Canada Defeat Romania 35-22 – First Win Over Top 20 Team Since 2021 – Full Match Video
Canada haven’t beaten a team ranked in the top 20 of the World Rugby Men’s Rankings since they defeated USA 34-21 in September 2021. Romania were ranked 20th (63.59) and Canada 22nd (60.90), this win bumps Canada up to 21st place in the rankings (61.87) which will overtake Chile (61.12). Even if Chile defeats Belgium this weekend they’ll still be knocked down to 22nd place (61.39). Romania will retain 20th spot although dropping to 62.62 in the ranking index.
This is the most points Canada have scored against Romania in their 9 matches. The previous high was 34 points in the 34-3 win in 1995. We can give some recognition to Canada’s new attack coach, Phil Mack, with that stat. Romania still leads the head to head wins 6 games to 3. Canada won the first two in 1991 and 1995, then Romania won the next six including the most recent, 29-5 in 2017. So this win will be a significant boost to the Canadian team’s confidence and morale.
The Rugby Canada match report is appended below but some kudos to be given out first. The loose forward trio of Lucas Rumball, Mason Flesch and Ethan Fryer played well, Ethan Fryer won Player of the Match honours and scored a try. Peter Nelson had one of his better games, using his boot well and testing defences with the occasional run. Talon McMullin set the tone early with some crash runs that broke the gain line. His brother Takoda made a try saving tackle late in the second half when Romania threatened to get back in the game. The tight five held their own in the scrum and the lineout work was excellent. Andrew Quattrin scored two tries and had an impact on the match. Nic Benn looked lively and scored a try off a Nelson grubber.
The most satisfying part was seeing Canada keep their composure and the opposition fall apart under pressure for a change. It’s a good sign moving forward. Romania picked up two yellows and there was panic in their game in the last quarter when they saw the game slipping away.
The only disappointment was the use of the subs, Brock Gallagher got in with 10 seconds left in the match, Dewald Kotze with 3 minutes left and I’m not sure when Mark Balaski got on but he didn’t get any time at flyhalf. The RWC 2027 qualifying starts next year and there is limited opportunity to evaluate players in high pressure, test matches.
What’s up next for the Canada men’s XVs team, they play Japan at BC Place on August 25th, followed by a trip to California to play USA on August 31st. Those matches are part of the Pacific Nations Cup which will act as the RWC 2027 qualifier in 2025.
The full match video was found on YouTube on the Rugby Republic account.
from Rugby Canada
Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team took their first win over Romania since 1995 on Friday night at TD Place in Ottawa, winning 35-22 to wrap up the team’s two-match tour in the nation’s capital.
Canada took advantage of early Romanian penalties to take a 6-0 lead off two penalty kicks from Peter Nelson. Romania did the same, cutting the score in half, but Nic Benn furthered Canada’s lead. The Canadians went on the attack, stringing together several phases. Nelson kicked the ball ahead, with Benn running onto it for the try, scoring his first for Canada in just his second match. A conversion from Nelson gave Canada a 13-3 lead.
Romania was assessed a yellow card on the play leading to Benn’s try, but it was Romania who scored with their player in the sin bin, capitalizing on a lineout at Canada’s 5 metre line. Moments later, Canada’s Kyle Baillie seemed to score in a similar manner, but the try was called off due to an obstruction penalty, with Canada leading 13-10 at half-time.
“We saw opportunities in the first half, and I think we capitalized on a lot of them. We probably left a couple scores out there, but going in 60, 70 minutes, the game was still in the balance and the boys fought incredibly deep,” said Nelson. “These ones feel really good, and you have to dig deep like that.”
Canada came out the gates flying to start the second half, with Ethan Fryer scoring on his debut for Canada. With the Canadians keeping their composure and maintaining patience at the breakdown, Fryer launched the ball over the line to extend Canada’s lead. Another Nelson conversion put Canada at 20-10.
“It felt amazing. I’ve wanted to play for Canada for a long time,” said Fryer. “Having my first game out there be a game where everyone kept their belief throughout the whole game, even when it would have been easy to lose it—we kept it there and we kept our hands to the plow. We didn’t look back and I’m happy about that.”
Romania found a break in Canada’s defence to tighten the score, before scoring once more and going up 22-20 to take the lead for the first time.
“I thought they were outstanding right throughout the game. There were periods where we let Romania in, some soft tries really on occasion, but that’s test rugby. It’s never going to be easy, and you can’t switch off for a moment. So full credit, particularly at 22-20, to come back and win it,” said Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team Head Coach Kingsley Jones. “We took on a real physical forward pack and came out on top. A lot of guys got new caps, some guys getting a second cap. It’s great to get them on the field and build this team.”
Andrew Quattrin scored back-to-back to help Canada regain the lead, scoring the first off a maul at Romania’s 5 metre line and the second by taking advantage of a failed Romania lineout with Romania down to 14 players due to a second yellow card. Nelson converted Quattrin’s first try, and Canada led 32-22.
“They’re physical guys. We knew we had to front up, and I think discipline probably helped them out a bit. When we sorted that out, things went well. It was a good game, it was a good team effort. We cleaned some stuff up, and we can be a lot better,” said Quattrin. “I love playing in Canada. Getting support for the team means a lot to us. We don’t get to play at home much, so when we play and when we win at home it means a lot to us.”
Romania pushed hard in the final few minutes, but defensive efforts from Canada, including a standout defensive save by Takoda McMullin, kept Romania away.
“It’s just such a good culture on the team and good leadership, especially from [Lucas] Rumball and Ben [LeSage]. They just calm guys down,” said Conor Keys. “We knew we were in the fight. We had one mistake, they capitalized. The rest of the game we were in control and we felt comfortable knowing that we were going to get another chance. We just backed our leaders and stuck to the process.”
Nelson sealed the deal for Canada in the final minute, with a penalty kick stretching Canada’s lead to 35-22.
Along with Fryer, Calixto Martinez, Dewald Kotze and Mark Balaski all entered the game in the second half to earn their first caps for Canada. Fryer was named the Player of the Match.
Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team is back in action on home soil this August, taking on Japan at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver on August 25 to kick off the Pacific Nations Cup. Tickets are currently available for purchase here.
Canada Name Team for Romania Clash on Friday Evening in Ottawa
Coach Kingsley Jones has named a virtually unchanged starting XV from the side that lost to Scotland 73-12 on Saturday. The only change is bringing in Talon McMullin to the centres to replace Mitch Richardson and moving Ben Lesage from inside to outside centre.
Canada were exposed on defence in the lopsided win for the visitors as Scotland ran rampant in the backline taking advantage of a passive Canadian defensive effort.
In the reserves, Jesse Mackail is replaced by Dewald Kotze as backup hooker, Cali Martinez replaces Djustice Sear-Duru at prop while Cole Keith retains his spot on the bench. James Stockwood remains as backup lock and Ethan Fryer replaces Sion Parry as reserve flanker. Brock Gallagher and Takoda McMullin retain their impact roles in the backs while Mark Balaski takes a spot on the bench with Talon McMullin getting the start.
Romania defeated USA last weekend 22-20 but were fortunate to come away with the win as USA had two opportunities in the last 10 minutes to kick penalties for the win but missed both kicks. USA scored 2 tries to Romania’s 1 try but the Romanian penalty kicking made up the difference. Romania’s try was by their big Tongan winger Tevita Manumua. At the time of writing the Romanian lineup isn’t available but we’ve posted their roster vs USA for comparison and will update the article when it’s published.
It’s disappointing that Kingsley Jones hasn’t been more aggressive in testing new talent, the fly half position is a prime example, it’s highly unlikely Peter Nelson will be part of the RWC 2027 qualification process. Mark Balaski might be and he needs more than token minutes in the match. Josh Thiel proved that he deserves some playing time but he wasn’t named to the Ottawa long list, Jamin Hodgkins was named to the long list but won’t get any playing time in Ottawa.
Canada will need to up their defensive effort to be competitive in the match, there was little pressure put on the Scotland play makers and they used the ample time and space to orchestrate an 11 try performance.
Kickoff is on Friday at 7pm local time, 4pm on the west coast with viewing on TSN 4.
from Rugby Canada
The match day roster for Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team’s second match in Ottawa, which see the Canadians take on Romania, has been named by Head Coach Kingsley Jones.
Canada and Romania will kick off at 7:00pm ET / 4:00pm PT on Friday July 12 at TD Place, the first time these two teams, who are close in the world rankings, have met since 2017 in Edmonton. Both sides played last weekend, with Canada facing Scotland at TD Place in front of a home crowd of 11,447 and Romania edging out the United States in Chicago. Tickets for Friday’s match are available here.
Nic Benn has earned his second start for Canada, with Talon McMullin moving into the starting line-up after subbing into Canada’s match against Scotland on Saturday for his first cap. Ben LeSage moves from inside to outside centre, with the remainder of Canada’s starting line-up staying the same following the match against Scotland.
Four players have an opportunity to earn their first caps for Canada off the bench. This includes Dallas Jackals hooker Dewald Kotze, who finished the MLR regular season fourth overall in tries scored, as well as Old Glory DC’s Calixto Martinez, New England Free Jacks’ Ethan Fryer, and the Pacific Pride Development Academy’s Mark Balaski.
“Important in our selection for this match was cohesion and giving the guys who went on Saturday another opportunity to keep growing. We know the areas we need to improve. We face a physical challenge with Romania, a slightly different one from what we faced against Scotland. Scotland was a test for us to see where we stand and measure ourselves. We’re looking to make improvements in many areas for Friday, while continuing the good work in our set pieces and discipline,” said Head Coach Kingsley Jones.
“The team felt the support of the hometown crowd on Saturday and are eager to get back on the pitch at TD Place to represent Canada. Our players continue to take on each challenge with grit and tenacity, and have demonstrated this throughout our training here in Ottawa. We are also looking forward to seeing four more players have an opportunity on Friday to earn their first cap, as we continue to build as a program and develop our depth and experience.”
Tickets for Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team against Romania on July 12 at 7:00pm ET at TD Place are available for purchase at rugby.ca/en/tickets. Questions regarding ticket purchases can be directed to tickets@rugby.ca. For more information on suites, please contact suites@rugby.ca.
The match will be broadcast live on TSN4.
CANADA’S MEN’S RUGBY TEAM MATCH DAY ROSTER vs ROMANIA
1. Liam Murray (Langley, BC) – Dallas Jackals
2. Andrew Quattrin (Holland Landing, ON) – Aurora Barbarians / New England Free Jacks
3. Conor Young (Yamba, AUS) – Southern Districts Rugby Club / RFC LA
4. Conor Keys (Stittsville, ON) – New England Free Jacks
5. Kyle Baillie (Summerside, PEI) – Halifax Tars / New England Free Jacks
6. Mason Flesch (Cobourg, ON) – Cobourg Saxons RFC / Chicago Hounds
7. Lucas Rumball (Scarborough, ON) – Balmy Beach RFC / Chicago Hounds
8. Siaki Vikilani (Vancouver, BC) – Burnaby Lake RFC / Clifton Rugby Club
9. Jason Higgins (Cork, IRE) – Chicago Hounds
10. Peter Nelson (Dungannon, NIR) – Dungannon RFC
11. Nic Benn (Caves Beach, AUS) – Dallas Jackals
12. Talon McMullin (White Rock, BC) – University of British Columbia / Vancouver Highlanders
13. Ben LeSage (Calgary, AB) – Calgary Canucks / New England Free Jacks
14. Andrew Coe (Markham, ON) – RFC LA
15. Cooper Coats (Halifax, NS) – Halifax Tars
FINISHERS
16. Dewald Kotze (Edmonton, AB) – Strathcona Druids RFC / Dallas Jackals
17. Calixto Martinez (White Rock, BC) – Old Glory DC
18. Cole Keith (Apohaqui, NB) – Belleisle Rovers RFC / New England Free Jacks
19. James Stockwood (Bowmanville, ON) – Vikings RFC / Pacific Pride
20. Ethan Fryer (Seattle, USA) – New England Free Jacks
21. Brock Gallagher (Edmonton, AB) – Strathcona Druids RFC / Dallas Jackals
22. Mark Balaski (Castlebar, IRE) – Castlebar RFC / Pacific Pride
23. Takoda McMullin (White Rock, BC) – University of British Columbia / Vancouver Highlanders
Rugby Romania vs USA
1. Iulian Hartig (Bassin d’Arcachon), 2. Ștefan Buruiană (Castres Olympique), 3. Vasile Balan (CSA Steaua), 4. Yanis Horvat (SC Albi), 5. Andrei Mahu (Massy) , 6. Vlad Neculau (SCM USV Timisoara), 7. Dragoș Ser (SCM USV Timișoara), 8. Nicolaas Immelman (CSM Știința Baia Mare), 9. Alin Conache (CSA Steaua), 10. Hinckley Vaovasa, 11. Tevita Manumua (SCM USV Timișoara), 12. Jason Tomane (CSM Science Baia Mare), 13. Mihai Graure (CS Dinamo), 14. Marius Simionescu C (SCM USV Timișoara), 15. Paul Popoaia (CSM Science Baia Mare)
Reserves: 16 Robert Irimescu (CSM Baia Mare), 17. Alexandru Savin (CS Rapid), 18. Cosmin Manole (CS Dinamo), 19. Marius Iftimiciuc (Carcassonne), 20. Kamil Sobota (CS Dinamo), 21. Gabriel Rupanu ( SCM USV Timișoara), 22. Fonovai Tangimana (CS Rapid), 23. Daniel Plai (SCM USV Timișoara)
Romania vs Canada
