A sold out crowd of more than 6000 fans gathered at the Wanderers’ Grounds for the first international senior men’s rugby test match to be held in the city.
The energy could be felt hours before the match, as fans lined up at the Wanderers’ Grounds.
“For the rugby fans and just walking around downtown, I saw a lot of jerseys today, so there’s obviously a big group of people who love the Canadian Men’s rugby team,” says Derek Martin, owner and president of Sports & Entertainment Atlantic.
The rugby community was thrilled with the sellout crowd of nearly 6200 fans. Part of the excitement may have something to do with the teams themselves- the classic ‘battle of the border’ rivalry between Canada and USA.
“We haven’t been doing too well on the international stage, so I’m hoping that they can change something today,” said Tony Pomeroy, a rugby player from Newfoundland who was in town to take on teams from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as party of the weekend festivities.
“From a Rugby Canada perspective, we’re in a place where our team is trying to qualify for the World Cup of Rugby, so these are key preparation games,” says Tim Powers, Chairman of Rugby Canada.
The field itself- the newly renovated Wanderers’ Grounds, also received rave reviews from fans.
“Oh it’s exciting, I’m so excited, I think this field should have been adjusted like this a long time ago. It’s so beautiful and I think the rugby community really came together for all this,” says rugby player and fan Daniela Mayo.
“I played on this field since I was 11 years old and the land is much better than it was before, playing high school football, you had to watch out for the dips and everything else,” said fan Terry Cousineau.
The USA defeated Canada 42-10 in the match.
