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A new player pathway has opened for Canada. Rugby Canada has entered a partnership with Elior Champ Rugby, the English Second Division. The agreement will provide a high performance pathway for Canadian men’s players.
The agreement opens the door for High Performance after the Major League Rugby (MLR) closed. It comes after Foster DeWitt, Noah Flesch, Ethan Fryer, and James Thiel played for Peñarol in Super Rugby Americas (SRA) 2026 while Austin Creighton and Ethan Turner played for Os Cobras.
The agreement with Champ Rugby will provide a reputable level means of enabling players to compete for a spot on Canada’s Rugby World Cup 2027 roster. It will act as a proving ground for hopeful Canadian men’s players who could also go on to play in the English Premiership.
Champ Rugby is a 14-team league. It is the largest in England and act as a link between the lower divisions and the Premiership. Champ Rugby was formerly known as the RFU Championship. The competition has existed since 1987.
Rugby Canada’s role in the partnership will be to support players’ relocation costs such as flights and visas. Champ Rugby will offer players professional contracts which include accommodation support as part of the arrangement.
The partnership comes at a welcomed time; Canada will play at Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia. Canada will compete in Pool C against Argentina on Monday, October 4, 2027, in Brisbane. Following this opening match, the team will travel to face Fiji at Adelaide on Sunday, October 10, 2027. Canada will then wrap up its pool stage matches by playing Spain in Townsville on Saturday, October 16, 2027.
