FRANCE, France — The Canada Selects dropped the opening match of their France Tour on Saturday, falling 47-17 to reigning French club champions Castres.
Captain Phil Mack and Theo Sauder had a try apiece for the Canada Selects, while Guiseppe Du Toit added seven points through two conversions and one penalty.
Kevin Firmin helped build up a 26-3 lead for Castres 30 minutes into the match before Sauder scored Canada's first try in the 43rd.
Mack made it a 26-17 deficit in the 50th, but that was as close as the Canada Selects came to making it tight before the French club champions pulled away for good.
Canada, ranked 22nd, is using the two-game exhibition series in the French cities of Lacaune and Issoire to prepare for a November repechage tournament in Marseille, France, that serves as a last chance to qualify for the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
Canada, No. 21 Hong Kong and No. 29 Germany will be joined by the second-place team from the ongoing Rugby Africa Gold Cup at the repechage.
The Canadian travelling roster currently in France contains 16 members of the matchday 23 that lost 42-17 in June to the U.S. in Halifax last time out.
A dozen or so top names who play professionally overseas — including stars Tyler Ardron and DTH van der Merwe — are missing, hence the use of the Canada Selects name.
The Canadians face Clermont next on Aug. 17.
The Canadian Press