Canada vs Scotland International Rugby

By Andy MacCulloch and Liz Smith

When Canada’s men’s rugby side plays a much-anticipated match versus Scotland at Lansdowne, it will be a game to remember. While Scotland is currently ranked #6 in the world, Canada is #21.

The Scottish rugby team is one of the most exciting and competitive sides in the world. They had a successful Rugby World Cup, competing hard and beating some of the best teams. Scotland is coming to the Americas for a busy four match stop in four different countries starting off in Ottawa versus Canada.

The match may feature Scotland’s captivating elite winger Duhan van der Merwe and his bid to surpass the all-time Scottish try record of 27 currently held by recently retired Captain Stuart Hogg. Van der Merwe needs one to tie and two to break the record. We may see history being made.

Conor Keys is proud to be playing at home for Canada Canada

Canada’s Rugby Team player and Stittsville native, Conor Keys is pumped to be playing against Scotland in his hometown. His family has Scottish roots. His father, Robert, played rugby at university in Scotland before moving to Canada.

Conor didn’t pick up the game until later in childhood. “I was the first Canadian, so the first thing they did was kick me into hockey. Basically, they asked the neighbours, ‘How do we make our son Canadian?’ and they wanted to embrace Canadian culture as much as they could. The thinking was if you have a newborn son, he’s going to play hockey. And I loved it.” Keys, a big Senators fan, played primarily with the Stittsville Rams and had a few stints with the Ottawa Valley Titans and Silver Seven, until switching gears as a 16-year-old.

Rugby slowly grew on him after his father invited him out to watch one of his club league games. Keys wanted to give it a try, if only as summer cross-training for hockey. Then competitive rugby came knocking and he had to decide between the two and ended up choosing rugby.

“I signed up for rugby after Canada played Scotland in 2006, that’s where I started.” Now it is Conor’s turn to introduce young athletes and fans to the game and to play against Scotland.

Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team wins the Pacific Four Series!

The Canadian Women’s Rugby Team hosted the Pacific Four Series with record crowds last year in Ottawa. Encouraged by the support and their strong play, the team played well at WXV later in the year. They recently won this year’s Pacific Four Series, beating the home side New Zealand.

On May 19, Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team beat the Black Ferns for the first time in team history to win the 2024 Pacific Four Series, with a 22-19 comeback victory over the reigning Pacific Four Series and Rugby World Cup champions. With this win, Canada moves into second in the women’s world rankings.

In a match filled with historical significance, Tyson Beukeboom officially reached 68 caps upon kick-off, becoming Canada’s all-time women’s caps leader. “I still don’t have words for it. It hasn’t sunk in yet. We’ve hit so many milestones tonight,” said Beukeboom that night. “We knew we could do it. We just had to go out on the field and put the game down, and we did, and I think proud is probably the best word at the moment. It was so much fun to be out there tonight.”

Let’s continue to support our National Rugby Program! It should be a festive and entertaining afternoon down at Lansdowne. Gates open at 4:00 pm with kick-off at 5:00 pm.

Looking forward to seeing everybody there. I’m still not sure who I am cheering for!?