Canada Fall to Portugal 33-27 to Close Out November Tour
It was as close to a win that Canada got this November, 16-16 at the half, and their scrum wasn’t battered as in the first two matches. It was Canada’s there for the taking, down 6 points, the man advantage, the ball 15 metres out from the goal line in front of the posts, four minutes left. Then one attempt at a clever, no look, pass that’s intercepted and suddenly they’re defending inside their 22 with time expiring. That play seemed to epitomise the Canada’s men’s XVs mindset right now. Instead of playing high percentage, patient rugby in this situation, it’s a 50-50 go for glory option that’s chosen. Is it a lack of confidence, a lack of leadership, a lack of communication? The game goes into the “could have won but didn’t” category, an improvement over the “never in the game” category.
Scorers: Robbie Povey (2PK, 1C), Mason Flesch (1T), Morgan Di Nardo (1T), Peter Nelson (1PK)
Match notes
0-10
Portugal blinked first and made the first mistake, the scrum half dropped the ball at the base of the scrum. Canada’s first scrum was steady, a good sign.
Canada make the next mistake, looks like Povey, covering deep, kicked the ball out on the full and Portugal have a lineout outside the Canada 22. Portugal win a penalty and get the first score, 3-0.
Rumball wins a penalty, getting over the ball at a Portugal ruck. Povey kicks the penalty, 3-3.
10-20
Rumball gets another steal at the breakdown and Canada have the ball at the Portugal 22. The lineout is stolen by Portugal.
Portugal try a steal at the breakdown but get penalized, Canada win the penalty just inside their half, Povey hits the 50 metre kick, 6-3.
Canada called on obstruction on a Portugal kick and chase, they take a shot at goal, 6-6.
20-30
Canada make the next mistake during a kicking battle, the ball just grazes off of Povey before going out of goal, a 5 metre Portugal scrum. The scrum goes down but play continues, Portugal get over the line but are held up.
Coats makes an error and kicks the ball straight into touch, another 5 metre scrum for Portugal. The scrum goes down again but this time a penalty is called, Portugal kick for the posts, 9-6.
Back and forth kicking, Portugal runs the ball back and it gets turned over, looks like Oworu was over that one. Canada counter attack and Nic Benn makes good yardage, Portugal infringes at their own 5 metres and Canada chooses the lineout option. It’s a set play at the lineout that sees Mason Flesch run over a defender and score the try, 13-9.
30-40
Canada mishandle the kickoff reception but Portugal called on the knock on. Scrum goes down again but Portugal dinged for the penalty. Canada lose the lineout, Portugal maul but knock the ball on, another scrum. Solid scrum, Gallagher tries a break but gets isolated, double roll and gets pinged by the ref. Portugal don’t find touch, a kicking battle ensues and Canada get a goal line dropout. Portugal run the ball but turned over at the breakdown and ref calls the penalty, looks like Piers Von Dadelszen initiated the turnover. Canada lineout and maul, Portugal infringes, Povey kicks for 3, 16-9.
Time expired but Portugal putting in the phases, win a penalty, kick for touch. Portugal win their lineout and maul it in, 16-16 to end the half.
40-50
18 Cole Keith and 20 Sion Parry are on.
Canada get turned over in contact and Portugal kick for touch. Canada recover the ball but on a bizarre play the ball miraculously pops out of the ruck on the Portugal side and they run it in. Rumball protests but there’s no replay and ref let’s it stand. It looks like Povey found himself at scrum half and didn’t know what to do, that extra second or two was enough for some skullduggery or a stray boot to change the course of the ball. It would be interesting to know what happened there, 23-16 for Portugal.
Oworu makes a line break and offloads to Von Dadelszen as Canada have possession inside the Portugal 22. Canada win a penalty 10 metres out and kick for touch. The ball is held up over the line but Portugal called for another infraction and get a warning. Again Portugal under penalty warning but the ball gets out wide to Morgan di Nardo and he scores his first try in the corner, 23-21 for Portugal.
50-60
Spencer Jones picks up a penalty for stripping the ball after the ref called tackle, penalty kick misses, still 23-21. Another penalty against Canada for over extending at the breakdown and flopping over, Canada’s ill-discipline starting to get them in trouble. Portugal don’t miss the second time, 26-21.
Canada win a penalty inside Portugal half when Portugal flop over at the breakdown, Povey nails it, 26-24.
60-70
Canada get held up on the restart, Portugal scrum. They go through the phases and keep possession and cross the line, there’s a hint of obstruction, ref reviews and clears it, Rumball not happy but try stands 33-24.
22 Noah Flesch is on, 21 James Naylor is on.
Canada win a penalty and have a lineout inside the Portugal half. Another penalty at the lineout and Povey goes for the posts, it goes wide. Canada win another penalty and get a lineout at the Portugal 22. Peter Nelson comes on, Povey goes off and Coats moves to flyhalf.
Canada win another penalty and Portugal get a yellow card for repeated infringement, they’ll play the rest of the game with 14 players.
70-80
Nelson slots the penalty, 33-27. Emerson Prior on. Callum Botchar on.
Portugal knock on and Canada have a scrum inside their half. Another penalty awarded to Canada, they get a lineout at the Portugal 22. They win the lineout and are attacking inside the Portugal 22. They try to get fancy and try a no look pass, it gets intercepted and they go from attacking inside the 22 to defending inside their 22 with 4 minutes left. Canada win another penalty but they’re 80 metres away with 3 minutes left. They lose the lineout, they get back possession but knock the ball on and Portugal have a scrum at Canada 5 metres with over a minute left. Portugal knock the ball on and Canada have a scrum on their 5 metres with 30 seconds left, up a man but 95 metres to go. Canada win the penalty with time expired, they miss a pass, knock on, time expired, 33-27.
Report from TSN
Manuel Vareiro kicked 18 points and Portugal hung on for a 33-27 win over Canada on Saturday, ending the Canadian men’s November tour with a third straight loss.
Canada, ranked 24th in the world, lost 31-21 to No. 21 Romania on Nov. 8 in Bucharest, then fell 38-17 to No. 11 Georgia last Saturday in Batumi.
The Canadians never led at Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, but went into the break tied 16-16 and were within one score of No. 20 Portugal late in the second half.
Nicolas Martins, Guilherme Vasconcelos and Rodrigo Marta scored tries for Portugal. Vareiro booted four penalties and added three conversions.
Mason Flesch and Morgan Di Nardo scored Canada’s tries. Robbie Povey kicked four penalties and one conversion and Peter Nelson added a penalty.
Both teams have qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Australia.
Portugal pulled ahead 23-16 early in the second half with Vasconcelos touching down in the corner after a Canadian turnover at the breakdown. Canada cut the lead to 23-21 in the 52nd minute, after a string of Portugal penalties near its try-line, with Di Nardo scoring on debut.
After a penalty miss, Vareiro was on target again in the 57th minute to up the lead to 26-21. Povey answered with a kick off his own in the 60th to reduce the deficit to 26-24.
A converted Marta try survived a 64th-minute video review for possible obstruction as Portugal extended its lead to 33-24.
After Povey missed a 67th-minute penalty from distance, Nelson cut the lead to 33-27 with a penalty after Portugal had a man sent to the sin bin, paying the price for a string of penalties.
The teams traded first-half penalties with Vareiro converting kicks in the eighth, 18th and 52nd minute and Povey successful in the 11th and 16th, with a long-range effort.
Canada took advantage of another Portugal penalty to kick for the corner and Flesch crashed over from the ensuing lineout for a converted try and 13-9 lead in the 30th minute. Povey’s penalty kick upped the margin to 16-9 before Martins scored at the back of a maul after Canada was penalized for a high tackle to tie the game at 16-16 at the break.
The Canadians did not help their cause with errant lineouts and some inaccurate kicking.
It marked Canada’s first meeting with Portugal since November 2021 in Lisbon when the Portuguese scored a late try to prevail 20-17 for their first-ever win over the Canadians. Canada had won all four previous meetings.
The Canadian men close out the year with a 1-8-0 record and have lost six straight, all against higher-ranked teams, since a 34-20 win over the 16th-ranked U.S. Eagles in August in Pacific Nations Cup play.
The Canadian starting 15 went into the match with 245 combined caps, with 64 of those belonging to captain Lucas Rumball. The eight-man bench had a combined 121 caps.
Scrum half James Naylor, who plays for England’s Rotherham Titans, made his Canada debut off the bench in the second half.
Portugal, coached by former All Black Simon Mannix, ran in nine tries in defeating No. 23 Hong Kong 58-12 and lost 26-8 to No. 15 Uruguay in its previous November internationals.
In July, an injury-depleted Portugal was hammered 106-7 by No. 4 Ireland, which set records for points, tries (16) and margin of victory.
Portugal impressed at the 2023 World Cup, edging Fiji 24-23 and tying Georgia 18-18 in its second trip to the tournament. since 2007. The Portuguese qualified for the 2027 World Cup by virtue of finishing fourth at the Rugby Europe Championship in March, losing 21-7 to Romania in the third-place game.
Canada booked its ticket via the Pacific Nations Cup.
Meehan Names Canada Squad to Face Portugal on Saturday
It’s the last chance this November for Canada to get a positive result after losses to Romania and Georgia. Portugal are ranked 20th and Canada 24th. Three players get their first taste of game time on tour, UVic players Cooper Coats and Morgan di Nardo get the start while James Naylor will be the backup scrum-half.
The tour ends with 6 players not getting any game time, props Bryce Worden and Kyle Steeves, hooker Jeffrey Young, second row Ryan Cozens, centres Takoda McMullin and Josh McIndoe. With Canada’s scrum being overpowered in both games so far it would have been good to see these props get some playing time, especially veteran Bryce Worden who is a proficient scrummager. Both McMullin and McIndoe missed out on their respective teams run at the national university championship but didn’t get to suit up on tour.
Meehan has decided to stick with four props on tour and he’s rotated them again with Miller and Tierney getting the start this week. Izzak Kelly returns to a starting second row role with Barnaby Waddell being left off the roster. The loose forwards remain the same with Callum Botchar and Sion Parry providing cover in the second row and loose forwards.
It’s the same halfback combination of Gallagher and Povey, Higgins isn’t in the roster and newcomer James Naylor provides the backup at scrum-half. He plays for Rotherham Titans in the English National League 1, the 3rd tier of English rugby. According to Ai he has had 5 starts for them and 11 reserve appearances since his debut in September 2024. The centres are Tremblay and Jones with Noah Flesch as backup. The wings are Benn and di Nardo with Josiah Morra being left off the roster. Cooper Coats starts as fullback with Peter Nelson as backup.
The question arises why not start Cooper Coats at flyhalf when Canada’s only recent win featured him at flyhalf and he might be considered Canada’s #1 choice in that position? The only answer I have is that if Canada’s attack falters they would switch Coats to flyhalf and bring Nelson in as fullback.
The match kicks off at 8am PT on Saturday with broadcast on TSN+.
CANADA’S MEN’S RUGBY TEAM’S ROSTER VS PORTUGAL
1. Sam Miller (Mount Denson, NS) – Valley Rugby Union / Southern Districts (3 Caps)
2. Dewald Kotze (Edmonton, AB) – Strathcona Druids RFC / Seattle Seawolves (12 Caps)
3. Matt Tierney (Oakville, ON) – Oakville Crusaders (29 Caps)
4. Piers Von Dadelszen (Vancouver, BC) – New England Free Jacks (12 Caps)
5. Izzak Kelly (White Rock, BC) – Bayside RFC / Capilano RFC (12 Caps)
6. Mason Flesch (Cobourg, ON) – Cobourg Saxons / Chicago Hounds (19 Caps)
7. Lucas Rumball (Scarborough, ON) – Balmy Beach RFC / Chicago Hounds (64 Caps)
8. Matthew Oworu (Calgary, AB) – Pacific Pride / Chicago Hounds (16 Caps)
9. Brock Gallagher (Edmonton, AB) – Strathcona Druids RFC / Seattle Seawolves (11 Caps)
10. Robbie Povey (Calgary, AB) – Rotherham Titans / Utah Warriors (19 Caps)
11. Nic Benn (Caves Beach, AUS) – Utah Warriors (12 Caps)
12. Kyle Tremblay (White Rock, BC) – Bayside RFC / Westshore RFC (3 Caps)
13. Spencer Jones (Cambridge, NZ) – Hamilton Old Boys / Utah Warriors (13 Caps)
14. Morgan Di Nardo (Toronto, ON) – Toronto City Rugby / University of Victoria (0 Caps)
15. Cooper Coats (Halifax, NS) – Halifax Tars RFC / NOLA Gold (20 Caps)
FINISHERS
16. Austin Creighton (Edmonton, AB) – Nor’Westers Athletic Association / James Bay AA (3 Caps)
17. Emerson Prior (Brockville, ON) – Brockville Privateers / Westshore RFC / Utah Warriors (7 Caps)
18. Cole Keith (Sussex, NB) – Belleisle Rovers RFC / New England Free Jacks (43 Caps)
19. Callum Botchar (Vancouver, BC) – James Bay AA / NOLA Gold (9 Caps)
20. Siôn Parry (Cardiff, WAL) – Rhiwbina RFC / Ebbw Vale RFC (15 Caps)
21. James Naylor (Cottingham, UK) – Rotherham Titans (0 Caps)
22. Noah Flesch (Cobourg, ON) – Cobourg Saxons / Chicago Hounds (10 Caps)
23. Peter Nelson (Dungannon, NIR) – Dungannon RFC (34 Caps)
from Rugby Canada
Head Coach Stephen Meehan has named the match day roster for Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team ahead of this Saturday’s match against Portugal.
Portugal will host Canada at Estádio Cidade de Coimbra on Saturday, November 22 at 8:00 a.m. PT / 11:00 a.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. local time. The match will be broadcast live on TSN+. The two nations last met in 2021, where a late try gave Portugal their first-ever win over Canada in a 20-17 final.
This match marks Canada’s final Autumn Test and the end of the 2025 season. The team faced Romania on November 8 in Bucharest, where they were defeated 31-21 and Georgia on November 15 in Batumi, ending in a 38-17 loss. This match will bring Canada’s 2025 total to nine test appearances, offering players valuable experience as the program continues to build toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Morgan Di Nardo will earn his first cap for Canada on Saturday. Starting on the wing – the 20-year-old made his debut for Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team at the 2024 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens and represented Canada’s U20 program most recently at the Oceania Rugby U20s Challenge in Fiji. Di Nardo was named Back of the Year and received First Team All-Canadian honours for his performance with the University of Victoria Vikes this past season.
James Naylor will look to earn his first cap for Canada in the No. 21 jersey. Naylor currently studies and competes at Loughborough University, while also representing the Rotherham Titans.
Kyle Tremblay returns to the starting lineup at inside centre alongside Sam Miller, Matt Tierney, Izzak Kelly and Brock Gallagher who all started on the bench last weekend against Georgia.
Cooper Coats returns to the match day roster, last appearing for Canada in their 34-20 victory over the United States in Calgary before returning to his studies in medicine.
Saturday will mark Captain Lucas Rumball’s 65th cap for Canada, the veteran also holds the Canadian Men’s Rugby record for most matches played as Captain (35).
“Portugal are a very dangerous side, particularly in transition, so we’ll need to be disciplined and precise in our approach,” said Head Coach Stephen Meehan. “We’ve adjusted elements of our attack and our decision-making to reflect their profile, which is very different from Georgia. We hope to end this tour on a strong note, we’re aiming to deliver another improved performance and, of course, push for a positive result.”
“We haven’t been able to see every player we’d hoped to this year, but by this time next season we expect all Rugby World Cup-eligible players to have spent time in the program. We’re aware of the quality within the group—those we’ve seen briefly, those we’ve yet to see, and those who have been with us for most of the campaign. While it’s challenging not to assemble a consistent squad, it does create opportunities for others, and with that comes development and growth. We’d love to bring the full squad together to gauge where we truly stand, but that remains difficult at the moment.”
Watch live on TSN+.
I was hoping for a new spring for the Canadian national team, but after yet another defeat against Portugal, that hope has vanished; today’s match was a must-win, trivial errors were made, after six months of training and matches, the team is without a game, without a single strength. Eight games played, only one win, certainly the most important, but let’s remember the presence of “Saint Ardron,” otherwise it would have been the eighth defeat. I think Mr. Meehan’s credit is running out. P.S. Japan’s front row was half the size of Georgia’s, but it didn’t retreat and allowed the team to play. The Canadian scrum was humiliated against Romania and Georgia, creating a handicap that kept the team out of the context of the result.
You did it Monique Smithers! They got two “moral” bonus points, at least! We are marching on together, towards Rugby World Cup 2027! What could possibly go wrong?
It was a tough watch, but not unexpected. Why would the SNMT suddenly start winning games against countries where the standard of play domestically, is higher than what it is currently in Canada?
It wasn’t a tough watch as most of the local rugby people i know didn’t watch it, There were far better games to watch then a team that’s only identity is losing. Let’s be honest if the World cup hadn’t expanded to 24 teams Canada wouldn’t be attending.