CW Rugby
Monday's Musings
Seven’s Heaven: The Sevens Show for both genders again proved it’s ‘never over ‘til it’s over'! What an epic finish for our Canadian Women. Where does one come up with enough superlatives for this magical 29 – 19 win over the Aussies? Canada, after dropping a pool game, 17 – 19 to N.Z....
Wednesday's Ruck & Maul
CW Men on Tour Last weekend, CW Men T.O.T’s (Tricolours On Tour – TOT’s of brandy, single malt and Mount Gay), squad made their first timid venture forth for many a moon when they mustered some troops, supplemented from the West Shores (of all places), under the guidance of The Chaplain and...
Monday's Musings
Unsung Hero – On the Field – Lauren Sargent Lauren, CW Women’s Rugby is a new page for many CW supporters and male players. Fans are not aware of the background of most of the players, although in time, we hope that players will become as familiar as those on our men’s teams. We have seen you...
A Triad of Tests
“Party of Ten (…to the snack bar, please!)” It takes an army of support for the modern day National Rugby team. As a preview to the upcoming triad of tests; vs Japan at BC Place, June 11th; vs Russia, Calgary, June 18th; vs Italy BMO Field, Toronto, June 26th , R.C. has announced the coaching...
Wednesday's Ruck & Maul
Unsung Hero - On the Field Clayton ‘Burger’ Thornber has been a tricolour since his days as an age grade player, passing through the levels, playing with a B.C.H.S. Champs team at Shawnigan, on to UVic and full circle, with some CRC competition thrown in, back to CW. During this time he moved...
Monday's Musings
Canada Men’s Sevens Team has gone five and out for the second straight tourney. To boot, Nate Hirayama has succumbed to injury. Canada can only think as far ahead as the upcoming London Sevens and must not get entwined with the Road to Rio process. We wish the men well, as gargantuan...
Rugby Ramblings
Team mates at club; arch rivals at school; friends for life! Howard Russell Cup. Congratulations to SMUS on their comprehensive 25 – 0 victory over the Oak Bay Barbs on Thursday. In the early going, the teams tested each other with physicality and unfortunately, for Oak Bay, by game’s end they...
Wednesday's Ruck and Maul on Thursday!
CW SEARCHES FOR NEW PREMIERSHIP HEAD COACH & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Today’s news brings a huge note of thanks to Lee Lindwall and Ian Hyde-Lay, senior men’s premiership head coaches of the 2015-16 season. Neither is available at this stage to continue the task of coaching the club’s senior...
Monday's Musings
CW joins Newport in Saluting Rod “The Cod” Snow Rod Snow was honoured by Newport on the weekend, being placed in the Newport RFC Hall of Fame. “Codfish” Snow made 190 appearances for Newport over a decade long span. He’d go on to make forty appearances for the Newport Gwent Dragons after...
School Rugby Takes Over
It is the time of season when the rugby focus reverts to our youth. Friday 13th will see the 44TH Annual GVSD Mini Rugby Jamboree. Over the years, this tournament has produced players who have continued to the highest echelons, most notable being Gareth Rees and more recently, Caroline...
Wednesday's Ruck & Maul
Unsung Hero – Off the Field Today’s Hero, Andreissa Lee (with another Hero, John Morley) Fondly known as “Dray”, Andreissa was recently honored by the club with the Jimmy Aitken, Most Outstanding Supporter Award and the time is right for us honour her with the above title as well! CW: Dray,...
Cinderella Saga
The table was set at The Mac when the ghosts of Bateau, Mole, GG, Swinson, E-balls, Duke, Al Cave and Bubba carried The Crows to an upset victory over the favoured Westshore Velox, in the Men’s 3rd Div. B.C. Final. A toast to many a fine, Liftspan’s past! Well done, Kelowna. The women got...
BIG GAME Preview
Tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. @ Mac Donald Park the B.C. Women’s Premier Final takes place between Velox Westshore and CW. This will be the fourth encounter this season between the two top women’s teams. The results have all gone Velox-way. Betting with one’s head would see one wager this way...
The Story So Far.....
Competing in the BC Premiership finals for women’s rugby is new to Castaway Wanderers, but the tradition of quality rugby on Vancouver Island is not. “When we (re)started the senior women’s rugby program in 2015, we had to draw on all our strengths. We knew we had to have a feeder program,...
Monday's Musings
Rugby Canada Recognition Female Coach of the Year Award: Anna Wray Anna is a Rugby Canada Women’s 15's team alumni who has remained involved in rugby and gives back to the sport she loves by coaching the CW girls' teams. She was instrumental in the program startup some five years ago....
..........And then there were Two
Britt's Boot Does Damage! With 22 points, the day might have been expected to be called The Jess Neilson Show however, as with all CW women’s games witnessed by this critic, win or lose, it was all about TEAM. The game was only two minutes old when CW won a scrum, Waters observantly saw...
A Meteoric Rise
It has been a season far beyond the wildest imagination for the CW Women’s Premier team. In their inaugural season they have finished in second place on the ladder, behind B.C. Champs, Westshore and have thus earned home field advantage for their semi-final match against Seattle Saracens....
Wednesday's Ruck & Maul
In response to a reader’s question. Here it is – all of the OBHS squad - B.C. Champs. CW Age grade players – Amelia Gordon, Immy White, Kelsey White, Aya Timmer, Adrienne Graham, Rae-Lyn Parkins, Sophie De Goede, Rachel Kinahan, Caroline Crossley. Other team members – Lindsay Simpson,...
Monday's Musings
Everything’s coming up Sevens! It has been seven days since the keyboard has been tapped and what a week it has been! Must start with Langford. Did the English women ever look the goods in that Final? England’s full-on professional approach is starting to pay dividends. Canada’s performance...
Monday's Musings
SEVENS TEAMS SPUTTER Canada Men’s and Women’s Sevens programs received a definite come-uppance over the weekend. The Women who started with great élan winning four in a row, all of a sudden came up against eventual winners, Australia. At the moment, the Aussies are a cut above the rest. The...
Boot Goes to Barbs
It was a veritable Who’s Who of CW mini and age grade “grads” on show at U.Vic’s Centennial Stadium last night. A tip of The Ruggernut’s cap to the winners, Oak Bay Barbs for their solid victory and overall lead in the series, over SMUS, 31 – 10. A very good partisan crowd was assembled to...
Thursday Rugby
6:30 tonight at UVic's Centennial Stadium Action tonight is for the 22nd time between the storied rugby programs of SMUS and Oak Bay HS. Both of these teams contain the majority of CW U18 lads who won the B.C. Championship in the Fall. The overall results between the two schools are; 10 - 10 -...
Wednesday's Ruck & Maul
A Plethora of Weekend Action This weekend offers a real smorgasbord of rugby, both locally and internationally. The local action starts at Windsor on Saturday, 11:30 a.m. when the Tricolours take on Westshore in a vitally important game. CW has not beaten Westshore this year, yet stands atop...
Monday's Musings
Sarries Douse Playoff Hopes It was never going to be easy however, when the dust had settled, the one difference had gone Seattle’s way in an entertaining, 40 – 31 match. Embedded in this blog is the game video (compliments of Seattle R.F.C. videographer). Sunny skies and shirtless fans...
All the Latest
Professional team mates. Ilnicki Inks Contract. CW’s Jake Ilnicki has become the third CW player to sign a contract with the fledgling, PRO Rugby League. Jake joins Hubert ‘The Moose’ Buydens and Phil MacKenzie with San Diego. Ray Barkwill has inked with Sacramento and will play in the...