Friday, February 11, 2011 - Submitted by Jeff Hull - NSM7'S Communications

The Canadian Rugby Foundation held a successful event Thursday night on Freemont St, in Las Vegas; where close to 50 Canadian supporters were welcomed to the IRB event, by foundation Director Matthuw Ronald-Jones. After watching their team parade down Freemont Street, and cheering Canada's players on as they were introduced on the massive centre stage, many Canadian fans chose to walk the two minutes North to a local tavern, to attend the get-together.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation is very pleased to be named as a charity of choice along with Prostate Cancer Canada as a beneficiary of the proceeds from the sale of Rugby Canada’s National Senior Men’s Team as they launch their fundraising calendar in preparation for the 2011 IRB Rugby World Cup in New Zealand.

As expected the demand for the recently launched Canadian Rugby Foundation “Sevens Starter Kits” program has been exceptional. Each kits contains: 5 Gilbert training balls (size 4 or 5), ball pump, Burge kicking tee, 50 disks, 20 mouth guards, whistle, 10 pinnies (not in photo) and gear bag. Since the program was launched on November 19th, over forty applications have already been received and the deadline is still 48hrs away, closing at midnight on Friday, December 17th.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation believes that the success of Canada in international rugby is contingent upon developing the sport at an early age.  In an effort to assist with introducing young Canadians to the game, 20 “Rugby Sevens Starter Kits” (5 Gilbert training balls (size 4 or 5), Burge kicking tee, 50 cones, 20 mouth guards, 10 pinnies, whistle, hand held ball pump, coaching material and a gear bag) will be given away at no charge to elementary/middle/high schools and/or community organizations across Canada by the end of 2010.  The goal is to help introduce and

Rugby Canada and the Canadian Rugby Foundation have recognised that if this game is to further develop at the High Performance level there needs to be an increasing focus of attention upon Match Official development in Canada. The development of High Performance players requires an accompanying supply of High Performance Match Officials.

On Saturday, November 22nd in Kelowna, BC the Central Okanagan Rugby Enthusiasts (CORE) Society held their first Annual AGM.  The highlight of the evening was the official presenting Caps to Gary Grant who earned his first cap against England Under-23 on June 4th, 1977 and to Barry Ebl who earned his first cap against New Zealand on April 22nd, 1995.  Former Canadian Captain Pat Aldous who also volunteers on the Canadian Rugby Foundation and Rugby Canada Board of Directors presented the caps to each of the gentlemen.

Congratulations to the following 6 men: Connor Braid, Mitch Gudgeon, Jeremy Kyne, Jamie MacKenzie, Taylor Paris and John Phelan who earned their first Cap in an international test match for Canada against Belgium on Saturday, November 6th, 2010. Best of luck to them and all their team mates on the Fall European Tour.

vThe Canadian Rugby Foundation held its 2010 Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, November 3rd at the Vancouver Rowing Club. This was an opportunity for “Members” (Contributing, Applicant & Board) to meet in person and over the phone for an annual review of the previous year and to discuss plans for the coming fiscal year.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation is pleased to be working with Cathay Pacific to promote special packages for Canadians interested in travelling to Hong Kong for the 2011 Cathay Pacific/Credit Suisse Hong Kong Sevens, March 25th - 27th.
The 6th Annual Great Canadian Sevens Luncheon will take place on Thursday, March 24th. This long lunch is a great opportunity to meet both the men's and women's national teams. All monies raised goes the Canadian Rugby Foundation's "Olympic Sevens Fund" which supports the growth of sevens rugby in Canada.

La version française suit le texte anglais – French follows the English *******************************************************

Rugby Quebec is pleased to announce the creation of the John Jones Memorial Scholarship Fund. The fund, a first of its kind for rugby in Quebec, was created to provide an annual bursary for one or more Quebec based rugby players who are enrolled in a full time post-secondary program. The funds, held by the Canadian Rugby Foundation, will serve to provide current and future generations of Quebec rugby players, assistance in pursuing their educational dreams. Dr. John Jones was one of the great characters in Quebec rugby.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation, in partnership with the British Columbia Rugby Union, would like to announce that for the fourth year in a row, nominations are now being accepted for the 2010 Gerald McGavin Coaching Award until Friday, December 17th. McGavin is a former BC player who, from 1957 to 1962, represented his province against sides like the Barbarians, Australia, Eastern Canada, the British Lions and New Zealand Universities. The same character traits that led him to a successful athletic career have translated as professional assets outside of rugby.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation is pleased to announce that Phil Mack has been voted Canadian Sevens Player of the Year.

A total of 1,188 Canadian rugby fans, coaches and fellow players from across the country cast their votes. Mack was also recognized as Player of the Year in 2007 for his contribution to the national sevens program.

La Federation Canadienne de Rugby est très plaît d'annoncer que les demandes sont acceptées jusqu'au 30 Novembre 2010 pour la bourse d'études de la Famille Thomas. Candidats doivent être âgés de 17 à 21 ans, étudiant dans une institution post-secondaire Canadien et jouer au rugby. S'il vous plaît suivez le lien pour le paquet des informations plus détaillées.
 

2010 Bourse D’Études de la Famille Thomas

Tout étudiant ou étudiante qui joue au rugby au Canada et qui:

1. Est âgé(e) de 17 à 21 ans à la fin du mois de septembre de l’année au cours de laquelle la bourse lui est offerte;
2. Est inscrit(e), à temps plein, dans un programme collégial ou universitaire (diplôme, certificat, études de
   premier ou deuxième cycle), dans un collège ou une université canadienne pour l’année académique en cours lors de l’attribution de la bourse; ceux ou celles commençant leurs études en septembre sont également éligibles;

Offerte par la Fédération Canadienne de Rugby

En 2001, l’idée est venue d’établir une fondation pour encourager la croissance et le développement du rugby au Canada. À travers le pays, tous les amateurs de rugby s’en réjouirent, incluant M. Granville Thomas. En dépit qu’il fallut plusieurs années avant que l’idée ne se transforme en réalité, M. Thomas n’hésita pas à offrir son support en versant la toute première contribution financière à cette fondation.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation is extremely pleased to be able to announce that voting has commenced for the Canadian Rugby Foundation Sevens Player of the Year award.  Custom House Currency Exchange commissioned the amazing solid bronze maple leaf trophy by Canadian artist Kent Laforme in 2004 to be presented to Canada’s top sevens player on the IRB circuit.  Previous winners include  Marco DiGirolamo (2004), Matt King (2005), David Moonlight (2006) and Phil Mack (2007).  Unfortunately the award was not presented in 2008 and 2009. 

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/scorecard/faces/2010/09/13/

Taylor Paris BARRIE, ONT. > Rugby   Taylor, a senior outside center at Barrie Central Collegiate, had two tries for the Ontario U-18 team in a 43-13 win over British Columbia, leading the squad to its second straight Rugby Canada national title. He led the team in scoring, with nine tries in five games. Also, Taylor is the youngest player to make Canada's men's 7s squad and has three tries in 12 of the team's matches.

Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

While most individuals would like to be able to give a large donation to their favourite charity, quite often the reality is that income and other financial obligations make it difficult to do so.

Today, there are a number of ways to use life insurance as a means to create a sizable charitable gift, while taking advantage of additional tax-saving benefits. The following are two examples of how a donation can be made to a registered charity using a new or existing life insurance policy.

History was made when 54 flag rugby playing middle school students took to the CanadINN Stadium field during the halftime of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs Toronto Argonauts on July 9th! As soon as the halftime signal went off, the field was awash in colour as the four flag rugby teams took over from the Pros. The event was in honour of the 80 years of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers who had their early start as a part of the Wanderers Rugby Football Club.

The Colette McAuley Award committee and the Canadian Rugby Foundation are pleased to announce Julie Foster of Saskatchewan as the 2010 award recipient.

Announced by Colette McAuley herself at this year’s NWL Finals in Toronto, ON, Foster was recognized for her years of loyalty and dedication to grassroots rugby in Saskatchewan.

McAuley acknowledged the impact her former teammate has had on younger players, while taking a playful shot at her age.

The Canadian Maple Leafs have announced their squad for the Abbotsford International 7's Tournament that will be led by 8 graduates of the Canadian U-20 program. The Canadian Maple Leafs Team are designed to develop the next generation of Sevens players in Canada and are funded in large part through the Canadian Rugby Foundation.

The Abbotsford Sevens Tournament is Canada's first international Sevens tournament and will feature teams from South Africa, New Zealand, Kenya, Fiji and Canada.  The Maple Leafs will be led by National Seven's coach Morgan Williams, alongside Joe Haley and Jeff Williams.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation is pleased to announce that Brett Beukeboom (Lindsay, ON), Jeff Hassler (Okotoks, Alta.) and Jeff McKinnon (North Vancouver, B.C.) are this year's winners of the Stuart Pegg Award. For the first time in the award's history, three players on Canada's Under-20 men's rugby team were recognized as the top players as voted on by their team mates for their performances at the Junior World Rugby Trophy in Russia.

The award, created by the Pegg family in memory of their son who passed away at a young age, has been presented at to an age-grade Canadian rugby player since 1998.

Kris Witkowski has won the 2010 Pat Anderson Commitment to Excellence Award.  Canadian rugby is very fortunate to have a company like Pat Anderson Insurance taking a leadership role with regards to funding and player support.  This generous award is geared specifically to helping the Canadian Men’s 7’s Team build towards the 2013 Rugby World Cup and eventually the 2016 Olympic Games.   Rugby 7’s inclusion in the Olympics means that the amateur nations must be particularly wary of being left behind by the professional nations in the quest for Gold. 

The British Columbia Rugby Union is proud to announce the creation of a new high performance initiative designed to identify, train and support 11-16 year old athletes who have aspirations of playing seven-a-side rugby at the Provincial and National level.  The BC Rugby Elite Youth 7s program provides a framework for player identification in key areas of British Columbia.  Once identified, players will be invited to skill sessions, followed by regional and provincial training camps.  This Elite Youth 7s pathway will result in the creation of a BC Junior 7s Provincial team, selected to tour internationally.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation is pleased to announce Tabitha Stavrou of the NSWT as the 2010 recipient of the George F. Jones Scholarship.

The George F. Jones scholarship was named in honour of a very passionate and dedicated rugby volunteer who has ties within the sport across the country thanks to his nomadic nature.

Last year’s National Women’s League Final was used as a platform for the first ever Colette McAuley Award, and although this year’s NWL is an abbreviated version because of the World Cup, the award will still be presented, but it has jumped up a weight class this year.

Thanks to the Canadian Rugby Foundation, the award is now attached to the Colette McAuley Fund, an endowed fund solely for the NSWT that collects annual interest. This interest, usually around $1000, will be presented as a cheque in the recipient’s name, along with a plaque.

Canada’s senior men’s team is back to business after celebrating a 48-6 victory over Uruguay to open the Churchill Cup, a victory that one player will never forget.

U-20 grad Ryan Hamilton received his first cap for Canada this past Saturday replacing Captain Pat Riordan at hooker in Canada’s 48-6 victory to open the Churchill Cup in Denver. Hamilton, alongside full-back Matt Evans, scrum half Sean White, prop Andrew Tiedemann and fly half Connor Braid, is a recent graduate of Canada’s U-20 program. Hamilton was very proud to receive his first Cap at the age of 22.

SHAWNIGAN LAKE – Canada’s Under-20 men’s rugby team had their final opportunity to test their combinations and set pieces against opposition when they faced off against a side comprised of Carded athletes and junior players on Sunday afternoon. 

FINAL SCRIMMAGE
In their final test before competing in Russia, the Under-20 players applied everything they’ve learned in recent months and put on an impressive display of rugby.

Central Okanagan Rugby Enthusiasts Seek to Develop New Sport Infrastructure and Place Local Players on 2016 Canadian Men’s and Women’s Olympic 7-a-Side Rugby Teams in Rio de Janeiro.

Kelowna, British Columbia, April 23, 2010 – In response to the October 2009 announcement of Rugby Sevens being added to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a new society in Kelowna is funding the development of a sustainable infrastructure for the sport.  On April 19th, the Central Okanagan Rugby Enthusiasts (CORE) society was formally launched.  Former national sevens coach Shane Thompson was the keynote speaker at an evening that raised over $20,000 to start an endowment fund for the game.  The society seeks to place local players on the first Canadian Olympic Rugby Sevens team in 2016.

The Courtney Taaffe Memorial School Ship has been updated for 2010.  Please see The 2010 attached details on the scholarship page.

Canada’s Under-20 Men’s Team is having another Training Camp this weekend at Shawnigan Lake School in Victoria. The Training Camp is designed to finalize the team’s offence and defensive strategies with less than one month before the team travels to Moscow for the Junior World Trophy.

The four day camp takes place in Victoria and will test player’s dedication with fitness and skill testing along with in-class team system work.

Canada’s Head Coach Tim Murdy knows that the World Trophy is going to be a difficult test for his team and believes his players need to be ready for it.

“There’s a short turn-around between the games in Moscow so we need to work on some different combinations and establish some different roles and responsibilities throughout the team” says Murdy.

Anyone who has been around the game of rugby will tell you that it has a high level of respect and community involvement. On and off the field players show each other respect and encouragement, and this support is carried on long after the final whistle. Rugby Canada’s motto that unites players from St. John’s to Victoria is ‘Together and Strong’ and the Canadian Rugby Foundation’s support is benefiting players across the nation.

Canada’s Under-20 Men’s coaching staff is going to have some difficult decisions after this weekend’s final selection camp at Shawnigan Lake School and the Pacific Institute of Sporting Excellence on Vancouver Island.

Thirty-five players from across the country competed for four days in hopes of being chosen to represent Canada at the World Trophy in Russia this May. The camp was based around fitness testing, player evaluations and in-class preparation dedicated to discussing the team’s offensive and defensive structure.

Jason Young has become the honoured recipient of the 2009 Gerald McGavin Coaching Award (GMCA).  This special award acknowledges BC rugby coaches who have left an indelible mark on their rugby community and also offers them an opportunity to experience professional rugby abroad. 

Your Experience will Include:

• 1 Night Accommodation and Guest Reception at Delta Vancouver Airport Hotel June 25th
• 4 Days / 4 Nights Experience
• Queen Charlotte Heli-Venture to Langara Fishing Lodge
• Fabulous Cuisine and Hospitality of Langara Fishing Lodge
• Fish with International Celebrity Rugby Guests
• Enjoy the Pristine Waters of the Queen Charlotte Islands
• Guided Ancient Haida Village Tour
• World Class Fishing and Whale Watching
• Cost of Guided Fishing Adventure $5,995
• Tax Receipt upon request

The Canadian Maple Leafs - the Canadian development sevens side, has ended its run at the Punta del Estes Sevens tournament with a loss to Italy in the Plate Semi-final round on Monday evening in the summer resort town in Uruguay.

The Canadian Maple Leafs squad is now the 7th international team to confirm their place in the Digicel Suva International 7's next month.

Suva Rugby Union Chairman, Vilikesa Rauca has confirmed that they have talked to the officials of the Canada 7's team who have agreed to be part of their tournament.

Canada will join Pool D with Samoa, Ratu Filise and the losing finalist of the Suva 7's leg in Labasa.

The Canadian Maple Leafs, a sevens development squad, has won both of its opening day matches of the Punta del Estes tournament in Uruguay defeating the Carrasco Polo club 36-0.

The tournament - being played on Sunday night and on Monday is being used as a development tool to blood new players for the Canadian Sevens program, and is funded by the Canadian Rugby Foundation- through donations from benefactors.

The Canadian Maple Leafs reached Punta del Estes, Uruguay, on New Year's eve after an arduous journey that saw them lay idle for ten hours in Toronto and another six in Chile.

As coach Morgan Williams reported - "at least we could get into the lounge in Toronto - but Chile - not so lucky!"

George Jones, Q.C, is truly a passionate and dedicated Rugby volunteer, and encapsulates the visions of the Rugby Canada Foundation; providing for the development of Rugby and Rugby players, helping those who may not have a chance to success without help, growth of Rugby at all levels and aiding in the growth of the game at the grass-roots level from Coast to Coast.

During halftime of the very wet Russia/Canada game this past weekend at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, BC, the Canadian Rugby Foundation was very fortunate to be able to “officially” cap 4 Canadian players that proudly wore the maple leaf on their chest in the past.

John Cannon, Garth Cooke, Ian Kennedy and David Speirs braved the elements to be presented their cap from Rugby Canada’s Chairman of the Board, Rick Bourne and the Canadian Rugby Foundation’s Executive Director, Matthuw Ronald-Jones.

Former Rugby Canada Team Manager, Don Whidden wrote a short pen sketch of each of the player’s rugby history which was shared with the 3000+ rugby fans in attendance:

Monday evening’s fundraising event was the perfect chance to recognize numerous current NSWT players for earning their first cap. A total of 19 athletes were capped at the Rugby Canada fundraiser held at Hemingway’s Pub in the trendy Toronto district of Yorkville.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation has realized the importance of recognizing Canadian rugby players – past and present, male and female – for representing their country for the first time. Player representative Sheila Turner has been a driving force behind the women receiving their caps.

The Canadian Rugby Foundation and Cathay Pacific have partnered on a special package for Canadian rugby supporters to enjoy the 2010 Hong Kong 7’s this coming March 26-28.  Only a hand-full of spots remain which include return flight out of Vancouver on Tuesday, March 23rd returning Monday, March 29th including the 3 day ticket to the tournament which sold out earlier this month.  The cost of the package is $1300 + tax CDN, accommodation is not included but Cathay Pacific is very helpful with suggesting properties in Hong Kong.

Presented by the Canadian Rugby Foundation
(in conjunction with the Charlton L. Smith Foundation and the Taaffe family)

Gerald was an extremely talented rugby player and he acknowledges that many of his coaches were a very positive influence on him as he grew up. He started playing rugby at Shawnigan Lake School on Vancouver Island where he was coached by the famous Derek Hyde-Lay. Hyde-Lay proved to be one of the coaches who made a significant impact on Gerald’s life, both on and off the field. Gerald continued playingrugbyatU.B.C.wherehewouldearnaBachelorofCommerce. While studying at U.B.C., Gerald won his first selection to represent the Senior Men’s Provincial Team.