Coast to Coast Cup to be Streamed on the TheRugbyNetwork.com
Some good news from the Rugby Network, they’ll stream the Coast to Coast Cup and unlike the U20 series on FloRugby, you won’t have to pay $30 a month to watch it, it’s free of charge. Well done to the Rugby Network and tournament organizers.
The Rugby Network press release is a little hyped up though, they describe the BC Bears as “a representative side with the best players from the BC Rugby Premier League Competition”, not quite. The BC Bears are a development side that include some of the best Canada eligible players in the BC Premier league and some upcoming development players. The BC Premier league allows unlimited imports now, and there are some top players in the league who aren’t eligible for the BC Bears. The Bears and the Coast to Coast Cup are more focused on showcasing and developing Canadian talent. A good example of the development aspect of the Bears team are the UBC players on the team, there are five UBC players but only one of them was able to crack the roster for the UBC Premier team in the championship match. The others are up and coming players who will be trying to make the Premier team next season.
As we mentioned in a previous article, there are at least nine players from last year’s team that have moved on to MLR, Canada 7s or are playing Premier rugby in NZ and Australia, and that’s the purpose of the Coast to Coast Cup, to provide a springboard to players who are motivated to improve their game and get noticed by selectors.
Kickoff for the BC Bears vs Atlantic Selects is 2:15pm PT on Saturday.
from the Rugby Network
For the second year in a row, the next generation of Canada’s Major League Rugby and test match talent will be on display over three game days on June 17, 21 and 24 from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The high performance competition is made up of three franchises: the Atlantic Selects, comprising of the best players from the four Atlantic Canadian provinces, the Toronto Arrows’ Senior Academy and the British Columbia Bears, who are a representative side with the best players from the BC Rugby Premier League Competition.
The first match of the round robin is set to take place at Graves-Oakley Park, home of the Halifax Tars Rugby Club, while the middle and final matches will be hosted at the Wanderers Ground in downtown Halifax, which is home to the Halifax Wanderers Football Club and has hosted Rugby Canada test matches against Belgium (men) and Wales (women) recently.
Last year’s competition was won by the Rugby Canada West Selects, similarly represented by the best players based in British Columbia. Rugby Canada West Selects flyhalf Gradyn Bowd has since moved on from the Coast to Coast Cup to featuring weekly for Old Glory DC, who have qualified for the MLR 2023 postseason.
Earlier this year the Atlantic Selects travelled to Ontario to face the Arrows Academy, with the hosts prevailing 47-24 on April 3 at York Lions Stadium. The Atlantic Selects also travelled south of the border and picked up a win against Mystic River Rugby Club from Massachusetts.
“We are thrilled to once again partner with The Rugby Network to host our three matches for the annual Coast to Coast Cup Series from Nova Scotia,” said Doctor John Gillis, Atlantic Selects General Manager.
“We once again look forward to showcasing top Canadian talent, giving these players an opportunity to shine in front of pro scouts and national team coaches, others watching on the live stream on TRN, and putting on a great show for our fans in Halifax,” he added.
Fans across Canada, the USA and globally can watch all three matches free-of-charge after signing up for The Rugby Network.