Rugby Canada is pleased to announce the appointment of Steve Meehan as the new Head Coach of Canada’s Men’s Ruby Team.
Meehan comes into the role with 17 years of professional coaching experience with some of the top rugby competitions in the world. He served as Head Coach of Bath in the English Premiership for five seasons which included winning the European Challenge Cup. His coaching experience includes stints with French Top 14 teams Stade Français and Toulon, as well as Australia’s Western Force and Queensland Reds in Super Rugby.
“This is an exciting opportunity to be part of the next chapter for Canada’s Rugby Team and help guide the program into the future,” said Meehan. “I know Canada is a proud rugby country with a deeply passionate rugby community, and I look forward to start meeting coaches and players around the country. I see great potential in the players and I look forward to the role I can play to help grow the team and our sport across Canada.”
In pursuit of qualifying for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, the decision to name Meehan was taken following a lengthy process analyzing team results, performance, preparation, player feedback, and staff effectiveness conducted by Rugby Canada’s High Performance Director.
“A coach profile was identified to guide the competences, experience and characteristics needed in the next Canadian national team coach in order to give the program the best opportunity to succeed,” said Stephen Aboud, Rugby Canada’s High Performance Director. “We did a wide and expansive search for the next coach, evaluated over 150 coaches and Steve came through the process as our top candidate.”
“Steve brings proven experience in coaching successful teams and a strong track record for improving players,” said Nathan Bombrys, Rugby Canada CEO. “We believe Steve’s positive coaching and leadership will create the right environment for our team to achieve the growth needed to reach their potential and qualify for the Rugby World Cup.”
About Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of Rugby Union in Canada. They administer and operate Men’s and Women’s Senior and Junior National programs in both rugby 15s and 7s, as well as govern the Club and community game for more than 40,000 registered participants from coast to coast in conjunction with ten Provincial Union members.
Rugby Canada is headquartered at the Al Charron National Training Centre in Langford, BC, with staff also working from Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Quebec. Rugby Canada business operations, programs and events are delivered nationwide, including the internationally recognized HSBC Vancouver Sevens annual tournaments.
Media Contacts / Contacts de médias
Liz Montory
Manager, CommunicationsLmontroy@rugby.ca