From the Editor’s Desk – August 2025

MLR Down to 8 with Miami Leaving, BC U17 Camp Update, Tragically Hip Get on Board with Women’s Fundraising

A few news items from midweek, MLR purportedly down to 8 teams with Miami the latest casualty. The BC U17 camp is on and the first games played, the women defeated Alberta and the men lost a game to a UK touring team. The Tragically Hip have jumped on the Women’s World Cup fundraising drive with a limited edition T-Shirt with proceeds to the women’s team.

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Questions from Readers

Question from Reader: What Happened to Provincial/Regional Teams and Competition

The exact question from the reader, in the comments section, was: I remember being young and reading about rugby matches between BC Bears and Ontario Blues and Atlantic Rock. I think there was a team in the Prairies too. Do these teams still exist? What happened to them? Weren’t they supposed to be the step below the national team; a feeder for the national team?

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Rugby Models Around the World – Argentina

A Look at Argentine Rugby Through Telegraph Interview with Les Cusworth: What’s the Canadian Perspective

I came across this article through Karl Fix who is planning on taking a U19 team down to Argentina in 2026 and his contact there is Les Cusworth. From a Canadian perspective we’re always looking for lessons that can be learned and applied to make our rugby better, specifically our men’s XVs program, which has hit a low patch. So what is Argentina doing right and what might be relevant in a BC and Canadian context? As a side note I’ll have an opportunity to have a chat with Les Cusworth, so if readers have additional questions they would like me to ask, mention them in the comments or email editor@bcrugbynews.com

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From the Editor’s Desk – June 2025

Tyler Duguid Selected for France XV; Liam Poulton Top Canadian Try Scorer in RPL India; MLR Semis Include 15 Canadian Players

A couple of stories from across the world involving Canadian rugby players. Tyler Duguid who plays for Montpellier in the Top 14 has been selected for the France XV vs England  XV. It’s unclear whether this is the official France “A” team which would capture Tyler for France and eliminate him from potential Canada selection down the road or if this is just a France XV which doesn’t officially capture him for France.  Either way the chances of him playing for Canada now seem very slim. The match will be streamed on rugbypass.tv on Saturday.

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Players in the News

Tyson Beukeboom Writes “Canada Column” for World Rugby’s RugbyPass Online Portal

I saw Tyson Beukeboom had written an article a couple of days ago for the World Rugby online portal, RugbyPass. It’s a quiet Monday rugby-wise, I had just returned to the office from a weekend visiting my daughter and grand-daughters so this seemed like a good way to start the week.

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Community Rugby Updates – March 2025

Community Rugby Updates: Thunder Indigenous Rugby Celebration Recognizes Pacific Pride as Coastal Cup Winners, Phil Mack Indigenous Player of the Year Award, Thunder Youth Touring to NZ; BC Youth Groups Touring Over Spring Break

Thunder Rugby was a program started in 2013 to promote the sport of rugby to Indigenous youth, to give youth the opportunity to experience west coast Indigenous culture and to experience rugby and Indigenous culture world wide through rugby tours.

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From the Editor’s Desk – March 2025

Comox Valley U18 Girls in Scotland, Canada U20 Women’s 7s in Paraguay in August, Canada Women Start Pacific Four in Kansas City in May, Howlers U18 Boys Tour Germany in June/July, BC Club Finals in Abbotsford on May 3rd

Comox Rapids U18 Girls in Scotland

The Comox Valley U18 girls team, the Rapids, are currently touring northern England and Scotland and doing quite well. They defeated  Northern RFC, based in Newcastle, 24-22 in their first match. They then defeated Borders 59-5 in Melrose, Scotland and are finishing their tour up in Edinburgh. You can follow their tour on their Instagram account.

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Editorial: A Conversation with Ai on the BC Premier

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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