The first Canadian rugby tour to the UK took place in December 1902, it lasted 56 days and during that time 22 matches were played. We call it the forgotten tour as it hasn’t been celebrated and recognized by either Rugby Canada or World Rugby. It predates the famous 1905 All Blacks tour to the UK.
The Canadian rugby tour of 1902-03 to the UK isn’t well documented. It’s a tour that deserves some recognition, it was the first Canadian rugby tour overseas, it even predates the famous All Blacks 1905 tour to the UK.
A little over a century ago the World was fighting another pandemic, the Spanish Flu. It was a different time, a World War was winding down and the two events briefly overlapped in the fall of 1918. This is part 5 of the series. Part 1 started in October 1918 when the Spanish Flu first arrived in BC.
This is part four in the series covering the first half of November 1918. Rugby had started its league games, the influenza continued although health authorities believed it had hit its peak, the war was winding down.
[ed. thanks to Dave Pearcey who shared Chapter 4 of his book on the 35 years of the Douglas Rugby Club. Douglas were very prominent in women’s rugby on the mainland in the early years. You can contact Dave at dougie69fiu@dccnet.com for more information or to inquire about his book.]
Days of Wine and Roses
“I prefer rugby to soccer. I enjoy the violence in rugby, except when they start biting each other’s ears off.” – Elizabeth Taylor
The Adventure Begins
The first ever women’s rugby in B.C. apparently involved Douglas College and Capilano College. During the Totem Conference men’s 7-a-side tournament in 1974, these two institutions fielded women’s teams for a one-off match, playing nine against nine. Douglas won this historic contest, 36-4.
posted Oct 3 2005
BC Rugby News learned that John MacMillan has resigned from the position of Pacific Pride coach. His resignation was accepted by Martin Gallagher on behalf of the Rugby Canada board.