Jordan Wilson-Ross is putting his rugby career on hold. The 27-year-old outside back has been signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. While he joins the team as part of the practice roster, Wilson-Ross will train with the Roughriders full-time until the end of the 2016 season, which ends November 5, in the hopes of making an impression and earning an improved deal for the 2017 season. CFL teams are permitted to hold up to 10 additional players on their practice roster with a minimum salary of $750 CAD per week plus housing or allowance.

Hailing from Allison, Ontario, Wilson-Ross played with the Timberwolves club and was selected to three consecutive IRB age-grade (now World Rugby) tournaments starting in 2007, first with Canada u19 and then the u20s. His collegiate athletic career was in football, however, and in 2009 he was named an OUA second team all-star as a running back with the Ottawa Gee-Gees.

In 2012 Wilson-Ross returned to rugby contention and was selected to the Americas Rugby Championship in October after impressing with Ontario Blues. A regular for Canada ‘A’ for the three seasons, he broke through to the senior side in 2014, making his test debut on the wing against Namibia on November. After being overlooked for both the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the revised ARC in 2016, Wilson-Ross was recalled to the Canadian squad for the June series, scoring his first test try against Russia.