Volume 2 Issue 1 Rugby CA Magazine by RUGBYca

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CONTENTS In this Issue

SPRING 2014 Issue 04

The features

A fighting chance for canadian Rugby

Support your rugby community. BY Al Charron

women’s rugby world cup preview

Preparing the best team for August. BY doug crosse

20 22

LAst Minute

You’re not late, you’re just in time!

CANADA aT THE USA SEVENS

An awesome Canadian performance in Las Vegas! BY Doug Crosse

COVER

John moonlight

Watch out world, here comes John. BY doug crosse

University 28National Rugby 7s Championships

Langford hosted a successful weekend with 26 teams competing. BY Bryan Kelly

Canada vs japan and scotland

Two fantastic matches this summer. BY jeff hull

38 40 44

WOMEN’s sevens

Canadian women scoring well on 7s circuit. BY mark sheldon

equipment

Next generation rucking sled is here. BY doug crosse

inside the lines

RUGBYca talks to Geraint John.

BY Doug Crosse

22 18

The insiders 4 Freeze Frame

The best rugby images from the past months.

10 Message from Rugby Canada & THE Editor 12 The Engine Room Not all rugby news happens on the pitch.

14 Socially Speaking

Who is sayin’ what on the web and the twitterverse.

17 insider

COVER Story

Vancouver Island Thunder brings Canada Aboriginal Rugby Squad. BY Doug Crosse

33 VIEWPOINT

Don Whidden was a true gentleman. BY Ian Kennedy

39 Spotlight

Sara is enjoying her position with the National Women’s 7s team.

44 Fundraising

partners in the pursuit of excellence

Support your rugby community.

46 The Last Word

Mike Chu gives international perspective on Canadian Rugby.

COVER: JOHN MOONLIGHT at the Las Vegas SEVENS. 3

FREEZE FRAME

PRESENTED BY

balancing act! Phil Mack scores one of his 3 tries at the USA Sevens (32 total points) as Canada got its highest ever finish on the IRB Sevens Series - 3rd finish place

Photo

Lorne Collicutt 4

FREEZE FRAME

PRESENTED BY

headS up! Jack McDonald (London, ON) tries to get at UBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Charlie Thorpe (#20) at the University 7s in Langford.

Photo

Lorne Collicutt 6

FREEZE FRAME

PRESENTED BY

Over the Line Ashley Steacy scores a try vs France at the Hong Kong 7s Invitational, which Canada won for a second straight year.

Photo

Ian Muir 8

FIRST WORDS SPRING 2014 / Number 04

Message from the CEO

Publisher Rugby Canada

Editor Doug Crosse

Canadian Rugby has Momentum

Design & Layout PIX Martin Seras Lima Lissy Tomlinson Bryan Kelly JAG

Contributing Writers Jeff Hull Ian Kennedy Andrew Smith Bryan Ray Doug Crosse

Al Charron Penny Kroll Chris Perrotte Bryan Kelly Eugen Cionga

I am excited to start our second year with RUGBYca magazine. Thanks need to go out to all the provincial unions for their continued support of this great initiative. We are already finding benefits of this magazine, as players share their exploits with fellow employers and employees and school mates. Being able to show the people they work with that all the time off requests are crucial to the sport growing across Canada and internationally. I want to extend a huge congratulations to the men’s and women’s sevens teams who have been showcasing the exciting brand of Canadian rugby, turning heads on the international stage every week. At time of writing our women are ranked third in the world on the 7s circuit, while our men have climbed to an impressive 7th place and making four straight quarter-final appearances. These performances are great evidence that the centralization of our players and the support received from the IRB, Own the Podium and the Canadian Olympic Committee are paying dividends as the 2016 Olympics beckon.

JAG

Photography José Lagman Judy Teasdale Colin Watson Ian Muir

Advertising Sales Sion Ishmael 30 East Beaver Creek Unit 110, Richmond Hill, ON (905) 707-8998 x 231 sishmael@rugbycanada.ca Printer Transcontinental RUGBYca magazine is home-delivered to member households (1 per household) three times a year (May, August, October). Delivery addresses are based on the registration information submitted to Rugby Canada. Rugby Canada Provincial Unions are strongly encouraged to provide all Union Executive Member and program participants’ current mailing information in order to receive the subscription. Any address changes should be notified to both the local rugby union and Rugby Canada through the registration system.

RC Board of Directors PAT ALDOUS KEITH GILLAM GORDON SNEDDON JAY JOHNSTON TROY MYERS LARRY JONES DOUG CAMPBELL TIM POWERS JAMIE LOCKWOOD PEARSE HIGGINS KATHY HENDERSON JOHN SEAMAN BRIAN BURKE CHRIS LE FEVRE DAWN DAUPHINEE MARK LAWSON RICK POWERS ARABA CHINTOH RICK BOURNE Chris Lefevre

Chairman Vice Chairman Secretary Treasurer Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Female Athlete Rep. Male Athlete Rep. COC Representative Acting Female Athlete Rep. Past Chairman/NACRA Rep. IRB Council Rep

CANADA POST CORPORATION agreement no. 42619013 10

graham brown Rugby Canada CEO

Message from the EDITOR

Dear RUGBYca Readers, Has it been a year already? It is so exciting to have the second volume of the magazine ramped up and ready to go. We hope you really enjoy what we are bringing to you in 2014. With so many great stories to be told in Canadian rugby right now, it really is becoming tough to decide what gets in to each issue. As we are rapidly approaching the 2016 Olympics which is now featuring men’s and women’s sevens, we thought it was a good time to dedicate an issue to the short game. We were on the ground in Las Vegas where the men hit a new high of finishing third overall in an IRB event and where the women dominated in the tertiary tournament. The recent run of form by the Canadian men, following the USA event has seen them hit the Cup round four straight times. Our women have finished in third place in the last two IRB events and currently sit in third spot in the world rankings. John Moonlight and Phil Mack have been named

JAG

RUGBYca magazine is published three times a year by the Rugby Canada , 30 East Beaver Creek, Unit 110, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4B 1J2. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use, in whole or in part, by any means without the express written consent of the publisher is prohibited. Manuscripts, artwork and photographs are submitted at the sender’s risk. All materials submitted will remain property of Rugby Canada. Views expressed herein are not necessarily those of this magazine, Rugby Canada or its sponsors. No article herein shall constitute endorsement by this magazine or the persons and organizations associated with it. RUGBYca magazine will not knowingly accept fraudulent or misleading advertising. Subscriptions are available at a cost of $13.95 per annum, payable to Rugby Canada care of RUGBYca magazine. All Rugby Canada and Rugby Canada member union logos and marks depicted in this magazine are the property of the Rugby Canada and their respective member unions and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of the Rugby Canada Marketing Committee. PRINTED IN CANADA.

I would also like to take a moment to welcome our new Chief Marketing Officer Mark Lemmon to the Rugby Canada family. With a great history of achievement with the Toronto Blue Jays, the CBC and Labatt Breweries we are excited about the interest being shown in our teams across the board and look forward to the relationships Mark will bring to the organization. I also want to wish good luck to our Canadian women’s team as they prepare for the 2014 Rugby World Cup in July and to our Canadian U20 Men who will have wrapped up its 2014 Junior World Trophy competition in Hong Kong by the time you read this. Finally, thanks to you, the RUGBYca reader for enjoying the magazine and spreading the word about this great publication.

to two different tournament all star lists, including both being named to the USA Sevens tourney squad, an impressive achievement out of 7 available spots. The sport of sevens is blossoming across the country because of these successes and we want to celebrate and explore the people involved in making this happen. Certainly not forgotten in this glow of success is our Women’s 15s team, which is preparing for a southern hemisphere tour ahead of the World Cup in France. Enjoy Volume 2 Issue 1 of RUGBYca, and don’t forget to encourage those at your club who are casual fans, or just not registered any more to subscribe to the magazine and help it grow across the country. All the best in your 2014 rugby season,

Doug Crosse RUGBYca Editor RUGBY ONTARIO - Provincial Logo FOR PRINT USE ONLY

Thanks to the Provincial Unions

PIX

04-10-

THE ENGINE ROOM Not all rugby news happens on The PITCH

Dog River Howlers taking two teams to Medellin 7s in Colombia

PRESENTED BY

Canadian 04 U20 Men struggle in

Damon Weigl has spent parts of the last four years in Colombia.

Hong Kong at Junior World Trophy

he Dog River Howlers, a touring side created from the fictional town of Dog River Saskatchewan of Corner Gas fame, is sending two sides to the 2014 Medellin 7s in Colombia May 24th and 25th. Damon Weigl, a member of the Regina Rogues club, has been working over the past four years in Moravia, one of Medellin’s toughest areas, where the community was created on top of the city dump. According to a Howler’s release “part of this tour the two teams will hold a joint training session with the Moravia Rugby Club.” “Through the 90’s Moravia was labelled the most violent neighbourhood in the world but today it is an amazing story of resistance.” The Howlers have donated two bags of rugby gear that will be distributed to the Moravia team.

Canadian Women BC Place looking IRB Friendly Turf 03 in Big Win over USA 02 to BC Place officials are considering the installation of a new rugby-friendly artificial turf playing surface that would clear the way for top-tier rugby nations to play at the 54,500-seat facility. The 31-year-old stadium has never hosted rugby, but it will host the Women’s World Cup soccer tournament next year and it’s likely the existing surface, installed in 2011, will be replaced before the tournament starts in June 2015. British Columbia Rugby Union chief executive Jim Dixon said there have been “a number of conversations” about installing a rugby-friendly surface at BC Place whenever the current field is replaced. “We’re very pleased that those conversations are taking place and that rugby is in the mindsets of PavCo and BC Place,” he said. Dixon said possible future BC Place rugby events could include Canada playing “tier-one” rugby nations or hosting an International Rugby Board tournament such as the popular IRB Sevens World Series.

contest TIME! Tell us who Canada is playing and when TO ENTER! and where the match took place. As always a prize pack for the winner, including a jersey and hat from the Rugby Canada online store at store.rugbycanada.ca VISIT

RUGBY.CA/CONTEST

In the first of a two game series the Canadian Senior women had an impressive 51-7 win over the USA, getting hat-trick performances from full back Julianne Zussman (Town of Mount Royal) while Jessica Dovanne (Velox RFC) and Magali Harvey (Club de Rugby Quebec) scored two each. The victory kicks off a busy 2014 for the women’s team as they prepare for the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup in France this summer. Women’s Team head coach, Francois Ratier, in his second year at the helm, said it was a good start for his new look team. “We stuck to the game plan. We wanted to move the ball and we wanted to win at the contact areas. We did that today, so I am pleased by the result,” said Ratier at Shawnigan Lake School. For a complete look at the 2014 Women’s Team Julianne preview go to page 18. Zussman

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With two losses and a draw in the round robin portion of the Junior World Rugby Tournament, Canada have not hit the targets hoped for after a successful 2013 campaign in Chile. Canada opened the competition with a surprise loss to Namibia. Then against Uruguay they managed an 18-18 draw setting the table for a must win situation against Japan. The Cherry Blossoms came out fast and intent on victory, charging to a 37-12 victory. That win to put Japan into the championship final against Tonga while Canada will play hosts Hong Kong for 7th place honours. Coach Mike Shelley remained positive despite the stumble in the first two games.

WHISTLE 05 Final

We like to stay right up to date as we go to press, so here are the latest scores just prior to ink hitting paper!

Canada Senior Women Canada 14 - USA 10* April 19th (Canada wins CAN-AM Trophy on 62-17 aggregate) Canada 51 - USA 7 April 15th

100

The number of Canada’s test matches

Canada U20 Men Junior World Trophy

Canada 33 Hong Kong 30 April 19th* Canada 12 Japan 37 April 15th Canada 18 Uruguay 18 April 11th Canada 25 Namibia 37 April 7th

Canada finish 7th place at Junior World Trophy in Hong Kong.

Zimbio.com

Y BU KETS

TIC

NOW!

socially speaking Quiz on John Moonlight and Sara Kaljuvee

PRESENTED BY

John Moonlight Questions:

SARA KALJUVEE Questions:

A. B. C. D. E.

A. B. C. D. E. F.

A. B. C. D. E. A. B. C. D. E. A. B. C. D. E. A. B. C. D. E.

What is the most embarrassing song on his ipod? What superhero would he be? What is his favourite food? What is his favourite movie? What is one of his game day superstitions?

Answers: JOHN MOONLIGHT Justin Beiber’s Boyfriend Batman Stuffed Shells No Strings Attached / Friends With Benefits Running out 4th

JUSTIN DOUGLAS Pretty Fly for a White Guy The Thing Chicken Wings Crazy Stupid Love Runs out Fourth

MIKE SCHOLZ Katy Perry’s Roar Captain America Kraft Dinner Die Hard Running out fourth

CONOR TRAINOR Anything Katy Perry Hulk Chicken Wings Whatever he can watch with the guys Runs out fourth

If you could dine with any three people, who would come for dinner? What is Sara’s most prized possession? Single greatest rugby moment? Who is the best roommate to team with? Favourite tournament/ IRB stop? Funniest person on the team?

TWITTERVERSE Follow us @RUGBYCANADA

Kayla Moleschi @KaylaMoleschi - 12h Huge thank you to @bcrugbyunion and all the Provinces for their support in funding for women’s rugby in Canada! #appreciated #RedNation Retweeted by RugbyCanada

Answers:

A. B. C. D. E. F.

Mom / Bobby Orr / Grandma Gold Medal from 2013 OUA’s Final Game at St. FX at 2013 CIS Karen Paquin First stop, Dubai Sandro Fiorino

A. B. C. D. E. F.

Muhammad Ali / Grandma / Lady Gaga RC hat Dubai Brittany Waters Duabi Mandy Marchak

A. B. C. D. E. F.

Sister / Mom / Dad Pink Watch 2013 CIS Championships Kelly Russell Dubai Mandy Marchak

SARA KALJUVEE

BRITTANY WATERS

Julianne Zussman @JZussman -22h Honoured to be playing in the maple leaf jersey today! Love this team, love this game #rise Brian Burke @Burkie2020 - Apr12 In Victoria, BC, for @RugbyCanada Board meetings-great people and such a beautiful place. Rugby Canada @RugbyCanada - Apr10 Our condolences to the family & friends of #JimFlaherty. A great man & supporter of #Rugby in #Canada #RIP @pmharper pic. twitter.com/gALCPb3meb

BIANCA FARELLA

MAGALI HARVEY A. St FX Coach / Sandro / Emily Belchos B. RC Hat C. Freddy D. Dubai E. Sandro

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fundraising

Support your rugby community

A fighting Chance for Canadian Rugby By AL CHARRON

ugby is tough - fundraising is tougher. I have had a few roles with Rugby Canada over the years but one of the biggest and most important at present is fundraising. It is safe to say that is the one role that keeps me up at night worrying much like a young lad before his first international test! I might be sleep deprived and I might be fairly new to this aspect of my job but I can tell you I am passionate about what it is that I am trying to accomplish and that is to raise money for our dedicated athletes on our men and women’s national teams. Why? Because I believe in them and in what we as a country are capable of doing in world rugby. I loved playing rugby for Canada and I hope

Rugby Canada

ottawa teammates Al Charron poses with Minister of Justice, Peter MacKay, who also played for Dog River Howlers.

that showed itself when I took the field wearing the Maple Leaf on my chest. There was nothing better and more important to me than to represent Canada to the best of my abilities but unfortunately my teammates and I often found ourselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard. It wasn’t from lack of effort, but sometimes our opponents were just that much better prepared for the rigors of winning in the international arena. That is a tough pill to swallow. No one likes to lose but no one likes to lose knowing given the right tools and support behind you - the score quite easily could have been reversed. Believe me we hated losing and we knew trudging off the field that we had given our all but it just wasn’t good enough. Plain and simple that sucks! Canada has long been up against it when taking on the big boys of international rugby and all things considered we have done remarkably well given it really is a case of Haves vs the Have Nots. I truly believe people in this country are not aware of how well our athletes and teams have done over the years given the adversity they face in international rugby. I think rugby in this country has taken some massive steps forward but we still have a ways to go. Sadly we have deficiencies in our funding that prevent us from exposing all our indentified athletes to the full range of services to best prepare them properly to face the challenges they will encounter come game time. That is where my fundraising role comes in. Rugby Canada has created a fund which is called the National Players Support Program (NPSP) to assist our athletes realize their full potential and address some of those deficiencies in our funding and allow our teams to reach their potential. To be clear, in a perfect world Rugby Canada would love to have at their disposal the means to look after their players the way many of the Tier 1 countries

are able to do. God willing, one day that may be possible but there is still many hurdles to jump before rugby becomes the dominant sport we all would love it to be in Canada. For now, the NPSP, through the kind support of the Canadian public, provides our athletes of today a better fighting chance to prepare themselves with the tools and opportunities that their international opponents have the luxury of benefitting from day in and day out and to some degree take for granted.

the NPSP, provides our athletes of today a better fighting chance to prepare themselves with the tools and opportunities that their international opponents have the luxury of benefitting from day in and day out. Listen, our athletes are not starving but they have to put their lives on hold and sacrifice many many things to best represent Canada in international rugby. They make us proud but how much prouder would you be watching them knowing your financial support has pushed them along further in their quest for international success? Our women’s 15 squad will be competing for instance in France at the Women’s 2014 RWC, the men in England at the 2015 RWC. And let’s not forget that hopefully through successful qualification both our 7’s team programs will be competing in Rio when rugby makes it’s long awaited return to the Summer Olympics in 2016. These marquee rugby events will be huge achievement for the players on the world stage but pretty cool for the Canadian sports enthusiast in you to know that you have played a small part in getting them there in a position to succeed! These are exciting times for rugby, it’s popularity is on the rise worldwide and especially here in Canada. I would welcome you reaching out to me so I might discuss further with you how you can support our proud, passionate and committed senior men and women national team players. Don’t just watch the team be part of the team!

To support, please contact Al at acharron@rugbycanada.ca or 613-986-2994 to discuss how you can help today’s players be the best they can be when playing for Canada.

insider

By DOUG CROSSE is great being involved with the Thunder, especially working with Phil.” Camps are being held all over Vancouver Island, culminating in an appearance at the Victoria International 7s tournament in July. Contact jlyall@firstnationsrugby.com for more information or visit firstnationsrugby.com

Future Thunder Events

Judy Teasdale

Sunday May 24 Port Alberni Camp Sunday June 8 Duncan Camp Sunday June 21 Saanich Camp July 9-10 Shawnigan Lake Camp July 11-12 Victoria International 7s Tournament The thunder The Vancouver Island Thunder is one of Canada’s first aboriginal rugby sides.

Vancouver Island Thunder brings Canada Aboriginal Rugby Squad

orrowing from the traditions of the New Zealand Maori, Samoa, Fiji and other Polynesian island nations, Canada has seen the nucleus of an aboriginal youth side emerge on Canada’s west coast, led by one of Canada’s top players in 7s and 15s, Phil Mack as its head coach. The team is called the Vancouver Island Thunder and is made up of players from mainly Vancouver Island, but also some players in Vancouver and as far away as Port Hardy, a nearly six hour drive. A member of the Toquaht nation on Vancouver Island, Mack, who has carved himself an impressive career on the International Rugby Board Sevens circuit with Canada, was approached by John Lyall to help introduce rugby to kids from a variety of first nations around British Columbia. “We went to BC Aboriginal sports and they have identified seven or eight different sports and rugby wasn’t one of them” explained Lyall, who is a member of the Kwakwaka’ wakw nation. Heading into the Hong Kong Sevens tournament Mack had 48 tournament appearances and 817 total points from approximately 288 games.. He was a natural to be a touch stone to these young athletes, many of whom had never touched a rugby ball before. Mack said it was easy to lean on some of his Canadian team mates to lend a hand and

Mack said it was easy to lean on some of his Canadian team mates to lend a hand and help shape the young rugby players into a cohesive group. “We have such a great group of guys it was easy,” said Mack. “I immediately got Nanyak Dala, Nick Blevins, Mike Fuailefau and Crosby Stewart to help out.”

help shape the young rugby players into a cohesive group. “We have such a great group of guys it was easy,” said Mack. “I asked if anyone wanted to give a hand and I immediately got Nanyak Dala, Nick Blevins, Mike Fuailefau and Crosby Stewart to help out.” On a very wet day in March at the Rugby Canada Centre of Excellence in Langford an enthusiastic group made up of boys and girls went through the basics of rugby, with parents looking on from under a protective awning. While it is early days Mack was happy with what he saw. “It’s too early to tell but there are some great athletes in the Aboriginal community,” he says. “Right now we are just trying to branch out and open up into something new.” Lyall, who has been involved with rugby his whole life through the now Langford based Velox Valhallians is excited to be able to bring the sport to this diverse group with Mack as the focal point. “Having Phil (as a role model) is just fantastic,” Lyall enthused. “Watching him play against the best with the national team week in and week out, seeing him score the winning points in Las Vegas recently is just great and the kids are aware of how special he is.” Samantha Jack Gattley is young female player from Vancouver. She is a flanker and loves being a part of the scrum and says, “It

John Lyall It’s a program aimed at aboriginal youth rugby on Vancouver Island. It started off with conversations on how to get youth playing rugby and now we are holding camps. About half the kids have played some club rugby before. Two came from Port Hardy (6hours) girl from Vancouver and a carload from Campbell river. We went to BC Aboriginal sports and they have identified seven or eight different sports and rugby wasn’t one of them. This is something I think would be great and we are just trying to introduce to the aboriginal youth . Having Phil Mack (as a role model) is just fantastic. We had a photo shoot last month and had kids coming from all over to be near him. Watching him play against the best with the national team week in and week out, seeing him score the winning points in Las Vegas recently is just great.

John Lyall

Program Director of Vancouver Island Thunder

RUGBY WORLD CUP

womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rugby world cup

Preview

PRESENTED BY

Making it Count Canada got its first two wins ever over England at the 2013 Nations Cup in Colorado.

RUGBY WORLD CUP

t is fair to say that the Canadian women left some unfinished business on the pitch at the 2010 Women’s Rugby World Cup. While Canada finished its pool round with a 2-1 record, good for second in Pool C, it was only the group leaders plus a fourth best finisher that advanced, leaving Canada out of the Cup Semi-final round. Instead, after beating Scotland soundly 41-0 Canada took on its cross-border rival the USA in a play-off for 5th place, losing 23-20. The sixth place final ranking has been the grit in the oyster that has seen the Canadian women developing solidly over the intervening three years. With buckets of success evident in the 7s game, coach John Tait took over the coaching helm for the 7s unit full time in 2012, with

well regarded Francois Ratier getting the nod to take the team to the next World Cup in 2013. Some sure signs of success would be the performance of the Canadian women at the 2013 Nations Cup, with Ratier’s charges taking on all comers in impressive fashion, ultimately winning the Colorado based event 27-13 over England. As he prepares to evaluate players at the Centre for Excellence and a pair of Can AM games vs the USA in April, the program is providing a lot of challenges. “It will be great to see all the talent that will be here from across the country,” said Ratier. “This is a very gifted group of ladies we have to select from this year. It will be a tough decision, but in the end we will come out with the strongest team possible leading us to the World Cup in August.”

Preview Canada vs Spain

Canada vs Samoa

Canada vs England

All Time Record Canada 2 wins - 0 losses

All Time Record No Previous Matches

All Time Record Canada 2 Wins - 19 losses

September 4th, 2006 St Albert Rugby Park Women’s Rugby World Cup Canada 79 Spain 0

Samoa’s national women’s program is relatively young by international standards, with the first test match taking place in September 2000 when Japan beat Samoa 12-10 at Apia Park. A physically impressive team, fitness will no doubt come into play as the match enters the second half. Canada’s players are extremely fit and will begin to stretch the Samoans once they start showing signs of fatigue.

The Nations Cup matches in 2013 were a tipping point for the Canadian women. They were playing with a young squad, bolstered with a lot of talent from the 7s team. England positioned they had sent a very young squad as well, and in the fall Canada fell to England in a one off test in Richmond. England will have the advantage of just overall more game time together as the Six Nations tournament allows for a lot more training as a unit.

Advantage Canada

Advantage England

March 11, 1991 Cardiff, Wales Women’s Rugby World Cup Canada 19 Spain 4 There is not a long rivalry between these two teams, but Canada’s success on the international stage in the past few World Cups would suggest that the third seeded Spaniards will struggle against the physicality and speed of the Canadian women. Against lower ranked teams the Spanish women can get the score board ticking over, evidenced in World Cup qualifying matches in 2013 where Spain blanked Sweden 55-0 and the Netherlands 78-0 before giving up a try against Italy in a 38-7 win.

2012 No Games Scheduled

Pool A England Canada Spain Samoa

Pool B New Zealand USA Ireland Kazakhstan

Pool C Australia France Wales South Africa

CANADA vs USA April 15, 2014 Shawnigan Lake School, Mill Bay, BC Streamed LIVE Kick-off 3:30pm PT CANADA vs USA April 19, 2014 Westhills Stadium, Langford, BC Streamed LIVE Kick-off 3:30pm PT CANADA vs AUSTRALIA Friday June 6, 2014 New Zealand, Tauranga Domain, Tauranga Kick-off 2:30pm local time Thursday, June 5 at 7:30pm PT Thursday, June 5 at 10:30pm ET CANADA vs NEW ZEALAND BLACK FERNS Tuesday June 10, 2014 New Zealand, Tauranga Domain, Tauranga Kickoff 2:30pm local time Monday, June 9 at 7:30pm PT Monday, June 9 at 10:30pm ET CANADA vs NEW ZEALAND BLACK FERNS Saturday June 14, 2014 New Zealand, Whakatane, Rugby Park Kick-off 2:30pm local time Friday, June 13 at 7:30pm PT Friday, June 13 at 10:30pm ET

WOMEN’S RWC POOL GAME #2 August 5, 2014 Paris, France Kick-off TBD

Canada’s Test Record Since 2010 World Cup 2011 August 2 South Africa 17 Canada 52 August 5 USA 17 Canada 35 August 9 England 22 Canada 10

World Cup Pools

WOMEN’S RWC POOL GAME #1 August 1, 2014 Paris, France Kick-off TBD

Advantage Canada

2011 Nations Cup Final August 13 England 41 Canada 19

Canada’s 2014 Rugby World Cup and Preparation Schedule

2013 July 30 August 4 August 7 August 10 November 2 November 6 November 13

Canada 29 England 25 USA 29 Canada 17 Canada 53 South Africa 15 Championship Canada 27 England 13 Canada 19 France 27 Canada 11 France 6 Canada 3 England 32

WOMEN’S RWC POOL GAME #3 August 9, 2014 Paris, France Kick-off TBD WOMEN’S RWC SEMI-FINALS (If Qualify) August 13, 2014 Paris, France Kick-off TBD WOMEN’S RWC FINALS (If Qualify) August 17, 2014 Paris, France Kickoff TBD 19

LAST MINUTE YOU’RE NOT LATE, YOU’RE JUST IN TIME!

Dave Moonlight into Whitby Sports Hall of Fame By DOUG CROSSE

n this issue we have featured much time the 7s guys have together to John Moonlight, a star of both train,” offers Moonlight. “We would have the 15s and 7s teams in Canada. a week before departure. Now the bulk of His cousin and rugby mentor, the team is training together year round.” 34 year old Dave Moonlight of Some things never change, as Canada Whitby, Ontario, is being inducted to the has yet to defeat New Zealand, the only Whitby Sports Hall of Fame for his years team Dave has remaining on his bucket of success on 7s rugby pitch. list to beat. He doesn’t have many answers The ceremony takes place on April on how the current version of the 7s team 26th, but ahead of the big evening, we can pip the Kiwis, but he feels they are as got in touch with Dave from Victoria, BC, close as they have ever been. which he has called home since 2000. “That recent tournament in Japan, Moonlight says he is thrilled to be where they were tied with no time left and getting into the Hall, for then boom, spilled ball, it goes a couple of reasons. He is the other way, so close,” he Dave Moonlight pleased to be the first rugby trails off. “Basically you need 7s Career player into the organization, to just maintain possession placing him with hockey stars against them as long as 38 IRB Sevens such as Gary Roberts and Joe possible, keep the ball away Tournaments Nieuwendyk. But the other from them because they hurt (150+ games) reason is more personal. you on the turnovers.” “I used to work at the arena Moonlight’s career also 107 Tries Scored where the hall is located and included four appearances 523 Total Points looked at those plaques all the on the full Canada squad, time,” said Moonlight. He will debuting against Canada A be going home for the ceremony splitting in Vancouver in 2003. At the club level the trip to also introduce new daughter he played until last year, with James Bay, Sydney to friends and family. winning the Rounsefell Cup, bookending Former National Sevens Coach Doug his career nicely with two titles. Tate offered up just how impressive “My first year of senior rugby I won the Moonlight’s career has been. “To McCormick Cup with the Ajax Wanderers accomplish what David did is historic and now I finished with a BC title, which and he did it playing against the likes of was nice,” he says reflectively as daughter superstars Serevi, Gollings, and GomezSydney coos on daddy’s lap. “The boots are Cora, Tate said. Anyone who knows hung up now.” Sevens will understand how impressive that accomplishment is in rugby especially for a Canadian.” Moonlight is pleased for the success his cousin, John, has had on the IRB Sevens circuit and thinks back to his own time, when he played 38 events, spanning from 2003 to 2010 with 107 tries scored. While things have changed in terms of physicality on the circuit, the high school Phys Ed teacher feels like he would still be able to play and compete if his 2010 self got Scoring machine Dave Moonlight was one of in a time machine and played in the 2014 Canada’s top scorers on the series. IRB circuit for over six years. “The big difference these days is how

PRESENTED BY

Canadian Women continue to impress on IRB Sevens Circuit

anada’s Women’s 7s team had another impressive outing on the IRB Sevens circuit, finishing third overall at the China Sevens in Guangzhou and keeping pace with series front runners New Zealand and Australia in the process. Canada ripped through the first round with a 35-7 win over the USA and then defeated France 19-7 before tying Russia 12-12. On day two, Canada won its Cup quarter-final match beating England 19-10. Bianca Farella scored her 21st try of the series to take the early lead. England crept closer to make the score 12-10 before Karen Paquin scored her fourth try of the tournament to seal the win. In the Cup Semi-final round it was a tight defensive affair as a lone try in the second minute from Australia stood up through the remaining twelve minutes, sending Canada to the play-off for 3rd place on a 5-0 loss. Against Fiji Canada got tries from Jen Kish, Farella, and Mandy Marchak before Paquin added her 5th try in China to extend the lead to 26-0 over the Pacific Islanders. Canada now has 64 series points with one event to go, just ten behind Australia and right on the heels of New Zealand who are in first with 76 points.

elusive Jen Kish helped lead Canada to a 35-7 win over the USA in China.

Top 5 Canadian Player Stats After Four Rounds 1. Bianca Farella (23 Games) 105 points 21 tries 2. Ashley Steacy (23 Games) 81 points - 7 tries 23 conversions 3. Karen Paquin (23 Games) 60 points - 12 tries 4. Ghislaine Landry (17 Games) 57 points - 9 tries 6 conversions 5. Kayla Moleschi (23 Games) 40 points - 8 tries

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Comeback kids Canada fought back from deficits three times in six games to take third place in Vegas. Justin Douglas scores against Wales.

Canada Strikes for Finish at USA Sevens By Doug crosse photos By lorne collicutT

t is no secret that the Las Vegas Sevens has become the defacto home tournament for Canadian fans, who otherwise only get to enjoy their team via very long away trips or on a computer screen live stream. Huge numbers of Canucks make the annual pilgrimage to Nevada and the added attention seems to have an amplifying effect on the team, as in 2014 a squad made up of new faces and recent returnees helped bolster an otherwise injured squad to a best ever third place finish. The huge performances from the Canadian team saw them collect an impressive 13 points for making it to the Bowl Semi-final and then winning the play-off for third place in an incredible come from behind win over Samoa. “I thought we played really well,” said an ebullient coach Geraint John. “The second half performances, the restarts. You’ve got to give everybody compliments. And yeah, finishing third

in the world. It’s not often you can say that.” “We’ ve got a lot of high school teams here and a lot of other teams as well so hopefully that will give a lot of encouragement and give our players a spotlight as well. “ John says that despite missing the likes of injured Sean Duke and Nathan Hirayama, the team did not suffer any measurable drop-off in performance. “We have a group of players that train regularly back home and work hard for each other and that result proved it.” The Pool Round Canada opened its Pool A account on the Friday night with a solid 17-15 win over Kenya with Connor Braid, John Moonlight and Justin Douglas all touching down and Phil Mack adding a conversion. In the second match of the evening the top of

the table South Africans showed no weaknesses in a thorough 29-0 win over Canada. In the unique Vegas format Day Two saw the remaining pool A match played against Wales. In what would become a talisman for the Canadian performance on the weekend, the Welsh built a 12-0 first half lead before the infusion of Nanyak Dala sparked a remarkable comeback. A back door pass from Harry Jones saw Dala across in the opening minute of the second half. Phil Mack then took advantage of a Welsh yellow card to score and take the lead at 14-12. Then it was young-gun Justin Douglas scoring with just under a minute left and Connor Braid making the crucial conversion for a 21-12 lead with seconds left. Wales would score at the death, but it was too little too late and Canada had won finishing second in the Pool for its first Cup quarter-final berth of the 2013/14 series.

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Victory France could only walk away as Canada celebrated another come from behind victory.

as the Polynesians seemed to have the match in hand with a 19-0 lead into the second half. But cue the comeback kids. With rousing support cheering them on, Canada got the ball rolling a minute later when good work from Connor Braid led to Conor Trainor going over. Mack added the conversion, which made it 7-19 with five and a half minutes still to play. Canada were now riding on emotion as the momentum was certainly with them, with the lead further reduced when Moonlight was adjudged to have dotted down the ball on the line before Dala made sure in the aftermath to make it 12-19. And with just over a minute remaining, Canada amazingly completed a dramatic comeback to level the contest thanks to a smart finish in the left corner from the outstanding Mack, who agonizingly struck the upright with his attempted conversion. It didn’t matter as Canada’s red wave of dominance continued until the end, with a penalty offence against Samoa leading to Mack going for a drop-goal shot that he successfully knocked over to secure third place and 17 IRB World Series points. Conor Trainor said despite missing a chance to get to the final, the third place finish was plenty of reward from a good weekend of rugby. “We are super happy with where we were,” he Cup Play-offs said with a big grin. “We were just playing hard all In the Cup round Canada drew favourably getting France and coming weekend and that’s where we ended up and we are away with a 17-14 win. But as in previous games at the Vegas event, it super satisfied with that and now we are just going was a second half surge that saw the Canucks book a spot in the Cup to continue to go upwards.” semi-final for the first time since 2000. France had a 14-0 lead before Connor Braid got the first of two tries in the game, with Nanyak Dala crossing as well three minutes into the second half. France could not breach the tenacious Canadian defence and the prize for the victory was a match against New Zealand on Sunday. Against the Kiwis Canada was clearly up for the contest scoring the first try at 3:45 of the first half, but there would be no further responses as New Zealand scored twice in the first and twice in the second for the 26-7 victory.

Best ever an awesome Canadian performance in las vegas

Canadian Scoring on 2013/2014 Series Top Points Phil Mack 123 points Top Try Scorer John Moonlight 20 Tries Canada 6th place in tries scored with 114 Canada 7th place total points scored with 693 points

3rd Place Play-off In years past a match against Samoa would be met with a groan from Canadian supporters, the advantage to the Islanders having piled up impressively over time. But the new look Canadians, combined with a Samoa team in transition made for a tantalizing play-off. And for the first nine minutes things did not look good for Canada

Off-Duty There was plenty of support for Canada in Las Vegas as these Mounties looked to get their man!

Phil Mack 23

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RECAP OF CANADA’s RESULTS Keeping the momentum and moving forward

Wellington 7s Hot on the heels of their best ever performance in Las Vegas, the resulting pool placement set the table for Canada enjoying yet more success in Wellington, New Zealand on February 7th and 8th. Canada won its opening three matches, downing Scotland 17-14, the USA 29-12, and Argentina 24-5 to top Pool C with 9 points. That set the table for a second straight Cup quarter-final round, this time lining up against New Zealand. The All Blacks remain the only team Canada has yet to beat on the Series, but have been getting closer in recent events. On Day Two, it was not to be however, as the Kiwis blanked Canada 24-0. Samoa was into the semi-final of the Plate. Once a team that Canada would have loathed to play, the playing field has levelled significantly during the current year. John Moonlight and Conor Trainor had two tries each with Harry Jones adding a solo effort in a 27-0 win. In the plate final against Australia, Sean Duke pushed Canada to 10-0 first half lead before the 2nd half comeback was mounted by the Aussies. Con Foley scored at the 5 minute mark and then Harry Jones got a two minute yellow card at 7:48 with the resulting advantage seeing Ed Jenkins over the line to tie the game. Cameron Clark hit the conversion with time expired, leaving Canada reeling with the 12-10 loss and a sixth place finish. With the finish, however, were 12 important series points, vaulting Canada to 8th place heading to the event in Japan the following month.

Pool C Scotland 14 Canada 17 USA 12 Canada 29 Argentina 5 Canada 24 Cup Quarter-final New Zealand 24 Canada 0 Plate Semi-final Samoa 0 Canada 27 Plate Final Australia 12 Canada 10 24

Japan 7s Canada was riding a two tournament wave of success as they arrived in Tokyo March 22nd and 23rd. First up, Portugal, always a feisty encounter for Canada but based on current form, a 40-5 opening win powered by two tries and five conversions from team Captain Nathan Hirayama. Jake Webster scored a try on his debut, to add to solos from Sean Duke, Harry Jones and Ciaran Hearn. In the second match of the day Wales had mounted a 12-5 first half lead before Canada countered with second half efforts from Harry Jones and Mike Scholz to preserve a 17-17 draw. The final pool match of the day brought Canada into New Zealand’s orbit once more and what followed came within seconds of being a historic day. Late in the game Canada had pulled even with New Zealand 17-17 off a John Moonlight try. With under a minute going Canada were on the front foot and threatening to score when a spilled ball became an offensive opportunity for the Kiwis as Bryce Heem struck from over 60 metres for the winner 22-17. Despite the loss it sent a serious message that Canada is among the top 8 teams of the World order and will cause the top teams trouble on each outing. With a 1-1-1 record Canada advanced to its 3rd straight Cup quarter-final round. England and Canada have gotten much closer in recent events, and so it was to be on this day. England held a slim 7-0 first half lead before Sean White and Mike Scholz saw Canada take the lead 10-5. Canada appeared to be across for a third try, but the resulting lone view for the referee did not provide the information needed to give the score. England then fought back with speed demon Dan Norton taking it the distance with 30 seconds left and a 14-10 win. Emotionally drained from that game, Canada had little to offer against the USA losing 28-15. But as in the weekend before Canada got 10 series points, staying in 8th spot with 53 points. Coach Geraint John was effusive in praising his team. “I am very proud of the players and their fight as we showed a great deal of grit, especially in that first game versus England. Against USA we fell off too many tackles and that was the difference. You have to be clinical and make those hits.” “I’d like to look at the positives this weekend such as our win (against Portugal), plus our performances against New Zealand and England, which were outstanding.”

Pool A

Hong Kong Winning comes with its rewards and in the case of the draw for Hong Kong Canada had an attractive pool with England, Argentina and Portugal in Pool C. Canada opened the three day event with a big Friday night 35-7 win over Portugal. John Moonlight showed his circuit dominance with two tries and Nathan Hirayama hit for five conversions. Conor Trainor, Sean White and Nanyak Dala also added tries. Day Two Canada doubled up on Argentina 14-7 before meeting England, the Cup quarter-final foe from the week before in Tokyo. The match did not disappoint with another tight affair as Phil Mack and Dan Norton traded tries for a 7-7 half time draw. In the second frame John Moonlight took Canada into the lead 28 seconds in, though the conversion was missed to give Canada a 12-7 lead. Norton hit for his second try, another long foot race, but it was the crucial conversion that gave England a narrow 14-12 win. It was clear to the assembled that Canada’s game can now be measured in inches and that teams need those small mistakes to down the new big boys on the IRB circuit. Canada finished 2nd in Pool C and a record fourth straight Cup quarter-final date. On Day Three Canada drew Australia in the Cup round and as in its games against England, Canada had come to play. Harry Jones staked Canada to a 5-0 first half lead before Australia’s Alex Gibbon levelled at 1:41 of the second half. His try was converted to give Australia a slim 7-5 lead with five minutes to go. Ciaran Hearn then shot Canada into the lead with an impressive try at 5:55, with Phil Mack adding the conversion for a 12-7 lead and only 30 seconds remaining. But it would be late disappointment again for Canada as Paul Asquith found an overlap on a counter attack move to score near the posts. The Cameron Clark conversion nudged the Aussies to the semi-final with a 14-12 win. After the game a relieved looking Australia Coach Michael O’Connor told the IRB’s Seb Lauzier, “We were lucky to win. Watch out for Canada, they are a very good team!” High praise and notice for the rugby world that Canada’s hot run of form is the result of long term development and not luck of the draw. As in the week before, it was a physically and emotionally depleted Canada into the Plate semi-final round against Wales, losing 31-14 to wrap its weekend with yet another ten series points and into 7th place with 63 points and a lagging Samoa just ahead in 6th spot with 64 points and two events in Glasgow and London beckoning.

Pool C

Portugal 5 Canada 40 Wales 17 Canada 17 New Zealand 22 Canada 17

Portugal 7 Canada 35 Argentina 7 Canada 14 England 14 Canada 12

Cup Quarter-final England 14 Canada 10

Cup Quarter-final Australia 14 Canada 12

Plate Semi-final USA 28 Canada 15

Plate Semi-final Wales 31 Canada 14

FEATURE

JOHN MOON LIGHT Watch out world, here comes John

By DOUG CROSSE photos by josé lagman

He shares the last name of another famous Canadian rugby player, has a Pan American Games Gold Medal and now he is ripping it up on the IRB Sevens Series like no one’s business. We catch up with John Moonlight in this player spotlight. continued next page >

FEATURE

JOHN moonlight

Rising Star The past few years has seen John Moonlight’s stock rise on both the 15s and 7s pitch.

To watch John’s interview, visit RUGBY.ca

RUGBYca: How much confusion is there these days still between you and cousin Dave Moonlight, who also has quite a reputation on the 7s circuit? JM: A lot of times when it comes to talking about Dave, they actually call him my brother. The announcers for years would say that. I have talked to Nigel Starmer-Smith and reminded him we are actually cousins. All the time Dave comes up. He is a legend in this sport and so he is always going to be around in my world. RUGBYca: What is the favourite thing you have heard announcers say when calling your name for a try? JM: All of the boys and I really like, I think it was in South Africa, it was an actual picture of the moon they put up on the scoreboard. It was the moon over the stadium and so the boys got a pretty good laugh out of that. RUGBYca: Who got that first rugby ball in your hands and started you down this path? JM: Dave was the guy that got me 26

into rugby. To be honest I wasn’t even going to go out for it. I was busy playing hockey like most Canadians do. Dave came to me and said I think this is something you would really enjoy doing playing this sport. I wasn’t a real big guy back then but I think he could see through the family genes that eventually I was going to be a big guy. I ended up going out and absolutely loving the sport. I’m here where I am now because of that. RUGBYca: Does Dave offer up advice to you from his time on the circuit? JM: Dave and I are always talking about tournaments. I go to him for information. When I picked up the Captaincy when Nathan (Hirayama) got hurt, I messaged him and he gave me a couple of tips. He’s always been there and helpful with anything to do with rugby. He’s my only family I actually have on the west coast it’s nice to have him around. RUGBYca: What was the “Aha” moment that showed this was more than a new hobby, but a

We’re looking to actually win Cups and our main goal is to go in and actually win the tournament. Teams realize that and are making sure they are ready to play us.

sport you could actually play at a high level? JM: The moment that I realized I actually wanted to (play rugby) was when Paul Connelly, who coached Uxbridge (high school) came up to me after playing my school Dunbarton. He said, “you should really come out for Ontario. I really think if you come out you have a good chance do something with rugby.” I thought about it for a while, made the Ontario team and from there the Canada U19 team in 2006 and went to Dubai. I really enjoyed myself and that really opened things up for me and then I moved to BC. So really, Paul coming up to me made me realize this is something I could really enjoy and do. RUGBYca: If you had to make a decision tomorrow to play one version of rugby over the other would it be 7s or 15s that gets the pick? JM: It’s two completely different games. 7s I get a chance to run with the ball a bit more and there is a lot more open space and really take a guy on one on one. Whereas in 15s

john moonlight

FEATURE

Physical John Moonlight has a physical presence on the pitch

Mark Bryant

Family Bonds John Moonlight with cousin Dave, play together at James Bay AA

I am doing a bit more of a grinding role and making a lot of tackles. I really enjoy both, so I don’t think I could ever pick between both codes. RUGBYca: How does the motivation of the Olympics affect your role in the 7s team? JM: Every athlete as they are growing up dreams of attending the Olympic games. It’s the pinnacle of where every athlete wants to be so to have the chance to possibly do that is an unbelievable feeling. I don’t even know how to put words to it. To be at the top level and competing against the best there is nothing you can say about it. It’s

what every athlete wants to do. RUGBYca: Do you think you are seeing the respect level rising for Canada on the circuit as you continue to notch big wins and big performances every tournament weekend? JM: There is a core group of us seven or eight of us that have been playing together for the last four or five years. We’ve developed as players, our team has developed into the new style of rugby. It’s no longer a bunch of small guys running around. Now you’ve got guys like myself and then guys like Sean Duke and Phil Mack, the play

We’ve developed as players, our team has developed into the new style of rugby.

makers. So it has really developed into a new sport. Canada has really come along with that development, the size and we have got everything that we need. Teams definitely take a hard look at us now when they get ready to play us. The only team we haven’t beaten yet is New Zealand and we have come very close a few times. Other teams are starting to show a lot of respect. We are a core team now and people realize we aren’t just walking around happy to be here. We’re looking to actually win Cups and our main goal is to go in and actually win the tournament. Teams realize that and are making sure they are ready to play us. RUGBYca: What is in store for life after rugby? JM: Still not quite sure, but I am finishing my degree in sociology at Laurier. Possibly doing something in the trades would be most likely.

UNIVERSITY 7s

PRESENTED BY

Men’s Champions The University of Victoria Vikes took top honours on the men’s side of the 2014 Championships.

National University Rugby 7s Championships By BRYAN Kelly Photos By Lorne Collicutt

langford hosted A successful weekend with 26 teams competing

n Saturday March 9, the Uvic Vikes wrapped up the 2014 National University Rugby Sevens Championships at Westhills Stadium with an emphatic 24-19 victory over UBC. The win over their provincial rivals saw the hometown Vikes capture back-to-back titles and their third championship in four years. Earlier in the day, McMaster, lead by the Player of the Tournament Cindy Nelles, defeated the University of Lethbridge 24-7 to capture the tournament title in the Women’s competition. The fourth installment of the National University Rugby Sevens Championship, held at the home of Canadian rugby in Langford, BC, was again a successful event with 26 teams in competition over three days this weekend.

WOMEN’S DAY THREE WRAP UP:

The Final Day of the tournament only featured four Women’s games, but none of them disappointed the fervent crowd. In exciting fashion, the York Lions defeated the UVIC Vikes 2 31-19 to capture the Women’s Bowl Competition. The Plate Final saw 2012 and 2013 Champions Guelph defeat the Western Mustangs 24-5. Following those two fixtures, the UVIC Vikes 1 used the excited crowd’s support to defeat last year’s runner-up University of Alberta 15-0. Despite narrowly losing all three of their pool games on Day One of the tournament, the McMaster Marauders upset Guelph and hammered Alberta in the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals to advance to the Finals on Sunday. 28

McMaster’s opponents would be the University of Lethbridge, who qualified for the finals by handling Western and UVIC 1 on Day Two of competition. Despite a strong effort from Lethbridge, McMaster would prevail 24-7 to capture their first National Sevens Title.

MEN’S DAY THREE WRAP UP:

Sunday kicked off with two men’s games, as Humber and Western defeated Royal Military College and Waterloo respectively in the Plate Semi-Finals. The next two games of the day featured the men’s Cup Semi-Finals, where UBC easily handed Queens 31-0 before the Vikes won the all-UVIC game against the Norseman 41-0. After a break in the action, which saw the women’s games wrap up, the men continued their play with Calgary defeating Mount Royal University 17-0 to capture the Bowl Championship. One of the more exciting games of the day followed with Humber defeating tournament favourites Western 27-12 to capture the Plate Title. Humber was lead by their captain Jason Chuck and the incredible scoring touch of Joseph Ginsberg and Justin Tota. In the 3rd/4th game, Queens proved too much for the hometown UVIC Norsemen, as they were victorious 24-12. The final game of the weekend saw the UVIC Vikes look to defend their title against the visiting UBC Thunderbirds in a re-match of the finals of the 2014 Las Vegas Sevens Invitational. In front of nearly 30,000 fans, UBC defeated UVIC earlier this

year in January. The game opened heavily in favour of the Thunderbirds with tries from Canada Sevens player Sean Ferguson and Canada Under-20 Harjun Gill. Despite trailing early on, the experience of flyhalf Pat Kay – 2013 Men’s Player of the Tournament – and Beau Parker lead the charge to rally the Vikes. Two tries from Man of the Tournament, James Pitblado would bring them back into the game. UVIC took their first lead of the game when Parker broke free for the score, but Kay wasnâ’t able to convert. Score stood 19-14 for UVIC with less than four minutes remaining. UBC would draw the game even with a beautiful solo try from Liam Murphy-Burke, but his conversion attempt was also unsuccessful. With the game matted at 19-a-piece and little time left on the clock, the crowd was in for an exciting finish. The game was won for the home side when youngster Kane Wyatt, son of former Canada player Mark Wyatt, broke through the defense to score under the posts. UBC was awarded one last scrummage deep inside their territory with no time left on the clock, but a cross-kick from Sandover-Best which bounced into touch signaled the end of the game and a victory for the Vikes. Rugby Canada would like to thank all of the teams, players, match officials, team staff, volunteers, fans, sponsors and supporters of the 2014 National University Sevens Rugby Championship and we’ll see you next year!

UNIVERSITY 7s

PRIMAL YELL The Marauders Kailyn Jones (Port Colborne) celebrates a try.

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s champions The McMaster Marauders women won its first national 7s title beating University of Lethbridge 24-7.

magic A pair of Western players try to prevent the ball from going into touch.

The Hurdle The UVic Vikes 1 beat Humber in the Cup Quarter-final round 17-12.

Time to head back and total our catch

Proud supporter of Rugby Canada

men’s 15s TOUR

PRESENTED BY

Canada vs Japan and don’t miss this action as TWO highly anticipated International Rugby games

hen this exceptionally long winter begins to finally recede, Canadian rugby fans on both sides of the country will be in for special treat. Canada’s National Senior Men’s Team (NSMT) will be in taking on both Japan and Scotland this summer, in fixtures that are sure to prove valuable, as Canada’s preparations for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England begin to gather steam. The June 7th test at Burnaby’s Swangard Stadium will be yet another chance for Canada to renew its fierce rivalry with Japan, a country against whom it has had narrow results in recent years. Canada and Japan fought to draws at both the 2007 and 2011 Rugby World Cups. More recently, Japan handed Canada its only defeat, during last year’s Pacific Nations Cup campaign, in a hotly contested 16 – 13 match in Nagoya. This summer, the Pacific Nations Cup has again been revamped. In order to lessen the extreme travel burdens on teams and busy international players, Canada, Japan and the United States will play off in

In 2011, we had to play some our best rugby in the last 15 minutes or so to come back to tie them.

breakout Canada’s Tyler Ardron is looking forward to another full house at Toronto’s BMO Field against Scotland this June.

All-Time Record vs Japan Canada Won 8 Lost 12 Drew 2 Only two teams to have ever played to a draw at an IRB Rugby World Cup (12-12) in 2007 at Bordeaux, and (23-23) 2011 at McLean Park, Napier, New Zealand First Match: In Osaka - January 31st 1932

a three team round-robin in one pool, while Samoa, Tonga and Fiji will play their own series of international tests, in another Pool. The winners of each pool will then face-off against one another during the 2014 November test window. When Canada takes the field in British Columbia this summer, the memory of last year’s defeat in the far-east is likely to be a driving factor. Canada and London-Irish forward Jebb Sinclair is one player who knows very well the challenge that Japan is able to produce. “Japan has had our number over the last four or five tests. We’ve tied them twice at the last two World Cups. In 2011, we had to play some our best rugby in the last 15 minutes or so to come back to tie them. Sadly though, they’ve beat us twice as well. I’m looking forward to a long-awaited return fixture. “With the time change and travel, Japan is a tough place to go to and win and we haven’t played particularly well when we’ve gone there. I wasn’t part of the team that went to Japan last summer, but that loss cost us the Pacific Nations Cup title, so it was a tough pill to swallow. “We’ve been a very different beast when playing them in Canada and it’ll be exciting to get back to the Vancouver area and play a game on the West Coast. There’s been quite a rivalry building over the years with Japan, so it’ll be good to get our first win against them in a while on home soil!” Canadian fans on the West Coast have been eagerly awaiting the return of international rugby, so this summer will be the perfect opportunity for all of B.C. to show its support for Canada and paint Swangard Stadium red on June 7th.

men’s 15s TOUR

Scotland Preview are in BURNABY and Toronto this summer.

ne week later, Canada’s senior men will once again return to BMO Field in Toronto for what promises to be one of their stiffest contests of 2014. Scotland, fresh off a victory over Italy in the RBS Six Nations, will arrive to take on the Canadians on June 14th. Scotland is a team in transition, with New Zealander Vern Cotter recently taking over the reigns as Head Coach. As the 10th ranked team in world rugby, Scotland will be a mighty challenge for Canada, but one Osprey’s back-row Tyler Ardron is looking forward to. “BMO field in Toronto is a great place to play in terms of it being state of the art and having all the things we need to play a good game, but that is really the least important thing about a stadium. Playing at BMO is a lot more than just a nice foundation, it’s become our home ground and the crowd there is unbelievable. “Also for myself it’s a great feeling to be able to play in front of so many of my friends and family. “The Scotland game is a great opportunity for us. We are always asking for games like this and being rewarded with them shows that we are moving in the right direction. It’s always going to be a tough game whenever we play a fully professional team, and Scotland will be no different. They have a lot of great players and will bring a very well structured game. “Playing in the Pro 12 has allowed me to see the

BY DOUG CROSSE PHOTOS BY JEFF HULL

Playing at BMO is a lot more than just a nice foundation, it’s become our home ground and the crowd there is unbelievable.

All-Time Record vs SCOTLAND Canada 2 Wins 2 Losses Canada has beaten Scotland twice at home: May 25, 1991 Canada 24- Scotland 19 at St. John’s June 15, 2002 Canada 26 Scotland 23 at Vancouver But have lost twice in Scotland: Jan 21, 1995 Scotland 22 Canada 6 at Edinburgh Nov. 22, 2008 Scotland 46 Canada 0 at Aberdeen

Scottish teams play week in and week out. They are all very good rugby players, but I feel that we will be able to match them quite well. “I think physically and athletically we are very well matched and having them in Toronto will make for a very exciting game.” Ardron is just one of the increasing number of young Canadian professionals who are playing their rugby overseas these days. Teammate Jeff Hassler of the Ospreys, DTH READY Jebb Sinclair Van der Merwe wants to of the Glasgow make a Warriors and statement Phil Mackenzie when Canada plays of the Sale Japan in Sharks are just a Burnaby. few of Canada’s stars who will know many of the Scottish faces across the pitch when these two proud rugby nations collide this June. For Canada, tests against the likes of Scotland are crucial, especially in the lead-up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup. There, Canada’s pool will feature no less than three teams from the RBS Six Nations, and so measuring itself against Scotland will be an important test for this country’s senior side. With more Canadian players then ever suiting up for professional clubs overseas, there has never been a better time for Canada to claim another scalp against Scotland on home soil, and what better place to do it than in front of 20,000 members of Red Nation at BMO field in Toronto? Canada’s senior men will be looking to send the world a message this summer. Don’t miss your chance to send them your own message of support, by helping to pack Swangard Stadium and BMO Field for what is sure to be an incredible summer of rugby action.

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VIEW POINT

By IAN KENNEDY essentially as a full time job. He meticulously organized all the pre-tour arrangements: all the flight tickets, the jerseys and uniforms, the medical and physio supplies, the balls, the training kit and the gifts. He left nothing to chance for in Don’s world every “t” had to be crossed and every “i” dotted. Besides doing the myriad of jobs associated with being Manager, Don always remembered players’ birthdays and arranging cakes and celebrations. At both World Cups

Dedicated Don Whidden filled many roles in rugby over the years. August 13, 1941 - February 3, 2014

A True Gentleman

Don Whidden was a loyal servant of the “great game”

ugby Canada’s former Manager Don Whidden was a wonderful human being and an extremely dedicated rugby man who touched nearly everyone with whom he came in contact. I count myself privileged to have known him for over forty years working with him on the National Rugby Post and serving with him, he as Manager, and me as Press Officer, for Rugby Canada’s Senior Men’s and Under-23 sides. We spent a lot of time together including at the Rugby World Cups in France in 1999 and in Australia in 2003. The wonder of Don Whidden remains that he managed to do so many things and keep so many balls in the air: working his “day job” as a Chief Financial Officer for the University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine; acting as Manager for Rugby Canada for eight years, 1995-2003, and after retiring from that, coaching up-coming referees before becoming an International Rugby Board Citing Commissioner; serving, since 1972, as an off-ice official in Edmonton for the WHA and then the NHL -- for much of it heading the team of sixteen; being a staunch member of his church, and a devoted family man to his wife Barbara, his children John, Megan and Michael and his four grandchildren. Don loved being Canada’s Manager,

At both World Cups he organized special Canadian Thanksgiving Dinners. The one in France in 1999 went off without a hitch but the one in Melbourne in 2003 ran into problems. Seems the chefs at the hotel had never made pumpkin pie – not a common dish in “Oz.”

the great one Don was even remembered by Wayne Gretzky in Edmonton, where Whidden worked as a time keeper at Northlands Coliseum.

he organized special Canadian Thanksgiving Dinners. The one in France in 1999 went off without a hitch but the one in Melbourne in 2003 ran into problems. Seems the chefs at the hotel had never made pumpkin pie – not a common dish in “Oz” – and they didn’t mash the pumpkin, leaving everyone trying to eat little rubber- like cubes of the vegetable. Don took some ribbing which he took good heartedly. Nevertheless he hated mistakes no matter who made them. In 2002 Canada played the USA in Chicago and when we arrived at the ground, the day prior to the match, Don immediately recognized that the field had been lined out too narrowly, something which would have negated Canada’s potent back-line. Don went to work with the ground crew and

PRESENTED BY

had the lines re-drawn. Canada won 36-13 with its backs accounting for all the points from three tries and 16 points from Jared Barker’s boot. Don gloated a bit knowing he’d played a part in the win. When his playing days with St. Michael’s University School and the Leprechauns RFC in Edmonton had finished, Don took up refereeing while still to finding time to be President of the Edmonton and the Alberta Rugby Unions. His refereeing and administrative prowess stood him in good stead at the ’99 RWC in France when the IRB summoned flanker John Hutchinson to a Disciplinary Hearing in London for being the “third man” into an altercation in the game against Fiji. Don spent hours in preparation and his protestations helped John avoid a suspension which, in retrospect, would have prevented him gaining his fifty consecutive caps – a Canadian record. Speaking of records, Don kept meticulous records of all of Canada’s games, cap counts and scoring and was Canada’s “go to” guy for when it came to records, he kept them scrupulously. Despite the pressures of the moment and tension of his role, Don never swore, a miracle in a game where profanity is often seen as a second language. When things went horribly wrong he’d utter his worst epithet would be something like “Oh Dear!”, or “My Word!” Former Canadian RWC captains Gareth Rees and Al Charron attended Don’s funeral in Edmonton. At the same time as the funeral took place, at the suggestion of another former RWC captain, Mark Wyatt, many of Canada’s former international players from coast to coast, hoisted a toast to Don. No finer tribute for a true Canadian gentleman and a loyal servant of the “great game.”

Team Manager Don, back row right, third in with tie, led many Canadian teams as manager over the years. 33

T A S T E O F I S L AY E H T scotl a nd’s whisk y isl a nd

ENJOY THE FIR ST ISL AY SINGLE M A LT

bowmore.com

AWARDS

PRESENTED BY

2013 Rugby Canada Awards

L to R: Stephanie Murphy, Bruce Kuklinski, Phil Mack, Pat Kay, Mark Winokur, Ciaran Hearn, John Moonlight, Kelly Russell, DaLeaka Menin, Michel Francois, Pat Aldous

Celebrating an exciting year in Canadian rugby By Bryan Kelly Photo By Lorne Collicutt

On April 11th at the Royal BC Museum in downtown Victoria, members of the Canadian rugby community gathered to celebrate the best of Canadian rugby. The second annual Awards Dinner coincided with Rugby Canada’s 2013 Fiscal Annual General Meeting, the weekend of April 11th at the Westin Bear Mountain Hotel in Langford, British Columbia. Due to its convenient timing, Provincial Union delegates and Board Members from across the country had the opportunity to mixand-mingle with members of Canada’s Men’s and Women’s Rugby programs. CHEK TV’s Jeff King emceed the evening, which included a champagne welcome, viewing of multiple exciting videos, a rendition of ‘Oh Canada’ and fantastic speeches from former Welsh International Gerald Davies and former Canadian captains Stephanie White and Hans de Goede.

Coach of the Year Female - Stephanie Murphy Coach of the Year Male - Michel Francois Match Official of the Year Bruce Kuklinski Volunteer of the Year Mark Winokur Provincial Union Award British Columbia Rugby Union

Brian Burke is interviewed by CHEK Reporter and Emcee Jeff King.

Young Player of the Year Female - DaLeaka Menin Young Player of the Year Male - Patrick Kay

Kelly Russell, Ghislaine Landry, Ashley Steacey, Nikki Case, Mandy Marchak

Player of the Year Women’s Sevens - Jen Kish Player of the Year Men’s Sevens - John Moonlight Conor Trainor, Nanyak Dala

Player of the Year Women’s Fifteens - Kelly Russell Player of the Year Men’s Fifteens - Ciaran Hearn Men’s Fifteens Player Player of the Year Phil Mack

Bruce Kuklinski (r) with Peter Gardiner, SMUS.

Rugby Manitoba President Sandy Donald.

John Moonlight, Pat Aldous

Female Coach of the Year Stephanie Murphy

Stuart Pegg Award Pat Kay 35

ADVERTorial

UBC Rugby

Aces Sports Review, Returns to Excellence T

he 2013-2014 season for the UBC Thunderbirds has been a season to remember. This year the team was able to go undefeated for the first half of the season, beat arch-rival the University of Victoria to regain the Wightman Boot, and win the Las Vegas Collegiate 7’s championship. However, nothing can top the feeling that the players and coaches felt when the rugby program was assured top varsity status for the coming years. With the program’s future now solidified, the goal of becoming the best university rugby program in North America is in sight. To understand the success of the current UBC Rugby team, one must look back at the history of the program to realize why UBC players play with so much pride and passion. Rugby at UBC dates back to the year of 1906 when the university was still called McGill University College of B.C. Over these past 108 years UBC rugby has faced tough opponents from North America and overseas and have seen great success. Some of the best documented games include UBC beating the undefeated Olympic Gold medal winning Stanford side on Christmas day in 1920, facing the powerful New Zealand Maoris in 1927, and battling California-Berkley in 1953 in a four game ‘World Cup’ series. During their history UBC has won countless awards, such as the McKechnie Cup, the ‘World Cup’ and the Wightman Boot, as well as being labeled “the finest team in Canada if not all of North America.” Not only have great teams been seen at UBC, but world-class athletes have come through the program as well. Six alumni have been named to both the UBC and BC Rugby Hall of Fame; these athletes are Ro Hindson, Ted Hunt, John Graf, current Director of UBC Rugby Spence McTavish, Lloyd Williams and Buzz Moore. With UBC Rugby having such a proud tradition it should come as no surprise that the program has been well represented on the national stage. More then 75 National Rugby Team members have come from the UBC program, including Harry Jones and Tyler Hotson who are presently on the Men’s National team. Currently, this year’s team has 2 players on the Canadian Men’s 7’s team, 6 players on the Canadian U20 team, and 3 players on the Canadian U18 team. Another aspect of the “Return to Excellence” Campaign was to increase the operating budget and scholarships funds. Over the past two years the rugby program has doubled their operating budget and quadrupled the scholarship funds. One of the focuses in increasing the scholarship fund was to create three international scholarships. UBC believes that to continue their growth on the field they must have international athletes, who bring different experiences and mindsets, to complement their Canadian players who are the backbone of the program. UBC’s goal is to become the top university program in North America, but they also want to be known internationally and continue to bring in top international players to help grow the caliber of rugby players in Canada. No rugby program is complete with only mens’ teams, and at UBC the women’s team finds themselves climbing the ranks in Canada and setting themselves up for a successful future. The head coach of the women’s team is Dr. Maria Gallo, the second

most capped player in Canadian women’s rugby history and the Canada West Coach of the Year in her first full year as head coach. Maria is assisted by BC’s provincial women’s team head coach Dean Murten. Vast improvement has already occurred. Coach Gallo’s goal is for UBC to be the top women’s team in Canada, and with the current facilities, substantially increased financial backing, superior coaching and the mindset of the coaches and the team, everyone at UBC is believing this program will reach its goal. UBC men’s rugby success continues to run high - they’ve added the “World” Cup to their belt, having defeated the University of California in the 2014 instalment of the annual series. Led by first-year head coach Rameses Langston, it was no small feat beating the USA’s top rugby program for the first time in eight years. Langston has built on the foundation established over many years by general manager Spence McTavish.

“I’m so proud of the character of these guys,” said Langston. “It’s what we’ve been working on all year. It’s a great tribute to Spence McTavish and the tradition of the program.” In both programs success has not just been seen on the field. UBC Rugby’s motto is “Great Education, Great Rugby.” UBC rugby supports Student-athletes and boasts the highest academic average of men and women’s large-team varsity sports. Every year the UBC program has a significant number of Academic All Canadians (15 last year), and has included five Rhodes Scholars. UBC is consistently ranked the No. 2 university in Canada (McLean’s Magazine). The return of Canada’s highest-level rugby to UBC augers well for rugby in B.C. and Canada. Both programs are ready to face the next wave of opponents. Over the next few years, UBC will have the opportunity to compete in a number of national and international events. These will include: competing in the Las Vegas Collegiate 7’s tournament and the CIS 7’s tournament; as well the men’s team will continue the annual tradition of playing a home and away game against the American powerhouse California-Berkeley in the ‘World Cup’ series, and in 2015 UBC has accepted an invitation to play at Oxford University’s Top 8 World Universities Tournament, which is played in conjunction with and prior to the 2015 World Cup in England. The foundation for the future has been put in place and now UBC Rugby battles for billing as the top university rugby program in North America. 37

WOmen’s 7s

Canada’s womens 7s IRB WORLD ranking 1. New Zealand 76 pts 2. Australia 74 pts 3. Canada 64 pts

Canada vs the World

Last 3 IRB Events Atlanta, USA Canada 111 Opposition 46 Finished 2nd

Photo Heading Photo cut line needs to go here.

Canadian Women scoring well on 7s Circuit By Mark Sheldon

t has been an exciting 12 months for Canada’s Women’s Sevens Program. After finishing fourth in the inaugural season of the Women’s Sevens World Series, Canada finished second at last summer’s Rugby World Cup Sevens. Riding that wave of success, they have continued their winning ways this season: after three rounds the women have second, third and fourth place finishes to sit third in the WSWS standings. Going back to the 2013 China Sevens, they have finished in the top-four in six straight tournaments. While the team and staff have put in a lot of hard work over the last year, head coach John Tait says there is a fine line between finishing top-four and top-eight, so he doesn’t take the success for granted. “As a group, we have been good at not looking too far past the challenge at hand each time we take the field,” says Tait. That mentality has served them well recently, as Canada has finished first in pool play their last two tournaments, setting up a favourable draw on Day Two. While Tait is pleased with the team’s overall progress, he feels unfulfilled. “We are still unsatisfied not to have taken a series tournament yet this season and will be looking to do so in the last two tournaments,” says Tait. Canada began the season with a fourth place finish in Dubai. While it is their worst result of the year, it may prove to be their most important. The team was without two of their top players as captain Jen Kish and Mandy Marchak were out with injury. Tait was forced to tinker with his lineup, announcing a roster which saw three women make their national team debut. After dressing a relatively young and inexperienced team in Dubai, Tait did the exact 38

opposite in Atlanta as 11 of the 12 players named to the roster were on the team that finished second in Moscow at the World Cup. Canada finished Day One with a perfect 3-0 record, outscoring their opponents 90-7. On Day Two, Canada advanced to the Cup Final after wins over USA and Australia. For the third time in four international tournaments, Canada and New Zealand would be meeting in a Cup Final. Unfortunately for the Canadians, the World Cup champions showed their class in a convincing 36-0 win. Trailing by only 10 points at the break, Canada was unable to generate any points in the second half, while New Zealand scored four tries to seal the victory. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise successful tournament for the Canadians. The week after Atlanta, Canada had a quick chance at revenge, meeting the Black Ferns in the Cup Semifinals at the Brazil Sevens. This match felt different; Canada was dictating the pace of play. With 20 seconds left in the match, Canada held a 17-7 lead and looked comfortably on their way to their first WSWS win over New Zealand. That’s when everything fell apart. New Zealand scored with enough time left on the clock for a restart and instead of holding onto possession, Canada lost the ball, which proved costly as the Black Ferns scored after the hooter had sounded. “A pretty gutted group to let that one slip,” said Tait after the match. “Some harsh lessons for us in how to finish off a team of that calibre.” One thing is for sure, Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team will have to figure out a way to beat New Zealand if they ever hope to win a Cup Final. They have beaten Canada

Rio de Janierio, Brazil Canada 138 Opposition 61 Finished 3rd Guangzhou, China Canada 111 Opposition 46 Finished 3rd Total Won Loss 13-4-1

Our work ethic has never been an issue within our team, We do not quit on each other and most importantly, we work for each other.

in five straight tournaments: three Cup Finals and two Cup Semifinals. While acknowledging New Zealand is the top team in the world at the moment, Tait isn’t shying away from any future encounters. “We are confident that we will beat them and it is only a matter of when really,” says Tait. His captain agrees. “Our day will come, this I’m sure of,” says Kish. “It’s just a matter of when and how many times we’ll repeat it.” Kish’s confidence is in large part to the hard work put in by the team on a daily basis. “Our work ethic has never been an issue within our team,” says Kish. She says their continued success thus far shows just how hard everyone works each day. “We do not quit on each other and most importantly, we work for each other,” says Kish. “We’ve developed a sisterhood where we depend, trust, look out for and care for one another,” says Kish, who thinks their relationship outside of rugby is a big reason why they have success on the pitch. “This definitely has benefited us on the field. We have become so in tune with one another that you can actually feel the kind of energy that someone is putting out there on any given day.” With that being said, it’s not always rainbows and butterflies for Kish and her teammates. Like all teams, there are ups and downs when spending so much time together. With so many different personalities floating around, they too have conflict days, but it’s those bad days that act as a catalyst to identifying problems and creating solutions. “Every moment we share together, positive or negative, it brings us closer together and adds more glue to our bond, making our sisterhood that much stronger,” says Kish. The concept of teamwork is extremely important to the success of any team as it helps to produce results. The hope here for Canada’s Women’s Sevens Team is that they can take that final step in achieving what they want – a WSWS Cup title.

spotlight PRESENTED BY

Sara Kaljuvee Fast Facts

charge ahead Sara loves to play on an international stage

Age: 20 Height: 168cm Weight: 70kg Debut: U20 Nations Cup 2013 NSW15s Debut: Nations Cup 2013 NSW7s 1st WSWS (cap): Dubai Toured with NSW7s Maple Leafs to NACRA 2013

To watch Sara’s interview, visit RUGBY.ca

Sara Kaljuvee From Pickering to Dubai, Sara is enjoying her position with the National Women’s 7s team By DOUG CROSSE

Photo By Lorne Collicutt

RUGBYca: When did you first touch a rugby ball? SK: I first touched a rugby ball before Grade 9. It was my cousins and they said “you are going to love this sport,” because I played boys hockey and then went into girl’s hockey. They said you are going to have to get get into rugby because you are going to like the contact. I started playing my first rugby game in Grade 9 and it was amazing. I never looked back. I fell in the love with the sport. RUGBYca: How did you do the first season? SK: I didn’t know how to play, I didn’t know the rules and I rode the bench for a while. Then one game a girl got injured and the coach threw me in. He said, “get out there and play.” I went out there with no fear and just ran into people the whole game and I ended up scoring my first try that game. It was a pretty memorable first game for me. RUGBYca: When did you know this was the sport for you? SK: That first game was one of the defining moments I think. I remember hitting someone and not getting in trouble for hitting someone. I remember thinking, “oh wow, this is really fun.” I would get thrown into the penalty box in hockey all the time. I couldn’t believe how

quickly I developed in rugby and how influential my coach Kelly Sadowski was. Through the four years at Pickering High School my coach helped me. I had been playing hockey my whole life but suddenly the switch flipped and I realized rugby is what I wanted to do. RUGBYca: So how did you progress so quickly through the ranks to the national team? SK: When I was in grade 10 my coach told me, “You have to try out for Team Ontario.” Here I am thinking all these girls have been playing since they were six. I just compared it to hockey, and I made the team and I thought to myself “wow - I made Team Ontario, this is unbelievable.” Then we ended up winning nationals that summer at Fletcher’s Fields. From then on I kept playing for Ontario and the next year I ended up Captaining Ontario. It was a really cool couple of leaps forward and I have her to thank for that. RUGBYca: You then went on to win a national title in University with St Francis Xavier. What do you make of all this success so early in your career? SK: I always have to take a step back and take a look at it and take in the little things. Like when we were in San Diego for training camp. My roommates told me to stop talking after a while

about that. I said people don’t just do that. It’s an unreal lifestyle and it is a dream come true. RUGBYca: Tell me about your first time getting on the pitch in Dubai in 2013. SK: I was put in against France late in the game. A lot of people would say it is mentally tough because you have sat while the game is going on. I found it very motivating because I know when I come on the field I have fresh legs. I have seen the game and I know you have a chance to have a huge impact and help your team. The biggest thing in my mind was, “I can’t believe I am on an international stage right now and yeah I have a chance to do something.” RUGBYca: With Sevens rugby now an Olympic sport, what is the reaction you get from family and friends about what you are doing? SK: I have close friends from high school that I keep in touch with and they say, “Oh no big deal, where in the world are you now.” And I love calling my parents at the end of the day and telling them, this is what I got into today. They are super proud of me. When I heard rugby is in the Olympics I knew I had to do this. At that point I hadn’t been introduced to the Canada program, but that was where I wanted to go. RUGBYca: What outside of rugby gives your pride on a personal level? SK: Even though I haven’t finished my university degree (Human Kinetics) I am proud I pursued my post secondary education. I am hoping to go back to that and finish my undergrad. There are athletic accomplishments that I am proud of but I am more proud of my family and what they have gone through. I look at my mom and I am more proud of what she has done in her life. RUGBYca: Tell me about being a leader on a senior women’s club team with the Toronto Scottish at such a young age. SK: A bunch of teams I have been on are like a second family but the Toronto Scottish are definitely one of them. I got an email the other day, ”Good luck in Vegas, we are all rooting for you!” When I made the Under 20 Canada team this summer they were huge supporters in helping me fund-raise. They held so many fundraisers for me. It wasn’t difficult. Being a leader around them is very easy because you have so many people behind you willing to work with you. Everyone’s a leader in their own sense. 39

EQUIPMENT

Bring on the Hits

new TECH The latest innovation of the Pivot Trainer is the large pad at the back, used for rucking drills.

Next Gen Rucking Sled Changing how Players hit Breakdown By DOUG CROSSE

he goal of any rugby coach is to prepare his team using drills that accurately mimic real game situations without having to put your own players at risk in order to achieve that aim. When it comes to drilling players for hitting break downs at speed the traditional approach has been to pile tackle bags,and have them hit the pile, kit players out in bulky tackle suits or have others hold small pads all while avoiding injury to the bag holders . That concept could be out the window now with latest invention from the research labs of mad scientist Kevin Wirachowski of Scrummaster fame. The erstwhile inventor of arguably one of the worlds most sophisticated scrum machines, has done it again with the creation of very simple and remarkably effective indoor and outdoor piece of Kit the 7sPivot PowerTrainer with the optional Collision Pad. The 7sPivot PowerTrainer is designed to require the athlete to make contact at the correct height and using proper technique in order to move the unit. Do it wrong and the pad will pop up in the

air. Do it correctly and sledge will move in a controlled fashion, asking a lot of the player physically in order to sustain the momentum. Any “When the pad pops up it is giving the athlete will player instant feedback that they haven’t got the angle quite right,” explains the see almost former Canadian team prop. “We want immediate players, especially in the 7s game, to hit improvements in a tackle or ruck without lifting, firing 7sPivot off key muscle groups and generating PowerTrainer horizontal momentum and ergonomically with the new efficient leg drive.” The key, he says is the very realtime optional feedback the equipment gives players. Collision Pad. Indeed, it was quite a spectacle outside of BMO Field last November, to watch 250 lb players unable to move a 7sPivot PowerTrainer with only a 20 kg weight on Kevin the indoor traction mat. Wirachowski Many of the enthusiastic participants kept coming back and with in minutes were able to change how they applied

pressure until the correct muscle groups were recruited and more effective technique had been achieved, rewarding them with controlled movement. “When players use the big muscles, such as quads and glutes, and are able to lock out their core, the player goes forward with direction and resulting in more successful counter rucking, hard legal tackles and more powerful in any pushing situation,” Wirachowski explains from his Malahat, BC workshop. “The best part is the cost of the equipment has come down so much with the new efficient design, making it is accessible to club sides, it can be used indoors during the winter off season and preseason training bringing realistic focused technique training to the weight room. Any athlete will see almost immediate improvements

EQUIPMENT 7sPivot PowerTrainer with the new optional Collision Pad,“ says Wirachowski. The base cost of the Pivot Trainer is $1995 CDN, with the addition of the Collision Pad, on the back side costing another $995. makes this a dual activity trainer. For larger organizations such as the Rugby Canada Centre of Excellence, University sides or academies the Accustat Pro Packages adds very important feedback in the form of digital read outs, including a WiFi unit that sends information to any smart device in real time while being used. The gauges were developed through the assistance of Victoria based Camosun College’s Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology. Kieran Dunford was one of four students involved in the design and implementation of the 7sPivot PowerTrainer. He says it has been fantastic to go from theoretical work in a classroom to real world challenges and developing a useful product. “We ended up delivering professional drawings of the equipment, and creating strain

gauges from scratch that are now in the pads and provide important feedback,” says Dunford, who plays with Wirachowski’s club side, the Velox Valhallians. “You sit in class for two years and start to get sick of it a bit, so being able to develop this and apply that knowledge was really great.” For Wirachowski it has been a learning opportunity as well. “It’s been great working with Camosun and the students,” he admits. “It really makes you take on the whole development process in a new light and has improved the product and enhanced what it can do for players and coaches.” To learn more about the 7sPivot PowerTrainer with Collision Pad, visit www.scrummaster.com

Scrummaster AccuStats™ 500lbs

500lbs

272lbs 1502lbs 272lbs 1502lbs 6’2” 1760lbs 6’2” 1760lbs 500lbs

The average prop in an international scrum weighs

The average prop in an international scrum weighs The average height

The average height

500lbs

The average force transmitted through their bodies during a scrum

500lbs

Each prop must withstand momentary pulses

proper technique Correct body position with accurate technique training is essential for improvement .

INSIDE THE LINES PRESENTED BY

Geraint John The coach of the National Senior Men’s Sevens team is planning on big things By DOUG CROSSE

Photo By BRYAN KELLY

RUGBYca sat down with Sevens coach Geraint John ahead of the Las Vegas 7s event and discussed his career path, Canada’s progression in the world rankings and how the public is buying in to the new growth of the Sevens game across the country. RUGBYca: How nervous were you going into the final qualification stages in 2013 because getting core status was huge to the future of the program? GJ: “We had hoped we would have qualified prior to going to London and Glasgow last year. We had had good tournaments but there was a bit of a slip up in Japan at the Tokyo Sevens. It meant we had to go to Glasgow knowing we had to qualify and probably had the toughest pool. We had Kenya, South Africa and Samoa. We turned it around and went to London knowing we had a structured season in place for 2014. RUGBYca: New Zealand is the only big name left on the Sevens bucket list. What is the gap now between Canada and the Kiwis? Is it closing? GJ: “I think the gap is closing. There was a statistic recently that in pool games over 50 per cent of the games are won by 10 points or less, which means just over a (try and conversion) per game. I think a lot of the teams are a lot more structured and the players are now centrally based as well. I think it is only Spain now that is not centrally based. And what that means for the centralized teams is they train every single day, they have the full time coaching staff and they have the full time support as well. So you know therefore that every tournament is going to be very difficult. You never know who is going to win on that particular day. As you’ve said, New Zealand is the only team we haven’t defeated. I 42

rally the troops Geraint John has guided Canada to a record four straight Cup quarter-final rounds in 2014.

To watch Geraint’s interview, visit RUGBY.ca

think we have come close in certain games but getting over that barrier is certainly difficult for us. Players playing for us have experienced success and I think that is a plus as well. They know going into tournaments knowing that if they perform and if they execute and play to their capabilities, they can win and that is important.” RUGBYca: The Centre for Excellence went from being a theory to a reality over the past four years. Is it safe to say the players are bigger, faster and stronger than prior to the creation of the COE? GJ: “Yes. We can provide the statistics that bear that out. We are conscious it is not just about rugby as well. I think that is one of the key things in our program. It’s also about developing good people. I think I had the best compliment I ever had from a New Zealand liaison officer last year. She said it was really nice to meet such excellent people. Players who could converse, players who

were respectful, players with manners. I think that is part of our program as well. Yes, we want them to compete, yes, we want them to play, but life after rugby is very important to us. We have got a good centre of excellence there. Yes, we can improve things and try and change things in what we do. We have good staff now. We’re fortunate to not only have support from Rugby Canada but also from the City of Langford in Victoria, but also from Own the Podium as well as Sport Canada. We’ve got a lot of support and a lot of resources and now the expectation is to get to the Olympics in 2016. We have to qualify and also be successful in the IRB series as well.” RUGBYca: It’s been a long road since your arrival to Canada on a snowy day in 2006. How do you view your career path over those eight years? GJ: ”It was January 2006. It doesn’t seem that long ago. I bribed my daughter by saying I don’t want to be here for three years so that is how I got her out of Wales. Eight years later there is

INSIDE THE LINES

These players make a hell of a lot of sacrifices to play for their country. They gave up six weeks, flew six flights to six different countries to play for their country and they are amateurs. We have to be respectful of what their demands are, and I think the clubs understand that.

no way she wants to go back. We’re settled as a family and I enjoy my work. I came over in a different role but now being back in a coaching role is probably something I really thoroughly enjoy, being on the field with the players. It is something I have always done. We have had success but I think you also have to look at the players. They have put in a lot of hard work. Hopefully that will continue and not just for this year but many years to come. That’s what I want and that’s what I want for the players as well. The aim is to always find new players. We now have the Maple Leafs as well as a group of Under 20 players who go to Vegas each year. We’ve got to keep growing our depth and it’s also about being ready for 2016 and 2020 and beyond. A lot of things have happened and I have been involved in a lot of programs with Rugby Canada. I have loved every minute. Some have been hard times, being scrutinized quite a bit, but it has also been enjoyable and that is the key thing.”

RUGBYca: Do you think there is more buy in at the community level than perhaps was experienced before? Previously you would have clubs not wanting to release players because of play-offs etc. GJ: “I think we understand what clubs want. I think the key thing now is we’ve improved our communication with them and we are far more open in what we do. We have constant dialog with coaches, Canadian Rugby Championship (CRC) teams, with the provinces, with the regional teams etc. I firmly believe there is a better relationship. Between the series starting in September I have been to Halifax and have done some work with Ontario. We still have to get out to some other regions. I think we have a very good dialog and we are seen as coaches. It means we are on the road quite a lot but that’s the nature of the job. I am away six to seven months of the year and you know what you are undertaking when you take on this position. I think and I hope the public understand what we are trying to do. If we want to be successful on the field we have to have a centralized program and we have to look at when the players are available to play for their clubs. It’s a balancing act. These players make a hell of a lot of sacrifices to play for their country. I had seven players with me in South Africa and Dubai and previous to that they had been in Toronto, Georgia, Romania, and Portugal. They gave up six weeks, flew six flights to six different countries to play for their country and they are amateurs. We have to be respectful of what their demands are, and I think the clubs understand that. We’ve got a really unbelievable 18 months ahead of us. Not just with the IRB Sevens series, but also the World Cup in 2015, the Pan American games in 2015 so it is a lot of time we are asking of these players to give us.” RUGBYca: What was the single event or moment where you realized things were improving? GJ: “I think the (2011) Pan American Games was the starting point. To go there, we wanted to do well. We played the USA in our pool and then again in the semi-finals. Winning that I think was a key game. We were actually behind in that game. Nathan (Hirayama) kicked a key

conversion to win it. Then we played Argentina, who are a pretty dominant force in the World Series. They had been to the World Cup final in 2009 and lost to Wales previously. By winning that game and being part of that Olympic movement I think it gave the team and the sport some respect among the other sports. The Pan American games are a multi-sport games so we had a lot of support from the other sports and athletes there. I think that made the players realize ‘Hey, this is something special.’ The Olympics is on the horizon, we can beat these teams. We don’t often win a tournament. We have won NACRA in the past. But to win a major event that was a real starting point. It’s not often you see players standing on a podium with a gold medal around their neck. For me, that was a pretty proud moment.”

RUGBYca: Also in your time, you have seen the popularity of the 15s game swell, with over 60,000 people watching games in Canada last summer. That must be something to see the growth of the game from that perspective. GJ: “Yes, I remember Fletcher’s Fields, and nothing against Fletcher’s Fields. We would have three to four thousand people watching an international game. And then last summer, the Maoris and Ireland, drew over 22,000 to 23,000 for each game at BMO Field. I think that shows how the governing body has grown. Every governing body around the world gets criticism no matter what. But you have got to give the credit to all the people in the Toronto office and our Victoria office for all the hard work they do to actually promote the game and get the crowds into the stands. I never would have dreamed of that when I came over here eight years ago. When I saw the crowds at Fletcher’s Fields and the other venues I have been to, and now we are going to BMO Field and playing these nations. And nations want to come to Canada. I think that is a tremendous achievement to everybody that works for Rugby Canada that they have made this happen. There is a lot of rugby in BC. My challenge to them is, come out and support us when we play Japan on June 7th in Burnaby. Show that you can do what the people in Ontario have. Get out there in big numbers to support the team in what could be the last time you will see them before the World Cup.” RUGBYca: Geraint, thank you for your time. 43

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fundraising

Support your rugby community

Canadian Support from Abroad By Penny Kroll

PHOTOs By BRYAN KELLY

say “Cheese” The Canadian men’s team held a clinic with youth from the Hong Kong Canadian community.

What’s your fortune? Bianca Farella shares her fortune during the annual Hong Kong Canadian 7s fund-raiser.

Meetings Rugby Canada Chief Marketing Officer, Mark Lemmon, with owner of Maxwell’s Clothiers, Andy Mahtani.

hile fans can be spotted waving the Canadian flag or wearing the red maple leaf at many international rugby events, the great success of our men’s and women’s national teams has drawn an increased level of interest from Canadian expats and companies overseas to support Rugby Canada’s programs. Hosting their 8th Annual fundraising lunch in conjunction with the 2014 Hong Kong Sevens, the Canadian Rugby 7s Fund based in Hong Kong has been a long-time supporter of Rugby Canada and the Canadian Rugby Foundation. The fund, founded by Canadians Kip Woodward and Randy Heward, was started to finance the efforts to assemble and train a competitive national Sevens squad to compete on an international level against professionally funded countries. The number of guests attending their luncheon grows each year and following this year’s great success, the fund has raised close to $1 million. Their support has been recognized as our men’s team climbed to become a core team since 2005 and moved up to 7th place in the IRB standings following the 2014 tournament. Joining their lead, Hong Kong based Sun Life Financial came on as a sponsor for the Men’s team at the Tokyo and Hong Kong Sevens tournaments this year. They also supported the Women’s team as they went on to win their second cup at the Hong Kong Invitational Tournament and for the IRB Women’s Seven World Series stop in Guangzhou China as well. “We are extremely proud and appreciative of Sun Life Financial’s support of our Senior Men’s and Women’s teams throughout both the Japan and Hong Kong tournament stops of the IRB Sevens World Series circuit,” said Rugby Canada Chief Marketing Officer Mark Lemmon who was in Hong Kong. “In addition to Sun Life Financial’s support, Rugby Canada’s recent off-field

partnership with Hong Kong based Maxwell’s Clothiers has taken our brand to new heights. Thanks to Maxwell’s Clothiers, our team of Players look and feel like true champions!” With the buzz of the upcoming Rugby World Cups for the women in 2014 and men in 2015, the interest from expats is growing ahead of these two exciting events. Rugby Canada is working with long- time supporters in London to host some fundraising initiatives and activities leading up to and during the 2015 RWC in England.

It’s great to see the fan base and financial support for our teams and programs does not stop at the Canadian borders. We are encouraged that others believe in the programs and professional staff that have been put in place by Rugby Canada. It’s great to see the fan base and financial support for our teams and programs does not stop at the Canadian borders. We are encouraged that others believe in the programs and professional staff that have been put in place by Rugby Canada to help us reach the competitive level that we are enjoying today. With a strong showing and second place finish our women’s team had at the IRB Sevens RWC in 2013 and our men’s team climbing up the IRB Sevens standings, it will help bring us together as a nation – or #REDNATION - no matter where our supporters are from for the upcoming 2014 Commonwealth Games, 2015 PanAm Games and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio as well.

TO SUPPORT: Please contact Penny Kroll at PKroll@rugbycanada.ca or 905.707.8998 ext 240 to discuss how you can help today’s players be the best they can be when playing for Canada. 44

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fundraising

Great Fundraisers Set for 2014

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he 2014 rugby season is kicking off all across Canada and so are our summer fundraising events as well. We have something that should appeal to all rugby enthusiasts, and even those that have yet to see what a great sport rugby is! Our first two events are being held in conjunction with our home international test matches against Japan and Scotland. Celebrating the Red & White is the theme for our dinner which will host both the Canada and Japan national teams in Vancouver. We will pay tribute to former national team members that played professionally in Japan and celebrate the rich history of rugby between these two countries. Following that we travel back to Ontario for a fundraising dinner with Canada and Scotland at the Fermenting Cellar located in the historical distillery district in downtown Toronto. A partnership with Scotland’s Morrison Bowmore Distillers will bring a unique “Taste of Islay” Master Class and Scotch Tasting event to Vancouver and Toronto as well. Nothing captures the flavour of Islay quite like Bowmore with its hints of citrus, gentle saltiness, and vanilla, all delicately interlaced with smoke. You’ll learn about the different flavours, enjoy sampling each and have the opportunity to order stock of your own. Golf is a good excuse to get out and enjoy the warm summer weather and a great way to raise funds for our national athletes. Tournaments will be held in Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto and feature some fun rugby challenges as well. Our final event of the summer is something everyone should take part in at least once - the Helijet Langara Fishing Challenge in the beautiful Queen Charlotte Islands of BC. We’ve had some guests come out each year, so plan to join special guest Welsh Team Manager Alan Phillips and two of our women’s 15s team members that will be returning from their Rugby World Cup in France for this year’s tournament. You’re guaranteed to have a fishing tale or two to share with friends for years to come and might just walk away with the top cash prize of $7,500!

The course Olympic Golf Course- Victoria as seen from the air.

2014 SUMMER FUNDRAISING EVENTS June 5

Celebrating the Red & White Dinner/ Taste of Islay Master Class, Vancouver

June 11 June 12 July 10 Aug 12 Aug 23-26 Aug 25

Taste of Islay Master Class & Scotch Tasting, Toronto Canada & Scotland Fundraising Dinner, Toronto Golf Tournament, Victoria Golf Tournament, Vancouver Langara Fishing Challenge, Queen Charlotte Islands Golf Tournament, Toronto

Visit events.rugbycanada.ca for more details

LEPRECHAUN TIGER RFC Edmonton, Alberta www.ltrugby.com

Edmonton Tiger Rugby Club est. 1959 The Leprechauns RFC est. 1961 45

The Last Word views of RUGBY IN CANADA

Canadian Rugby on the Right Track In order to be the best, we must beat the best 2013 was a hugely successful year for Canadian Rugby teams in both men’s and women’s 15s and 7s, and at both age-grade and senior level. The year saw a massive increase in the number of international events in which Canadian teams competed, more than double the number from the previous year. Off the field, two sell-out games at BMO field proved highlights, as well as the continued growth and development of the Rugby Center Of Excellence in Langford, BC. So, are we on track? Overall I would give our Rugby Department an A- for 2013. We achieved some key targets such as qualifying for RWC 2015, retaining core status in Men’s and Women’s 7s, and achieving a podium finish at the 7s RWC for the Women, in addition to the many other well documented successes by our other representative teams. There were some disappointing losses also, but we will learn from those. So, where can we improve? In order to be the best, we must beat the best, and we have benchmarked ourselves across a number of criteria against New Zealand. These criteria include aspects such as planning, governance, sports science and medical support, talent identification, technology, analysis, competitions, coaching, technical and tactical aspects, physiological capacity, mental skills, experience at pinnacle events, staff capabilities and so on. Both our men’s and women’s 7s teams have come close on several occasions to beating New Zealand recently, and we believe we are closing the gap, but no-one else is standing still, so we must constantly strive to increase our rate of development just to maintain pace with the rest of the world. A key gap that has been identified to us by our provinces is community rugby.. They indicate the need for more leadership and structure to grow community rugby. To that end we have brought together a group of provincial representatives, and facilitated by Steve Norris of WinSport, we are developing a community rugby strategic plan. I am a strong believer that an organization’s Vision drives it’s Leadership, which in turn drives organizational Culture and Performance. If we are to realize 46

I am a strong believer that an organization’s Vision drives it’s Leadership, which in turn drives organizational Culture and Performance. If we are to realise our vision of successful national teams, we can’t do that without a strong community base that is aligned and integrated nationally. There is much more to come, so watch this space! our vision of successful national teams, we can’t do that without a strong community base that is aligned and integrated nationally. There is

New Heights The newly expanded Westhills Stadium, next to the Rugby Canada offices saw record crowds at the 2013 ARC Tournament.

Mike Chu General Manager, Rugby Canada much more to come, so watch this space! As I reflect back on 2013, I feel incredibly proud of the efforts of our staff and players who have achieved so much, with relatively little resources. The work ethic and passion they all bring to their roles is impressive. I compare our Men’s 15s team for example who played 14 matches in 2013, the same number as the All Blacks. We have two full-time staff, supplemented by contractors, the All Blacks have 14 full-timers. I am certainly not expressing a desire for more staff, but it does put our resourcing into perspective. Finally, I want to pay tribute to the many volunteers, coaches, referees, supporters and administrators who have contributed to the success of our national teams in 2013. Many of you reading this may be asking yourself how did you personally contribute to this success? Well, I can tell you that at the national team level, there is only so much we can do with the raw material (i.e. the athletes) that we select. If they don’t come to us with the foundation blocks to be good rugby players, then we will struggle to turn them into champions. If they don’t come to us already possessing a burning desire and a passion for excellence, it is hard to ignite that. So, again I wish to thank the countless rugby people across Canada for igniting and stoking this fire. As you reflect upon 2013, and look forward to this season, ask yourself again “what am I contributing to the success of Canada on the international stage”. The mere fact you are reading my last word, means the answer is “a lot”!

UBC RUGBY

GREAT EDUCATION. GREAT RUGBY. • One of North America’s top ranked university rugby programs • Home of “BC Rugby Centre of Excellence” • Active and engaged alumni base • Historic program • International tours • International talent • Eight month season of fantastic rugby weather • Home of Canada’s best rugby facilities • Scholarship opportunities • Five years of eligibility • UBC broad based admission program • Guaranteed residence access for first year students • Established pathway to Rugby Canada representation • Five national and provincial level coaches

JOIN US Spence McTavish Men’s General Manager spence.mctavish@ubc.ca 1.604.822.5958

Rameses Langston Men’s Head Coach rameses.langston@ubcrugby.com 1.778.887.2300

Curry Hitchborn Men’s Forwards Coach curry.hitchborn@ubcrugby.com 1.604.765.0923

ubcrugby.com

Pat Fleck Men’s 7’s Coach pat.fleck@ubcrugby.com 1.778.838.1352

Dr. Maria Gallo Women’s Head Coach maria.gallo@ubc.ca 1.604.822.5084

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