Jamin Hodgkins was one of Thirty-four players who have been named to Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team for the Ottawa summer fixtures against Scotland and Romania.
hirty-four players have been named to Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team for the Ottawa summer fixtures against Scotland and Romania. Hodgkins (Bermuda) - Bridgend Ravens.
Canada will take on Scotland on Saturday July 6 at 5:00pm ET and Romania on Friday July 12 at 7:00pm ET, with both matches taking place at TD Place. Tickets can be purchased here.
The roster includes 18 MLR players, who will travel to Ottawa following the conclusion of the MLR regular season this weekend. Among these players are six from the Eastern Conference leading New England Free Jacks as well as five who hit significant MLR cap milestones this season: Ben LeSage, Kyle Baillie, Conor Keys and Mitch Richardson each reached 50 caps, with Andrew Quattrin getting his 75th.
The Ottawa summer fixtures will see the return home of Stittsville’s own Conor Keys who was inspired to take up rugby after watching a Canada vs Scotland A match at Twin Elm Rugby Park in 2006.
Nine players on the squad were also named to the Canada Selects roster currently preparing to play the Vancouver Highlanders at Burnaby Lake Rugby Club this Friday. Three Highlanders players, Matthew Klimchuk and brothers Takoda McMullin and Talon McMullin, have been named to the Ottawa squad as well.
Matthew Oworu, Cooper Coats and Josiah Morra will join from Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team.
Thirteen players could earn their first cap for Canada in Ottawa. This includes Dewald Kotze, who is currently third in MLR scoring with 10 tries, the McMullin brothers, and two players who competed in the Coast to Coast Cup final this past weekend: Hodgkins (Atlantic Privateers) and James Stockwood (Toronto Arrows Academy).
The Pacific Pride’s Jesse Kilgour, who spent time with Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team in April at the 2024 Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens, as well as Rhys James, Jesse Mackail, and Mark Balaski, will also be looking for their first caps, as will MLR players Ethan Fryer, Nic Benn, Brock Gallagher and Cali Martinez.
One of these 13 players could become the 500th player to take to the pitch for Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team while in Ottawa, with the number of capped players currently at 497.
“This is the start of our pathway to Rugby World Cup qualification. We have a balance of players whose international experience will be crucial as we take on a strong Scotland team with a short runway for preparation, and some new faces who have earned the call-up to the national team with their fantastic performances in the MLR or with clubs overseas and their massive growth and improvement through the Pacific Pride program,” said Kingsley Jones, Head Coach of Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team. “Our depth has grown, making this a tough selection, which is pleasing from a coaching point of view. There will be lots of opportunities over the next few months for our players as we continue to grow that depth, which will be important as we build towards Rugby World Cup qualification in 2025. But it starts next week in Ottawa, and we’re excited to get to work with this group.”
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