A Bruno Mars gig resulted in the club’s tour match being cancelled
12:39, 29 May 2026Updated 12:42, 29 May 2026
Mountain Ash RFC are out in Canada on tour(Image: Instagram: @mountain_ash_rfc)
A Welsh rugby club were forced to cancel a match during a tour of Canada after traffic caused by a Bruno Mars gig.
Mountain Ash RFC, who are touring Canada as part of their 150th anniversary, had been due to play a match against Fergus Highland RFC on Wednesday – a club based in a township around 70 miles outside of Toronto. However, the club were forced to cancel at late notice due to severe traffic in Toronto.
The same night, the city’s baseball team – the Toronto Blue Jays – were taking on the Miami Marlins in front of 42,000 fans at Rodgers Centre, while on the other side of the city, Mars was holding a concert at the 50,000-seater open-air Rodgers Stadium.
With two high-profile events taking place that night, the journey to Fergus that would normally have taken around an hour-and-a-half was set to take over three hours.
It’s understood that the club, having consulted with senior players, decided that just wasn’t workable in terms of making the local kick-off time of 7pm and then making it back to Toronto again afterwards.
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The bus drivers’ working hours are believed to have been a consideration as well.
Fergus Highland, who are celebrating their 35th anniversary, were said to be understanding of the cancellation.
A different night was explored for the match to be rearranged, but proved impossible to schedule as the club prepare to head back to Wales.
“Mountain Ash RFC would like to address the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the cancellation of last night’s scheduled fixture during our tour of Canada,” read the club’s statement.
“Firstly, we would like to place on record that the failure to fulfil tonight’s fixture was not of the club’s making. Following extensive discussions and careful consideration, circumstances outside of the club’s control unfortunately made participation unworkable.
“Significant travel disruption within the city, caused by a combination of major events — including the Bruno Mars concert and the Toronto Blue Jays fixture — resulted in severe traffic congestion and gridlock throughout the area. This created substantial difficulties in reaching the venue within an appropriate timeframe.
“In addition, the travel arrangements provided raised concerns regarding the practicality and welfare of the group, including the prospect of an extended journey in excess of three hours under difficult travel conditions.
“It is important to stress that all players and staff were prepared and ready to travel and fulfil the fixture, and there was a collective disappointment that circumstances prevented the game from taking place.
“We would like to thank our hosts for their understanding and extend our apologies to all those affected by the cancellation. Despite tonight’s disappointment, the group remains in good spirits and proud to continue representing Mountain Ash RFC on tour.”
The club had already played one game on their tour – beating Brampton RFC 20-0 last Saturday.
Mountain Ash had played the same opposition on a previous tour to Canada 21 years ago.
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