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Canada have recovered from a heavy defeat in Georgia in Nations Rugby World Cup with a 38-17 win against Hong Kong China, who also secured their place in the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia.
This is the biggest win of the international season for the Canadians, who now improve their record to 2-2-1 in the Nations Cup. But USA The Eagles can’t be caught in Pool B, securing top spot with one round to go.
The Canadians were coming off a 45-point loss to eventual Group A champion Georgia, their equal-most loss in 2026. But Canada bounced back in a big way against Hong Kong China, racking up 33 unanswered points over the final 30 minutes.
Canada went down to 14 men during the first half after outside center Isaac Olsen was booked, but the North American side stayed in the contest. Hong Kong China led 10-0 deep into the first half, before winger Nic Benn responded for Canada.
Five points separated the teams at halftime, and Hong Kong China actually struck first in the second period. But from then on, it was a one-way scoring drive, with the returning Takoda McMullin starring during the second 40.
“We’re working really hard and playing to earn wins on the weekend. It felt like last weekend’s performance, especially the second half, didn’t reflect us as a team,” Canada’s first-time captain Ben LeSage said after the game.
“To come out today, have a really tough first 20 minutes, Hong Kong (China) really fought against us, credit to them.
“In the second half, you finally saw the type of rugby we’re trying to play and a bit of confidence. I’m really proud of the boys.”
It was a one-score game at halftime, but a focus on getting back to basics helped Canada take control of the contest. Canada finished with 71 percent possession over the final 10 minutes and scored 12 points over the same period.
Icy player Josh Hrstich received a yellow card and Hong Kong China were down to 14 men around 50 minutes, with a penalty attempt also going in favor of the Canadians. It was a three-point game and the Canadians seemed extremely confident from there.
Spencer Jones, Sam Miller and McMullin each chipped in with five points as Canada ran out big winners in the end. Canada is now preparing to face it Romania next weekend, in the final round of the Cup of Nations.
“We had to play the fastball. We had to take care of the ball in the ruck. We wanted to get the fastball and we wanted to get to the space that you saw, start getting the ball behind a little bit and make plays in the right areas of the field,” LeSage added.
“It’s something we talk about all week, but it’s hard to do it on a game day under pressure. You saw it start to come true in the second half.”
