After a very successful opening series of games in Grand Forks, the second tournament was hosted by J.L. Crowe in Trail this past Friday  Once again everything went very smoothly indeed, and I’m told that ‘mother nature’ also cooperated by providing the only sunny spot in the Kootenays that day.

Following the first two rounds, L.V. Rogers is firmly positioned at the top of the table – undefeated in four games and having accumulated one hundred and thirty-seven points for and zero against.  Grand Forks is currently in second place with thirty-seven points for and twenty-four against.  The ‘travelling road show’ moves to Nelson this Friday for the third round.  Good luck to everyone !

• Click here to view game scores

Rugby is once again alive and well in the Kootenay schools, with six teams involved in a series of mini-tournaments over the next four weeks.  Participating schools are J. L. Crowe (Trail), Grand Forks, L.V. Rogers (Nelson), Mt. Baker (Cranbrook), Rossland and Selkirk (Castlegar).  The team with the best overall record will advance to BCSSRU Provincials 2010, the first time the zone will have been represented at that level for several years.  Much credit for this resurgence is due to Sean Sinclair, a graduate of Brentwood College now teaching at Selkirk.  He has taken on this project with a great deal of commitment and enthusiasm.

Last Saturday, Grand Forks hosted the first of these events.  It was a warm and sunny day and, with two fields in operation, the schedule of games went off without a hitch.  Clearly, the coach of L.V. Rogers (Mike Joyce) would have to be pleased with the performance of the team with which he has been working for the past three seasons.  A vote of thanks is due to Scott Stewart, Principal at Grand Forks, for facilitating and hosting this tournament.

We look forward to the results from this coming weekend’s edition in Trail.

• Click here for game scores.

This coming Saturday, April 24, St. George’s will host a festival of rugby in honour of Nigel Toy who is retiring in June after thirteen years as headmaster at the school.  All members of the community are invited to come out and be a part of this special occasion.  A schedule of games is set out below.

12:30 pm:  Carson Graham vs. Oak Bay and St. George’s 2nd XV vs. Shawnigan Lake 2nd XV
1:45 pm:  Earl Marriott vs. G.P. Vanier and St. George’s Juniors vs. Shawnigan Lake Juniors
3:00 pm:  Argyle vs. St. Michaels University and Georgians (St. George’s Alumni) vs. Shawnigan Lake Alumni.  (The latter game is yet to be confirmed).
4:15 pm:  St. George’s 1st XV vs. Shawnigan Lake 1st XV

Great Memories!

Pontypridd School, Wales
The High School, Dublin, Ireland
Belfast High School, Northern Ireland
St. Anselm’s College, Birkenhead, England

Click on http://hughmcrobertsrugby.blogspot.com for action photos and tour highlights.  At the foot of each page you will find a link to earlier entries.

This past fall, an Ad Hoc Tier Committee worked collaboratively to develop a revised tier model which would more appropriately meet the needs of our sport.

The initial draft was reviewed by the Executive and Zone Representatives, and the committee leadership attended meetings in a number of areas within the province to explain the proposal.  Based on the discussion and suggestions put forward at these meetings, the model was revised on an ongoing basis.

The final draft was unanimously supported by the BC SCHOOL SPORTS Competitive Standards Committee, who commended the BCSSRU for submitting a model that significantly addresses the changing times and provides more opportunities for excellence and participation.

The proposal as presented will go forward as a formal Resolution to the BC SCHOOL SPORTS Annual General Meeting on May 8, 2010.  If this Resolution is adopted, the format as presented will be implemented on a trial basis for 2010-2011.

• Click here for a copy of the Resolution.

Congratulations to the following teams which are travelling overseas this spring season:

Aldergrove Community to Australia
St. Edmund’s College, Canberra ACT
Blue Mountains Grammar School, Wentworth Falls NSW
Redfield College, Sydney NSW
Immanuel Lutheran College, Maroochydore QLD

Argyle to Australia and New Zealand
Matthew Flinders Anglican College, Sunshine Coast QLD
Somerset College, Gold Coast QLD
Winmalee High School, Blue Mountains NSW
KingsWay School, Orewa, New Zealand
Mercury Bay Area School, Whitianga, New Zealand

Heritage Park to England and Wales
John Fisher School, London, England
Akeley Wood School, Northampton, England
King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon, England
Plasmawr School, Cardiff, Wales

Hugh McRoberts to England and Wales
Pontypridd School, Pontypridd, Wales
The High School Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Belfast High School, Belfast, Northern Ireland
St. Anselm’s College, Birkenhead, England

Prince of Wales to England and Scotland
Judd School, Tonbridge, England
Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School, Birmingham, England
Crossley Heath School, Yorkshire, England
Kinross High School, Kinross, Scotland
Aberdeen Grammar School, Aberdeen, Scotland

W.J. Mouat to Australia
Wakehurst Rugby Football Club, Sydney NSW
Erindale College, Wanniassa ACT
Bishop Druitt College, Coffs Harbour NSW
St. John’s Woodlawn College, Lismore NSW
Brisbane Grammar School, Brisbane QLD

The Kamloops Rugby Club will once again
host their annual festival of high school rugby.  It will take place on April 16 and 17.  There will be a Grade 8 Division, Junior Boys
Division and Senior Boys Division.  Each
participating team is guaranteed three games. 
More detailed information will be posted on the Club’s website (www.kamrugby.com) early in the new
year.  For more immediate information,
you can contact Tony Stobie, Club President, at nielsenstobie@shaw.ca.

Our Season of Play starts on March 1, 2010.  Competition between a school team and a team outside that school may not take place before that date.

Player Registration Forms must be submitted to the BC SCHOOL SPORTS office by way of the on-line registration system no later than March 22, 2010. Please carefully read Section C2.3 (Adding Names to Student-Athlete Registration Form) in the BCSS Directory – Competitive Rules and Regulations 2009-2010.

Applications for BCSSRU Scholarships must be received no later than April 16, 2010.

BCSSRU Sevens 2010 will be held on April 17 and 18, 2010, and will be hosted by St. George’s School (Vancouver BC).

The final day on which teams may qualify for Provincials 2010 is Thursday, May 20, 2010.  The final rankings and game schedules will posted on the website the following day.

Provincials 2009 will be held as follows:
Round 1 Games (at various locations around the province) on May 29, 2010.
Rounds 2, 3 and 4 Games at the Rotary Stadium and Exhibition Park Complex in Abbotsford on June 2, 3 and 5, 2010.

We are pleased to announce the fifteen candidates selected to receive BCSSRU Scholarships for 2009.  These were announced at the Provincials 2009 Opening Ceremony in Thunderbird Stadium (UBC) on Wednesday, May 27.

BC Secondary Schools’ Rugby Union Scholarships

• Cole Coventry (Earl Marriott)
• Johnny Humphries (St. Michaels University)
• Jonathan Martin (Robert Bateman)
• Keaton Styles (Earl Marriott)

Derek Hyde-Lay Memorial Scholarships

• Zahid Jethani (St. George’s)
• Corey Sheremeto (Robert Bateman)

Pacific Northwest Over 40 Rugby Union Scholarships

• Kurtis Appeldoorn (W.J. Mouat)
• Shea Wakefield (Oak Bay)

BC Rugby Union (Benj O’Connor) Scholarship

• Carlin Hamstra (Shawnigan Lake)

Lower Mainland Zone Rugby Scholarship

• Ross Yellowlees  (St. George’s)

Donn Spence (UBC) Scholarship

• Colin Graydon (Semiahmoo)

Bruce Howe (UVic) Scholarship

• Casey Cavers (Ladysmith)

BC Secondary Schools’ Rugby Scholarships  (Sponsored by x-treme Rugbywear Ltd.)

• Aidan Finlay (Abbotsford Collegiate)
• Lucas Fletcher (Sullivan Heights)

BC Rugby Referees’ Society/BC Secondary Schools’ Rugby Union Referee Scholarship

• Eric Berard (Rockridge)

Profiles of the winners will be posted on the website at a later date.