It's a Try: The History of Rugby in Canada

If you have ever thought that rugby faces challenges in Canada, you should truly see what challenges it has already overcome !!  In fact, if you have ever coached rugby or been involved in it as a player, referee, manager or served in any other capacity, you probably know Doug Sturrock, who has given well over 40 years of service to our game. Doug Sturrock coached at Magee Secondary for decades, was deeply involved with the Meralomas Rugby Club and of course, has given endless service with the BC Secondary Schools Rugby Union...and still continues to.

Incredibly, Doug has been amassing rare photographs, game summaries, Test Match reports, high school, club, provincial and International results all this time and has now just written and self-published an amazing book called "It's a Try: The History of Rugby in Canada." At over 1000 pages, it truly is an exceptional labour of one man's love for our sport. And there is truly nothing else like it in Canada.

Attached is a photo showing just how comprehensive this tome of stories, memories, shared sacrifices and achievements really is. To obtain a copy, please email the author or call him directly and he will gladly autograph it personally for you as well. At $ 65 the price is an incredible value, and the photos alone are so rare that this book is worth more than twice that.

Doug Sturrock can be reached via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or via his landline at (604) 888-3949. This book is a great tribute to the history of our sport, written by a man who has been an incredible tribute of selfless service to it himself.

Walter van Halst
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary
Commissioner, BC Secondary Schools Rugby Union

Stadium Series 2017 - Round 1 Schedule

Stadium Series 2017 Round 1: Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Victoria

Friday, April 7 & Saturday, April 8, 2017

2017 Junior Boys Rugby Provincial Championship Format

(Download Junior Boys Provincial Format - pdf file)

The inaugural 2016 Jr. Boys Rugby Provincial Championship featured a 4 team format. Therefore, for 2017 we are expanding to 8 teams.

Berths for the Jr. Boys Quarter-Finals will be allocated accordingly and played on Saturday May 27th  

Game A     1) Vancouver Island #1 vs  8) Wildcard Selection         @ Vancouver Island #1

Game B     2) Lower Mainland #1   vs  7) Fraser Valley #2            @ Lower Mainland #1

Game C     3) Fraser Valley #1         vs  6) Vancouver Island #2      @ Fraser Valley #1

Game D     4) Lower Mainland #2   vs  5) Okanagan #1               @ Lower Mainland #2

Please Note:
1)    These Quarter-Final matchups were pre-determined to ensure as much cross-zone play and ranking balance as possible.
2)    Only the top 4 teams will advance to the Semi-Finals. There is no loser bracket for 2017.

The Semi-Finals will be played on Wednesday, May 31st at Rotary Stadium, Abbotsford.

Game E     Winner of Game A vs Winner of Game D         KO   TBA

Game F     Winner of Game B vs Winner of Game C         KO   TBA

The BC Jr. Boys Final and Bronze medal match will be played at Rotary Stadium on Friday, June 2nd.  

Game G     Loser of Game E vs Loser of Game F             KO @ 4:30 pm

Game H     Winner of Game E vs Winner of Game F             KO @ 6:30 pm

A KO time of 2:00 pm will be used as the default time for the Quarter-Finals, but is subject to change depending on the needed travel arrangements for each team. The KO time for the Semi-Finals will be determined at the time that the Sr. Boys Provincial Schedule is set for that day.

The Wild Card selection will be made by a Jr. Boys Provincial Championship Committee and be based upon the size and quality of teams in all zones over the course of the season.

BC High School 7’s Championships

The BCSSRU and BC Rugby would like to invite your team to participate at the 2017 Provincial High School 7’s Championship.

• Download Coaches Invitation Letter (pdf format)

Event Overview:

The 2017 7’s Provincial Championship will be taking place on Friday, June 9th and Saturday, 10th at Brentwood College.  The tournament will be run as an Invitational 7’s event with no zone qualifying events in the lead up to the Provincial Championship.

Our hope is that the 2017 Event will feature two Divisions competing in two separate 12-team tournaments.

Important Dates:

Wednesday, February 15, 2017 – Invitations sent out to all BCSSRU Member Schools
Monday, March 27th, 2017 – Teams wanting to enter Tier 1 or Tier 2 must declare participation by emailing Mike Stiles at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Monday, April 3rd – Tournament Guide and Rules emailed to participating schools
Sunday, June 4th – Draw emailed to participating schools
June 9th and 10th, 2017 – Provincial 7’s Championship, Brentwood College, Vancouver Island, BC

Please RSVP your attendance to the 2017 Provincial 7’s Championship to Mike Stiles at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Shane Thompson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by Monday, March 27th  with the following information:

•    School Name:
•    Coach’s Name:
•    Coach’s Email:
•    Tier Preference:

Stadium Series 2017

The BCSSRU would like to announce the following dates for the 2016-17 edition of our Stadium Series. The first round will take place on the Lower Mainland at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, Rotary Stadium in Abbotsford and possibly at least one other site on Friday, April 7th and Saturday, April 8th 2017. The second round will take place primarily on Vancouver Island at Centennial Stadium in Victoria and Shawnigan Lake School on Friday, May 5th and Saturday, May 6th, 2017. There will also be some games at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna in May. The Stadium Series Committee will be working with the Zone Reps to put together the full slate of venues, opponents and kick-off times and then send that out to all schools. A reminder, Stadium Series games are mandatory for all schools wishing to take part in the Provincial Championships because they are part of our ranking system.

Stadium Series Round 2: Friday, May 5,  2017

Vancouver Island, the Okanagan and the Fraser Valley

* Admission is $ 2 per student and $ 5 per adult at Centennial Stadium and Rotary Stadium only.

Zones:

LM = Lower Mainland            VI = Vancouver Island
FV = Fraser Valley                OK = Okanagan
Koot = Kootenays

Stadium Series 2017 Round 1: Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Victoria

Friday, April 7 & Saturday, April 8, 2017

Tony Whitham: A True Rugby Gentleman and Great Steward of our Game

Celebration of Life July 6th @ 2pm at the Evergreen Cultural Centre, Coquitlam

A Tribute by Chris Turpin, Gleneagle Secondary School

The rugby community in BC is saddened by the news that a true legend has passed away. Tony Whitham passed away on June 23rd . Tony was born in 1937 in Halifax, England. His early years were shaped by growing up in working class England during and after the war. His father was killed in action in France shortly prior to the Evacuation at Dunkirk in May 1940. Tony was raised by his widowed mother who helped instill a work ethic and values that Tony was famous for. Upon graduating from Manchester University Tony taught for three years at Highlands Technical Grammar School. In 1963, Tony persuaded his wife that winter could not be much colder in Canada. So Tony and his wife, Kathleen, and young daughter, Jo-Ann, moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Whithams stayed for three years in Winnipeg before moving to BC. Tony taught one year at Princess Margaret Secondary in Surrey. Then Tony made the switch to the growing school district of Coquitlam and taught at Centennial Secondary School from 1967-1973. In 1967 the Whithams were blessed with a second child, a son, named Bob.

Read more: Tony Whitham: A True Rugby Gentleman and Great Steward of our Game