From Northern Ireland to Canada, Peter Nelson relishes chance to wear the Maple Leaf

By Canadian Press on September 12, 2025.

After a successful club career across the Atlantic, veteran back Peter Nelson has added a new chapter to his rugby career with Canada.

Nelson, who makes his home in Dungannon, Northern Ireland, qualifies for Canada through his Toronto-born late grandmother. Making his debut for Canada in July 2019 against the United States, the 32-year-old now has 30 caps.

“Moving over here has definitely been one of the best things I’ve ever done in my rugby career,” Nelson said ahead of Canada’s semifinal game with Fiji in Pacific Nations Cup play Sunday in Commerce City, Colo.

“I’m incredibly grateful to get the opportunity. I haven’t looked back since I first got here. I try and work incredibly hard to make the most of it, because I know how fortunate I am to be in the position I am and to have been to a World Cup (in 2019), to play in some of the games I’ve played in. And now with the opportunity to potentially go to another World Cup, (it) has been pretty incredible.”

While the six-country Pacific Nation Cup sends three teams to the expanded 24-team Men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027, the qualifying path has been eased by the fact that No. 9 Fiji and No. 13 Japan had already qualified through their performance at the 2023 World Cup in France.

Canada missed out on the tournament for the first time in 2023 after losing qualifying series to the U.S. and Chile.

But the 24th-ranked Canadian men were able to celebrate last Saturday, qualifying for the 2027 showcase in Australia after Japan beat the 19th-ranked U.S. 47-21 in Pacific Nations Cup play.

“It’s huge for us,” Nelson said in his lilting Irish accent. “It’s been something a lot of us have been working toward for a long time now, four to six years. And to finally get it over the line … it was a huge relief for us at all.”

No. 16 Tonga, which has also booked its ticket to the World Cup, takes on Japan in the other semifinal Sunday while the U.S. faces No. 14 Samoa for fifth place with a World Cup berth on the line.

Canada finished runner-up in Pool B after beating the U.S. 34-20 on Aug. 22 in Calgary and losing 57-15 to Japan on Aug. 30 in Sendai. Fiji topped Pool A by defeating Tonga 32-10 and Samoa 29-15.

Able to play both fullback and fly half, Nelson is also a world-class placekicker.

He started at fly half in losses to New Zealand (63-0), South Africa (66-7) and Italy (48-7) at the 2019 World Cup in Japan. Canada’s final match against Namibia was called off due to typhoon Hagibis.

“It was kind of a dream scenario to go to a World Cup in a country like Japan, which just has an incredible culture and incredible people,” he recalled. “It was huge then to play the best nations in the world in terms of New Zealand and then to play South Africa who went on to win it. You couldn’t really ask for much more.”

Growing up in Northern Ireland, Nelson joined the Ulster academy while at school in Belfast and debuted for the senior side at 19 at fullback against Leinster.

He went on to make 60 appearances for Ulster from 2011 to 2019 before joining France’s Union Sportive Bressane and Stade Aurillacois Cantal Auvergne in France. He had a stint with the Toronto Arrows in 2023 before the Major League Rugby team folded that November.

A deal to join the MLR’s Seattle Seawolves in 2020 was nixed by the pandemic.

Ulster back Will Addison, whom former Canada coach Kingsley Jones coached in England at Sale Sharks, helped Nelson connect with Canada. Sadly, Nelson’s grandmother died before she could see him debut for the country of her birth.

“She loved her time over here and always spoke very highly about Canada,” Nelson said at the time.

Nelson likes what he sees when he looks at the Canadian players around him these days.

“It’s really exciting to see the young guys coming through, to see how hungry they are to improve, to learn, to add to the environment,” said Nelson who plays his club rugby for his local Dungannon team these days and coaches young players on the side.

“I still remembers the guys who helped me out when I was at that age and coming through, so I think it’s important that us older guys look after them and make their journey through Rugby Canada as enjoyable as mine has been.”

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2025.

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press