The Canada centre who experienced a Test debut week twice

Jacob Ince led the way as the Guelph Gryphons claimed a first-ever men’s national championship last November, and the midfielder was rewarded with a place in Canada’s squad for the all-new World Rugby Nations Cup in July.

“I had never actually played a professional game,” Ince said, having been given the chance to rub shoulders with Test veterans like Lucas Rumball and Ben LeSage. The 23-year-old then had the fairly rare experience of going through a debut Test week twice.

Ince continued to reach even higher heights after being named to potentially debut in Canada’s Nations Cup opener against Spain in Edmonton. But the centre was an unused substitute in the 42-all draw, which postponed his debut by another week.

The then uncapped prospect went to the changeroom post-game, but didn’t let the experience get him down. “I’m going to have more opportunities,” and that chance came just seven days later against another side bound for Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027.

Coach Stephen Meehan selected Ince on the bench as Canada prepared to face Canada, and this time, the university national champion got to realise another dream. Ince played 17 minutes off the bench before moving into the starting side the following week.

“It’s an experience you can’t really put into words,” Ince told RugbyPass.

“The emotions of being named to the team and then you’ve got the build-up. You’re getting all the messages; all your friends, all your family, all your old teammates, all your old coaches messaging coach. It’s just a real surreal experience.

“The day of the game, your emotions are really high… you’re trying to control your emotions because you’re about to play for the national team. Then obviously just the moment running out, it’s really surreal.

“To do it at home was really special. Running onto the field, hearing all the fans clapping and just looking around and really being present and soaking in the moment, but then you get on the field and you’ve got a job to do. Just the whole experience was amazing.”

It may have been Ince’s first taste of actually playing a professional match, but the Canadian has spent time in some impressive high-performance environments. Ince trained with the Toronto Arrows before heading to Taranaki, New Zealand.

Ince headed to New Zealand’s North Island in about April 2024, having received an offer to play for club side Spotswood United in New Plymouth. An opportunity to join the Taranaki Bulls wider squad followed, which meant working with now All Blacks assistant coach Neil Barnes.

Barnes could be playing snakes and ladders or working with the All Blacks, either way, the coach has “the same sh** about me that I want to win.” The former Tarnaki Bulls boss famously produced that quote after being named an All Blacks assistant coach.

It offered an insight into what the coach was bringing into the All Blacks environment, and the approach that served Tarnaki well over multiple provincial seasons. Barnes helped lead Tarnaki to the NPC title in 2023, with Ince joining the wider set-up the next year.

“I just loved every second of it, man. The whole experience; the new culture, the new rugby and meeting new people, it was a real surreal experience,” Ince said.

“You get a different style of rugby over there. I definitely had to get used to the physicality of it. I think after the first game, that was probably the most sore my body has ever been so definitely toughened me up a bit.

“Thankfully I had some good performances through the first half of the club season which helped me get into the wider-squad stuff… that was a real good experience. Got to learn from some really good coaches.”

Ince was taken seventh overall by the Utah Warriors in the 2025 MLR College Draft, but the side suspended club operations soon after.  In the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship, Ince continued to lead the charge towards history.

The Gryphons had fallen short in the semi-finals time and time again, before going a couple better last November. Ince had been playing with some of those teammates for five, six years, and in late 2025 Guelph overcame a rival en route to the big dance.

On the 16^th of November in Montreal, the Gryphons triumph in the final 18-13 against the Ecole de technologie superieure Piranhas. Ince was rewarded with a spot at outside centre in the Tournament All-Stars, as reported by the Gryphons.

“Getting the championship was unreal. There was a group of us that came in together, a few of my teammates and close friends, and we came in in together fix or six years ago.

“We couldn’t get over that hump of making it to the final. Then this year, we put a really strong team together and we had some really good coaches and I think we just really gelled together really well and we got over that hump.

“It was really special because all of us had been together for so long and we had fallen short in that game so many times. When we had that opportunity to play in the final, we weren’t going to let it go beyond us.

“The boys really stepped up and we played a really good game. Lifting that championship, it wasn’t just that one year of hard work, it felt like it was that six years of hard work and it was an unreal feeling.”

Ince got a maiden start at Test level during the July international window, suiting up at inside centre in a win over Zimbabwe. The now three-Test Canadian came off the bench against Japan last weekend, but has returned to the starting side to take on Fiji.

Fiji are the reigning Asahi Super Dry Pacific Nations Cup champions, having taken out the titles with wins over Japan in both 2024 and 2025. Ince will link up in the midfield with LeSage, who has played 40 Tests in Canadian red.

“It’s a great opportunity for myself. Being a young lad and seeing someone who has so much experience, that’s where I want to be one day. So just taking little cues from what he does and seeing how he holds himself.

“He’s a very calm person and he’s really well-spoken… he can really calm down the ground and get us refocused. Honestly, just the fac that I’m around him, and not just rugby-wise but off the field too… it’s definitely been a good experience to see how he holds himself.”