British Columbia Rugby Union

The British Columbia Rugby Union (BCRU) is the provincial administrative body for rugby union in British Columbia, Canada. The BCRU consists of nine sub-unions and 65 clubs. It was originally organized in New Westminster in 1889 where Alfred St. George Hamersley, the former England rugby union captain and recent immigrant to Vancouver, and member of Vancouver Football (Rugby) Club, became the first President.[2] The same man is credited with founding the Amateur Athletic Club of British Columbia.[3] and previously had introduced the game of rugby to the youth of South Canterbury, New Zealand.[4] The current headquarters is on the west side of Vancouver.

British Columbia Rugby Union
SportRugby union
Founded1889 (1889) (1889 (1889))
PresidentSamantha Shorter [1]
Websitebcrugby.com

British Columbia is considered a hotspot for rugby in Canada, as its mild weather allows the sport to be played year-round.

The BCRU is responsible for organizing the British Columbia Premier League, the provincial men's club championship, and the Ruth Hellerud-Brown Senior Women's Premier Competition. It also oversees provincial representative teams which compete for national championships organized by Rugby Canada.

The BCRU also has a British Columbia Rugby Hall of Fame.

The BC Premier League

The BC Premier League is the highest level of amateur rugby in British Columbia. Many current and former Canadian internationals have participated in the league as well as a number of high-level foreign born players. The champions of the league's playoff system are awarded the Rounsefell Cup.

Participating Clubs (2021–22)

The BC Premier League is open to a maximum of 12 teams and features the following clubs from Vancouver Island, Washington State and the Lower Mainland.

Team Ground City/Area Founded
Burnaby Lake Burnaby Lake Sports Complex Burnaby 1994
Capilano Klahanie Park North Shore 1969
Castaway Wanderers Windsor Park Oak Bay 1906
James Bay MacDonald Park Victoria 1886
Meralomas Connaught Park Kitsilano 1923
Pacific Pride Starlight Stadium Langford, British Columbia 2019
Ravens Jericho Park Point Grey 1974
Rowers Brockton Oval Vancouver 1908
Seattle Saracens Starfire Sports Seattle 2014
UBC Thunderbirds Wolfson Field University of British Columbia 1906
UVIC Vikes Wallace Field University of Victoria 1963
Westshore Valhallians Juan de Fuca Langford 1969

Province Wide First Division

Participating Clubs (2021-22)

The Province Wide First Division includes 6 teams from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley.

Team Ground City/Area Founded
Abbotsford CFV Exhibition Park Abbotsford 1972
Bayside Sharks South Surrey Athletic Park White Rock 1987
Cowichan Piggies Herd Road Duncan 1962
Nanaimo Hornets Pioneer Park Nanaimo 1988
Port Alberni Black Sheep Port Alberni Rugby Park Port Alberni 1979
Surrey Beavers Sullivan Heights Surrey 1972
United Hume Park Tri-Cities 2005

Province Wide Second Division

Participating Clubs (2018–19)

The Province Wide Second Division includes 11 teams, with reserve sides from clubs in both the Province Wide First Division and the BC Premier League as well as the following clubs from the Lower Mainland, the Thompson-Okanagan region and the Fraser Valley.

Team Ground City/Area Founded
Brit-Lions John Oliver Park Delta 1928
Kamloops Raiders Exhibition Park Kamloops 1968
Kelowna Crows Parkinson Recreation Centre Kelowna 1969
Langley Crush Crescent Langley 1969
Scribes John Hendry Park East Vancouver 1967
SFU Clan Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University 1965

Province Wide Third Division

Participating Clubs (2018–19)

The Province Wide Third Division is split into 5 conferences, the Mainland League, the Island League, the Okanagan League, the Kootenay League and the Interior League. The Mainland and Island leagues compete during the fall, winter and spring while the Okanagan, Kootenay and Interior leagues compete during the spring and summer. The champions of the league's 5 conferences play for the Saratoga Cup each Fall.

Mainland League

This league includes 12 teams, with reserve sides from clubs in the Province Wide First Division, the Province Wide Second Division and the BC Premier League as well as the following clubs from the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley.

Team Ground City/Area Founded
Chilliwack Crusaders Yarrow Field Chilliwack 1978
Richmond King George Park Richmond 1957
Squamish Axemen Don Ross Middle School Sea-to-Sky Corridor 1999
Ridge Meadows Bruins Thomas Haney Field Maple Ridge 1960
Kats Balaclava Park Kitsilano 1953

Island League

This league includes 4 teams, with reserve sides from clubs in the BC Premier League as well as the following club from Vancouver Island.

Team Ground City/Area Founded
Comox Valley Kickers Cumberland Village Park Comox Valley 1889

Interior League

This league includes 4 teams from the Cariboo, Skeena, Northern Interior and North Coast.

Team Ground City/Area Founded
Terrace Northmen Coast Mountain College Terrace 1974
Prince George Gnats Duchess Park Prince George N/A
Williams Lake Rustlers Williams Lake N/A
Prince Rupert Seamen Prince Rupert N/A

See also

References
  1. About BC Rugby
  2. Touchlines - The Magazine of the Rugby Memorabilia Society, Issue 43, April 2009 Archived 2013-07-26 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Debrett's House of Commons Volume: 1918, publisher: London Dean
  4. The Sydney Morning Herald. - Feb 27, 1929
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