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Canada men’s 15s beats Belgium 45-0 in Halifax

First of two tests against European competition this month
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Canada’s Senior Men’s 15s team coach Kingsley Jones looks on during the team’s warm-up prior to the first match of the Rugby World Cup 2023 Qualification Pathway against the US Eagles, at the Swilers Rugby Club in St. John’s, Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly

Canada’s senior men’s 15s rugby team won handsomely in Halifax against Belgium 45-0 in the first of two summer test matches on Saturday (July 2).

It was Canada’s second win against Belgium in a row after Canada beat the world-ranked No. 26 Belgians 24-0 in their last game in November 2021.

This time, the scoreboard looked even better for Canada, as Jason Higgins, Lucas Rumball, Ben LeSage, Cooper Coats, Michael Smith and Kainoa Lloyd each scored a try with Peter Nelson and Coats sharing the kicking work.

“It took a little longer than we thought, but we cracked them and we’ve got some good points on the scoreboard, and also able to get guys on the field to win their first cap so that’s really a good day,” head coach Kingsley Jones said in an interview with Rugby Canada after the game.

The squad featured several players with Vancouver Island connections. Both Quinn Ngawati and Luke Campbell were born in Victoria, while lock Josh Harsen was born in Nanaimo. Matthew Oworu and Dawson Fatoric, who were both making their debuts, play for the Pacific Pride rugby development program based in Langford.

Canada next plays in Ottawa, where they’ll face a sterner test against world No. 15 ranked Spain on July 10.

ALSO READ: Women’s age grade rugby returning by 2023: Rugby Canada


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