Belgium missing top names for Canada match

Belgium have named their squad to face Canada on Saturday. While they have yet to declare their starting XV, the match day squad is an inexperienced one that includes 11 uncapped players with several of their top France-based professionals absent.

The makeup of the group is similar to that of Portugal with 15 local players currently participating in the Rugby Europe Super Cup with the Brussels Devils. All of the new caps come from the domestic select side that have played four games with one win.

Long-time Pro D2 center Jens Torfs, now with Nice in the Nationale, is the most experienced player professionally in the group with scrumhalf Tom Cocqu and winger Thomas Wallraf also in double-digits of test appearances. Perpignan academy prop Charlesty Berguet and 6’7″ (2.00m) Marmande lock Guillaume Mortier are notable inclusions in the forwards.

Bayonne prop Jean-Baptiste de Clerq, second rows Sven D’Hooghe and Gillian Benoy, and back row trio Thomas Demolder, Lucas de Coninck, and William van Bost are among the missing. Also absent are halfback pairing Julien Berger and Antoine Vassart, and Blagnac center Guillaume Piron.

LH PROP
Charlesty Berguet (Perpignan, FR)
*Ian Dumez (Dendermonde / Brussels Devils)

HOOKER
Alexandre Raynier (Lombez Samatan, FR)
Vincent Tauzia (Clermont Cournon, FR)

TH PROP
Samuel Opsomer (Soignies / Brussels Devils)
*Basile van Parys (Oudenaarde / Brussels Devils)

LOCK
*Frédéric De Smet (Dendermonde / Brussels Devils)
Maximilien Hendrickx (Boitsfort / Brussels Devils)
Guillaume Mortier (Marmande, FR)

BACK ROW
*Michael Abrahams (Kituro / Brussels Devils)
*Hugues Bastin (La Hulpe / Brussels Devils)
*Toon Deceuninck (Kituro / Brussels Devils)
Jean-Maurice Decubber (Massy Essonne, FR)

SCRUMHALF
Tom Cocqu (Frameries / Brussels Devils)
Ryan Godsmark (La Hulpe / Brussels Devils)

FLYHALF
*Henri Dequenne (Soignies / Brussels Devils)

CENTER
*Viktor Pazgrat (Frameries / Brussels Devils)
*Basile Poupaert (La Hulpe / Brussels Devils)
Jens Torfs (Nice, FR)

OUTSIDE BACKS
Charles Reynaert (Cognac, FR)
*Matias Remue (Kituro / Brussels Devils)
*Hugo Ruelle (Soignies / Brussels Devils)
Thomas Wallraf (Bassin D’Arcachon, FR)

*uncapped