McCormick Cup Preview 2023

McCormick Cup Day Preview

On Saturday, September 30th at Fletcher’s Fields, five Senior Men’s Cup matches will take place, three of which are Cup Final matches: The Gee Gage Cup, The Fall Cup, and the McCormick Cup. Join Rugby Ontario at Fletcher’s Fields for a super rugby day and if you’re unable to attend, the McCormick Cup Final will be streamed on our YouTube Channel. Long-time rugby community members, Matt King and Myles Martin will be commentating on this Saturday’s McCormick Cup Final – so don’t miss out! Check out the upcoming action below.

McCormick Cup Final 

Brantford Harlequins v. Balmy Beach RFC, 3:30 PM

The 2023 McCormick Cup Final will feature the reigning champions, Balmy Beach RFC, and Brantford Harlequins, this year’s Marshall League Champions, battle it out for the illustrious Cup. The two teams met in the Marshall League Playoff Semi-Final which resulted in a 35-24 victory for Brantford.

Balmy Beach enter the Cup Final as the third seed having beat Waterloo County in the semi-finals, 35-32. Beach finished overall 8-0-2 record in regular season and 1st in the East. They’re on the hunt for the record of Most Men’s Championships by a single club, being tied with Markham Irish with 16 provincial championships.

“Balmy Beach is excited to defend our McCormick Cup title this weekend against Brantford. Every year, we play them in the Fall, and it’s always a hard-fought battle. This year will be no different. Brantford always has a strong, experienced pack and we know that containing them will mean the difference between a win and a loss. We’ve got a bit of history with them, and we’re looking forward to writing the next chapter,” says Beach Head Coach, Iain McLeish. 

Brantford, on the other hand, are hoping to secure their first Cup since 2019. Finishing with a 9-0-1 regular season record and coming into the Cup as the number 1 seed after beating the Burlington Centaurs 46-43 in the semi-finals.

The Brantford Harlequins are ecstatic to be back competing for another McCormick Cup against such a strong and historic club in the Balmy Beach. With obviously lots of rugby talk and tactics the last couple of weeks at training, veteran back rower Jordan Kozina has provided our group with some words of wisdom from a book, The Beach, written by Alex Garland, that he try’s to live by: ‘I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it’s not some place you can look for, ‘cause it’s not where you go. It’s how you feel for a moment in your life when you’re a part of something, and if you find that moment… it lasts forever.’ We hope to find that moment this Saturday,” says Brantford Assistant Coach, Will Kelly.

The McCormick Cup Final will be streamed LIVE on the Rugby Ontario YouTube channel! Be sure to follow Rugby Ontario on social media for live coverage of the games.

Fall Cup Final 

Peterborough Pagans Rugby Club v. Toronto Nomads, 1:30 PM

The Toronto Nomads and Peterborough Pagans will meet in the 2023 Fall Cup Final. The Pagans are looking to defend their Fall Cup title after winning in 2022. Peterborough came into the Fall Cup as the 3 seed and knocked off the Ajax Wanderers in the quarterfinals before heading to London for the semis. The Nomads won on the road vs Barrie in the quarters, which put them on the road again in round 2 vs the Oshawa Vikings. Peterborough won their semi-final game against London St George with a shy 38-34 victory, while the Nomads swept in with a 40-5 victory over the Oshawa Vikings in their semi-final game.

Gee Gage Cup Final 

Balmy Beach Marshall 2XV v. Oakville Crusaders 2XV, 11:30 AM

The Gee Gage Cup is another historic Rugby Ontario Championship, which is contested by Marshall 2nd League sides and Branch Union first teams. This year’s Gee Gage final will host Balmy Beach Marshall 2XV and Oakville Crusaders 2XV. Balmy Beach went 2-0-0 in the Gee Gage league and Oakville Crusaders finished with a 1-0-1 record after, unfortunately, losing to the Bay Street Pigs in the first round, but they secured the all-important losing bonus point in that match.

McCormick Cup Consolation Final

Aurora Barbarians v. Toronto Scottish, 1:30 PM

The Aurora Barbarians and the Toronto Scottish will meet in the McCormick Cup Consolation Final. The Scottish finished first in the North Division of the Marshall League regular season and posted a record of 10-0-0. Meanwhile, the Barbarians finished second in the North Division with a record of 4-0-6. Both teams met in the regular season twice resulting in two victories for the Scottish in 36-10 and 38-21 games.

Free ELearning Modules Throughout National Coaches Week

Coach Association of Canada to offer FREE eLearning Modules throughout National Coaches Week 2023

National Coaches Week is the annual opportunity for sports communities around the country to take the time to recognize and celebrate their coaches. This year’s National Coaches Week is taking place from September 16th to the 24th.

This National Coaches Week, the Coaching Association of Canada is saying #ThanksCoach with FREE eLearning! Each day throughout National Coaches Week we’re highlighting free multi-sport eLearning modules to support coaches in continuing their Professional Development on our social media. Log in daily to the Locker to get started!

Note: The paid eLearning modules must be initiated on the day indicated below to take advantage of the free offer.

Saturday, Sept 16 NCCP Making Head Way in Sport
Sunday, Sept 17 NCCP Emergency Action Plan*
Monday, Sept 18 NCCP Coach Initiation in Sport
Tuesday, Sept 19 NCCP Creating a Positive Sport Environment
Wednesday, Sept 20 NCCP Sport Nutrition
Thursday, Sept 21 NCCP Coaching Athletes with a Disability
Friday, Sept 22 NCCP Leading Drug Free Sport
Saturday, Sept 23 Mental Health in Sport*
Sunday, Sept 24 Support Through Sport* (4 eLearning Modules)

To learn more and start your coaching journey visit coach.ca.

Rugby Ontario Remembers Bill Webb

Rugby Ontario Remembers Bill Webb

Rugby Ontario is deeply saddened by today’s news of the passing of Bill Webb.

It is incredibly difficult to put into words what Bill Webb has contributed to the sport of rugby in Ontario and across Canada.  Rugby was in many ways weaved into all parts of Bill’s life.  He has made a profound impact on the game here in Ontario, devoting so much of himself to the growth of the game within his local community of Toronto, across the province of Ontario and throughout Canada.  His most recent pursuit of bringing professional rugby to Canada and leading the first and only professional rugby union team in proudly representing our nation across borders is just part of the legacy Bill leaves behind.

As a co-founder of the Toronto Arrows and through his leadership within many aspects of the sport, Bill has been a true trailblazer for rugby in North America.  But his love of the game started right here in Ontario, first during his days playing club rugby with the Brantford Harlequins RFC and while attending Wilfrid Laurier University.  He went on to support rugby in many ways, including as a philanthropist benefiting numerous causes, an advisor on the Toronto Inner-City Rugby Foundation (TIRF) Captain’s Council, a Director on the Board of Rugby Canada, and of course, as a proud rugby father.

Bill truly embodied the values of rugby.  He will be remembered for his spirit and drive to see people and organizations realize their dreams, achieve their goals and continuously grow.  As the saying often goes, it was always much more than a game for Bill…it was a way of life for he and his family.

Bill, you are a hero to many, a builder of a better future for our sport and simply, a wonderful person.

On behalf of the Ontario rugby community, we extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife Agnes, his two sons James and Stephen and the Webb family.

***

The Webb Family has conveyed that it is Bill’s wish that the Arrows will continue to flourish and contribute to rugby in Ontario and Canada.  Rugby Ontario will proudly support this wish and continue Bill’s indelible legacy in Ontario.

In lieu of flowers, the Webb Family respectfully requests a donation be made in memory of Bill to the Toronto Inner-City Rugby Foundation (https://tirfrugby.ca/make-a-difference/donate/), the Canadian Cancer Society (https://cancer.ca/en/) or True Patriot Love (https://truepatriotlove.com/).

Junior Cup Day Recap

Oshawa Vikings, Waterloo Lions and Oakville Crusaders are 2023 Junior Cup Champions

Junior Cup Day took place on Sunday, August 20th at Fletcher’s Fields and saw some excellent action across the U16 and U18 Divisions. With U16 Boys games starting at 9am, things wrapped up around noon and saw the Waterloo Lions crowned first place after a tight game against the Kingston Panthers who took second place while the Georgian Bay Titans finished third.

Over on the girls side, the Oshawa Vikings seized the championship after their victory against the Oakville Crusaders, placing them in second and North Halton Highlanders in third. The U16 Vikings girls seemed to have begun a trend as this was just ONE of two championships earned that day in the Girls’ Divisions.

After a win against the Aurora Barbarians, the U18 Girls Oshawa Vikings secured first place as a result of the round robin tournament that took place. The Guelph Redcoats who also won against the Barbarians landed second place, leaving Aurora in third after a highly competitive day.

As for the U18 Boys, the Oakville Crusaders took home the gold for the second year in a row after winning their game against the Bytown Blues, putting them in second place. The Peterborough Pagans battled with Balmy Beach for third place and came out on top.

We look forward to next year’s extraordinary young talent!

To check out live coverage from the day visit our Instagram page here.

2023 Marshall League Wrap and McCormick Lookahead

2023 Marshall League Wrap and McCormick Cup Lookahead

On Saturday August 19th, the Marshall League wrapped up and saw the 2023 Cup go home with the Brantford Harlequins. We would like to congratulate all of the teams who competed and those who excelled in their divisions.

Marshall League

2023’s Marshall League Champions, the Brantford Harlequins, finished off their season with a 42 – 10 win over the Oakville Crusaders in the championship game, giving them an overall 11-1-0 season record. They faced off against Balmy Beach in the semi-finals, winning 35 – 24. As for the Club Championship, it was a hotly contested championship that came down to the final ultimately seeing Balmy Beach take home the cup with a 99 point season.

As for the Marshall 2XV, Oakville Crusaders came out on top in a tiebreaker with Balmy Beach. With a fantastic point difference of +306, Crusaders took home the cup.

McCormick Cup & Fall Cup

Naturally, the McCormick and Fall Cups are next on the agenda. Based on this summer’s results, the schedules and seeding has already been decided and will be as follows:

Round 1 Sept 9th 2023
Round 2 Sept 16th 2023
Round 3 – Championship + Consolation Playoffs Sept 30th 2023

McCormick Cup –

1. Brantford Harlequins

2. Crusaders

3. Balmy Beach

4. Toronto Scottish

5. Burlington Centaurs

6. Aurora Barbarians

7. Waterloo County

8. Bytown Blues

Fall Cup –

1. Oshawa Vikings

2. London St George

3. Peterborough Pagans

4. Barrie

5. Toronto Nomads

6. Ajax Wanderers

7. Vaughan Yeomen

8. Ottawa Beavers

All finals will be played at Fletcher’s Fields. Best of luck to all the teams competing!

Four Rugby Ontario clubs receive HSBC Community Rugby Fund

Rugby Canada announces 11 new recipients for the 2023 HSBC Bank Community Rugby Fund

Rugby Canada is pleased to announce the successful applicants of the 2023 HSBC Bank Community Rugby Fund.

2023 marks the third year of the HSBC Bank Community Rugby Fund, offering financial grants to support the sustainability and growth of rugby at the community level across the country. The fund, presented in partnership by Rugby Canada and HSBC Bank Canada, allows all registered rugby clubs, as well as schools and community organizations in Canada, to submit an application for funding.

This year, Rugby Canada received more than 40 applications from 10 different provinces across Canada.

Each of the 11 successful applications for 2023 clearly displayed their approach and passion for growing rugby across Canada.  These 11 now join the 16 prior applicants who have benefited from the fund in the program’s first two years in 2021 and 2022.

Priority was given to those rugby clubs, schools or community organizations who applied for grant funding that focused on cultivating the community game with special consideration given to projects that:

  • Create or develop a school to club pathway to increase the number of registered rugby players participating in club rugby.
  • Create new programs or develop existing programs that introduce women and/or girls to rugby.
  • Build program delivery capacity through the development of Coaches and/or Match Officials within the rugby community.

“We are thrilled to be able to provide support and funding to 11 more rugby clubs and organizations across the country in 2023 as part of the HSBC Community Rugby Fund,” said Ryan Jones, Rugby Development Manager for Rugby Canada. “The 11 recipients this year all clearly showed their own unique and specific strategies on how they will push community and grassroots rugby forward in Canada.”

Of the 11 recipients, four of which are our very own. We would like to extend a congratulations to the following Ontario Clubs on their successful grant applications:

Brantford Harlequins RFC
Location: Ontario
Focus: Coach and Match Official Development and IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility)

Burlington RFC
Location: Ontario
Focus: New Youth Programming and IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility)

Peterborough Pagans RFC
Location: Ontario
Focus: Programming for Women & Girls and Programming for Volunteers

Scarborough RFC

Location: Ontario

Focus: Coach and Match Official Development

For more information, please click here.

ABOUT RUGBY CANADA

Rugby Canada is the national governing body of the sport of Rugby Union in Canada. They administer and operate Men’s and Women’s Senior and Junior National programs in both rugby 15s and 7s, as well as govern the Club and community game for more than 30,000 registered participants from coast to coast in conjunction with ten Provincial Union members.

Rugby Canada is headquartered at the Al Charron National Training Centre in Langford, BC, residing on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish and Lekwungen/Songhees peoples, with staff also working from Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa. Rugby Canada business operations, programs and events are delivered nationwide, including the internationally recognized HSBC Canada Sevens annual tournaments.

2023 OWL Cup Recap

Guelph Redcoats Secure Third Consecutive OWL Cup Championship

The Guelph Redcoats are once again OWL Cup Champions! The Redcoats defeated the Toronto Nomads 53-22 to win the 2023 title. It is the third consecutive victory for the Redcoats, who won the championship just last year. This victory completed a perfect 12-0-0 season for the team. Rugby Ontario would like to congratulate the Redcoats on their OWL Cup victory. We would also like to congratulate the Nomads on a fantastic season and well played final match. The game was streamed on our YouTube Channel which you can watch here.

Earlier in the day, The Aurora Barbarians defeated Scarborough Aces 32-27 earning themselves 3rd place in the 2023 OWL 1XV season. In the OWL 2nd’s Cup Final, The Peterborough Pagans defeated The Guardian Angels Rugby Club 26-22 in a close game to win the title. Congratulations to the Pagans on their victory.

London St George faced off against The Toronto Scottish to secure their place in the OWL 1XV league in 2024. London was successful, winning by two points in a 24-22 game against the Scottish. All teams performed exceptionally and showed just why women’s rugby is the one to watch! We are looking forward to next season already.

To check out live coverage from the day visit our Instagram page here.

Rugby Ontario Builds Belonging Through OTF Fund Grant

RUGBY ONTARIO BUILDS BELONGING THROUGH RESILIENT COMMUNITIES FUND GRANT (ONTARIO TRILLIUM FOUNDATION)

Photographed: Sarah Bokhari, Executive Assistant to the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier, MPP Lorne Coe (Whitby) and Myles Spencer, CEO, Rugby Ontario

Whitby, ON (August 14, 2023) – On Sunday, August 13th, 2023, as Rugby Ontario held its annual youth rugby minor festival at Victoria Fields, it also took the time to acknowledge the impact of a $150,000 Resilient Communities Fund grant that it received from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) in 2022.

“Our government has embarked on many initiatives to boost sports. Funding Rugby Ontario through OTF helps community building through diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said Lorne Coe MPP for Whitby and the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier. “A healthy sports culture reflects a healthy community.”

Since receiving the grant, it has been used to support the development and introduction of Rugby Ontario’s “Build Belonging Project” – an initiative designed to increase rugby participation amongst equity-deserving groups in Ontario through a community-driven approach to enhancing inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility practices (IDEA) across the organization and throughout rugby clubs across the province. Funds from the grant were used to help with a number of costs, ranging from staffing, working with professionals on diversity, equity and inclusion, research and marketing strategies, provide training, and to help with equipment rentals and purchases, as well as some administrative costs too.

“On behalf of Rugby Ontario, I would like to thank the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Trillium Foundation for supporting our organization and the rugby community in Ontario,” said Myles Spencer, CEO of Rugby Ontario. “The funds have directly supported our rebuilding and recovery from the impacts of the pandemic, which significantly disrupted our ability to support and serve communities, particularly those most under-represented across Ontario. We have built back better and are driving meaningful change in how we lead, support and promote the sport of rugby.”

Rugby Ontario’s vision of “Rugby for All” is a statement that captures its collective purpose, what it strives for, and what it hopes to achieve – capturing the essence of what makes rugby one of the most appealing, accessible and inclusive sporting activities. Rugby Ontario is focused on cultivating a culture of “Rugby for All” and building better alignment from community to club to province. It aims to create a more cohesive, supportive and progressive sporting environment that is responsive to the needs of all members.

To learn more about Rugby Ontario, visit our website.  To locate your local rugby club, check the Club Locator tool, or contact us at info@rugbyontario.com.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations celebrates 40 years of grant-making in Ontario and making a lasting impact in communities. Last year, OTF invested over $110M into 1,022 community projects and partnerships. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

 

Rugby Ontario is the provincial sport governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to lead, support and promote Rugby for All from communities to clubs to province. We respectfully acknowledge the sport of Rugby is played across the Province of Ontario on the ancestral and unceded territories of Inuit, Metis and First Nations peoples.  We honour, recognize, and respect all Indigenous Peoples as the traditional stewards of the lands on which we play.

For media inquiries, please contact: 

Samantha Tinajero-Alvarado

Coordinator, Digital Media & Communications

stinajero@rugbyontario.com

Tel: 647-560-4790 ext. 1006

Rugby Ontario 2022 Coach PD Webinar Series

Rugby Ontario 2022 Coach PD Webinar Series

(WHITBY, ON) – Rugby Ontario is pleased to announce a FREE Coach Webinar Series coming November 2022. The series will feature eight Professional Development sessions from experts within the rugby and sport community. Coaches will receive two Professional Development Points per session they attend and will gain insight into a variety of topics to help support their coaching knowledge. Every webinar session will run from 7:00pm ET – 8:30pm ET. Each session will be recorded and shared with the community at a later date.

An overview of the series is included below, along with a link to register and submit any questions with regards to each topic. Questions that are submitted will be sent to the panelists prior to the webinar to help guide discussions.

*Please note you must register for each webinar session separately. Once you register you will receive an email with the information for that specific session.

Webinar #1 – Coaching Minor Rugby 

Learn how to create safe, fun, inclusive, and engaging programming for diverse groups; adjust your coaching to suit each age group; and support positive youth development.  

November 2nd, 2022 

Panelists:

Amanda Neale-Robinson is the Executive Director of the Toronto Inner-City Rugby Foundation where she works to support social change through a sport for development framework. A graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University and Humber College, Ms. Neale-Robinson brings 20+ years of integrated marketing communications experience in addition to nearly a decade of experience supporting the missions of youth-serving organizations. Prior to joining TIRF Ms. Neale-Robinson worked in broadcasting, sponsorship, event planning, and non-profit consulting. She serves as the co-chair of the board of Directors at Lake Shore Arts; was a member of Rugby Canada’s Governance Committee and the Ethics and Integrity Steering Group; and supports grassroots projects through her work with The ReDesign Group.

Ryan Jones is the Rugby Development Manager for Rugby Canada. His role is to support the growth and development of rugby across the country. Ryan has a degree in Recreation Management and Community Development from the University of Manitoba and he is currently pursuing a Masters degree with a focus on Sport Participation and Positive Youth Development in Sport at York University. Previously he worked with Rugby Manitoba and Rugby Ontario to support the delivery of youth rugby to schools, communities and local rugby clubs. Ryan is passionate about supporting youth to develop life skills through sport.

Dr. Karl Erickson is a faculty member and researcher in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science at York University. Prior to joining York University, he was a researcher in the Institute for the Study of Youth Sport at Michigan State University (USA). His research examines coaches, coaching, and athlete development in sport, with a particular emphasis on youth sport as a context for positive youth development. More personally, Karl played and coached rugby for many years, including several as Director of Coaching for a minor rugby program.

Webinar #1 Recording

Karl Erickson Slides

Ryan Jones Slides

Amanda Neale-Robinson Slides

Webinar #2 – Program Building, a Coach Perspective 

November 7th, 2022 

Join us in discussing how to build a culture of respect and inclusion, develop leadership and responsibility among all team members, and effectively recruit, develop, retain, and transition athletes.

Panelists:

Adrian Brown  Level 2 trained coach who began coaching both boys and girls in 2013 at the High School level and shortly after transitioned to coaching at the club level in 2015 for the Guelph Redcoats. He developed the 7s program for the club and continues to coach 15s to this day. In 2019 he was invited to work with the NRU Girls program and recently coached with U18 Ontario Women this past summer. He is also an assistant coach for the Brock University Women’s team and in 2022 he restarted the girls program at Centre Dufferin DHS in Shelburne after 10 years hiatus.

Darcy Patterson is currently an assistant coach at UBC and of the BC Elite 7s program. She also used to work in rugby development as a Rugby Development Officer for BC Rugby and then as the Girls and Women Development Manager. She is really into elevating the girls and women’s game in Canada and connecting the different levels.

John Peel was born and raised in New Zealand,  John (JP) has been involved with Melville Rugby Club, Waikato Rugby Union and NZRU Sevens. JP currently serves as the Head Coach of the Toronto Nomads Senior Women’s team and lead the club to their first ever OWL Cup appearance this past season. He has also served as a coach for the Ontario Blues High Performance Program

AnneMaree Peters started coaching rugby in 1996, helping out with her alumni High School program.  Since then she has had the honour and pleasure to coach numerous teams including her alma mater Brock University, countless high school teams and Junior Girls 7’s and 15’s Club and Rep teams.  Aside from 25 plus years of coaching she has also been active in the administration of the sport of Rugby: a past member of the Rugby Ontario Board of Directors representing Womens Programs, and various roles within the Niagara Rugby Union including a tenure as President.  Annemaree currently sits on the OFSAA Sport Advisory Committee for Rugby.  Her goal is to build a strong community within the team which builds a stronger overall rugby community.

 

Webinar #2 Recording

Adrian Brown Slides

John Peel Slides

Webinar #3 – Coaching Sevens Rugby 

November 9th, 2022 

We will be discussing all things 7s including introducing 7s to 15s athletes, identifying positions of success, key skills for 7s success, managing tournament style play, and identifying and adapting your 7s style.

Panelists:

Khalil Ajram first got involved with rugby in 2005 for his high school team and the Aurora Barbarians. He is now involved in rugby across many levels as the head coach of Trent University 7s, Director of Rugby for the Aurora Barbarians, and Development Manager for both the Toronto Rugby Reds and Canada Misfits 7s. His previous roles have included program lead for Rugby Ontario 7s and Next Gen Manger and Talent ID Coordinator for Rugby Canada 7s.

Jocelyn Barrieau has been involved in rugby, and proudly representing the province of Quebec for over 20 years now.  Her passion for 7s led to the establishment of the u18 Québec Provincial Women’s 7s program in 2013 followed by the senior program in 2016.  This work culminated in trips across North America and the Caribbean as well as a silver-medal winning performance in the Canada Games in the summer of 2022.  She values strong team and player connection and aims to provide a competitive, safe and skills-based environment for all the teams she coaches.  Most recently she attended both the Commonwealth Games and the 7s World Cup in South Africa with the Canadian women’s 7s team.

Ian Fitzgerald was born and raised in Kitchener Ontario where he was first introduced to rugby. He started coaching consistently in 2007, at Holy Trinity Catholic High School in Simcoe, Ontario where he teaches. He began coaching representative rugby in 2014 for the NRU Junior 7s program and the Ontario Junior 7s program. Since that time he his teams won Las Vegas 7s, won a National 7s title and were runners up one year prior. He continues to be involved with Rugby Ontario in both 7s and 15s in various capacities and in 2016 was given the opportunity to work as an assistant coach with the Canada 7s U18 side, competing at the first ever Tropical 7s, followed by the European Championships in France. Over the past four years he has also worked as an assistant coach for the Brock Women’s Rugby Team as a defence and forwards coach.

Chelsea Ross graduated from the University of Alberta in 2013. That same year, she helped the Pandas win their 6th CIS National title. Since then, Chelsea has earned 17 caps for Rugby Canada’s National Senior Women’s team and was a member of the 2017 World Cup Squad. She has pursued her passion for coaching at various levels now including high school, club, Edmonton Gold, Jr Pandas & Academy, Senior women’s Wolfpack, and Pandas. Chelsea’s coaching philosophy is focused around creating fun and challenging experiences for her athletes to learn and improve. She encourages a growth mindset for herself and her athletes. Chelsea currently is the Assistant Coach for Pandas 7’s and 15’s teams. She recently was the Apprentice coach at the Canada Summer Games in the inaugural women’s rugby 7s competition, and the Head Coach for the Canada-West Select team in the NextGen tournament.

 

Webinar #3 Recording

Webinar #3 Slides

Webinar #4 – Safe and Confident Introduction to Contact Rugby 

November 14th, 2022 

Learn about priorities and strategies for introducing contact rugby in a safe and inclusive way while staying concussion aware and building player confidence.

Panelists:

Nathan Abdelnour has a long career working in rugby, notably in the officiating sector. He is a former member of the Rugby Canada National Panel of Referees and was the Manager, Match Official Development at Rugby Canada for over 7 years. He has since moved into a variety of sport executives roles at Dive Ontario and Rugby Québec. Nathan and his wife, Ashley, welcomed their first child this past March, and are active members in their community. He is also working on the next chapter of his career, looking to provide a humanistic approach to developing sport and working to achieve our collective social growth and development in a variety of volunteer roles.

Heather Muir is the Training and Education Coordinator at Rugby Canada. Her primary focus is managing the implementation of a new Learning Management System (LMS) for the organization while assisting in the delivery of coach and match official education across the country. Heather has previously played at club and representative levels in Manitoba, BC, and New Zealand. She currently plays at the club level in BC while also assistant coaching high school and U14-U16 junior teams.

Meghan Peets began playing rugby in high school and continued in university and club with the Ontario Women’s League. She originally started coaching gymnastics and trampoline before transitioning to coaching rugby at the high school she teaches at in Toronto. She also works in coach education as a World Rugby Learning Facilitator.

 

Webinar #4 Recording

Webinar #4 Slides

Webinar #5 – Competition: Technical Skills and Decision Making 

November 16th, 2022

We will break down technical skills, learn how to refine them, and share ways to enhance decision making and rugby IQ in competitive athletes.

Panelists:

Jack Hanratty is originally from Dublin, Ireland, and started his professional Rugby journey in 2008 working for Leinster Rugby in development, while also being Director of Rugby and Head Coach of Dublin City University. Following 5 years with Leinster, Jack moved to Canada where he served as Rugby Nova Scotia director until 2021. Jack has been involved in multiple roles with Rugby Canada serving as assistant coach for the U18M, U20M before being appoint head coach of the U20W side. In 2021 Jack became Head Coach of the Canada Senior Women’s 7s on an interim basis before being announced as the full time head coach in summer 2020.

Darrell Devine is a long time world rugby facilitator and referee. He has coached all levels of rugby from high school, club, provincial to national level. He has been a Coach for the Ontario Blues Senior Men’s and Women’s Programs. He also served as Head Coach for the University of Guelph Men’s Team, winning OUA Gold three times.

 

Webinar #5 Recording

Webinar #5 Resources – Darrell Devine

Webinar #5 Resources – Jack Hanratty

Webinar #6 – The Art of Coaching 

November 21st, 2022 

Learn how to improve your session and season plans, prepare to adapt on the fly, include more creative and games-based coaching, and make the most of the resources available to you.

Panelists:

Dan Valley is the Women’s Rugby Head Coach at Queen’s University – since moving to Queen’s in 2017, he has led the program to 2 OUA titles (2022, 2019) and 2 USports Championship finals (2021, 2019), including the program’s first-ever National Championship in 2021. He was also named the OUA Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2019. Prior to his time at Queen’s, Valley was the Head Coach of Rugby Canada’s U18 Women’s 15’s program and was also a Technical Lead for Canada 7’s NextGen program in Ontario.  Valley was an Assistant Coach of the McMaster Marauders Women’s Rugby program that won a USports Championship in 2015, and coached Oakville Trafalgar High School (Oakville, Ont.) to six provincial medals (three gold, two silver, and one bronze) from 2011-2017. Valley holds a Master of Sport Coaching from the University of Queensland, a Master of Teaching from Griffith University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honors Kinesiology) from the University of Western Ontario.

Aaron Takel is originally from Wales and has been in Canada since 2006 when he came for a 6 month visit to play rugby. He has a passion for learning and trying to simplify the complexities of sport. For the rest of the time he is a Physical and Health Education teacher at Collingwood School in West Vancouver for 80% of the time and 20% of the time a coach mentor for all other coaches of athletic programs. He is currently enrolled in a MSc Sport Performance Coaching degree at the University of Stirling, having already completed a Sports Management and Secondary Education undergraduate degree. He has worked as a technical director of rugby for two Canadian provinces (Alberta and BC) and has also spent three years working for Rugby Canada as a performance analyst with the senior men’s fifteens team involved in approx 50 international rugby matches.

Born in Surrey, England, Mark Smerdon started playing the sport of rugby in his hometown of Exeter, Devon. He was St. Francis Xavier University’s first women’s rugby coach in 1984 and is currently the Women’s Rugby Head Coach at Brock University in addition to coaching at the high school, club, and provincial levels. Smerdon coached the Streetsville Secondary School boys and girls rugby teams guiding the girls team to an OFSAA title in 2012. He has also coached the Mississauga Blues RFC (from U10 to senior men), Rugby Ontario (boys U18 National Champions 2013, U16 and U18 girls, and senior women), and the Upright Rugby Rogues Sevens (tournaments in NY, Vegas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Florida and Toronto). Mark is also a coach mentor in the Niagra Rugby Union.

Webinar #6 Recording

Webinar #6 Resources

Webinar #7 – Competition: Attack Structure and Tactics 

November 28th, 2022 

Learn how to effectively plan, execute, and adjust your attack strategy including specific tips for coaching structure, systems, and tactics.

Panelists:

Ryan Surgenor is an experienced attack and set piece coach in Eastern Ontario, driven by a passion for contributing to the community and creating opportunities for athletes in Eastern Ontario. As a coach, his goals are to lead at the highest level of rugby available in Eastern Ontario, while making sure athletes are mentally and physically prepared for the next level of competition. He fills his bucket by unlocking athletes Rugby IQ and elevating community projects. He plays for Bytown Blues and previously played with uOttawa, Ontario, University of Queensland, and Ontario Arrows. He currently coaches at u18 EORU, u19 Quebec, Ashbury College, and occasionally for Bytown Blues u8s.

Sean Medeiros the head coach of the Brock University Men’s Rugby Team. Prior to taking on the role at Brock he worked as the Manager of Provincial and High-Performance Programs for Rugby Ontario from 2016-2022. He has been involved with Rugby at all levels ranging from Club and High Schools (Mississauga Blues/Streetsville Tigers) through to provincial and national team programs (Ontario Blues/ Canada u18 and Canadian University Men’s All-Star Team). In 2019 he worked as part of the management team to launch the Ontario Blues Jr Arrows Academy, where he served as director from 2019-2022.

Webinar #7 Recording

Webinar #7 Resources- Sean Medeiros

Webinar #7 Resources – Ryan Surgenor

Webinar #8 – Competition: Defensive Structure and Tactics 

December 5th, 2022 

Learn how to effectively plan, execute, and adjust your defensive strategy including specific tips for coaching structure, systems, and tactics.

Panelists:

Aaron Takel is originally from Wales and has been in Canada since 2006 when he came for a 6 month visit to play rugby. He has a passion for learning and trying to simplify the complexities of sport. For the rest of the time he is a Physical and Health Education teacher at Collingwood School in West Vancouver for 80% of the time and 20% of the time a coach mentor for all other coaches of athletic programs. He is currently enrolled in a MSc Sport Performance Coaching degree at the University of Stirling, having already completed a Sports Management and Secondary Education undergraduate degree. He has worked as a technical director of rugby for two Canadian provinces (Alberta and BC) and has also spent three years working for Rugby Canada as a performance analyst with the senior men’s fifteens team involved in approx 50 international rugby matches.

Dave Butcher is in his 6th year as Head coach of the Queen’s Men’s Rugby Team and has a long history of high performance coaching specializing in set piece and defence. He was a pro player for 10 years before beginning his coaching career as the Scottish Rugby Performance Coach and Specialist Skills Coach. From there he took the role of Provincial High Performance Manager at Rugby Ontario before starting at Queen’s. Since arriving in Canada he has coached with the Men’s, Women’s, and U20 Men’s Canadian National teams, as well as the Toronto Arrows

Webinar #8 Recording

Webinar #8 Resources – Dave Butcher

If you have any questions regarding the webinar series, please email courses@rugbyontario.com.

Rugby Ontario Instagram

Rugby Ontario Facebook

Rugby Ontario Twitter