Canada hammered by Spain in Ottawa

Canada closed out their summer schedule on the wrong end of a 57-34 hammering at the hands of Spain on Sunday. Los Leones scored at will for 65 minutes, with two late scores padding their hosts’ final tally. It was the third-highest points conceded in a home test by the Canadians, and the highest since losing 60-3 to Wales at York University Stadium in 2005.

The visitors wasted little time moving into scoring position. A penalty gave them an attacking lineout and there was no stopping the drive with Vicente Del Hoyo getting credit for the try. Manuel Ordas added the conversion to make it a full seven.

Peter Nelson got Canada on the board with a penalty from in front of the posts, but then Spain exploded for three tries in quick succession. Álvar Gimeno raced through a giant hole in the defense to sent JW Bell free, then Afa Tauli bashed over from close range.

Nelson interrupted the momentum with his second penalty but things quickly soured again for Canada at the restart. Kainoa Lloyd was caught in no-man’s land by a miss-out pass from Ordas and Gauthier Minguillon sauntered into the corner.

At last some relief came for the home crowd as Lindsey Stevens burrowed in after several attempts at the line from the Canadian pack. Spain shrugged their shoulders and went back to work, scoring two more tries before halftime. Alejandro Alonso’s break opened the door for Tomás Munilla to sneak in from a ruck, and then Alonso was on the end of a Bell offload to score himself.

Just seconds after the intermission concluded Spain were in again. Ordas did the job himself on a loop around the outside. Lucas Rumball got one back for Canada from in close after an initial lineout drive was stalled, with Nelson’s conversion making it an even 20 points.

Los Leones had two more tries in them before switching to cruise control. Ordas found Bell entering the line, and then Jordi Jorba stepped back inside after three defenders over-pursued. Replacement prop Thierry Futeu then galloped 40 meters up the pitch, with Jorba sending Alonso in for a double.

Two consolations tries would come to the home side in the dying minutes. Lloyd wrestled through a tackle to score the first, then Spain were hit with successive yellow cards to Bittor Aboitiz and Ignacio Piñeiro for repeat infringements. Jack McRogers grabbed a try on debut from a rolling maul with the Leones down to just six forwards.

Both teams will now take a break, with their returns uncertain. Canada have a match with the All Blacks XV scheduled for October 29. Spain currently have no matches booked for the end-of-year window.

 

SCORING

CANADA 34
Tries – L. Stevens (25′), L. Rumball (45′), K. Lloyd (71′), J. McRogers (78′)
Cons – P. Nelson 2/2 (26′, 46′), G. Bowd 2/2 (72′, 79′)
Pens – P. Nelson 2/2 (9′, 19′)

SPAIN 57
Tries – V. Del Hoyo (6′), J. Bell (11′), A. Tauli (16′), G. Minguillon (21′), T. Munilla (33′), A. Alonso 2 (36′, 65′), M. Ordas (41′), J. Jorba (51′)
Cons – M. Ordas 6/9 (7′, 12′, 17′, 34′, 37′, 66′)
YC – B. Aboittiz (75′), I. Piñeiro  (77′)

 

TEAMS

CANADA
1 Cole Keith (17 Liam Murray 77′), 2 Lindsey Stevens (16 Jack McRogers 64′), 3 Jake Ilnicki (18 Djustice Sears-Duru 55′), 4 Corey Thomas, 5 Conor Keys, 6 Matthew Oworu (19 Piers von Dadelszen 69′), 7 Lucas Rumball (capt.), 8 Luke Campbell (20 Michael Smith 69′), 9 Ross Braude (21 Jason Higgins 67′), 10 Peter Nelson (23 Gradyn Bowd 67′), 11 Kainoa Lloyd, 12 Quinn Ngawati (22 Dawson Fatoric 61′), 13 Ben LeSage, 14 Brock Webster, 15 Cooper Coats

SPAIN
1 Fernando López (capt.) (16 Thierry Futeu 43′), 2 Vicente Del Hoyo (17 Santiago Ovejero 52′), 3 Jon Zabala (18 Bittor Aboitiz 64′), 4 Manu Mora, 5 Victor Sánchez (20 Ignacio Piñeiro 52′), 6 Michael Hogg, 7 Matt Foulds, 8 Afa Tauli (19 Ekain Imaz 67′), 9 Tomás Munilla (21 Facundo Munilla 61′), 10 Manuel Ordas (22 Bautista Güemes 67′), 11 Gauthier Minguillon, 12 Álvar Gimeno, 13 Alejandro Alonso, 14 Jordi Jorba (23 Pedro de la Lastra 77′), 15 JW Bell

 

MATCH OFFICIALS

Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistants: Kat Roche (USA) & Kahlil Harrison (USA)
TMO: Stuart Terheege (England)

 

Attendance: 4,178