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UVic Vikes 2010 Rounsefell Cup Champions

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 07:36:59 +0000

UVic Media Release
posted May 15 2010

VICTORIA – The UVic Vikes men’s rugby team is 2010 Rounsefell Cup champions. The Vikes earned the distinction of provincial champs by knocking off Meraloma 31-27 in Saturday’s title match at Wallace Field.

With 1,200 fans packing Wallace Field for the CDI BC Premier championship game, the Vikes failed to disappoint on home soil. Nate Hirayama accounted for 26 points and the Vikes toppled the defending champs, to win their first Rounsefell Cup since 2003.

Thunderbirds Season Preview: Men’s Rugby

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:27:22 +0000

By Ian Turner
Contributor

Friday, September 25th, 2009

“The hardest thing is when we have the big guys running at us, a lot of our guys don’t step up and make the tackle,” fifth-year Charlie Jones said. That is a challenge the UBC Men’s Rugby team frequently encounters as they play in the Spray League, an adult men’s rugby league in Vancouver.

But there are other challenges. For one, UBC Athletics ranks its teams into three tiers. Men’s rugby is in the last tier and as a result, each player must pay $300 to play on the team. Tier one teams receive enough financial support from the athletics department to avoid this. Moreover, Head Coach Spence McTavish claimed that rugby’s yearly grant from the athletic department has slowly “diminished” in recent years.

BEARS DOWN BLUES 29-24 IN VANCOUVER

admin — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 04:53:55 +0000

Scoring 14 of his team’s 29 points, 21-year-old Nathan Hirayama led the Bears to a 29-24 victory over the visiting Ontario Blues at Brockton Oval in Vancouver.

The Americas Rugby Championship match was the first for both squads, but the predictable nerves settled after a short tennis match of kicks, and the 2000-strong crowd was treated to a quality rugby game.

The Bears stuck to a game plan of smartly kicking for territory, and though Ontario’s back three played deep for the full 80, the Blues could not make good on any of their counters.

Gritty Pat Riordan’s efforts around the breakdown earned the ugly yards and led to the first of
BC’s four tries, when athletic wing Sean Duke finished off an elementary overlap. Hirayama found repeated success from left of the uprights when kicking for goal, and successfully converted Duke’s score.

B.C.’s rugby Bears to growl for the province in new international competition

admin — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:02:12 +0000

VANCOUVER SUN— Hard-core sports fans have grown accustomed to identifying with established, franchised teams.

With that in mind, the B.C. Rugby Union announced Wednesday it is rebranding its provincial senior men’s squad into a permanent group, which will carry the name “BC Bears.”

The new team also comes with an eye-catching logo of a muscular, no-nonsense Grizzly.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about engaging the fans,” said B.C. Rugby CEO Jeff Sauve. “Hopefully, one day you’ll see kids wearing BC Bears jerseys.”

Valley well-repped in rugby

admin — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:50:11 +0000

By Kevin Rothbauer, The CitizenAugust 7, 2009

There is certainly no shortage of Cowichan representation on B.C. provincial rugby teams, who are competing for national championships this month.

The U19 women’s team, playing for the Canadian championship in Toronto, includes Cowichan Rugby Football Club member Michelle Moore of Ladysmith.

Five CRFC products made the U18 men’s team that will play in the Canada Summer Games in Prince Edward Island: Carlin Hamstra and Tye Hamblin, both recent graduates of Shawnigan Lake School; Cowichan Secondary’s Scott McLeod; Brentwood College School’s Nick Phillipson; and Ladysmith Secondary’s Casey Cavers.

The Cost of a Healthy Lifestyle: Concerns over the cost of using local rugby fields

admin — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 02:30:24 +0000

[would cities think the same if they had to pay for health care costs]

Paul Fontaine, The Times
Published: Friday, July 24, 2009
Whether you are an adult wanting to get some exercise or a youth building skills on the ball diamond or rugby pitch, there are plenty of opportunities to work up a sweat in Abbotsford – but some leagues are wondering if the new field user fees will put a wrench in their plans.
The city currently charges an hourly rate at W.J. Mouat’s artificial field and Rotary Stadium for field and lighting.

Welsh team enjoying visit to Canada

admin — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 18:34:46 +0000

JEFF GARD Rugby is just part of the experience for a school team from south Wales that is touring parts of Ontario, including Cobourg.

On Wednesday night, with a large spectator crowd on hand, Amman Valley School enjoyed one of the highlights of its trip with a game against the hometown Cobourg District Collegiate Institute East Comets, which fielded a mix of senior and junior athletes.

This was the eighth time coach Carwyn Jones has brought a team across the pond. The last time, in July of 2006, his team at that time made a quick day-trip to Cobourg’s Victoria Beach.

“It’s just the opportunity to come to Canada, which is an excellent country,” Jones said, adding that one of his former players still keeps in touch with a Canadian opponent he met on a trip during the 1980s. “Hopefully we encourage Cobourg to come over (to Wales).”

Tide tough on visiting Irish rugby side

admin — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:45:00 +0000

By Travis Paterson:

The 2009 Vancouver Island Crimson Tide will go down as undefeated. The Tide, who recently declined from the now defunct Rugby Canada Super League, played their only match of the season on Saturday.

A handful of individual plays led the Tide to a 34-26 win over the visiting Ballymena RFC of Northern Ireland at Esquimalt’s Bullen Park.