The calendar year comes to a close for both Portugal and Canada when the two sides collide in Coimbra on Saturday. It’s been four years since their last meeting, a notable occasion as the Lobos finally defeated the Maple Leafs in the fifth time of asking. Both teams confirmed their places at Rugby World Cup 2027 earlier this year but have otherwise looked unconvincing.
| FORM GUIDE |
Current World Ranking: 20 (64.89 points)
2025-11-15 – Portugal 58, Hong Kong 12 (Lisbon)
2025-11-08 – Portugal 8, Uruguay 26 (Lisbon)
2025-07-12 – Portugal 7, Ireland 106 (Lisbon)
2025-03-16 – Portugal 7, Romania 21 (Lisbon)
2025-03-01 – Portugal 31, Spain 42 (Lisbon)
Current World Ranking: 24 (58.85 points)
2025-11-15 – Georgia 38, Canada 17 (Batumi)
2025-11-08 – Romania 31, Canada 21 (Bucharest)
2025-09-20 – Canada 24, Tonga 35 (Salt Lake City)
2025-09-14 – Canada 10, Fiji 63 (Denver)
2025-08-30 – Japan 57, Canada 15 (Sendai)
| STARTING LINEUP CHANGES |
|
IN | OUT |
| 12 | Guilherme Vasconcelos | Tomás Appleton |
| 15 | Vincent Pinto | Nuno Sousa Guedes |
|
IN | OUT |
| 1 | Sam Miller | Emerson Prior |
| 3 | Matt Tierney | Cole Keith |
| 5 | Izzak Kelly | Barnaby Waddell |
| 9 | Brock Gallagher | Jason Higgins |
| 12 | Kyle Tremblay | Noah Flesch |
| 14 | Morgan Di Nardo | Josiah Morra |
| 15 | Cooper Coats | Peter Nelson |
| NOTES |
- Simon Mannix will field a young young Lobos team, with four starters who were still eligible for u20 rugby this year… those includes second row Duarte Nunes, halfbacks Tomás Amado and Manuel Vareiro, and midfielder Guilherme Vasconcelos… the latter gets his first test start in the absence of regular captain Tomás Appleton
- seven Portugal starters ply their trade in the French Pro D2… four of those are in the outside backs, the entire back three and outside center Rodrigo Marta
- only four starters reprise their roles from the last meeting with Canada in 2021… the Maple Leafs will feature just three starters who also ran out at Lisbon four years ago
- former Castres prop Matt Tierney returns to the Canadian starting lineup for the first time since 2021… there are two new caps with UVic winger Morgan Di Nardo running out on the wing and Rotherham scrumhalf James Naylor among the reserves… Di Nardo comes from a rugby family, with older brother Riley a former professional with the Toronto Arrows
| QUOTES |
Steve Meehan (Head Coach)
“Portugal are a very dangerous side, particularly in transition, so we’ll need to be disciplined and precise in our approach. We’ve adjusted elements of our attack and our decision-making to reflect their profile, which is very different from Georgia. We hope to end this tour on a strong note, we’re aiming to deliver another improved performance and, of course, push for a positive result.”
“We haven’t been able to see every player we’d hoped to this year, but by this time next season we expect all Rugby World Cup-eligible players to have spent time in the program. We’re aware of the quality within the group—those we’ve seen briefly, those we’ve yet to see, and those who have been with us for most of the campaign. While it’s challenging not to assemble a consistent squad, it does create opportunities for others, and with that comes development and growth. We’d love to bring the full squad together to gauge where we truly stand, but that remains difficult at the moment.”
| PREDICTION |
Dry and sunny conditions sound ideal but perhaps not when you’re facing speed of the caliber possessed by Portugal. Their outside backs will punish any loose kicking, and the counter attack was certainly an area that Georgia exploited against Canada a week ago. For the Maple Leafs to win they’ll have to control territory and use their physicality up front. Their scrum has been a weakness, however, and could be an area for the Lobos to target. Expect a competitive game but it could be a tough day at the office for the Canadian backs. Portugal are favorites at home in Coimbra.
| TEAMS |
PORTUGAL
1 Luis Lopes, 2 Luka Begic, 3 Cody Thomas, 4 Duarte Nunes, 5 Duarte Torgal, 6 Francisco Almeida, 7 Nicolas Martins, 8 David Wallis (capt.), 9 Tomás Amado, 10 Manuel Vareiro, 11 Simão Bento, 12 Guilherme Vasconcelos, 13 Rodrigo Marta, 14 Raffaele Storti, 15 Vincent Pinto
Replacements: 16 Abel Da Cunha, 17 Nuno Mascarenhas, 18 António Prim, 19 Martim Belo, 20 Vasco Baptista, 21 Hugo Camacho, 22 Hugo Aubry, 23 Martim Faro
CANADA
1 Sam Miller, 2 Dewald Kotze, 3 Matt Tierney, 4 Piers von Dadelszen, 5 Izzak Kelly, 6 Mason Flesch, 7 Lucas Rumball (capt.), 8 Matthew Oworu, 9 Brock Gallagher, 10 Robbie Povey, 11 Nic Benn, 12 Kyle Tremblay, 13 Spencer Jones, 14 Morgan Di Nardo, 15 Cooper Coats
Replacements: 16 Austin Creighton, 17 Emerson Prior, 18 Cole Keith, 19 Callum Botchar, 20 Sion Parry, 21 James Naylor, 22 Noah Flesch, 23 Peter Nelson
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Saturday, November 22
Venue: Estádio Cidade, Coimbra
Kickoff: 16:00 local (08:00 Pacific, 11:00 Eastern)
Weather Forecast: sunny, 55°F (13°C), wind NW 3-5 mph (6-9 km/h)
Broadcasts: TSN+ (Canada), RugbyPass TV
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistants: Saba Abulashvili (Georgia) & Filippo Russo (Italy)
TMO: Marius Jonker (South Africa)
| HISTORY |
HEAD-TO-HEAD (5): Canada 4, Portugal 1
2021-11-06 – Portugal 20, Canada 17 (Lisbon)
2013-11-23 – Portugal 8, Canada 52 (Lisbon)
2010-11-27 – Portugal 20, Canada 23 (Lisbon)
2008-11-01 – Portugal 13, Canada 21 (Lisbon)
2007-08-18 – Canada 42, Portugal 12 (Ottawa)
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