Sam Miller, Jesse Kilgour and Rhys James are in line for their first caps off the bench Saturday when Canada faces Romania in a men's rugby test match in Bucharest.
All three are members of Rugby Canada's Pacific Pride development academy.
Canada coach Kingsley Jones is preparing his young side for World Cup qualifying, which starts next year via the Pacific Nations Cup.
Canada is ranked 22nd in the world, compared to No. 20 for Romania.
Centre Noah Flesch, who made his debut in last Saturday's 44-14 loss to No. 21 Chile, earns his second start at centre while older brother Mason Flesch lines up at lock for his 13th cap.
Scrum half Brock Gallagher and lock James Stockwood, who earned their first caps in July off the bench in a 73-12 loss to No. 6 Scotland, get their first starts.
Prop Calixto Martinez joins Stockwood in the forward pack with Siôn Parry slotting in at blind-side flanker, prompting Matt Heaton to switch to open-side flanker.
Cooper Coats slots in at fullback with Nic Benn moving to the wing. Centre Mitch Richardson also joins Gallagher in the backs.
Canada won 35-22 when the two teams met in July in Ottawa.
“Our match against Romania in July was an important one for us, where we saw a lot of growth from our squad, and this second opportunity against them gives us another great challenge against strong opposition," Jones said in a statement. "Players have worked really hard this week and are really wanting to improve upon our performance from our tough test last Saturday against Chile.
“Our roster for Saturday looks different than that from the match in July, as our program works through a number of injuries, but it’s a valuable experience for our young players. This is an important opportunity to see how our young players step up ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup qualification."
Jones will be hoping for a better defensive effort after conceding seven tries in the loss to Chile. It was the first meeting between the two since October 2021 when the South Americans ended the Canadians' qualification bid for the 2023 World Cup with a 54-46 aggregate victory in their two-legged series.
Romania, meanwhile, is coming off a 25-15 win over No. 18 Tonga.
The Chile defeat was the fourth straight for Canada, which has won just two of its last 10 tests.
Saturday's contest at Stadionul Arcul de Triumf, the same venue as the Chile test, is for the new Cernavoda Cup, a trophy that will be contested every time the two teams meet.
The trophy, awarded in collaboration with the Canadian Embassy in Romania, honours Romanian-Canadian co-operation in the nuclear energy sector. The two Canadian CANDU reactors at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant provide Romania with 18 per cent of its total electricity.
Jones's 32-man tour roster includes 25 players who took part in the Pacific Nations Cup, which saw Canada lose to No. 14 Japan (55-28), the 16th-ranked United States (28-15) and Tonga (30-17) in August and September.
The Canadian men split their two earlier test matches in July in Ottawa, beating Romania and losing to Scotland.
Romania holds a 6-3-0 edge in the overall series with Canada.
The Canadian men won the first two times they met -- at the 1991 and '96 World Cups — before Romania won the next six, five of which were decided by a single-digit margin. Canada snapped that run with the victory in July.
Romania’s win streak includes the biggest comeback in men’s World Cup history when it scored 17 points in the final 28 minutes at the 2015 tournament to edge Canada 17-15.
Canada has yet to beat the team known as the Oaks in Romania, having lost all four previous encounters there.
While Canada failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup, Romania took it on the chin at the tournament. It finished bottom of Pool B after conceding 43 tries, only four fewer than the record of 47 set by Namibia in 2003.
Discipline could be an issue Saturday. Romania picked up seven yellow cards in its last three games.
Canada Roster
Calixto Martinez, White Rock, B.C., Old Glory DC 2 (MLR); Andrew Quattrin, Holland Landing, Ont., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Conor Young, Yamba, Australia, RFC LA (MLR); James Stockwood, Bowmanville, Ont., Pacific Pride; Mason Flesch, Cobourg, Ont., Chicago Hounds (MLR); Matt Heaton, Godmanchester, Que., RFC LA (MLR); Sion Parry, Cardiff, Wales, Ebbw Vale RFC (Wales); Lucas Rumball (capt.), Toronto, Chicago Hounds (MLR); Brock Gallagher, Edmonton, Strathcona Druids RFC; Peter Nelson, Dungannon, Northern Ireland, Dungannon RFC; Nic Benn, Caves Beach, Australia, Utah Warriors 1 (MLR); Noah Flesch, Cobourg, Ont., Chicago Hounds (MLR); Mitch Richardson, Stoney Creek, Ont., McMaster University; Andrew Coe, Markham, Ont., RFC LA (MLR); Cooper Coats, Halifax, NOLA Gold (MLR).
Replacements
Jesse Mackail, Palmerston North, New Zealand, Seattle Seawolves (MLR); Sam Miller, Mount Denson, N.S., Pacific Pride; Tyler Matchem, Pictou County, N.S., Pictou County RFC; Callum Botchar, Vancouver, NOLA Gold (MLR); Izzak Kelly, White Rock, B.C., Cottesloe Rugby Club (Australia); Matthew Oworu, Calgary, Chicago Hounds (MLR); Jesse Kilgour, Barrie, Ont., Pacific Pride; Rhys James, Kelowna, B.C., Pacific Pride.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
