BC Rugby is proud to announce the U18 Boys’ and Girls’ XVs Teams that will be travelling to Ireland in August 2017. As part of the Tour, the Teams will test themselves against top international programs, including Leinster and Munster Academies.
Made possible with funding from the Canadian Rugby Foundation and BC Rugby, the Tour is part of BC Rugby’s new approach to seek out challenging and valuable competitions to ensure BC athletes are being developed to a world standard. Additionally, two coaches, Pam Hadikin of Nanaimo and Mike Jamieson of Surrey, are joining the tour as recipients of the Gerald McGavin Coaching Bursary.
“This Tour is an opportunity for our next generation of players to be challenged by top programs from Tier One nations, challenging BC players to play as hard, fast and as smart as required to be competitive on the world stage,” said Annabel Kehoe, CEO of BC Rugby. “It’s important that we’re benchmarking ourselves against world standards to ensure we’re setting up these future National players for success.”
“The Canadian Rugby Foundation is excited to support the development of grassroots rugby in BC and the transition of high school aged players to the next level,” said Foundation Chairman, Mike Holmes. “We believe that providing a touring and cultural experience to these young men and women will be instrumental in helping them become better rugby players and people.”
Additional support is still required to ensure the cost of the Tour to players is accessible. BC Rugby, through the National Sport Trust Fund, is running a fundraising campaign to cover an additional $25,000 of the Tour costs, which represents approximately 20% of the total costs. To learn more about supporting the Tour, please visit the campaign page here [insert link to donation page].
While in Ireland, the players will also have the exciting opportunity to watch the Women’s Rugby World Cup match between Canada and New Zealand in Dublin. Doubtless the sight of BC athletes like Carolyn McEwan, Andrea Burk, Chelsey Minter and Brittany Waters playing for their country on the biggest international platform in the game will prove inspirational.
| BC Rugby U18 Boys’ XV Team | |||
| Full Name | School | Club | Hometown |
| Jared Andrews Almack | Sutherland Secondary School | North Vancouver | |
| LaShawn Berg | Robert Bateman Secondary School | Abbotsford | |
| Connor Byron | Yale Secondary School | Abbotsford RFC | Abbotsford |
| Ben Cameron | Carson Graham Secondary School | North Vancouver | |
| Petro Chountalos | South Delta Secondary School | Tsawwassen | |
| Aidan Cottrell | Argyle Secondary School | Capilano RFC | North Vancouver |
| Reid Davis | Earl Marriott Secondary School | Bayside AA | Surrey |
| Edward Down | Oak Bay High School | Castaway Wanderers RFC | Victoria |
| Julian Foggitt | Belmont Secondary School | Westshore RFC | Victoria |
| Nicholas Gray | Carson Graham Secondary School | Capilano RFC | North Vancouver |
| Lewis Hinton | Glenlyon Norfolk School | Victoria | |
| Harrison Hooke | Brentwood College School | Fort St. James | |
| Mac James | Yale Secondary School | Abbotsford RFC | Abbotsford |
| Sam Kahn | St. Michaels University School | Castaway Wanderers RFC | Victoria |
| Jordy Makela-Chouinard, | Royal Bay Secondary School | Westshore RFC | Victoria |
| Rowan Megale | LV Rogers Secondary School | Nelson | |
| Max Radcliffe | Earl Marriott Secondary School | Bayside AA | Surrey |
| Josh Radons | Yale Secondary School | Abbotsford | |
| Von Richardson | GW Graham Secondary School | Chilliwack | |
| Ari Stan | Sutherland Secondary School | Capilano RFC | North Vancouver |
| Sammy Stringer | Kelowna Secondary School | Kelowna | |
| Kyle Tremblay | Earl Marriott Secondary School | Bayside AA | Surrey |
| Tyler Wong | Carson Graham Secondary School | North Vancouver | |
| Austin Zimmer | Yale Secondary School | Abbotsford RFC | Abbotsford |
Coach: Adam Roberts
Asst. Coach: Mike Jamieson
Manager: Greg Byron
Therapist: Naomi Ogawa
| BC Rugby U18 Girls’ XV Team | |||
| Full Name | School | Club | Hometown |
| Lyric Atchison | Carson Graham Secondary School | Capilano RFC | North Vancouver |
| Madeline Avery | Norkam Senior Secondary School | Kamloops Raiders RFC | Kamloops |
| Kate Bagshaw | Elgin Park Secondary School | Bayside AA | White Rock |
| Kristianna Bouwers | GP Vanier Secondary School | Comox RFC | Black Creek |
| Mackenzie Braun | Robert Bateman Secondary School | Abbotsford | |
| Grace Campbell | NorKam Senior Secondary School | Kamloops Raiders RFC | Kamloops |
| Hannah Edward | Fleetwood Park Secondary School | Surrey RFC | Surrey |
| Louise Eriksson | GP Vanier Secondary School | Comox RFC | Denman Island |
| Faith Fitzpatrick | Maple Ridge Secondary School | Ridge Meadows RFC | Maple Ridge |
| Erin Geddie | Esquimalt High school | Castaway Wanderers RFC | Victoria |
| Lizzy Gotuaco | South Kamloops Secondary | Kamloops Raiders RFC | Kamloops |
| Vivianna Johnson | Mission Secondary School | Abbotsford RFC | Mission |
| Sarah Klok | Yale Secondary School | Abbotsford RFC | Abbotsford |
| Natalie Moreland | Brentwood College School | Cowichan RFC | Mill Bay |
| Alex Motoc | Yale Secondary School | Abbotsford RFC | Abbotsford |
| Caleb Pope | WL Seaton Secondary School | Kelowna Crows RFC | Kelowna |
| Carrie Rojas (Lange) | Lake City Secondary School | Williams Lake | |
| Berlyn Seselja | Semiahmoo Secondary School | Bayside AA | Surrey |
| Shoshanah Seumanutafa | Semiahmoo Secondary School | Bayside AA | Surrey |
| Ashlynn Smith | Abbotsford Senior Secondary School | Abbotsford RFC | Abbotsford |
| Madison Smith | Elgin Park Secondary School | Bayside AA | Surrey |
| Chrissa Tromp | St. Michaels University School | Victoria | |
| Valerie Wideski | Hugh McRoberts Secondary School | Bayside AA | Richmond |
| Shalaya Valenzuela | Yale Secondary School | Abbotsford RFC | Abbotsford |
Coach: Stuart Crowley
Asst. Coach: Pamela Hadikin
Manager: Elyssa Philipson
Therapist: Kiyomi Thompson
| 2017 U18 Ireland Tour Itinerary
Aug 10 – Flight to Dublin, IRE |
Post Courtesy, British Columbia Rugby. View original article here.
