Seven games into his tenure as Canada rugby coach, the learning continues for Stephen Meehan.
Club commitments, injuries and the demands of everything from work to school have affected his squad selection since taking over earlier this year. While the veteran Australian coach is not complaining, it hasn’t helped in making connections on the playing field.
While French-based players like former captain Tyler Ardron and Evan Olmstead have returned to the fold under Meehan, they have only been able to see limited action for Canada due to club requirements. He understands their plight, given they make their living out of club rugby, and chooses to see the glass half-full.
“We also know that down the track they will be with us … (and) at the same time, it’s providing others an opportunity to develop and to get better,” Meehan said from Bitumi ahead of Saturday’s test against No. 11 Georgia. “And hopefully they put up their hands and are more and more confident in what they’re doing and performing at a higher level at both training and then whatever opportunities they get in the game.
“Depending upon how you want to look at it, you can feel really negative about that or you can say ‘Well, the silver lining is we’re developing a deeper pool of talent and we’re going to have greater competition for spots.'”
Last Saturday’s 31-21 loss to No. 21 Romania in Bucharest saw first starts for prop Sam Miller and centre Kyle Tremblay while lock Barnaby Waddell made his debut off the bench.
While Meehan did not like his team’s start — or some of the officiating at the scrum that set the stage for 12 points via Romanian penalty kicks — he also saw some good scramble defence and periods of attack that had the Romanians under pressure.
Understandably he sees the team as a “bit of a work in progress.”
“Some of the rugby that we played in that second half demonstrated where this team is headed,” he said. “We had players passing to one another, supporting one another and looking for opportunities in a way that we haven’t see thus far this year. So there are some glimmers there, some real positives to come out of the game.
“We’ve got to now continue to work on understanding when those opportunities come and how to capitalize on them.”
The 24th-ranked Canadians step up in class Saturday.
Georgia is coming off a 43-30 win over the 16th-ranked U.S. Eagles, rallying from a 21-7 deficit midway through the first half last Saturday. The result snapped a three-game Georgia losing streak, albeit against elite opposition, from July losses to No. 1 South Africa (55-10), South African club side Cheetahs (24-20) and No. 3 Ireland (34-5).
The Lelos have a gilt-edged pedigree, defeating Spain 46-28 in March for their eighth consecutive and 17th overall Rugby Europe Championship.
Meehan expects Georgia to show off a higher gear this week than last, having “blown out the cobwebs, so to speak.”
“They’ll be a formidable side on Saturday. It’s going to be quite the challenge, but certainly a good challenge for us,” he said.
“They’re a side that’s been banging on the door for entry into the Six Nations for some time,” he added. “They dominate the second tier of European rugby and the vast majority of their players are (playing) elsewhere, so they’re in good competitions and getting well coached. And they’re getting well coached when they come home.
“They’re a side that used to pose difficult problems when they went to the World Cup. And now they’re beating some of the big teams. They’re doing well. They’ve really improved over the last 20 years.”
Meehan is well acquainted with the Georgia coaching staff, having worked with Georgia head coach Richard Cockerill at France’s Toulon and coached Georgia defence coach Julian Salvi as a player at England’s Bath.
The Georgia staff also includes former Canadian international Dan Baugh, who is the team’s strength and conditioning coach,
Canada’s preparation for Georgia has not been helped with some travel issues. The team’s scheduled flight out of Bucharest was cancelled, forcing it to overnight in Istanbul. The travelling party didn’t land in Bitumi until early Tuesday evening, cutting into its preparation time.
“We’ve just had to rearrange our week. It’s not ideal but it’s just what we’re faced with,” Meehan said. “So we need to just get on with it.”
Canada wraps up its November tour on Nov. 22 against No. 20 Portugal in Coimbra.
The Canadian men are 1-6-0 under Meehan. All six losses have come against teams currently ranked higher than Canada.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2025
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
