Rumball reaches Canadian caps milestone as Canada edge USA Eagles 19-16 in Tokyo

Lucas Rumball etched his name further into Canadian rugby history on Saturday, becoming the fourth-most capped player in the men’s programme as Canada defeated the USA Eagles 19-16 in the Pacific Nations Cup third-place playoff in Tokyo.

The veteran captain, now past 70 Test appearances, was visibly emotional after the final whistle — a reaction he admitted had been building throughout an intense week that included a jersey presentation the night before the match.

“Personally it’s massive. I’ve gone through my career losing a fair bit to the U.S. to be honest,” Rumball said. “The first year I was captain we lost to them and we kind of continued that streak until last year. It was an emotional week for me and we had a jersey presentation last night where it did get a little bit emotional. I’m really proud of the boys for the effort they put out there and the way they wore their hearts on their sleeves and never gave up.”

The result was far from straightforward. Canada had won only three of the previous 16 meetings between the two North American sides, and the Eagles arrived ranked 10 places higher on the World Rugby standings. The USA had also opened the season with a perfect 3-0 run in the new World Rugby Nations Cup, while Canada had managed a 1-1-1 record.

Tries from Ben LeSage and Mason Flesch helped Canada race into a 12-0 lead before the 20-minute mark, with Takoda McMullin having missed a penalty attempt in the opening minutes. The Eagles clawed their way back repeatedly, however, and had cut the deficit to three points with fewer than 10 minutes remaining. A last-ditch defensive stand from Canada ultimately denied the USA a late steal.

The win builds on a promising run of results for Canada in the 2026 international season. They opened with a high-scoring draw against Spain — the two sides combining for more than 80 points — before facing Japan in a centenary match in Niigata, where they were beaten by 45 points. The following weekend, Canada put 29 points on a Fiji side ranked inside the world’s top 10.

“I think we’ve grown massively,” Rumball said. “The first 20 to 30 minutes, I think we actually played a positive brand of rugby. We’re looking to attack, looking to find the space. We’ll probably review the game and be disappointed with some of the options we took in the second half and our inability to complete sets. But that first bit was really encouraging.”

All three opponents Canada faced during this stretch — Spain, Fiji, and the USA — have qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, now less than 13 months away.