Canada rugby coach Steve Meehan names 33-man roster for November tests in Europe

Canada rugby coach Steve Meehan has named a 33-man tour roster, including seven uncapped players, for November tests in Europe against Romania, Georgia and Portugal.

The Canadian men, ranked 24th in the world, face No. 21 Romania on Nov. 8 in Bucharest before taking on No. 11 Georgia on Nov. 15 and No. 20 Portugal on Nov. 22.

Canada is 1-5-0 so far in 2025 and has won just two of 13 outings (2-11-0) since the start of 2024.

“We’ve 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,” Meehan said in statement.

“Our 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,” he added.

The European games are the first for Canada since the team qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Australia via the Pacific Nations Cup where the Canadians finished fourth.

The six-country Pacific Nations Cup sent three teams to the World Cup. But with No. 9 Fiji and No. 13 Japan already pre-qualified through their performance at the 2023 tournament, the three best non-qualified teams — No. 18 Tonga, Canada and the 15th-ranked United States — secured an automatic berth in the 2027 field.

The Canadian men missed out on the World Cup for the first time in 2023, losing two-legged qualifying series to the U.S. (59-50) and No. 17 Chile (54-26). Canada had been to the nine previous tournaments, reaching the quarterfinals in 1991.

Led by captain Lucas Rumball, the Canadian tour squad features 21 players from the Pacific Nations Cup roster, including Jack Shaw and Austin Creighton. They made their debut in the 35-24 loss to Tonga in the tournament’s third-place game Sept. 20 in Sandy, Utah.

The recent downsizing of Major League Rugby, which plays south of the border, has opened the door to new talent, Meehan said.

“There are some ongoing challenges around player availability and the uncertainty created by changes within Major League Rugby,” said Meehan. “As 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.”

The tour debutantes are Ryan Cozens, Barnaby Waddell, Jeffrey Young, Morgan Di Nardo, Josh McIndoe, Bryce Worden and James Naylor. Cozens, Young, Di Nardo, and McIndoe have represented Canada’ at the under-20 level.

The Houston SaberCats, NOLA Gold and Miami Sharks have announced they will not be part of the league in 2026 while the San Diego Legion and Rugby Football Club Los Angeles (RFC L.A.) are amalgamating and will compete in the league next season as the California Legion

The remaining teams are the defending champion New England Free Jacks, Utah Warriors, California Legion, Old Glory DC, Seattle Seawolves, Chicago Hounds and Charlotte-based Anthem RC. The Toronto Arrows, the lone Canadian entry in the league, folded in November 2023 after the death of principal owner Bill Webb.

Matt Tierney and Robbie Povey return to the Canadian lineup for the first tine since 2021 and 2023, respectively. Tierney, who was part of Canada’s team at the 2019 World Cup, has been playing in France with Castres Olympique, while Povey is with the Warriors.

The squad also features 11 graduates of Rugby Canada’s Pacific Pride development academy graduates.

The Canada-Romania games is the second edition of the Cernavodă Cup. Awarded in collaboration with the Canadian Embassy in Romania, it honours Romanian-Canadian co-operation in the nuclear energy sector.

Romania won the first edition of the cup 35-27 last November.

Canada Tour Squad

Forwards: Callum Botchar, Vancouver, James Bay AA; Ryan Cozens, Sidmouth, England, Cardiff Metropolitan University; Austin Creighton, Edmonton, James Bay AA; Mason Flesch, Cobourg, Ont., Chicago Hounds (MLR); Cole Keith, Sussex N.B., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Izzak Kelly, White Rock, B.C., Capilano RFC; Dewald Kotze, Edmonton, Seattle Seawolves (MLR); Sam Miller, Mount Denson, N.S., Southern Districts (Australia); Matthew Oworu, Calgary, Chicago Hounds (MLR); Siôn Parry, Cardiff, Wales, Ebbw Vale RFC (Wales); Emerson Prior, Brockville, Ont., Utah Warriors (MLR); Lucas Rumball (capt.), Toronto, Chicago Hounds (MLR); Kyle Steeves, Winnipeg, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Matt Tierney, Oakville, Oakville Crusaders; Piers Von Dadelszen, Vancouver, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Barnaby Waddell, Exeter, England, Bridgend Ravens (Wales); Bryce Worden, Sussex, N.B., Burnaby Lake RFC; Jeffrey Young, Toronto, Bedwas RFC (Wales).

Backs: Nic Benn, Caves Beach, Australia, Utah Warriors (MLR); Morgan Di Nardo, Toronto, University of Victoria; Noah Flesch, Greerton Marist Rugby Club, Cobourg, Ont., Chicago Hounds (MLR); Brock Gallagher, Edmonton, Seattle Seawolves (MLR); Jason Higgins, Cork, Ireland, Chicago Hounds (MLR); Spencer Jones, Cambridge, New Zealand, Utah Warriors (MLR); Josh McIndoe, Victoria, Greerton Marist Rugby Club (New Zealand); Takoda McMullin, White Rock, B.C., UBC; Josiah Morra, Toronto, Toronto Saracens; James Naylor, Cottingham, England, Rotherham Titans (England); Peter Nelson, Dungannon, Northern Ireland, Dungannon RFC (Northern Ireland); Robbie Povey, Calgary, Utah Warriors (MLR); Jack Shaw, Oakville, Ont., Castaway Wanderers; Kyle Tremblay, White Rock, B.C., Pacific Pride; Cooper Coats, Halifax, Halifax Tars RFC.

Non-Travelling Reserves: Karl Hunger, Beaconsfield, Que., Pacific Pride; Alexandre Janlin, Toulouse, France, L’Isle Jourdain (France); Shane O’Leary, Ballina, Ireland, Ballina Killaloe RFC (Ireland); Jesse Kilgour, Barrie, Ont., Pacific Pride.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 27, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press