NSMT
London Sevens - Saving the Best 'til Last!
This site must give the brave Scots a HUGE shout out after they came from behind to score their winning try over RSA in "no time" and a 27 - 26 victory. This match for the second Final in a row was all that is magical about the game of sevens. A #11 ranked team beating the #2 ranked...
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...
Down but not Out!
The Jones Boy Back in Action Just when it all seemed doom and gloom, Canada's NSMT 7's have provided a 'Phoenix', arising from two dismal recent outings on the circuit. The boys opened against The Blizbokke and came up with a respectable, 7 - 21 score line. Game#2 was HUGE as they showed...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
R.I.P. John Cannon
It is with sadness today that we offer condolences to the family of John Cannon. John passed away over the weekend after suffering a heart attack. A powerful inside centre, Cannon played for Canada at junior level (U17, U19 and U23), before making his senior debut aged 20, in 2001 vs. the USA...
Wednesday's Ruck & Maul
PRO Rugby in the U.S.A. Professional Rugby Union has come to North America. Businessman, Doug Schoninger is the CEO of the League. Schoninger, a 54-year-old former Wall Street bond trader, has been running Stadium Capital Financing Group for a couple years, since he bought them from...
Monday's Musings
LASTING MEMORIES Can you forget? The Captain’s super-human effort to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in “extra time”, 19 – 17 vs France in Bowl Final? ‘onya, Mooner! Nate’s conversion of this tally to seal the deal, take him to 51 points and the tourney’s #2 scorer? Same man’s...
Monday's Musings
Bouquets to Bayside. A long lost affinity with the Bayside club was re-established by CW Women on Saturday last. CW & Bayside had many a respected battles over the years with men’s rugby as well as age grade B.C. Finals and they always ended with mutual respect and comradery. This writer...
CW Abroad
HUGE shout out to Phil Mack playing in his 50TH IRB Sevens event in two hours’ time. Philly is also just 44 points shy of 1000, in all, quite the career. Thanks, Phil! Today we bring you a brief synopsis of CW players in action out of town. In so doing, we hope we have not missed any of a...
Wednesday's Ruck & Maul
Vegas Sevens – NSMT The Burners are back! Duke and Douglas are healthy and one can add them to the mercurial cadre of play-makers; Hirayama, Mack and Jones; the athleticism and pace of a healthy Trainor, Fuli, Hammond and Kay, the “peaking” of White; and round it out with the big men,...
Monday's Musings
Unfortunately, this occured on eight occasions in Rosario on the weekend! Bienvenido, lo que es un abismo! Yes, chasm rather than a mere gap. Canada NSMT suffered a rather embarrassing 54 – 21 loss to Argentina on the weekend. Just what level of representative player it was representing...
Saturday's Summary
NSMT's ARC VICTORY Most readers were either present amongst a healthy 1800 fans or have read reports elsewhere of Canada`s 52 -25 win over Brazil, in their first ever test yesterday. Hats off to Raymondo and the boys – well led and a 10é10 for the tally dive! There was lots of "good" but...
CANADA NSMT VS BRAZIL - SATURDAY
Interim Senior Men’s Head Coach Francois Ratier has made five changes for Saturday’s Americas Rugby Championship clash with Brazil at Westhills Stadium. CW's, Ray Barkwill has been given the captaincy, deservedly so in our book. Loose head prop, CW’s Djustice Sears-Duru will get his first start...
Game Report - A Glum Day at Windsor
Glum in the skies, on the pitch and on the scoreboard. On Saturday, James Bay schooled their hosts in two games laying down over half a century of points to a bagel by the hosts, far too courteous a visit! The Ones played with an improved effort but on the day had trouble both winning and...
Saturday's Preview
Women’s Premier. CW Women travel to Burnaby Mt. to take on SFU. Although the teams are “miles apart” on the table – CW one point out of first place and Simon Fraser winless in the cellar, this is not one for the ladies to take lightly. CW has not shown any resilience in travel, losing both...
Wednesday's Ruck & Maul
CW’s Mike Fuli and Luke McClosky, all smiles after a stellar Sunday in Sydney! Fun Facts! On the same day there was much ado about eight on the pitch in the N.Z./Australia Final. As the screen shot shows, eight on the pitch as the Kiwis managed to tie it up in “dead time” and go on to win 27...
Saturday's Doings - Where to Start?
Get your pipe and coffee for this diatribe! The weekend started with a ‘downer’. Sydney Sevens on day #1 and Canada drew a bagel. This outcome was particularly disappointing after an early brace of pretty good performances vs N.Z. and Australia, when the boys tanked in their day-end loss...
February 6th - A Fiesta of Footie.
Where to start? Downunder, due to time differential! Proximately 24 hours’ time, the Sydney Sevens will kick off. Sevens’ games can be viewed HERE. CW’s Yak (Nanyak Dala) and Fuli (Mike Fuailefau) have been added to the NSMT’s side for the Sydney event. This venue will play to a full...
Monday's Musings
Giving Back. A huge thanks to Doug Woolridge, Ray Barkwill and Hubert Buydens for donating jerseys earned after games in the 2015 RWC. Wooly's jersey was from Eddy Ben Arous from France, Bark's was from Ireland's Rory Best and Hubie's from Italy's, Lorenzo Cittadini. They have been mounted...
One Man's Opinion
Day #2 at Wellington. Canada (13th rank) vs Russia (14th). When the dust settled on this one, the difference between these teams was huge, with Canada winning, 35 – 12. Harry Jones was clearly M-o-M and bagged a hat-trick to boot. Others to show were; Cejvanovic, Hammond and Hirayama. ...