Pablo Bourza: “There´s still time”

That was the message of Spanish Head Coach Pablo Bourza to players before their opening Nations Cup game against Canada in Clarke Stadium, Edmonton this weekend. “We obviously want to build relationships and connections but there is still time. We have three tough matches now and we have three tough matches in November. It´s not just how they play now, but how they train and prepare.”

 

With Spain heading to their first Rugby World Cup this millenium in little over a year, the window for forcing their way onto the plane to Australia may be closing but with the absence of several French based players (including Top 14 winner and starter Joel Merkler), it´s a chance to impress. 

 

Still, after back to back disappointing performances versus Portugal and Romania, Pablo Bourza is keen to but the end of the REC behind him. 

 

“The third game will be tough” – Pablo Bourza

 

On Portugal “We had plenty of possession and failed to execute” and Romania “we committed so many unforced errors against Romania but these are different games.” Different games and different preperation, with Spain being boosted by a behind closed doors session versus Scotland in a bid to gain a higher form of intensity and a yardstick for the Spanish side.

 

Gracias @ferugby 🤝

As part of our week in Spain, we had a competitive training session with the Spanish team earlier today 💪 pic.twitter.com/mEQfshDpZR

— Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) June 25, 2026

 

Perhaps the biggest change is the number of games. “Previously we ´ve not had three games (across the summer) but now, after a long season, we do. So that third game (versus USA) will be tough. Above all, we are in the World Cup.”

 

Stuttering Spain need re-ignition

 

After some fantastic performances versus England A and Fiji in 2025, Spain had a disappointing end to the Rugby Europe Championship . Missing out on the final in a defeat to Portugal before scraping over the line against a 14 Romania, this may be the first time that there is a touch of pressure on the team to perform. Still, it´s a sign of the progress that the expectations for Spain are a level above what was acceptable only a cycle ago. 

 

With Spain missing several key pieces we can expect to see in the World Cup, it may not be the worst occurance. After all, you don´t need to watch Joel Merkler vs Cananda to realise he´s a decent player. No, the real interest here will be can Spain build the depth and combinations for when elite French based players step off the field. Rugby World Cup opponents Canada await first, a complete 80 mins performance will go a long way to giving everyone confidence of going on a clean summer sweep. 

Photo used with permission of FER.