Guelph hosts first-ever national men’s rugby tournament in Canada
The Men’s Rugby University Championships was held this past weekend in classic Canadian Rugby style: it was cold, windy, and the snow fell in a blinding flurry. All of this was the backdrop for elite-level rugby.
The tournament was hosted by Rugby Canada and is in its inaugural year, making it the first ever national tournament for men’s rugby in Canada. Rugby Canada decided to institute this tournament to show U Sports, the national governing body for university sport in Canada, that there is interest in national university playRugby Canada ensured that all teams met U Sports eligibility standards. Currently, men’s rugby is not sanctioned by U Sports.The Ontarion spoke to Ken Goodland, Rugby Canada’s coordinator for national player development and talent identification, about men’s rugby and U Sports’ sanctioning.
“Everybody knows we want it sanctioned and the conversation is happening. So hopefully this helps,” said Goodland. “They see the support this type of tournament is getting, and moving forward from a rugby perspective, how it benefits rugby in Canada and the talent [identification] pathway.”
From pool play to championship Sunday
The tournament hosted by the University of Guelph saw six university teams divided into two pools: A and B. The top teams from both pools went on to the gold medal game while the second place teams played for the bronze.
Coming out of pool play, the Guelph Gryphons went on to the bronze medal match against the neighbouring McMaster Marauders; the Victoria Vikes went to the gold medal match to face the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds.
The Vikes won the tiebreaker by defeating the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) Panthers 95-0 while the Gryphons won their game against UPEI 66-0. The 29-point difference gave the Vikes the tiebreaker since the tournament lacked an overtime. Coming off a brutal 11-11 draw with the Vikes Saturday, the Gryphons were down eight starters in their match against the Marauders.“We had a very rough game against UVic yesterday,” said Jason Valencia, a sixth-year flanker who didn’t dress on Sunday due to an injury. “We were pretty decimated, unfortunately.”
The Gryphons lost the bronze medal match to the Marauders 28-3, but young guys, including many first years, experienced national-level rugby.
“Prior to this season, without the national championship, those guys would be trying to get their time next year. So we have an opportunity to get them used to the level of play, and they’ll come in better for it next year,” said Cory Hector, head coach for the Gryphons.
UBC would go on to defeat a banged up UVic in the gold medal match, scoring 32 unanswered points in the first half.
Concerns over player-safety
Many questions were raised after a number of injuries, particularly for the Gryphons, in a single game.
In four days, teams play up to three 60-minute games or two 60-minute games and one 80-minute game if they reach the gold medal match. As for the teams that make it to the championship games, they can expect to play up to three days in a row without a rest in between.
“We came [in] fully knowledgeable of what rugby is and how much you can take. So it’s kind of a give and take relationship with Rugby Canada. So we tried doing our best to keep ourselves as healthy as possible,” said Valencia.
Coach Hector noted that “there could be tweaks to make it more player-friendly,” while acknowledging that the tournament is still in its developmental stage. Hector said that he’s “sure there will be [improvements] in the future.”
Goodland, the representative for Rugby Canada, noted that one of these possible improvements would be to “stretch it out another day or two so the guys have a little more rest between games.”
Praise for Guelph as hosts
The City of Guelph was acknowledged by Goodland, saying that “they did a great job with the facilities,” referring to Alumni Stadium and Varsity Field.
“All the comments have been absolutely positive,” Hector said. “The attention to detail by everybody involved in the organization has been amazing. I think all the teams have had an unbelievable experience. [The organizers and volunteers] did us proud.”
Those from the top representatives of Rugby Canada down to the coaches and players all celebrated the importance of competitive national play and Guelph’s role in the process.
“It’s something we need to keep going, and it’s something we need in this country from a university perspective to get these guys, peer against peer, competition,” Goodland said. “It’s great for rugby. I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Men’s Rugby not sanctioned by U Sports
Organizers of the Men’s Rugby Championship argue that the tournament is integral to national player development for fifteens rugby. So why is men’s rugby still waiting to receive U Sports sanctioning?
“I don’t know the reason for it, but this is why we’re [creating the tournament]. We want this changed in the future. We want to be moving in that direction. U Sports knows we want to move in that direction,” Goodland told The Ontarion.
Some say it is because U Sports policy states that there must be an equal number of men’s and women’s sports to ensure equality and fairness. It is rumoured, however, that football is the outlier that obstructs men’s rugby from entry into U Sports, even though it accepted women’s rugby decades ago.Women’s rugby is sanctioned by U Sports and celebrated the 20th anniversary of their national tournament this year at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta.The rumour about football is related to NCAA scholarship limits and Title IX, a regulatory measure introduced by the United States government in the Education Amendments Act of 1972.
The Title IX law states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
The law mandates that men and women have an equal opportunity to play, with equal opportunities for scholarships. This prevents schools from overloading all financial resources exclusively to football for monetary reasons while neglecting women’s sports. Other men’s sports, for example rugby, may (and often do), suffer under top schools that opt for a stronger football program.
The rumours that the NCAA scholarship limits or Title IX are the reasons men’s rugby is not sanctioned by U Sports is misinformed because Canada does not have an equivalent law to Title IX. U Sports, however, does set differing limits for scholarships, depending on the sport, similar to the NCAA.“We don’t have [Title IX]. We don’t have to be forced by a title or government regulation to have equality or equity,” U Sports CEO Graham Brown told The Ontarion.As for the entry of men’s rugby — and other sports that hold what Brown calls “unofficial national university championships” — awaiting a U Sports sanctioning, there is a U Sports sports review “going on right now” that Brown says will hopefully “provide [U Sports] some direction.”
“Over the years, there has never been a push to change the structure of U Sports. The sports in there right now [are] the sports that have been there for nearly fifteen years,” Brown said. “There’s a real push right now to see how we can grow U Sports. […] Rugby, we hope, will become one of the newer sports, and there will be, eventually, an official U Sports men’s rugby championship.”
“And that’s the impetus of Rugby Canada working with their partners and sponsors, and some guidance from our office, and certainly the University of Guelph, who were tremendous hosts this past weekend, to try and get men’s rugby in [U Sports],” Brown concluded.
Photos by Matteo Cimellaro/The Ontarion