1954 NZ All Blacks Tour to BC
1954 Tour Program – NZ All Blacks Visit BC for Matches vs Victoria, UBC, Mainland After 31 Games in UK, Ireland, France
In March 1954 the NZ All Blacks wrapped up a gruelling 36 match tour of the UK, Ireland, France and North America. By the time they reached BC they had played 31 matches and had 5 more to go, 3 of them in BC and 2 in California. They won the matches in BC handily, 39-3 against Victoria, 42-3 against UBC and 37-11 against the Mainland.
BC vs Ontario: BC Win Game #1 36-14 Behind Solid Scrum, Jackals and Chip Kicks
BC Name Lineup for Match #1 vs Ontario Blues – Ontario Roster Added
Brock Gallagher's try sequence the step, the wave, the dive, 10 out of 10 on the landing. 1st half of Island Tide vs Ontario Blues, more photos at https://bcrugbynews.com/vancouver-island-vs-ontario-may-2026-photos/
4Ontario Blues Defeat Island Tide 47-19 After Trailing 19-7 at HT
VIRU 150th
Ontario Blues Defeat Island Tide 47-19 After Trailing 19-7 at HT
It was a game of two halves as the first half featured the Tide 1st team vs Blues 2nd team and the second half was the Blues 1st team vs Tide 2nd team. The rosters were 28 players each as Ontario used it as a warm up match for the two game series versus BC. The first half ended 19-7 in the Tide’s favour and when the lineups switched it was 40-0 for Ontario in the 2nd half.
From the Editor’s Desk – May 2026
BCRU and CEO Matthew Carter Part Ways – John Tait Again Appointed Interim CEO: Wish List for New CEO
The BCRU made a very short statement yesterday (posted below) saying CEO Matthew Carter would no longer serve as CEO and John Tait would act as interim CEO. Also there will be no further comment. He was hired a year ago, the hiring announcement can be viewed here. In part it read:
As the former Lotus F1 CEO and Team Principal and Business Development Director for Lille Olympic Soccer Club, Carter brings a wealth of leadership experience in sports management, business development and revenue growth that will support BC Rugby’s vision of becoming the safest, most vibrant, and inclusive Rugby community. We believe Matthew will be a transformative leader who will drive growth and innovation, while maintaining a commitment to our strong community values.
Vancouver Island Crimson Tide vs Ontario Blues
Island Crimson Tide Match Roster and Ontario Blues Travel Roster Announced
The Island Tide have published a 28 player list for Sunday’s match against Ontario Blues. The Blues have also published their travel roster. The match kicks off at 4:15 pm at UVic’s Wallace Field, the senior women’s west camp also have an intrasquad match prior at 2:30 pm.
UBCOB Ravens – May 2026
Ravens Claim Premier Title and Rounsefell Cup: Ravens 30 – UVic 3
Report by Peter MacDonald
On a pleasant spring day at Bayside’s excellent two field venue the UBC Old Boys and the University of Victoria met for the second time in their histories to contest the Rounsefell Cup. Both teams had been building strength going into the final, with the classic student vs club team narrative waiting to play out on the big stage.
Vancouver Island Rugby History
1876 Where Rugby in BC Began: The Canteen Grounds in Esquimalt – Vancouver Island Rugby Union 150th Anniversary
Doug Sturrock in his book, “It’s a Try – The History of Rugby in Canada” notes, “the first game [in BC] can be traced back to the year 1876, when records show that sides from the Royal Navy played matches against the land forces and civilian teams from Vancouver Island on the historic Canteen Grounds at Esquimalt”. Similarly Don Burgess in his summary in the 1976 VIRU Centenary program noted, “The site of the first Rugby games in Victoria, and for that matter in British Columbia, was the Canteen grounds in Esquimalt, a position now occupied by Yarrow Shipyards.”
High School Rugby Updates – May 2026
In Touch Newsletter by Phil Smith: Volume 2 Issue 9
Phil’s Volume 2 Issue 9 covers the last round of pool play, the zone semi-finals are today with #1 Shawnigan vs #4 SMUS and #2 Oak Bay vs #3 Claremont. Meanwhile across the Strait, St George’s are hosting their zone finals for Juniors and Seniors on Wednesday and Thursday
National Women’s XVs Development/ID Camps
Rugby Canada Announce Regional ID/Development Camps for Women’s XVs – West Camp IntraSquad Match Prior to Island v Ontario Men’s XVs
Rugby Canada have announced East and West camps, the East camp took place last week, the West camp is taking place this coming weekend. The VIRU poster announced a “Canada Women’s Intersquad” prior to the Ontario v Island Tide match, these announcements lineup to expect a West camp intrasquad match on Sunday. The Rugby Canada media release didn’t mention which players are attending which camp but these are the players identified from BC and Alberta. We’ll try to get more details on which players are at the West camp and what the rosters will be for the intrasquad match
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