Canada draft women's coach Rouet into men's squad after he ended England's 41-match unbeaten run

Kévin Rouet has been brought into Canada’s men’s coaching setup for the remainder of the Nations Cup, just weeks after guiding the Canadian women to consecutive victories over England that ended the Red Roses’ 41-match unbeaten run in the WXV Global Series.

Rouet joins head coach Stephen Meehan’s staff as an assistant ahead of fixtures against Georgia, Hong Kong China and Romania. Canada currently sit bottom of their pool following a draw with Spain, a loss to Portugal and a win against Zimbabwe. The squad will first gather for a week-long training camp before resuming the campaign.

The 41-match streak Canada Women ended — with wins in both Toronto and Ottawa this month — underlined Rouet’s growing reputation as one of rugby’s most astute coaching minds. Rugby Canada chief executive Nathan Bombrys has previously described him as “the Jack Reacher of rugby coaches”, a nod to his methodical, problem-solving approach.

Meehan has named a 36-player squad that includes several notable figures. Matt Beukeboom, cousin of Canada’s all-time caps record holder Tyson Beukeboom, is in contention for his first international appearance in nine years. The SAXV Charente Rugby forward is one of six France-based players called up — five of whom were unavailable for the Pacific Nations Cup campaign in Tokyo, which concluded with a 29-16 win over the USA Men’s Eagles.

Matthew Oworu is also included and could earn his first cap in 12 months, shortly after confirming a move to Pro D2 club Biarritz Olympique. Newcastle Red Bulls forward Mason Flesch, who recently became the first Canadian to secure a Gallagher Premiership contract in seven years, is named among the forwards. Uncapped backs Demetri Patterson, Mitch Voralek and Jack Gore also feature.

“This international window is a great opportunity to bring everyone back together including our France-based professionals,” said Meehan. “To have players like Matt Beukeboom return to the environment is invaluable to the team and our program as we continue building on the progress we made during the Pacific Nations Cup.”

Meehan also pointed to the logistical challenge of a six-day turnaround between the final two matches as deliberate preparation for Rugby World Cup 2027. “Ultimately, it’s a great opportunity to test ourselves against strong opposition and continue climbing the world rankings,” he added.