ELEVATING THE PATHWAY FROM CLUB TO PROVINCE TO COUNTRY
Rugby Ontario is pleased to announce plans for the Ontario Blues Senior Men’s and Women’s provincial programs for 2025. The Ontario Blues Senior teams will compete in inter-provincial and regional competitions strategically placed outside of the main club and university / college seasons to ensure maximum player availability.
These provincial programs will serve as a critical step in continuing to build a stronger player development pipeline, offer higher levels of play and creating opportunities for Ontario athletes to advance to national teams, professional leagues and other performance pathways. Together, these programs will focus on strategies that maximize and support the performance potential for pathway athletes, coaches and match officials, while contributing to the broader objective of advancing Canadian rugby.
With the return of the Quebec Ontario Rugby Championship – a collaboration between Rugby Ontario and Rugby Quebec and supported by Rugby Canada – the Ontario Blues Senior Women’s program will be back in action this winter and spring, providing meaningful competition ahead of this year’s Rugby World Cup. Two regional representative teams will compete in 6-game round-robin tournament against Quebec’s sides. These pathway teams will facilitate tryouts in early February to prepare for the upcoming fixtures commencing in March.
The Ontario Blues Senior Men’s program will return in 2025 joining a soon-to-be-announced Eastern Canadian competition against teams from Quebec and the Atlantic designed to showcase and develop Canadian talent, elevate the quality of rugby in the country, and reignite community interest in higher levels of play. The competition will focus on the spring window (April to June) to maximize player availability and support senior club competition, with a regional focus on developing primarily U23 Canadian-qualified players. Consistent with the Women’s program, tryouts will take place starting in February, with team selection completed in late March. A single provincial team will compete in a 4-game round-robin tournament in April and May and wrap their campaign with a culminating event in mid-June.
In alignment with Rugby Ontario’s “Perform with Excellence” strategic pillar and through higher-level coaching, quality competition, and a commitment to developing players that return to their local senior club competitions, these senior programs will further strengthen the pathway for aspiring Ontario players. By sharing their experiences, knowledge, and growth, participating players will help raise the standard of rugby throughout Ontario, creating a stronger and more vibrant community at every level.
Stay tuned as more information will be released soon, including specific dates and locations for all trial opportunities. A detailed schedule will follow with upcoming competition announcements. We are excited for the future of rugby in Ontario and the opportunities these competitions will create for our community.
