Ben LeSage

Ben LeSage

Full name	Benjamin Boselli LeSage
Date of birth	(1995-11-24) 24 November 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth	Calgary, Alberta
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	98 kg (216 lb; 15 st 6 lb)
University	University of British Columbia
Rugby union career
Position(s) Centre Youth career –2016 Calgary Canucks Amateur team(s) Years Team Apps (Points) 2016–19 UBC Thunderbirds () 2019 Calgary Canucks () Senior career Years Team Apps (Points) 2020–21 Toronto Arrows 18 (25) 2022 LA Giltinis () 2023– New England Free Jacks 43 (32) Correct as of 18 March 2023 Provincial / State sides Years Team Apps (Points) 2017– Prairie Wolf Pack () International career Years Team Apps (Points) 2016– Canada 19 (0) Correct as of 5 February 2022

Benjamin LeSage (born 24 November 1995) is a Canadian rugby union player who plays as a centre for the New England Free Jacks in Major League Rugby (MLR) and for Canada internationally. ^[1] He previously played for the Toronto Arrows and the LA Giltinis

He is the son of Margaret and Bernard LeSage and an older brother to Natalie LeSage. He was included in the Canadian squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup which is held in Japan for the first time and also marks his first World Cup appearance. ^{[2] [3]}

Early life and education

LeSage hails from Calgary, Alberta. He attended Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School but ended up playing rugby for the Henry Wise Wood Warriors, winning Athlete of the Year upon graduation. After graduating, LeSage enrolled at the University of British Columbia where, alongside playing varsity rugby with the UBC Thunderbirds, he completed a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering. He is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Career

He would spend 3 year playing at the amateur level in Canada from 2016-2019.

He made his international debut for Canada against Romania on 19 November 2016. ^[4] He made his first World Cup match appearance against Italy on 26 September 2019 in Canada's opening match of the tournament in Pool B. The match ended up in a losing cause for Canada, where Italy thrashed them in a one sided contest by scoring 48–7. ^[5]

In his free time, Ben works for up and the coming global employment startup - Omnipresent. ^[6]

Ben join the MLR in 2020 playing in 18 games for the Toronto arrows scoring 5 tries.

Ben would sign with New England free jacks in 2023. In his first year with the club he would appear in 15 matches helping lead the free jacks to their first MLR championship. As well as being named to the all MLR first team at the end of the season. ^[7] The following year in 2024 he would appear in 19 matches scoring 22 points, and winning another league title. He would also win the 2024 S. Marcus Calloway Community Impact Award winner.

Club statistics

As of 9 February 2022

Season	Team	Games	Starts	Sub	Tries	Cons	Pens	Drops	Points	Yel	Red
MLR 2020	Toronto Arrows	5	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
MLR 2021		13	13	0	5	0	0	0	25	0	0
MLR 2022	LA Giltinis	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total		19	11	0	5	0	0	0	25	0	0

Honours

New England Free Jacks

• Major League Rugby Championship: 3x (2023, 2024, 2025)
• S. Marcus Calloway Community Impact Award: 2024
• All MLR first team (2023)

References

1. "Ben LeSage". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
2. "Rugby Canada announces 2019 Rugby World Cup Team; Final warm-up test match against USA set to take place September 7th at BC Place Stadium". Rugby Canada . 3 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
3. "ROSTER UPDATE: RUGBY WORLD CUP 2019". Rugby Canada . 10 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
4. "Canada v Romania". ESPN scrum. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
5. "Italy thrash Canada to collect second bonus-point win". The Independent. 2019-09-26. Archived from the original on 2019-09-26. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
6. "Ben's omnispotlight". Omnipresent. 2021-01-26. Archived from the original on 2020-11-13. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
7. "Major League Rugby Announces 2023 First and Second All-MLR Teams, and Honorable Mention". Major League Rugby. Retrieved 2025-06-30.