Druids players rep Maple Leaf in World Rugby Nations Cup

The inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup took over Clarke Stadium in Edmonton from July 4 to 11, hosting six of 12 second-tier international men’s rugby union teams as part of an initiative to create a competitive pathway to the 2030 Nations Championship. Featuring 18 games in July across North and South America, Canada played two [...]

Article content The inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup took over Clarke Stadium in Edmonton from July 4 to 11, hosting six of 12 second-tier international men’s rugby union teams as part of an initiative to create a competitive pathway to the 2030 Nations Championship. Featuring 18 games in July across North and South America, Canada played two of three games in Edmonton, with the third scheduled for Saturday, July 18, in Winnipeg, and the finals to be played in November. Among the 23 men on the roster for Team Canada were Strathcona Druids Brock Gallagher and Dewald Kotze.

Recommended Videos Facing off against Spain on Saturday, July 4, Gallagher and Kotze helped earn the team a draw, both starting the game as substitutes and ending the match on the pitch. A hard-fought battle down to the final seconds, it was a last-minute try from Canada that secured the final score of 42-42. On Saturday, July 11, despite a last-minute try from Gallagher, Canada fell to Portugal 14-38.

Signing as a scrum half for the Seattle Seawolves in 2025, Gallagher has worn the Maple Leaf in both rugby union and rugby sevens, with 13 caps and counting. Despite his international success, Gallagher is a familiar face around the Druids clubhouse and said coming home is always a special experience. “Going to the clubhouse definitely gets me out of it because it brings me back to my roots,” Gallagher told The News after the July 11 game.

“It brings me back to where it all started.” Born into a rugby family, Gallagher said the Druids played an important part in his development on and off the pitch. “It’s where I grew up.

Both of my parents are Druids. They pretty much brought me there from the day I was born to now,” Gallagher said. For Dewald Kotze, joining the Druids came later in life, after moving from South Africa to Grande Cache in his youth.

Connecting with the team for a junior tour in Ireland, Kotze said the Druids have played a massive role in his rugby career. “They just took really good care of me,” said Kotze of the junior tour. “I decided to stay with them ever since.

Along the way, when I made a professional team or if I got selected for Canada, I’ve always gotten so much support from the club. The club means a lot to me.” With packed stands and a roaring crowd, both players noted the excitement of playing for a hometown crowd, with friends, family, and former teammates in the stands.

“I know a lot of people in the crowd, so it’s amazing to be able to play in front of them. Just having them support me all the years and then being able to play in front of them is such an amazing feeling,” said Kotze. Scoring a try in the final moments, Gallagher said playing for his country at home was extra motivation to keep pushing until the final whistle.

“I’ve always said the 16th man on the field is the people in the stands ... we’ve just got to put a good finish on it and make it worthwhile for the fans,” said Gallagher. As rugby continues to grow in North America, Gallagher said coming from a club with a history dating back to the 1960s shows the staying power of the sport and its role in the community.

“Having a club with that much history, that much pedigree as far as players before me and that are coming behind me, it brings a huge, huge sigh of relief that there’s a bright future for Rugby Canada,” explained Gallagher. “Once I’m done with the jersey and once others are done, we’ll have a constant flow of talent coming through.” Going into their third match of the series in Winnipeg on Saturday, July 18, against Zimbabwe, both players said Team Canada will have to tighten up its game and stay on top of its counterattack defence.

TMacLeod@postmedia.com