Groundbreaking partnership gives Canada pre-Rugby World Cup boost

Rugby Canada have struck a strategic deal with Champ Rugby in England to enable their players to get more competitive game time in the lead up to Rugby World Cup 2027.

Financial and logistical measures have been put in place to encourage clubs to sign Canadian players and reverse the trend of recent years.

Canadian players used to be prevalent in the second-tier Champ until the introduction of English-qualified conditional funding put clubs off signing players from North America.

Major League Rugby promised to fill the gap but with the league now down to five teams, Canada’s players have limited opportunities to play professional rugby in a high performance environment.

Experienced stalwarts like Tyler Ardron, Evan Olmstead and Andrew Quattrin play to a high level in France, but there are very few Canadian players knocking around in the UK, and this deal hopes to change that.

Rewind to a decade or two ago, established internationals such as prolific international points scorer James Pritchard (Bedford/Plymouth), John Cannon (Coventry/Doncaster), record caps holder Aaron Carpenter and Brett Beukeboom (both Cornish Pirates) were just a few of the stars that graced the league.

Rugby Canada’s role in this latest partnership will support players’ relocation costs such as flights and visas. Champ Rugby will in turn offer players professional contracts which include accommodation support as part of the deal.

Reformatted with player availability in mind, clubs who sign Canadian players will work with the Rugby Canada to ensure flexibility for national team training/matches.

“We are pleased to formalise this partnership with Champ Rugby and its clubs with support from the RFU,” said Nathan Bombrys, CEO of Rugby Canada.

“We have some quality players in Canada, and this partnership will provide opportunities for them to test themselves and develop their rugby in an excellent professional environment.”

Simon Gillham OBE, Chair of Champ Rugby, added: “Champ Rugby is the proving ground for players with ambition. We’re delighted to welcome talented Canadian players into our clubs, where they’ll get regular, competitive rugby at an elite level.

“It’s a partnership that strengthens our competition, elevates our platform, and supports Rugby Canada in developing their internationals, all the while contributing to the growth of the wider game.”

Canada have fallen outside of the top 20 in the World Rugby Rankings since they last competed in the Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2019.

The team missed out on Rugby World Cup 2023, the first time in history that they haven’t been present on the game’s biggest stage, but secured qualification for next year’s tournament in Australia.

Canada have been placed in Pool C, along with Argentina, Fiji and Spain.