Two Canadian Players at the Nissa Rugby Academy in France with Coach Jamie Cudmore

I had a chance to talk to Jamie Cudmore briefly on Saturday as he was waiting in the Toronto airport to head back to France after spending the holiday season in Newfoundland. He’s a coach at the Nissa Rugby Academy in Nice, France. He was eager to talk about the two Canadian players at the Academy, Joe Kaufmann and Eliot Marschall. Both were part of the Canada U18 camps in 2024 and Kaufmann was on the Canada U20 team in 2025. We were talking about pathways and Jamie spoke about the need to get Canadian players into Tier 1 academies at an earlier age, in this case specifically academies in France. Jamie has worked in France for many years as an elite player and coach and has a deep understanding of the French system with many contacts. I mused that it would be good to have a pathway from Canadian academies to French academies and Jamie indicated that when he was at the Pacific Pride he was working on making that happen.

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Global Youth Sevens Wrap Up: BC Bears Finish 13th, MacDowell Girls 23rd, MacDowell Boys 35th in 72 Team Tournament

It is the premier youth 7s tournament in the world, 72 teams, 40 boys and 32 girls, converge on NZ each December for elite rugby 7s. This year there were 6 teams from North America, 3 from Canada and 3 from USA. The 3 Canadian teams were BC girls, the MacDowell Academy girls and the MacDowell Academy boys. The MacDowell Academy is based in Cowichan on Vancouver Island with academies across western Canada in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The USA sent two national teams USA girls and USA boys, the Belmont Shore club in California also sent a boys team.

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Three BC Teams in NZ for Global Youth 7s – BCRU Lays Out 2026 Youth 7s Plan

There are 3 BC teams at the Global Sevens which begins next week in Auckland, December 19th to 21st, which will be 18th to 20th west coast time. MacDowell Rugby have a boys and girls team entered, and the BCRU have a girls team entered. The rosters are listed below. The MacDowell boys have the toughest schedule to start off, they face the NZ Fijians on Day 1. MacDowell girls face Samoa-NZ while the BC Bears face the Queensland Honey Bees. The full Day 1 schedule on the 3 fields is posted below. The tournament facebook page is here.

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BC Club Youth Quarter-Final Results and Upcoming Semi-Final (Regional Finals) Matchups

The BC Club youth competition takes place in the fall at the U14, U16 and U18 level for both boys and girls. The rugby high school competition takes place in the spring. The club youth leagues have reached the semi-final stage with the quarter-finals wrapping up last weekend. The U16 and U18 Provincial finals will take place December 7th in Langley where it will be the Mainland champion v Island champion for the Provincial title. The quarter-final results are listed below along with the regional final (Provincial semi-final) match ups for this weekend. Last year’s final results are posted here.

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MacDowell Rugby Win Double Gold in Mexico Tournament: Heading to NZ in December, Applications Still Open

MacDowell Rugby are coming off a successful tour to Mexico and are now focused on December’s Global Youth Sevens in NZ. Spots are still open on the boys and girls U18 teams. The application form is here.

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A Look at the BC Club U16 & U18 Competitions with 3 Weeks Left in Regular Season

The BC club youth regular season goes to November 16th, the quarter-finals are November 23, semi-finals on the 30th and then the Island v Mainland finals will take place on December 7th at the Langley Events Centre.

Some of last year’s winners look well placed for a return to the championship. In boys U18 last year it was CW over Ravens for the title and this year both teams look on track for a repeat matchup, Abbotsford on the mainland will be the Ravens biggest threat and on the Island both Salish and Cowichan are chasing CW. At the boys U16 level last year it was Abbotsford taking down CW for the title but this year it looks like James Bay are the leading Island team and Capilano and Ravens are leading on the mainland.

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MacDowell Rugby Holding Tour Talent ID Session At UVic on Friday, October 17th: November Mexico Tour, December NZ Tour

MacDowell Rugby is holding a talent ID session for two international tours to end the 2025 season. The ID session is this Friday at UVic’s Wallace Field, details and a registration link are below.

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BC Rugby Youth Club Season Starts September 7th at U18, U16 and U14 Levels for 7s and September 28th for XVs

The club rugby season for youth is in the fall, in the spring it’s school based. Depending on the club, there will be teams at the U18, U16, U14 level for boys and girls. The BCRU find a club page is here. The season kicks off September 7th with 3 weeks of 7s and then the XVs season starts September 28th with 6 weeks of rugby before the playoffs start on November 23rd. The finals will be held on the mainland this year at the Langley Event Centre on December 7th.

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