 29th minute with\u00a0their\u00a0first try of the match. The conversion was missed, leaving Canada narrowly ahead 7-5. The visitors seized the momentum in the 37th minute, scoring their second try of the half. This time, the conversion was successful to give Portugal a 12-7 halftime lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n

PORTUGAL SCORE FOUR IN THE SECOND HALF\u00a0
Portugal extended its advantage just over a minute into the second half with another try, increasing\u00a0their\u00a0lead to 19-7.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The visitors added their fourth try of the match in the 47th minute after Canada was penalized at the scrum. The ball was moved quickly to the wing, where Portugal scored in the corner to make it 24-7. Tries in the 51st and 54th minutes capped a dominant opening 15 minutes after the break, extending Portugal’s\u00a0lead\u00a0to 38-7.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Canada scored its second try late in the match when Spencer Jones broke through the defensive line before kicking ahead\u00a0down field. Brock Gallagher won the race to the ball and grounded it for the try. The score brought the final margin to 38-14\u00a0in favour of Portugal\u00a0<\/p>\n

WORDS FROM HEAD COACH STEPHEN MEEHAN\u00a0
\u201cWhile the result is disappointing, it gives us added determination heading into Winnipeg. Our focus now is on preparing as thoroughly as possible, addressing the areas that let us down, and ensuring we\u00a0represent\u00a0Canada with pride in front of our supporters. We showed glimpses of the rugby we\u00a0are capable of playing, and our challenge is to deliver that level consistently from the opening whistle.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were also encouraging signs from our debutants and younger players, who embraced their opportunities and gave everything for the team. Canada has a wealth of emerging talent, and it is important that we continue to provide those players with opportunities and find ways to work with them consistently.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

CANADIAN MILESTONES\u00a0
Four players made their Canadian debuts on Saturday. Daragh Doyle and Jacob Ince, who were named in the previous week’s matchday squad but did not come off the bench, each earned their first caps. They were joined by UBC Thunderbird and BC Bears vs. Ontario Blues series standout Cody Nhanala, along with fellow Thunderbird Liam James.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Starters Piers von Dadelszen and Izzak Kelly each earned their 15th caps, while Dewald Kotze, who came off the bench in the second half, also reached the 15-cap milestone.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CANADA SCORING SUMMARY\u00a0\u202f\u202f\u00a0
Tries:\u202f\u202fTakoda McMullin (18\u2019), Brock Gallagher (78\u2019)\u00a0
Conversions:\u202f\u202fPeter Nelson (2)\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

NEXT FOR CANADA\u2019S MEN\u2019S RUGBY TEAM\u00a0
Tonga vs Portugal\u00a0
Saturday July 18, 2026\u00a0
3:45pm CDT \/ 1:45pm PDT \/ 4:45pm ET\u00a0
Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg\u00a0<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s Men\u2019s Rugby Team vs Zimbabwe\u00a0
Saturday July 18, 2026\u00a0
7:00 pm CDT \/ 5:00pm PDT \/ 8:00pm ET\u00a0
Princess Auto Stadium, Winnipeg\u00a0<\/p>\n

Buy your tickets now at\u00a0ticketmaster.ca<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

CANADA\u2019S MEN\u2019S RUGBY TEAM\u2019S MATCH DAY ROSTER VS PORTUGAL\u00a0
1. Calixto Martinez (White Rock, BC) – Bayside RFC \/ Old Glory DC (13 caps)\u00a0
2. Andrew Quattrin (Holland Landing, ON) – Aurora Barbarians \/ US Carcassonne (30 caps)\u00a0
3. Cole Keith (Sussex NB) – Belleisle Rovers RFC \/ Doncaster Knights (45 caps)\u00a0
4. Piers Von Dadelszen (Vancouver, BC) \u2013\u00a0Meralomas\u00a0\/ New England Free Jacks (14 caps)\u00a0
5. Izzak Kelly (White Rock, BC) – Bayside RFC \/ SL Benfica (14 caps)\u00a0
6. Mason Flesch (Cobourg, ON) – Cobourg Saxons \/ Chicago Hounds (21 caps)\u00a0
7. Evan Olmstead (Vancouver, BC) \u2013 Lindfield Rugby Club \/ SU Agen (35 caps)\u00a0
8. Si\u00f4n Parry (Cardiff, WAL) –\u00a0Rhiwbina\u00a0RFC \/ Ebbw Vale RFC (17 caps)\u00a0
9. Jason Higgins (Cork, IRE) – Cork Constitution (28 caps)\u00a0
10. Peter Nelson (Dungannon, NIR) – Dungannon RFC (36 caps)\u00a0
11. Noah Flesch (Cobourg, ON) \u2013 Cobourg Saxons \/\u00a0Pe\u00f1arol\u00a0Rugby (12 caps)\u00a0
12. Josh McIndoe (Victoria, BC) – Castaway Wanderers \/ UVIC\u00a0Vikes\u00a0(1 cap)\u00a0
13. Spencer Jones (Cambridge, NZ) – Hamilton Old Boys (15 caps)\u00a0
14. Kyle Tremblay (White Rock, BC) – Bayside RFC (5 caps)\u00a0
15. Takoda McMullin (White Rock, BC) – University of British Columbia \/ Bayside RFC (6 caps)\u00a0
\u00a0
FINISHERS\u00a0\u00a0
16. Dewald Kotze (Edmonton, AB) – Strathcona Druids RFC \/ Seattle Seawolves (14 caps)\u00a0
17. Sam Miller (Mount Denson, NS) – Valley Rugby Union \/ Benfica SL (5 caps)\u00a0
18. Kyle Steeves (Winnipeg, MB) – Winnipeg Wombats \/ Hunter Wildfires (6 caps)\u00a0
19. Daragh Doyle (Quebec City, QC) \u2013 Clontarf FC (0 caps)\u00a0
20. Cody Nhanala (Ottawa, Ontario) \u2013 University of British Columbia (0 caps)\u00a0
21. Brock Gallagher (Edmonton, AB) – Strathcona Druids RFC (13 caps)\u00a0
22. Liam James (Vancouver, BC) \u2013 University of British Columbia \/ UBCOB Ravens (0 caps)\u00a0
23. Jacob Ince (Oakville, ON) \u2013 Guelph Gryphons \/ Taranaki Rugby (0 caps)\u00a0<\/p>\n

SUPPORT RUGBY CANADA\u00a0
Earned Not Given is a national campaign designed to shine a light on what Canadians\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0always see, Canada\u2019s National Team players working full-time jobs, balancing education, constant fundraising, and training without the spotlight. Canadians, corporations, and businesses are invited to invest in that meaning by supporting Rugby Canada\u2019s high-performance programs, player development pathways, and grassroots growth across the country. Learn more and contribute at\u00a0https:\/\/rugby.ca\/donate<\/a>.\u00a0
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\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Saturday, July 11, 2026 (Edmonton, Alberta)\u00a0\u2013 Following a\u00a0thrilling 42-42 draw against Spain last weekend, Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":797347,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194294],"tags":[49,48,23752],"class_list":["post-797346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-edmonton","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-edmonton"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=797346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/797346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/797347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=797346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=797346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=797346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}