Canada v USA – August 2024

Canada Fall to USA 28-15 in Round 2 of Pacific Nations Cup

In a game strewn with errors, the USA outscored Canada 4 tries to 2 to win 28-15. The USA were ahead by 10 at the half 18-8 and extended that lead by 3 in an even second half.

Canada went ahead early 3-0 on a penalty kick, USA tied it up with a penalty kick of their own and then went ahead 8-3 by the 10 minute mark on a try by winger Conner Mooneyham when USA had the overlap. Mooneyham struck again 5 minutes later when a long pass found him unmarked on the outside, again the conversion was missed to make it a 13-3 match with a quarter gone in the game.

At 25 minutes Canada executed a preset play off the lineout that saw Nic Benn find the gap and the 5 points, the conversion was missed and it was now a 13-8 game. Two minutes from half some individual brilliance from USA #10 Luke Carty saw him chip over the Canada defence, gather the ball on the bounce and pass it off to fullback, Mitch Wilson, for the try. Again the conversion was missed and it was a 18-8 USA lead at the half.

The USA opened the 2nd half with a penalty to extend their lead to 21-8. Canada picked up a yellow card to Cali Martinez, the USA took advantage of the man advantage and hooker Kapeli Pifeleti bulldozed his way over the line from short range to give the USA a 26-8 lead at the 55 minute mark. The conversion was successful and the score was 28-8.

Canada opened the last 20 minutes with a try off broken play with some strong runs by Lucas Rumball, Ben Lesage, Andrew Coe and Jason Higgins, the try was finished off by Cooper Coats who had subbed into the match. The conversion was made by Nelson and it was a 28-15 match. That would wrap up the scoring in the game.

It was a match played with passion but lacking in accuracy. Neither team will challenge higher ranked countries unless they can bring some precision into their game and avoid the constant handling errors. The man of the match was the USA #10 Luke Carty. For Canada Lucas Rumball always shows up and puts in a solid shift. The scrums were even, Canada had some trouble in the lineout for periods of the match.

Some of the comments on social media reflected the thoughts of fans and pundits alike. Bryan Ray who is often accurate in his summaries noted, “Brock Gallagher not on the pitch. Mark Balaski not on the pitch. Are the guys on it doing so well that they absolutely can’t be replaced? Is this building confidence and squad depth?” Also noting “I don’t know what Canada’s game plan is supposed to be… but this ain’t it. One nice first phase inside ball to Benn is the sum of what might be described as strategy”, and “So here’s the thing. These are not bad Canadian players. Somehow they all perform better for their club sides, under different coaches. That’s pretty much the thing.” Some of the replies included, “If we were just awful, that’d be one thing. But we’re awful without a plan, without purpose, without direction, and no hope of being any better than awful.” and “You just said it… there has to be a coaching change. Kingsley shouldn’t be on the plane to Japan.”

That seems the consensus in the rugby community, the men’s program needs a mental reset and a change in leadership. How Kingsley Jones survived getting sacked after failing to qualify for the Rugby World Cup for the first time in Canadian history is still a question that hangs over the program and it’s affecting confidence in the decision makers, CEO Nathan Bombrys and High Performance Director Stephen Aboud. The poor attendance figures for the home match against Japan last week when BC Place looked empty with an estimated 5k to 6k attending the match is a symptom of a larger problem.

The Pacific Nations Cup continues next week with Tonga vs Fiji and Japan vs USA. Canada are last in their pool and will face the bottom team of Pool A, likely Tonga, in one final match in Japan on September 14th for 5th/6th place.

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Canada Name Lineup for USA Match on Saturday: Update USA Lineup Added

Kingsley Jones has named a virtually unchanged lineup for the USA match on Saturday from the match last weekend against Japan. Takoda McMullin starts on the wing, Andrew Coe moves to fullback and Cooper Coats moves to the bench.

It fits with Jones’ coaching profile during his time with Canada where he’s very reluctant to try new combinations in a series. Andrew Coe was very productive on the wing against Japan and Takoda McMullin has rarely played on the wing at a high level and is usually fullback or centre so it’s difficult to follow Jones’ thinking on this.

Nic Benn was quiet in the Japan match so I was expecting Rhys James or Josiah Morra to get a shot in this match. Also disappointing to see Callum Botchar still not called into the match 23.

USA have not been playing well this year so are ripe for the taking even though they hold the advantage against Canada in recent years. USA lost to Romania and Canada defeated Romania so on that stat Canada can go into the match with positive expectations.

Kickoff is at 6pm PT.

Canada Roster

1. Calixto Martinez (White Rock, BC) – Earl Marriott Secondary / Bayside RFC / University of British Columbia / Old Glory DC
2. Andrew Quattrin (Holland Landing, ON) – Aurora Barbarians / New England Free Jacks
3. Conor Young (Yamba, AUS) – Southern Districts Rugby Club / RFC LA
4. Izzak Kelly (White Rock, BC) – Bayside RFC / University of British Columbia / Cottesloe Rugby Club
5. Kaden Duguid (Edmonton, AB) – Nor’Westers Athletic Association / Vancouver Highlanders
6. Mason Flesch (Cobourg, ON) – Cobourg Saxons RFC / Chicago Hounds
7. Ethan Fryer (Issaquah, USA) – New England Free Jacks
8. Lucas Rumball (Scarborough, ON) – Balmy Beach RFC / Chicago Hounds
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. Takoda McMullin (White Rock, BC) – University of British Columbia / Vancouver Highlanders
15. Andrew Coe (Markham, ON) – RFC LA

FINISHERS

16. Dewald Kotze (Edmonton, AB) – Strathcona Druids RFC / Dallas Jackals
17. Djustice Sears-Duru (Oakville, ON) – Oakville Crusaders / San Diego Legion
18. Cole Keith (Apohaqui, NB) – Belleisle Rovers RFC / New England Free Jacks
19. James Stockwood (Bowmanville, ON) – Vikings RFC / Pacific Pride
20. Matthew Oworu (Calgary, AB) – Pacific Pride
21. Brock Gallagher (Edmonton, AB) – Strathcona Druids RFC / Dallas Jackals
22. Mark Balaski (Castlebar, IRE) – Castlebar RFC / Pacific Pride
23. Cooper Coats (Halifax, NS) – Halifax Tars

Referee

Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Test debut: 3 November, 2018 – Poland 33-0 Lithuania
Tests as referee: 4

• Gianluca Gnecchi will take charge of both teams for the first time.
• Gnecchi returns to the test arena following the Olympic Games Paris 2024 where he was a referee in the men’s competition, taking charge of three matches – including the fifth place play-off between New Zealand and Ireland.
• The Italian will make his Rugby Championship debut as an assistant referee for the Argentina v South Africa match in Santiago del Estero on 21 September.
• This will be his first test in the middle in 2024, his only other international 15s match having been Fiji’s 45-32 loss to the Barbarians at Twickenham in June.

Head-to-head

Played: 65 – Canada leads 39-24 with two draws
Points for: USA 1,198/ Canada 1,498 (Avg. score: 18-23 )
Highest score: USA 52 (52-16 on 1 July, 2017) / Canada 56 (56-7 on 12 August, 2006)
Biggest winning margin: USA 36 (52-16 on 1 July, 2017) / Canada 49 (56-7 on 12 August, 2006)
First met: 21 May, 1977 – Canada 17-6 USA – Swanguard Stadium, Burnaby
Last met: 11 September, 2021 – USA 38-16 Canada – Infinity Park, Glendale, Colorado

Head-to-head notes

• This is the first time the teams have met since the home-and-away Rugby World Cup 2023 North American qualifiers in September 2021.
• Canada took a 13-point lead into the second leg, having led by 20 points in the first match until a last-minute try by Tavite Lopeti, converted by AJ MacGinty, made the final score 34-21 .
• Inspired by a hat-trick from Hanco Germishuys and tries from Christian Dyer, Ruben de Haas and Joe Taufetee, USA won the return match 38-16 to go through to the Americas 1 play-off with Uruguay, 59-50 on aggregate.
• USA have won their last eight home tests against Canada, a run dating back to August 2013 when Canada won 27-9 at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston.
• Overall, the Men’s Eagles have only failed to win two of the last 14 meetings (W12, D1,L1).

from Rugby Canada

The match day roster for Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team’s upcoming Pacific Nations Cup match against the United States has been named by Head Coach Kingsley Jones.

Canada kicks off against the United States on Saturday August 31 at 6:00pm PT / 9:00pm ET at Dignity Health Sports Park in Los Angeles, California. As Canada’s second and final pool play match, the result will help determine who Canada will play in the play-offs in Tokyo on September 14.

Canada met Japan in their opening Pacific Nations Cup match on Sunday in Vancouver, losing 55-28, but coming away with an important bonus point thanks to four tries from Andrew Coe, captain Lucas Rumball, and the McMullin twins.

Takoda McMullin moves into the starting 15, his first start for Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team. Coe, who plays in the MLR with California’s RFC LA (along with Conor Young), shifts from right wing to full-back, with Cooper Coats starting on the bench in the number 23 jersey.

This match will mark the first time Canada has played in California since 2018, and the first time the North American rivals have met since splitting the results of two Rugby World Cup qualification matches in 2021.

“We’ve spoken a lot about how we need and want to start our matches better,” said Head Coach Kingsley Jones. “Saturday’s match against the United States is not just another opportunity for us to measure ourselves against a good team, but an important contest that will dictate our position heading into the play-offs in Japan. This type of high stakes match will be good preparation for next year, when we will face the United States in the Pacific Nations Cup in a match that will help determine direct Rugby World Cup qualification.”

The match will be streamed live on TSN+. An encore showing will be broadcast on TSN3 on Sunday September 1 at 9:00am PT / 12:00pm ET.

from USA Rugby

The USA Men’s Eagles announced today the 23 players set to kick off against Canada in the first match in the 2024 Asahi Dry Pacific Nations Cup. Captained by Lock Greg Peterson, the squad has been prepping at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista as they look toward another home soil game.

This is the first of two Pool B matches as part of the revived World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup. With six uncapped players, two collegiate stars and rising talent, Head Coach Scott Lawrence and staff look to expand the test match talent pool on this tour, and ultimately into next year’s PNC that will act as Rugby World Cup qualification. USA v Canada kicks off Saturday, August 31, at 6pm PT at DignityHealth Sports Park, live on Peacock.

Captain Greg Peterson will earn his 45th cap against Canada, while Sean McNulty and Pono Davis earn the opportunity for their first USA Eagles cap off the bench. Prop Alex Maughan will pull on the USA jersey, all in front of a home crowd for the RFCLA favorite, alongside Lock Jason Damm who makes his first appearance since 2022.

Canada heads to Los Angeles following a 28-55 loss to Japan last week. The USA and Canada last matched up in September 2021 for the Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifiers. The USA lost 21-34 in the first round, but beat the northern rivals 38-16 to win the aggregate score by 9 points. With three years and a lot of new energy on the USA squad, the Eagles are ready to reignite the North American Classic in LA for the home fans in support.

Head Coach Scott Lawerence said, “The men have been fortunate enough to prepare in the USA 7s home base in Chula Vista. We’re grateful for the use of the wonderful facilities which have allowed the team to prepare without distraction.”