Category Archives: Editorials

Editorial: A Conversation with Ai on the BC Premier

Posted on February 12, 2025February 14, 2025 by MarkB

Down the Rabbit Hole: A Conversation with Ai on BC Premier Rugby and What a Semi-Pro League Would Look Like

I started this article after the first weekend of BC Premier cancellations/postponements on Feb 1st. The match at Klahanie was cancelled due to field closures and the West Vancouver Parks & Recreation website had a terse warning, “Please note that fields damaged by play when they should not be used (as described below) may result in closure of that field for the season and potentially a fine to the league.” I had always thought the Capilano RFC owned that facility, including the field, but obviously not, it’s under the jurisdiction of West Vancouver Parks & Recreation.

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From the Editor’s Desk – February 2025

Posted on February 6, 2025February 7, 2025 by MarkB

BC Rugby Policies Regarding Weather and Match Cancellations; Canada U20 Women Tour to Ireland in May; Broadcast Announcements by MLR on ESPN and Rugby Canada on TSN

A few rugby mentions on this chilly Thursday on the west coast. Locally there have been a number of game cancellations for this weekend with chilly weather predicted. Most of the pitches are owned by the municipality and largely those decisions are made by the parks & recreation departments with consultation with the rugby clubs. All the Mainland Premier games have been cancelled at the time of writing, the Ravens at Jericho Park, and the Lomas at Connaught Park are cancelled. On the Island UBC @ CW at Windsor Park has been cancelled. The Pride v Westshore game on the turf at Starlight Stadium is still showing a go at the time of writing, as is the JBAA v UVic game at Wallace Field.

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Guest Author: Monty Weatherall

Posted on February 5, 2025February 6, 2025 by MarkB

Opinion: The BC Premier League Has a Crucial Role to Play in the Path to Sustainable Growth

Today’s guest author, Monty Weatherall, has a unique rugby background that gives weight to his opinion on the BC Premier league. He played for Wasps Academy in England growing up, then attended McGill University in Montreal, Quebec where he completed a BA in International Development and Entrepreneurship. He played on the McGill University team for 4 years, and was captain in his final year when the team won silver at the Canadian University Men’s Rugby Championship (CUMRC). He then moved to BC to play for the Meraloma rugby club in the BC Premier. He worked full time while pursuing his rugby ambitions and in his words “was well supported by the club”. He was later drafted by the Toronto Arrows of the MLR, he made preparations to move to Toronto but when the franchise ceased operation he made a last minute decision to return to the UK and go to Law school. He obtained a post graduate law degree and currently works in Mental Health law and is on the path to qualifying as a Barrister. As he noted, “moving back to Canada is always on my mind, and I will see where a career in Law will take me.”

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Editorial: Men’s High Performance Rugby, Comparing USA and Canada

Posted on January 16, 2025January 17, 2025 by MarkB

RugbyPass Publishes Article on USA Rugby Head Coach Scott Lawrence; Reviewing Rugby Canada High Performance Plans

RugbyPass, owned by World Rugby, published an article on Scott Lawrence, the USA head coach (and GM), this week. It’s worth a read, it outlines his plans for the men’s XVs rugby program and how the U20 and U18 teams fit into that picture. It also talks about the results he’s getting, 3 wins in November against good teams, Portugal, Spain, Tonga, raising USA to #15 in the world rankings.

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Local Rugby News – January 2025

Posted on January 7, 2025January 8, 2025 by MarkB

Comox Rapids Girls U18 Tour to Scotland “Adopt an Athlete”; UBC Men’s Rugby Advertises for Social Media Manager

A couple of local BC rugby stories caught my eye today. The Comox U18 girls, they won the provincial girls U18 club title last month, will be touring to Scotland in March, and taking in the Scotland v Wales match. They’re playing 3 games while there. What really impressed me with their fundraising effort, “Adopt an Athlete” is the work they put into the player profiles, making it first person and making the rugby jargon easy to understand for non-rugby people. Well done Comox Rapids! Their intro and a link to the player profiles and donation form is posted below.

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Editorial – January 2025

Posted on January 1, 2025January 2, 2025 by MarkB

Thoughts for the New Year: Where’s the Next Taylor Paris – Senior Cap in 7s at 17; Senior Cap in XVs at 18 and Canada U20 Rosters from 2012 to 2024

I was thinking on January 1st I’d write an article about what I hoped for in 2025 for Canadian rugby. Obviously the women to do well at the World Cup in England and the men in the World Cup qualifiers but my thoughts turned to the U20 men, that’s where I really was hoping we would see some improvements in 2025. I don’t know what Rugby Canada and their high performance director, Stephen Aboud, have planned for them.

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2024 Recap – November/December 2024

Posted on December 31, 2024January 1, 2025 by MarkB

Top Rugby Stories in BC and Canada During November/December 2024: UBC Win Women’s University Title; ETS Win Men’s University Title; Men Lose to Chile & Romania; New Men’s XVs Coach Hired; Women Compete at Dubai and Cape Town 7s

The big news in November and December was the change in head coach for men’s XVs team, Kingsley Jones was out and Steve Meehan was in. A lot of people were hoping Jamie Cudmore would  make a comeback but it wasn’t to be. UBC won the women’s university title, a first for BC and ETS won the men’s university title, a first for Quebec.

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2024 Recap – September/October

Posted on December 30, 2024December 31, 2024 by MarkB

Top Rugby Stories in BC and Canada During September/October 2024: BC Rugby Starts Season, Coastal Cup, BC Premier; Canada Men Finish 6th in Pacific Nations; Canada Women Finish 2nd in WXV1; Howlers Complete Sweep at Gran Jaguar 7s Tournament; Island Win Dunbar Keg U20 Title

In  September the BC leagues started, first with the Coastal Cup, then the BC Premier and lower divisions. In national team news the men’s XVs lost to Tonga to finish last in the Pacific Nations Cup, in 2025 it will serve as the World Cup qualifier. The women’s XVs defeated France in their first match of the WXV1 which was being hosted in Vancouver.

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2024 Recap – June/July/August

Posted on December 29, 2024December 30, 2024 by MarkB

Top Rugby Stories in BC and Canada During June, July, August 2024: Women Win Olympic 7s Silver; Highlanders Complete Debut Season; New England Win MLR with 9 Canadians in Roster; U20 Women Win Trans-Atlantic Series

The summer months clearly pointed out the different directions the national men’s and women’s programs were going.  The women’s 7s won Olympic Silver, the men’s 7s failed to qualify for the Olympics. The U20 women shone in Wales winning the Trans-Atlantic Quad series which included Wales, England and  USA. The U20 men lost the JWRT qualifier series to USA  74-39 over two games. The women’s XVs had just won the Pacific Four title in May, the men lost their Pacific Nations Cup matches.

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2024 Recap – April/May

Posted on December 28, 2024December 29, 2024 by MarkB

Top Rugby Stories in BC and Canada During April and May 2024: BC Club Season Wraps Up, UBCOB Ravens Premier Champions; BC High School Season Begins; Canada Women Win Pacific Four Title; Canada Compete at Hong Kong and Singapore 7s

In April the BC club season reaches the semi-finals stage, the high school rugby season is just kicking off. On the national team scene the Hong Kong 7s wraps up and the Canada women start their Pacific Four campaign with a win over USA. Rugby Canada issues its AGM reports and financials and Sally Dennis steps down as Chair of the Board.

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