A Look Back at the Canada 7s Coaches from 1980 to Present: Record at Hong Kong 7s and Team Lists from 1980 to 1997
We got on the track of the Hong Kong 7s when we revisited this Rugby Street demo we had done in 2010. The show was hosted by James Buchanan and Meghan Mutrie and featured the Bowl win by the 2010 Canada 7s team. That got us thinking about the hardware that Canada have won at Hong Kong and who were the coaches over the years. Both topics we researched a bit below.
Hong Kong Results Canada
These were the years that Canada returned with some hardware and the coaches at the time.
1995 Plate winners – Spence McTavish
2003 Plate winners – Ric Suggitt
2010 Bowl winners – Morgan Williams
2011 Bowl winners – Geraint John
2012 Shield winners – Geraint John
We reached out to our former, and now retired, BCRN 7s correspondent for some stats, as well we checked other sources including our own database of articles. This is what we came up with for Canada 7s coaches from 1980 to the present. If you notice an error, email us editor@bcrugbynews.com or post a comment below.
Spence McTavish 1980
Mike Luke 1981
Bruce Howe 1982
Alun Rees 1983
Monty Heald 1984-1985
Gary Johnston 1986-1988
Keith Wilkinson 1989-1990
Ian Birtwell 1991-1994
Spence McTavish 1995-1997
Doug Tate 1997-2002
Ric Suggitt 2002-2004
Shane Thompson 2005-2009
Morgan Williams 2009-2010
Geraint John 2011-2014
Liam Middleton 2015-2016
Damian McGrath 2016-2019
Henry Paul 2019-2022
Sean White 2022-
Our BCRN 7s correspondent also sent us some Hong Kong 7s teams from the past. I thought readers might enjoy a trip down memory lane, see how many names you recognize.
Canada Teams at Hong Kong 7s 1980 to 1997
1980 Hong Kong
Spence McTavish (Coach/Capt.), Ray Rogers, Andrew Bibby, Hans De Goede, Gary Grant, Rob Greig, RO Hindson, Gary Hirayma, Paul Monaghan.
Lost to Australia in Cup QF
1981 Hong Kong
Ro Hindson, John Billingsley, Hans De Goede (Capt.), Jim Donaldson, Gary Grant, Rob Greig, Preston Wiley, Gary Hirayama, Paul Monaghan. Manager Mike Luke
Lost to Fiji in Cup QF
1982 Hong Kong
Hans De Goede (Capt), Dennis Sinnot, Brooke Smith, Paul Monaghan, Dave Tucker, Jamie Hawthorne, Ro Hindson, Gary Hirayama, Evan Jones. Coach: Bruce Howe Manager: Alan Rees
Lost to Barbarians in Cup QF
1983 Hong Kong
Mark Wyatt, Ro Hindson, Ian McMillan, John Billingsley, A. Colvin, Jim Donaldson, John Lecky, Spence McTavish (Capt), Dennis Sinnot. Manager: Alan Rees
1984 Hong Kong
Jim Donaldson (Capt), Steve Gray, T. Godziek, Ro Hindson, Pat Palmer, Robin Russell, Ian Stuart, Tom Woods, Mark Wyatt. Manager: Monty Heald
Lost to Wolfhounds in Cup QF
1985 Hong Kong
Andrew Bibby (Capt), Ro Hindson, Tony McGann, Pat Palmer, Roy Radu, Brian Spanton, David Speirs, Ian Stuart, Mark Wyatt. Manager: Monty Heald
1986 Hong Kong
Ro Hindson, John Lecky, Gord MacKinnon, Spence McTavish (Capt), Pat Palmer, Ian Stuart, David Tucker, Paul Vaeson, Mark Wyatt. Coach: Gary Johnston
1987 Hong Kong
Glenn Ennis, Ro Hindson, John Lecky, Pat Palmer, Ian Stuart, David Tucker, Paul Vaeson, Tom Woods, Mark Wyatt (Capt). Coach: Gary Johnston
Lost to Fiji in Cup QF
1988 Hong Kong
Glenn Ennis, Andrew Heaman, Scott Hubick, Gord MacKinnon, Pat Palmer, Gareth Rees, Ian Stuart, Tom Woods, Mark Wyatt (Capt). Coach: Gary Johnston
1989 Hong Kong
Scott Armstrong, Bruce Breen, Steve Gray, Mike Holmes, Jeff Hurford, Julian Loveday, Spencer Robinson, David Speirs (Capt), Mike Tupper. Coach: Keith Wilkinson
1990 Hong Kong
Bruce Breen, David Bridgeman, Matt Kokan, Julian Loveday, Ian McKay (Capt.) Colin McKenzie, Spencer Robinson, Ron Toews, Mike Tupper. Coach: Keith Wilkinson
1991 Hong Kong
Bruce Breen, Glenn Ennis, Steve Gray, John Lecky, Gord McKinnon, Pat Palmer, Mike Tupper, Chris Tynan, Mark Wyatt (Capt). Coach: Ian Birtwell
Lost to New Zealand in Cup SF
1992 Hong Kong
Bruce Breen, Glenn Ennis (Capt), Steve Gray, Julian Loveday, Gord MacKinnon, Pat Palmer, Scott Stewart, Ian Stuart, Chris Tynan. Coach: Ian Birtwell
1993 Hong Kong
Julian Loveday (Capt), Al Charron, Ian Gordon, John Graf, Steve Gray, David Lougheed, Gord MacKinnon, Pat Palmer, Scott Stewart, Chris Tynan, Coach: Ian Birtwell, Manager:Rod Holloway
1994 Hong Kong
Ian Gordon, Gord MacKinnon, David Lougheed, Steve Gray, Julian Loveday (Capt), Al Charron, Winston Stanley, John Graf, Pat Palmer. Coach Ian Birtwell
1995 Hong Kong
David Lougheed, John Hutchinson, Gregor Dixon, Mike Schmid, Barry Ebl, Alan Tynan, Winston Stanley, Ron Toews, John Graf (Capt), Scott Stewart. Coach: Spence McTavish
Won Plate Final over Argentina
1996 Hong Kong
David Lougheed, Ron Toews, Al Charron, Mike Schmid, Scott Stewart, Winston Stanley, John Graf (Capt), Jason Hartley, Barry Ebl, Gregor Dixon. Coach: Spence McTavish
1997 World Cup – Hong Kong
Rob Card, Gregor Dixon, Barry Ebl, John Graf, Jason Hartley, David Lougheed, Mike Schmid, Winston Stanley, Scott Stewart, Ron Toews. Coach: Spence McTavish