Belmont Win Senior and Junior Titles at Boys Island Rugby 7s High School Championship – Four Teams Qualify for Provincials – 29 Photos
Belmont, who have a strong synergy between their football and rugby programs, doubled up with both Senior and Junior titles in the boys Island high school rugby 7s championships. The top four teams in the senior bracket will advance to the Provincials in Abbotsford, joining Belmont will be Vanier (2nd), Spectrum (3rd) and GNS (4th).
Phil Smith in his latest InTouch newsletter remarked “I would love to know more about what is happening with Boys Sevens and Girls Rugby on the Island. There seems to be a vacuum of information!”. It isn’t easy to find out information about high school rugby, Phil Smith’s newsletter has made it easier with Island boys XVs, but finding out about 7s is another matter.
It was a student from Belmont reaching out on Instagram messenger which alerted me to these championships. When I checked online it was the Belmont football Instagram account that had the poster and information. Further digging led me to the VISSAA website which had information (still not updated with results).
A number of years ago high school rugby used to be run under a BC Secondary School Rugby Union, information was easier to find, however BC School Sports took over the running of all sports and they’re just interested in the Provincials. Finding out information at the regional competition level is hit and miss. For the time being, more efforts like Phil Smith are needed until an information model can be coordinated with BC School Sports, the regional high school sports bodies and the rugby community.
It was good to see several former and current rugby 7s legends involved with coaching and supporting the event. Winston Stanley was coaching GNS, Elias Hancock was coaching Belmont and Thomas Isherwood was there in support. There are 29 photos from the event on our FB page, posted below.
Boys Island Rugby 7s Championship at Starlight Stadium Monday and Tuesday, Girls Championship Hosted by Cowichan
The Island Rugby 7s Championships are being held May 12-13, and according to our understanding the top 4 teams will go on to the Provincials in Abbotsford.
It’s not always easy to find out the details on these tournaments, they’re not well publicized, so I was impressed when one of the Belmont students notified me by Instagram messenger about the upcoming tournament. I then found the poster on the Belmont Football teams Instagram account and all the details on the VISSAA website.
The Boys tournament is hosted by Belmont and is played at Starlight Stadium (and adjacent Gouldy Field), kudos to Belmont for securing that marquee venue. The Girls tournament is hosted by QMS School and played at the Cowichan Rugby Club.
Boys Tournament
Boys Tournament Details from VISSAA website
Senior Championship Pools
| Sr. Pools | |||||
| Pool | Seed | School | |||
| A | A1 | Belmont | B | B1 | GP Vanier |
| A2 | NDSS | B2 | Reynolds | ||
| A3 | Spectrum | B3 | John Barsby | ||
| A4 | Highland | B4 | GNS | ||
Junior Championship Pools
| Jr. Pools | |||||
| Pool | Seed | School | |||
| A | A1 | Belmont | B | B1 | Mark Isfeld |
| A2 | GP Vanier | B2 | QMS | ||
| A3 | Spectrum | B3 | GNS | ||
| A4 | Carihi High | B4 | Stelly’s | ||
Girls Tournament
Girls Tournament Details from VISSAA website
Pool A
South 1 = Claremont
North 2 = NDSS
South 3 = Reynolds
South 6 = Esquimalt
Pool B
North 1 = QMS
South 2 = Oak Bay
South 4 = Royal Bay
South 5 = Belmont