CALGARY — Former captain Tyler Ardron scored four tries in his return to the national team and Canada reeled off 17 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the U.S. 34-20 in Pacific Nations Cup rugby play Friday.
The 34-year-old backrower from Peterborough, Ont., who plays his club rugby in France for Castres Olympique, won cap No. 39 in his first appearance in Canadian colours since October 2021. Ardron captained Canada at both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.
The Pacific Nations Cup marks the start of World Cup qualifying for the 25th-ranked Canadian men and 16th-ranked Americans.
Tied 17-17 at the break, the teams exchanged penalties and Ardron scored his fourth try in the 57th minute after a quick-tap penalty. Peter Nelson's conversion gave Canada a 27-20 lead and the fullback scored himself in the 61st, chasing down his own grubber kick after an American turnover to make it 34-20.
American fly half A.J. MacGinty was sent to the sin bin in the 66th minute for a deliberate knock-on, leaving the visitors down a man for 10 minutes.
Nelson kicked three conversions and a penalty for Canada, which snapped a seven-game losing streak. Canada had not won since a 35-22 decision over No. 21 Romania in July 2024 in Ottawa.
"It really mattered to us today," said Canada captain Lucas Rumball. "That was the focus of the game, was just making it mater — every minute, every tackle, every pass, everything. I think we showed it in there today."
Dominic Besag and Rufus McLean scored tries for the U.S. MacGinty booted two conversions and two penalties.
The Canadians won the set-piece battle, stealing several U.S. lineouts, and showed discipline in avoiding penalties. And they continued their expansive play under new coach Steve Meehan, who celebrated his first win at the Canadian helm.
The Australian took over the Canadian men after Kingsley Jones stepped down in December after seven years at the helm.
"I thought the players delivered just about everything that we asked of them and I'm delighted for them," said Meehan. "They really worked hard. They deserve every bit of enjoyment now."
Meehan lost his first two games in charge — 25-18 to No. 22 Belgium and 24-23 to No. 15 Spain on a last-minute Spanish penalty kick — in July in Edmonton.
The Pacific Nations Cup, which also features No. 9 Fiji, No. 13 Samoa, No. 14 Japan and No. 19 Tonga, will send three teams to the 2027 World Cup, which is being hosted by No. 6 Australia.
Fiji and Japan have already qualified by virtue of their performance at the 2023 tournament, so a top-five finish would do it for Canada if Fiji and Japan finish above it.
Tonga beat Samoa 30-16 later Friday in Nuku'alofa in Pool A play. Canada will complete Pool B play against Japan in Sendai on Aug. 30.
The semifinals and fifth-versus-sixth game are scheduled for Sept. 14 in Denver with the championship and third-place game Sept. 20 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The team that finishes sixth still has a shot at the World Cup via a two-legged qualifying playoff against the 2025 Sudaméricano runner-up. The playoff loser joins the four-team Final Qualification Tournament with one World Cup berth on the line.
Canada finished sixth in last year's Pacific Nations Cup, beaten 30-17 by Tonga after group stage losses to the U.S. (28-15) and Japan (55-28).
Ardron gave Canada an early lead, crashing over from close-range in the third minute after an American handling error.
The Eagles tied it 7-7 six minutes later on a try by Besag after Canada was penalized for an infraction at the breakdown. And the U.S. pulled ahead 14-7 in the 17th minute on MacGinty's exquisite kick-pass to a wide-open McLean on the wing.
Canada matched that in the 21st minute, cutting the lead to 14-12 after Nelson found Ardron in the corner with a kick off a quick-tap penalty deep in the U.S. MacGinty, who plays in England for Bristol Bears, made it 17-12 with a penalty in the 33rd minute.
Ardron scored his third try in the 38th minute, diving over from close range to pull Canada even at 17-17.
Hooker Dewald Kotze, a 28-year-old from Edmonton, made his first start for Canada while UBC scrum half Stephen Webb won his first cap off the bench. Webb is the son of the late Bill Webb, co-founder of the now-defunct Toronto Arrows.
Friday's match was the first for the Canadian men at McMahon Stadium since 2017 when they faced Georgia.
While Canada held a 39-25-2 edge in the all-time series with the U.S., the Americans had won eight of the previous nine meetings with the lone Canadian win during that stretch a 34-21 decision in St John’s, N.L., in September 2021. The U.S. won 28-15 when they met in Carson, Calif., in last year's Pacific Nations Cup.
The Pacific Nations Cup is sponsored by Asahi.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 22, 2025.
The Canadian Press
