Canada will play its first game under new Head Coach Steve Meehan on Saturday. The Maple Leafs are set to open their calendar year against Belgium in Edmonton. While the two sides are parked side-by-side on the world rankings, the Black Devils have never beaten their hosts and in fact have failed to score even a single point against the Canucks in two consecutive tests.
| FORM GUIDE |
Current World Ranking: 24 (59.18 points)
2024-11-16 – Romania 35, Canada 27 (Bucharest)
2024-11-09 – Canada 14, Chile 44 (Bucharest)
2024-09-14 – Tonga 30, Canada 17 (Tokyo)
2024-08-31 – USA 28, Canada 15 (Carson)
2025-08-25 – Canada 28, Japan 55 (Vancouver)
Current World Ranking: 23 (59.98 points)
2025-07-05 – USA 36, Belgium 17 (Charlotte)
2025-03-15 – Netherlands 10, Belgium 31 (Amsterdam)
2025-03-01 – Belgium 38, Switzerland 5 (Waterloo)
2025-02-15 – Germany 19, Belgium 39 (Kassel)
2025-02-08 – Belgium 14, Romania 31 (Mons)
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Cole Keith | Conor Young |
| 4 | Piers von Dadelszen | Mason Flesch |
| 5 | Izzak Kelly | James Stockwood |
| 8 | Matthew Oworu | Sion Parry |
| 10 | Cooper Coats | Peter Nelson |
| 11 | Josiah Morra | Nic Benn |
| 12 | Talon McMullin | Mitch Richardson |
| 14 | Isaac Olson | Andrew Coe |
| 15 | Brenden Black | Cooper Coats |
|
IN | OUT |
| 2 | Bruno Vliegen | Alexandre Raynier |
| 6 | Felipe Geraghty | Jean-Maurice Decubber |
| 8 | Lucas Rassinfosse | William van Bost |
| 9 | Isaac Montoisy | Julien Berger |
| 10 | Matias Remue | Hugo de Francq |
| 12 | Jens Torfs | Maxime Vacquier |
| 14 | Thomas Wallraf | Ervin Muric |
| 15 | Siméon Soenen | Matias Remue |
| NOTES |
- Belgium have made some rotation after their subdued outing against the Eagles last weekend… long-time skipper Jens Torfs returns to the run-on side while Isaac Montoisy and Matias Remue are the new halfback pairing… Remue starred at fullback in Charlotte, a position this week occupied by Montauban speedster Siméon Soenon
- first choice loose forward pair Jean-Maurice Decubber and William van Bost are rested, with Felipe Geraghty and Lucas Rassinfosse instead forming a mobile back row trio with Jérémie Brasseur
- the Black Devils haven’t scored a point against the Maple Leafs since their first meeting way back in 2010… and lost in convincing fashion in their only other trip to Canada three years ago
- there are two potential new caps among the reserves… second row Tom Calomme and flyhalf Guillem Fernández Grau… both were part of Belgium’s under-20 side this past year
- Meehan will start five members of the Major League Rugby champion Free Jacks… with another two on the bench… but vice-captain and regular No13 Ben LeSage is ruled out with an ankle injury
- Cooper Coats wears No10 for the first time in a Canadian jersey since October of 2022, when he started in a non-test match against a Chile XV… replacement Peter Nelson started all seven of last year’s tests
- Nelson and reserve flanker Sion Parry are the only overseas-based players included in the match day squad… Izzak Kelly, Talon McMullin, and Kyle Tremblay play in the BC Premier League, with Tremblay and fellow debutant Brenden Black part of Canada’s Sevens team
- Black formerly played with the now-defunct Toronto Arrows… now 21 years old, the Guelph University star was briefly the youngest player in MLR history when he played fullback against Utah just ahead of his 19th birthday in 2023
| QUOTES |
Steve Meehan (Head Coach)
“We’ve been really pleased with our week of preparation. The players have trained very hard and that has created a lot of energy and healthy competition as they’ve all tried to earn a spot in the match day twenty-three. Belgium will challenge us right across the pitch, but we are well prepared. Looking forward to Saturday and seeing how the players perform in front of the home crowd here in Edmonton.”
| PREDICTION |
Warm and dry conditions are on the forecast, with a mild breeze. The Belgians struggled to gain ground on attack against the USA and may look to use Torfs up the middle to get over the gainline. Their pack remains undersized though the Canadians aren’t overly imposing either. Both flyhalves, Remue and Coats, have more often been used as fullbacks which suggests a running approach from each. This will surely be the closest contest between the two sides to date but the Belgians still have a psychological hurdle to overcome. Canada are slight favorites at home.
| TEAMS |
CANADA
1 Cali Martinez, 2 Andrew Quattrin, 3 Cole Keith, 4 Piers von Dadelszen, 5 Izzak Kelly, 6 Matt Heaton, 7 Lucas Rumball (capt.), 8 Matthew Oworu, 9 Brock Gallagher, 10 Cooper Coats, 11 Josiah Morra, 12 Talon McMullin, 13 Noah Flesch, 14 Isaac Olson, 15 Brenden Black
Replacements: 16 Dewald Kotze, 17 Foster DeWitt, 18 Kyle Steeves, 19 Callum Botchar, 20 Sion Perry, 21 Jason Higgins, 22 Peter Nelson, 23 Kyle Tremblay
BELGIUM
1 Charlesty Berguet, 2 Bruno Vliegen, 3 Jean-Baptiste de Clercq, 4 Toon Deceuninck, 5 Arthur Smeets, 6 Felipe Geraghty, 7 Jérémie Brasseur, 8 Lucas Rassinfosse, 9 Isaac Montoisy, 10 Matias Remue, 11 Dazzy Cornez, 12 Jens Torfs (capt.), 13 Florian Remue, 14 Thomas Wallraf, 15 Siméon Soenen
Replacements: 16 Seppe Verelst, 17 Alexandre Raynier, 18 Basile van Parys, 19 Dries de Keyser, 20 Tom Calomme, 21 Julien Berger, 22 Hugo de Francq, 23 Guillem Fernández Grau
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, July 12
Venue: Clarke Stadium, Edmonton
Kickoff: 19:00 local (18:00 Pacific, 21:00 Eastern, Sunday 01:00 Belgium)
Weather Forecast: sunny, 75°F (24°C), wind NW 12-18mph (19-29km/h)
Broadcasts: TSN 2 (Canada), RugbyPass TV
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Gonzalo de Achaval (Argentina)
Assistants: Angus Mabey (New Zealand) & Luke Rogan (USA)
TMO: Mike Kelly (USA)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (3): Canada 3, Belgium 0
2022-07-02 – Canada 45, Belgium 0 (Halifax)
2021-11-13 – Belgium 0, Canada 24 (Brussels)
2010-11-06 – Belgium 12, Canada 43 (Brussels)
The post July Internationals 2025: Canada vs Belgium – ARN Guide appeared first on Americas Rugby News.
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