Canada gears up to face U.S. in 'very big' Rugby World Cup qualifying match at McMahon Stadium
McMahon Stadium a mecca for Canadian rugby?
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The venerable arena becomes just that this weekend for the national senior men's 15s squad, when it becomes a major focus on the world stage and for the country's sporting enthusiasts.
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It's Canada versus the rival United States in a key match to help determine a coveted entry into the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
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'It's a very big one,' said Calgary's Matt Oworu, of the Friday night game between North American enemies at McMahon (7 p.m., TSN2). 'It puts us in a position to qualify for the World Cup, and it's something that we all see as very important — not just the players but everyone involved. Like it's like the highest achievement for any player across all sports outside of the Olympics.
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'It's really important for us.'
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It truly is arguably the biggest night in this current four-year window between World Cups for the national men's rugby program.
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At stake is a leg up in the push to make the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, which arrives a handful of years after heartbroken Canada fell short in vying to attend the 2023 edition.
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'It's massive,' added Calgary's Ben Lesage, one of the squad's stars since arriving on the scene in 2016. 'A few weeks ago, our Canadian women's team beat the States in rugby in Ottawa. So they got the better of them there. So I think we're sort of trying to draw inspiration from some of those other Canadian teams that have sort of rallied around Canada and that cross-border rivalry to do the same thing.
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'The rivalry with the U.S. is big regardless, but this year especially because of what it means, so it makes it all the more important on Friday.'
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The game is the first of the Pacific Nations Cup schedule, which features Canada, the U.S. and Japan in World Cup qualifying action.
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The top two teams from this event advance in the qualifying process.
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And with Japan coming in as a powerhouse, the cold hard truth is the loser of Friday's U.S.-Canada tilt would have to upset Japan in a subsequent game to stay in contention for a World Cup opportunity.
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'Winning this game doesn't guarantee you qualification in the Rugby World Cup, and that's something that everyone needs to be aware of,' said Canada head coach Stephen Meehan. 'But it does put you in a good position.
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'So if you go on and start talking about all the ramifications behind everything all the time, well then it's easy to take your eye off what matters now. And so we've got to concentrate on our performance Friday.'
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