Canada’s 22nd-ranked men’s rugby squad opens its November Nations Cup swing Saturday against No. 13 Georgia at Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi, with women’s national team coach Kevin Rouet joining head coach Stephen Meehan’s staff in a bid to transfer the program’s recent success — capped by the women’s milestone win over top-ranked England in Toronto last month — to the men’s side ahead of the 2027 World Cup in Australia, The Globe and Mail reported.
The appointment of Rouet is the most concrete step yet in Meehan’s plan to close the gap between a mature, confident women’s setup and a men’s squad still finding its feet less than 11 months before World Cup kickoff. Canada qualified for the 2027 tournament after missing the 2025 edition, but the men have been inconsistent under Meehan, whose first game in charge came in July 2025.
Betting Markets Adjust for Recent Losses
- Betting markets should price Canada as slight underdogs against Georgia despite the home disadvantage for the Lelos — Canada has dropped three straight to Georgia and hasn’t won since September 2015.
- Rouet joins the men’s staff for the European trip under Meehan, whose contract extension runs through 2028.
- Veterans Mason Flesch, Dewald Kotze and Matt Oworu are absent from Saturday’s lineup but should play in the November matches against Hong Kong and Romania.
Kevin Rouet’s Arrival Freshens the Men’s Setup in Tbilisi
Meehan, an Australian whose contract was extended through 2028, has added the France-born Rouet to his staff for the European trip — a resource-sharing move Rugby Canada has framed as maximizing a limited pool of elite coaching talent. Both coaches preach a free-flowing, attacking game, and Meehan said the women’s staff delivers familiar messages in a new way.
THE NATIONS CUP IS BACK! Round 4 of the World Rugby Nations Cup kicks off this weekend, with six exciting international clashes on the schedule! Romania host Tonga to get things underway on Friday, while Georgia face Canada, Portugal take on Chile, Spain meet Uruguay and… pic.twitter.com/r9Ac541PPc
“He delivers very similar messages to what’s been delivered in the past but he does it in a different way. And it’s been great for us. It’s freshened everything up and it’s been challenging for the players.” — Stephen Meehan
Meehan and captain Lucas Rumball, vice-captain Ben LeSage, Mason Flesch, Matt Oworu, Brock Webster and Josiah Morra all watched the women beat England in Toronto last month.
Stephen Meehan said it was marvellous to be part of it and that he and the team really enjoyed watching the women play and win. Stephen Meehan added that he thinks they can cash in on that.
Georgia’s Physicality Will Test Canada’s Response
Georgia, known as the Lelos, topped Pool B in July with wins over No. 18 Uruguay (41-34), No. 20 Samoa (33-12) and No. 16 Chile (49-22), and Meehan expects a side built on confrontation.
“A confrontational team. . . A side that tries to batter sides into submission. They love that physical aspect of the game. They want to challenge you through that way. So it will be up to us to be smart in how we respond to those challenges.” — Stephen Meehan
History favors the visitors: Canada is 3-5-0 all-time against Georgia and has lost the last three meetings since a 16-15 victory in September 2015. Most recently, Georgia won 38-17 in Batumi in November 2025.
| Fixture | Date | Opponent (Rank) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nations Cup | Nov. 14, 2026 | Hong Kong (No. 24) | Chambéry, France |
| Nations Cup | Nov. 20, 2026 | Romania (No. 21) | Bucharest |
| Head-to-head vs Georgia | All-time | Canada 3-5-0; last three meetings lost | Last: Georgia 38-17, Batumi, Nov. 2025 |
From Qualification to Contention: The Road to Australia 2027
All three November opponents are bound for next year’s World Cup, and the six-day gap between the Hong Kong and Romania matches mirrors the turnaround Meehan’s squad will face twice in Australia — a deliberate scheduling choice to harden the team for tournament rugby. The Nations Cup sits one tier below the Nations Championship, which features the world’s top 12 sides.
Canada’s 2026 form has been uneven: sixth in Pool A at 1-1-1 after beating No. 25 Zimbabwe 23-19, losing 38-14 to No. 14 Portugal and drawing 42-42 with No. 17 Spain at home, then going 1-2-0 in September in Japan with a 19-16 win over the No. 15 U.S. Eagles, a 45-29 loss to No. 9 Fiji and a 57-12 defeat to No. 12 Japan. The women, by contrast, are battle-hardened from the English and French leagues, with World Rugby 2026 Women’s 15s Dream Team honorees Sophie de Goede, DaLeaka Menin and Olivia Apps leading the way after avenging their 2025 World Cup final loss to England with wins in Toronto and Ottawa.
Roster Management Amid Club Commitments
Off the field, progress has been complicated by the contraction of Major League Rugby, which forced many Canadian players to find new clubs abroad. A recent Rugby Canada agreement with Champ Rugby, England’s second tier, placed Kyle Steeves and Sam Miller at Blackheath, Isaac Olson at Ampthill, Dewald Kotze at Rotherham, and Spencer Jones and Foster Dewitt at Nottingham. Mason Flesch, the 2026 MLR forward of the year with the Chicago Hounds, signed with Newcastle Red Bulls in England’s top league, while Matt Oworu joined Biarritz Olympique in ProD2, the French second tier.
Meehan has been careful to let players bed in at their clubs: Flesch, Kotze, Oworu and veterans Cole Keith, Evan Olmstead and Andrew Quattrin are not in Saturday’s matchday lineup but are expected to feature later in the window. The Tbilisi squad does include Matt Beukeboom at lock in his first Canada appearance in nine years, former captain Tyler Ardron at No. 8, Nic Benn on the wing in his first outing since November 2025, Tyler Matchem back on the bench after a two-year Achilles injury layoff, and 17-year-old fly-half Jack Gore, who could earn his first cap as a substitute.
The next dated test comes November 14 against Hong Kong in Chambéry, followed by Romania in Bucharest on November 20 — results that will shape Canada’s World Cup seeding path with less than a year to go.
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