Author Archive: BCRN

Players in the News

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Interview with Adam Zaruba, Owner of AZ Elite Performance: We Talk Rugby, 7s Career, NFL, Advice to Young Players

BCRN: Hi Adam, we heard you’re in Victoria now and have started a business called AZ Elite Performance. Let’s start there and then work backwards to talk about rugby and football, the NFL kind. We saw a couple of announcements on your Instagram account @thezoobs. The first one, from September 5th 2022, I believe. Tell us a bit how things have been going since September. I should mention the website is www.coachzaruba.com.

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JWRT 2023

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The U20 JWRT is Back in 2023: Kenya to Host, Canada Tour To Scotland in May, North American Qualifier in May/June

The JWRT, Junior World Rugby Trophy, tournament is back. The JWRT is the world U20 championship for Tier 2 nations. It was supposed to be held in Spain in 2020 but cancelled due to the pandemic, it was cancelled outright in 2021 and 2022 but is returning in 2023. The host nation will be Kenya according to Wiki, dates are unconfirmed but the last JWRT in Brazil (2019) was held in July.

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Canadian Coaching Talent

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From Fort Nelson, BC to Tokyo, Japan: Lesley McKenzie Renews Contract as Head Coach of Japan’s Women’s XVs Team

Congratulations to Lesley McKenzie on having her head coach contract renewed by the Japan Rugby Union. McKenzie who is from Fort Nelson, BC, a small community of just over 3,000 near the Yukon and NWT borders, was first hired by the Japan Rugby Union in 2019 to coach the women’s XVs program. During that time she’s taken them from ranked 16th in the world to ranked 12th in the world, an impressive accomplishment.

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2022 in Review

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What to Make of 2022 – Rugby Highlights and Reflections

2022, what to make of it from a BC and Canadian rugby perspective? Obviously the top story is the women’s World Cup, Canada finished 4th, maybe a little disappointing for the world #3 team but they represented well, the tournament gained a lot of media coverage and progressed women’s rugby worldwide. Sophie de Goede probably put herself at the top of the list for most media-recognizable rugby player in Canada now, male or female.

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Super Rugby Americas 2023

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Super Rugby Americas to Kick Off on February 18th: Includes a North American Team For First Time

Super Rugby Americas, the redesigned SLAR competition, is set to kick off on February 18th with a North American team in the competition for the first time. The American Raptors out of Glendale, Colorado will compete along with teams from Argentina (2), Uruguay, Chile, Brazil and Paraguay.

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