Year in Review – A Look Back at January 2021 Headlines: COVID, MLR Signings, Allianz Premier, Feature on Lucas Hammond
We ran 16 stories in January 2021, the full list and links are below but here are some of the highlights.
January in 2021 was very much wrapped up in the COVID issues, rugby wasn’t being played in BC but we were all hoping the situation would change to permit it. The situation didn’t change and the 2021 spring season was scrubbed.
MLR provided some hope of rugby in the new year and we covered a number of signings in January, Travis Larsen to San Diego, Michael Smith to San Diego and Luke Campbell to Old Glory.
One place rugby was thriving in January 2021 was in England with the women’s Premier. There were a lot of Canadians playing in the league and we tried to cover that as much as possible.
We did a feature on Lucas Hammond as he transitioned from full time rugby player into a professional real estate agent.
Also the schedule for the Women’s 2021 World Cup in NZ was released, there was still optimism for that fall event to continue. It didn’t, it was postponed until the fall of 2022.
So what will January 2022 look like? We still have COVID issues, the recent Omicron variant has prompted the PHO to issue a “All sports tournaments and related travel are not allowed” edict until January 31st. A tournament definition is, “a series of contests between a number of competitors, who compete for an overall prize”, this is not the same as a single game so the BCRU are looking for some clarification from the PHO as the BC Rugby season begins on January 22nd. There was some publicity earlier in the month as some UVic players brought COVID back to the Island from the tournament at Queen’s but it has to be stressed that it was teams that went to the after tournament party that were affected, teams that skipped the party and travelled home apparently were not affected.
JANUARY STORIES (16)
3629 – Women’s Premier in the UK
Jan 30 2021 – Exeter Defeat Saracens in Allianz Premier: 5 Canadian Players in Starting Rosters
3628 – Player Profiles – January 2021
Jan 29 2021 – Lucas Hammond Juggles Busy Schedule as National Team Rugby 7s Player and Residential Real Estate Agent
3627 – Rugby World Cup 2021 – January 2021 Updates
Jan 28 2021 – Schedule Announced for Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand: Canada Start September 18th vs Asia 1
3626 – MLR Updates – January 2021
Jan 26 2021 – San Diego Legion Move Home Games to Vegas; Luke Campbell Signs with Old Glory in DC
3625 – Westhills Stadium – January 2021
Jan 24 2021 – Westhills Stadium to be Renamed Starlight Stadium with $500K Sponsorship Deal
3624 – Elite Rugby Programs
Jan 23 2021 – Hong Kong Rugby Union Terminates Elite Rugby Program for Men’s XVs – How You Can Help Fund the Canadian Elite Men’s XVs Academy
3623 – MLR Rugby – January 2021
Jan 19 2021 – MLR Drop From 13 Teams to 12 Teams as Dallas Jackals Postpone Entry to 2022
3622 – Thunder Rugby Updates – January 2021
Jan 16 2021 – Thunder Rugby Phil Mack Award Nominations Open
3621 – MLR Player Updates – January 2021
Jan 14 2021 – Michael Smith Signs with San Diego Legion of the MLR: We Look at the Timeline since 2015
3620 – Women’s Premier in the UK
Jan 12 2021 – Saracens Boast Four Canadians in Roster with Return of Mackenzie Carson
3619 – Rugby in the Community
Jan 11 2021 – Fire Reported at Edmonton Clansmen Rugby Club – Club Reports Damage Isolated to Change Room
3618 – Return to Rugby Updates – January 2021
Jan 08 2021 – BCRU Issues Update on Return to Rugby: Extension of Current Public Health Order Continues to Friday, February 5, 2021
3617 – Rugby Around the World
Jan 07 2021 – Japan Times Article States Union Plans National University Championship in Tokyo Despite State of Emergency Called on Thursday
3616 – MLR Player Updates – January 2021
Jan 06 2021 – Travis Larsen Signs with San Diego Legion
3615 – Return to Rugby Updates – January 2021
Jan 05 2021 – What Will Return to Rugby Look Like in BC – What Protocols Will MLR Use – European Clubs Disagree on Testing Protocols
3614 – Langley Rugby Club – January 2021
Jan 02 2021 – Langley Rugby Club Adds Four Acres to Crush Crescent Facility for Second Playing Field Plus Parking