New Year, New Hope for 2022: Four to Watch in Canadian Rugby
2021 was not a good year for Canadian rugby, there’s little doubt about that. The women’s 7s program imploded, shrapnel from that implosion took out a couple of national coaches who were expected to lead Canada forward, the men’s XVs failed to make the World Cup for the first time in its history. COVID crushed everything around it, in particular the national U20 programs and local club rugby. It wasn’t a good year at all.
The new year brings new hope. We consider a few key people who we think can make a difference in 2022. This is not a complete list by any means but it’s four people that showed in 2021 that they can make a difference and give some hope for the future. Honourable mention goes to those associated with the Canadian Rugby Foundation who are bringing money into the equation, money that helped seed the men’s Canadian University championship, is helping to grow and support the Canada U20 program, the women’s XVs program, the Thunder Indigenous program, and the Pacific Pride development program. So kudos to Mike Holmes the long serving Chair, Jeff Chan the new CEO and Pat Parfrey who has found his niche as an advocate for the U20 program.
COACHES / ADMINISTRATORS
Curry Hitchborn
Probably the person who would most dislike making this list but still deserves the recognition. He was the driving force behind the new Coastal Cup competition. He coaches Canada’s most successful men’s University program and he has more U18 men’s national championships than probably any other coach. He’s in tune with the next generation talent, he knows what’s out there, its potential and how to nurture that talent. He should be a primary resource for any national coach, XVs or 7s. A testimony to that knowledge is when he seeded the Seattle Seawolves MLR team with players for the inaugural MLR season. They won the first two championships before they parted ways. With Canadian rugby looking for new models to accelerate growth and new ideas, look for Curry to make a difference.
Maria Samson
A former national team player who now serves on the Board of Rugby Canada. She’s Vice-Chair and chairs the Governance committee. Although I don’t always see eye to eye on her reasoning, I respect the integrity of her process and things are changing under the new leadership. She has excellent communication skills and is not afraid of a verbal joust on social media. When someone challenged on Twitter what Rugby Canada were contributing at the men’s University championship she didn’t hesitate to provide the details in a positive manner. These are all skills required in this era and moving forward. She also coaches the men’s team at Mount Royal University and her partner is former men’s national team player, Mozac Samson. With Rugby Canada in some turmoil going into 2022, consistent leadership that communicates and listens well is important, look for Maria to make a difference.
CURRENT PLAYERS
Jake Thiel
Jake represents a new type of player at the national level, one who is not afraid of speaking their mind. He’s also very visible at grassroots rugby events and portrays rugby in a positive light through his work with charities. These off-field skills are necessary both for bridging the gap between national and grassroots rugby but also for presenting rugby in a positive light to the general public. If rugby is to grow in Canada, these are important elements. On field Jake is a player who could jump into the 7s or XVs team at the national level. He’s become a leader on the 7s team and prefers that code right now but I’ve seen him play #8 with the Pacific Pride and feel confident he could take a loose forward spot on the XVs team if the environment was right. We’ve seen the current system lose good players like Luke Bradley and Isaac Kaay due to a narrow focus that didn’t accommodate a pathway between XVs and 7s. We’re seeing that policy change however. With the men’s XVs and 7s programs in a rebuilding phase, look for Jake to make a difference.
Sophie de Goede
A multi-sport, student athlete who wowed everyone in the Canada v USA series after coming off the bench in game one. She also is representative of a new type of player who was confident enough to request exemption from the UK tour so she could help her university team win the women’s national university title. She’s currently helping the Queen’s basketball team maintain their top 10 ranking. Last year she played a season of rugby in the UK with the Saracens where she also excelled. She has the talent to make an impact in both XVs and 7s and with the women’s XVs World Cup scheduled for October, look for Sophie to make a difference.