Canada men fall 59-14 to Georgia after solid start in World Rugby Nations Cup play

TBILISI — Canada’s men had a solid start before surrendering 49 straight points in a 59-14 loss to Georgia in World Rugby Nations Cup action on Saturday.

Dachi Papunashvili opened the scoring with a try for Georgia in the third minute, but with no conversion, the hosts held a 5-0 lead.

Ben Lesage answered with a try seven minutes later with Takoda McMullin booting in the conversion for a 7-5 edge.

Akaki Tabutsadze got another try for 13th-ranked Georgia at the 20-minute mark before Izzak Kelly replied for Canada six minutes later, wth McMullin firing through another conversion for a 14-10 lead.

The Georgians took a 24-14 lead into halftime thanks to two more tries with a conversion for each before outscoring Canada 35-0 in the second half.

It’s the second loss in Nations Cup action for 22nd-ranked Canada, which was 1-1-1 in its three-game stretch in July. The Canadians next play Hong Kong on Nov. 14 and Romania on Nov. 20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2026.

The Canadian Press