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![\"MIKE](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4397682_web1_260716-Kyle-Steeves-0004.jpg\")
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MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
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Winnipegger Kyle Steeves and Team Canada practice Thursday at Maple Grove Rugby Park for a World Rugby Nations Cup clash against Zimbabwe at Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
He enjoyed the physical nature of the sport, but in his eyes, it was never more than an excuse to lay a big hit.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, I didn\u2019t know professional rugby was an option when I was coming through high school. I didn\u2019t know that it was a thing or that rugby was even that big, so when it all kind of came around, I was pretty shocked that it was going to be my only job that I was just there to play rugby,\u201d Steeves said in a recent phone interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was pretty spectacular. So I\u2019m pretty lucky that I was able to just get paid to run around the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thinking back to that time has made the lead-up to this weekend all the more anticipated for Steeves.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, he and the rest of the world-ranked No. 25 Canadian men\u2019s national rugby union will face No. 24 Zimbabwe at Princess Auto Stadium in the third match of pool play in the inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup (7 p.m.).<\/p>\n
It\u2019ll be the first time in 33 years that Team Canada scrums in the provincial capital, and the first time in two years that Steeves laces up in his hometown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of lost count after a while,\u201d said Steeves, who is expecting more than 50 friends and family in the stands. \u201cI got quite a large family on my mom\u2019s side, and I actually have a lot of family on my dad\u2019s side that\u2019s coming as well. I lost count a while ago, but I\u2019m sure I\u2019m gonna be overwhelmed when it happens.\u201d<\/p>\n
Steeves was a multi-sport athlete who naturally gravitated to football and wrestling because of his larger build. Perhaps he would\u2019ve had a future on the mat had he decided to pursue it heavily, but it always made sense that rugby became the avenue he chose.<\/p>\n
He grew up watching his older brother and sister on the pitch and had an affinity for the sport before he ever suited up himself. Both his siblings played at the club level after graduating high school, but never pursued it seriously.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what set Steeves apart. After playing for the Manitoba Wombats with his older brother, doors began to open. He was invited to play for the national U18 men\u2019s team and eventually the Rugby Canada National Development Academy in Langford, B.C., where he continued to grow.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Steeves suited up for St. Paul\u2019s High School\u2019s rugby team as a teenager. Saturday’s game marks the first time in 33 year that Team Canada scrums in the provincial capital.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In 2022, he notched his first international cap in a match against Namibia.<\/p>\n Steeves still had no idea where his next step would take him, but he was more than happy to take the ride.<\/p>\n \u201cI think I was kind of naturally drawn to rugby with the family and everything, and it was just something that I ended up being pretty good at, just with the contact involvement and everything like that,\u201d he said, crediting his siblings for their unwavering support throughout the years.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then I did have some coaches that were really influential on me; Elias Fiebelkorn was the longest coach that I had in high school, and he was just phenomenal in terms of pushing me to be better, and he always had feedback for me that I could improve on.\u201d<\/p>\n Next thing he knew, Steeves was playing professionally in the U.S.-based Major League Rugby with the Dallas Jackals for two seasons and then in Boston with the New England Free Jacks, who won the MLR championship last year.<\/p>\n \u201cI think once I got a taste of playing some higher level rugby, it\u2019s kind of addictive.\u201d<\/p>\n This year, he took his game a step further when he travelled to the Land Down Under to play for the Hunter Wildfires in Australia\u2019s Shute Shield competition.<\/p>\n \u201cI think once I got a taste of playing some higher level rugby, it\u2019s kind of addictive, and you want to keep going,\u201d Steeves said. \u201cYou want to keep seeing how far you can go, you want to try and be the best.\u201d<\/p>\n Winnipeg is the last stop on the national team\u2019s home summer tour in the Nations Cup. They played a pair of matches in Edmonton earlier this month, settling for a draw against Spain then falling to Portugal last weekend.<\/p>\n Canada will play the second of a double-header on Saturday, which begins with Portugal facing Tonga at 3:45 p.m.<\/p>\n Last month, Steeves was the lone Manitoban named to the Canadian men\u2019s national rugby team that will play in next year\u2019s Rugby World Cup in Australia.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t MIKE DEAL \/ FREE PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Steeves is the lone Manitoban on the roster Saturday for Team Canada\u2019s men\u2019s rugby squad.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The 6-1, 250-pounder is one of three props \u2014 the tighthead prop and the loosehead prop anchor the front row of a scrum \u2014 in an ongoing battle for a starting spot, trying to impress second-year head coach Stephen Meehan.<\/p>\n \u201cHis physical strengths \u2014 look, he\u2019s a strong guy, particularly from a lower body point of view,\u201d Meehan said. \u201cHe has the capability of producing good speed for a tighthead prop, so if we can get him combining that with a good sense of rugby timing, if you like, there\u2019s some opportunities there for him to really help us out certainly in our general play, in our attack once that set piece is finished.\u201d<\/p>\n Meehan has been impressed by what he\u2019s seen from Steeves in the short time working with him. The coach credited the Manitoban for going to Australia to get more reps on the pitch.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought that that was an indication of somebody who really has a desire to play for Canada, is really looking for some ways of improving his game,\u201d Meehan said. \u201cThat\u2019s obviously a point of character, I suppose. Physically, he can be quite dynamic, and from that point we want to see if we can help him develop in the areas that we can really make use of his physical strengths.\u201d<\/p>\n Meehan took over a struggling Canadian squad in need of a new direction in December 2024. The building process can be long, but he remains encouraged by his side\u2019s progress as it builds toward its first appearance since 2019 in the Rugby World Cup.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the challenges, I always refer to them as fun challenges; that\u2019s the first and foremost because we know that we\u2019re in a good position,\u201d Meehan said.<\/p>\n \u201cJust trying to really improve the depth of our knowledge about the players, that\u2019s one of the challenges, so that you can really sort of help players develop and improve, and understand the areas that they\u2019re really strong at and the areas that need a little bit of work.\u201d<\/p>\n Canada will be the lowest-ranked of the 24 countries who qualified in the expanded World Cup tournament and will have a tough draw as a result. They are pooled with No. 6 Argentina, No. 8 Fiji and No. 15 Spain, and will look to curb an 11-match winless drought that dates back to 2011 and emerge from the pool stage for the second time ever (1991).<\/p>\n \n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n \t\t\tThe Warm-Up<\/p>\n Winnipeg Jets Game Days<\/p>\n On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.<\/p>\n \t\t\tSign up for The Warm-Up<\/a><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t Canada\u2019s return to the world stage has been a long time coming for many. And for Steeves, it\u2019ll be a moment he never knew was possible.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, it means a lot,\u201d Steeves said of being the lone Manitoban. \u201cPlaying with Team Canada is probably one of the biggest honours that I\u2019ve had in my life, and being able to support the team and represent my country and everyone that\u2019s here.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s obviously so many kids in Manitoba that are playing rugby and maybe don\u2019t know \u2014 like I did \u2014 that there was that next step, so if I can go and play, and put on a good show, and maybe show some of those kids that it is possible to go further in the sport, and just how many opportunities there are, I just want to be a good example for all of them, and obviously make everyone back home, and my family, proud.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/joshuafreysam<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Joshua Frey-Sam 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 Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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