Henson seeks Ospreys exit BBC Sport understands that Wales centre Gavin Henson has made several attempts to leave his Ospreys contract.
World Cup on track despite quake New Zealand mark a year until the start of the Rugby World Cup, less than a week after Christchurch was devastated by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake.
Turner in for Tri-Nations finale Lachie Turner will replace the injured Drew Mitchell as the only change to Australia's starting XV for Saturday's final Tri-Nations match against New Zealand.
Carraro keen to stay on at Bath Bath's Australian back Matt Carraro says he would love to stay at the club beyond his current two-year deal.
Back and Key sign new Leeds deals Leeds Carnegie coaching duo Neil Back and Andy Key pledge their future to the club by signing one-year contract extensions.
Chiefs will not let up - Baxter Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter says he will pick a full-strength side to face Leicester on Saturday.
Tait backs 'passionate' Falcons Newcastle Falcons coach Alan Tait is convinced the current squad have a genuine passion for success this season.
Versatile Thomas enjoys new role Ospreys and Wales forward Jonathan Thomas says he is happy with yet another position switch this season.
Ospreys' Magners verdict delayed The Ospreys may have to wait until next week for the result of their appeal against their Magners League points deduction and fine.
Watford in dark on Saracens deal Watford say Saracens have failed to meet a deadline regarding a decision on their future at Vicarage Road.
NZ HERALD RUGBY NEWS
Big kick for economy from Sydney Tri-Nations Rugby tests between New Zealand and Australia in Sydney have nearly double the economic impact of many other Tri-Nations games, according to a survey that estimates the 2010 Tri-Nations Championship will have a US$174.3 million ($240...
RWC 2011: Time running out to get into finals ticket ballot Second phase of ticketing starts today and ends on October 8.If you're hoping to be in the Eden Park grandstand watching the final or semifinals in the Rugby World Cup next year you had better get in quick.Fans have until...
RWC 2011: Views to make your knees weak While enjoying the sweeping views over the redeveloped Eden Park from the top tier of the new South Stand, it's easy to feel a little weak at the knees.At their highest point, the general admission seats are about 30m from the...
All Blacks: Quintet get their day in the sun How things change in a few short months of All Black rugby success.In June when the selectors made seven changes to the side for the second clash with Wales, Israel Dagg, Aaron Cruden, Piri Weepu, Victor Vito and Owen Franks all...
Rugby: A Shield tale of two provinces Forget about tonight's Ranfurly Shield challenge being a contrast in styles - it is a contrast in unions.They share the colour maroon and the fact that they are supposed to be the "junior" unions in their Highlanders and Blues...
All Blacks: Vito lines up for his starting challenge The rumbling about Victor Vito's talent has been around for some time.He was a sevens star, a huge, powerful man with immense athletic gifts, a leader and a man surely destined for the international stage.The transition took...
Supershorts They Said It: 'Boring in bed' My heart goes out to poor Coleen. At least it weren't a granny this time, though ... A cousin of Wayne Rooney shows support for Shrek. "Wayne was actually quite boring in bed." Callgirl Jenny Thompson on Shrek's prowess in...
Supershorts: Newsflash! In breaking news: Somerset have beaten Pakistan by five wickets in a match at Taunton next Thursday. The 2011 'building block' The bosses of English rugby can hardly be accused of setting unreasonable expectations for next year's...
Rugby: Deans aiming to pass the pressure on to All Blacks It's looming. Double-digit defeat, horror headlines in the Sunday newspapers - more grist for those who oppose the tenure of cross-border coach Robbie Deans.But, then again, victory tomorrow would have Deans anointed as King of...
All Blacks: Captain McCaw is still way out in front Most things are remarkable about Richie McCaw's All Black career.His standards have been of such high quality since his 2001 test debut against Ireland at Lansdowne Rd that any rare blemishes look ghastly.He has made only...
Glasgow Warriors have signed Canada international Chauncey O'Toole on a short-term contract after he impressed during a brief trial in pre-season.
The 24-year-old flanker has signed until the end of October.
O'Toole played with Atlantic Rock in Canada but recently spent time with RGC 1404, a Canada-Wales rugby initiative.
He said: "I'm really excited to be here. It's a great opportunity for me to get what is my first professional contract with a club like Glasgow."
O'Toole is believed to be the first professional rugby player to be produced by Canada's New Brunswick Rugby Union.
He played rugby as a schoolboy but only returned to the sport after a spell in professional ice hockey in Canada, playing for the Miramichi Timberwolves in the Maritime Junior A hockey league.
I'm expecting big things from him over the next couple of months
Glasgow Warriors coach Sean Lineen
The 24-year-old has won six caps for Canada since his Test debut against Ireland in 2009 and took part in the Churchill Cup over the summer, when he was named man of the match in Canada's 48-6 victory over Uruguay, and then scored a try in the final against England Saxons.
He has also represented Canada on the IRB Sevens World Series circuit.
"My ambition is to make the most of this opportunity and to try and earn a spot in the line-up as often as possible," said O'Toole.
"Canada have their November tour coming up, which is in Europe this year, so I hope to be a part of that."
Glasgow head coach Sean Lineen explained how his latest player had been recruited.
"This really came about through DTH van der Merwe, who was playing for Canada through the summer," he said.
"He looked at the fact that we didn't have our full contingent of back-row players and he said that this lad had been outstanding in the Churchill Cup and needed game time.
"So we got him across and I liked what I saw. I'm expecting big things from him over the next couple of months."
O'Toole joins two other Canada internationals at the Warriors, Kevin Tkachuk and Van der Merwe, boosting Glasgow's international quota of players to 17.
Kleeberger Gets Selected for Auckland Against Taranaki
posted Sept 2 2010 from Auckland Rugby
In the wake of Auckland’s 16-35 loss to Canterbury last week, Auckland head coach Mark Anscombe has swung the selection axe and made seven changes to the starting XV for Sunday’s match against Taranaki at Eden Park (kick-off 2.35pm).
While there are a number of injury-enforced changes as well as the loss of All Blacks John Afoa and Benson Stanley, Anscombe was clearly unimpressed with his side’s performance in Christchurch and has opted to give his younger players a chance to impress.
“We didn’t play well against Canterbury and we weren’t overly happy with the win (against Northland) the week before,” Anscombe said.
“We want to have competition within the squad so we’ve brought a few young guys in to get some fresh legs in there and it also challenges the others. We want to have a healthy environment where players are accountable for their performances.”
Young lock Liaki Moli gets his first start for Auckland in place of Kurtis Haiu, Bryce Heem has been recalled from his loan spell at Northland to cover the injured Dave Thomas (concussion) while Chris Lowrey is promoted from the bench to start at number eight.
“Kurtis will have a big part to play in the game, he just won’t be starting. Liaki Moli has had a good year, he was a star of the New Zealand Under-20s this year in Argentina and he came off the bench against Canterbury and performed well so it’s a good opportunity for him to show himself,” Anscombe said.
Playing arguably the best rugby of his career this season, Onosa’i Auva’a hyper extended his knee during training this week and aggravated old cartilage damage. The injury could potentially rule the 25-year-old for the rest of the provincial season. Peter Saili switches from number eight to cover Auva’a at blindside flanker.
Atieli Pakalani resumes his position on the wing in place of Charles Piutau who drops out of the 22 altogether, while centre Ben Atiga and prop Tevita Mailau have also been reinstated to the starting XV as John Afoa and Benson Stanley will be flying to Sydney with the All Blacks.
The most interesting selections however arise on the bench, where Canadian import Adam Kleeberger gets his first crack for Auckland and New Zealand Under-20 prop Angus Ta’avao is given an opportunity in place of Pauliasi Manu.
“Adam’s come over from Canada. Unfortunately he’s had a couple of injuries since he’s been here but he’s had 22 international games for Canada,” Anscombe said.
“He came out here looking for an experience and he’s fitted in well. He’s a good man and with Onosa’i falling out it’s a timely opportunity to have a look at him. He brings a lot of energy and accuracy at the breakdown and it’s a good chance to give him a run.”
It will be a particularly special Father’s Day for head coach Mark Anscombe, with his 19-year-old son Gareth named on the bench for the first time in place of Ash Moeke.
The Auckland team to face Taranaki at Eden Park on Sunday (kick-off 2.35pm) is:
1. Tevita Mailau (Otahuhu) 2. Tom McCartney (Pakuranga) 3. Charlie Faumuina (Otahuhu) 4. Liaki Moli (Manukau) 5. Andrew Van der Heijden (University) 6. Peter Saili (Marist) 7. Daniel Braid (Captain) (University) 8. Chris Lowrey (Ponsonby) 9. Toby Morland (College Rifles) 10. Matt Berquist (College Rifles) 11. Bryce Heem (Grammar-Carlton) 12. Jamie Helleur (University) 13. Ben Atiga (Ponsonby) 14. Atieli Pakalani (Grammar-Carlton) 15. Brent Ward (University)
16. Ash Dixon (University) 17. Angus Ta’avao (Marist) 18. Kurtis Haiu (Marist) 19. Adam Kleeberger 20. Brenton Helleur (University) 21. Gareth Anscombe (Ponsonby) 22. Winston Stanley (Ponsonby)
Phil Mack Playing in Middlesex 7s This Weekend
[ed. comments below] posted Aug 10 10
Phil's reputation in the 7s world continues to grow as he has been invited to play on an invitational side in the Middlesex 7s this weekend. He'll be playing for the Wailers, now sponsored by HFW (formerly Kooga Wailers).
The team is described as follows on the ur7s.com website:
"The Wailers have close links with the Newcastle Falcons and other Premiership teams. The players that are selected to play for the Wailers are sourced from the English and Welsh premiership sides. The team also includes players from New Zealand, Australia and South African IRB 7s teams, super 14 and NPC sides."
Now they can add a Canadian to that list.
The Middlesex 7s is held at Twickenham and was first held in 1926. I had a chance to attend in 1999 and it was a memorable event with top level 7s, not to mention the plethora of streakers present on that rain soaked day.
As well as the Wailers, the other invited teams are England, Scotland, Kenya, Wales, the Army, White Hart Marauders and Samurai International. Club teams participating are Leeds, Newcastle, London Irish, Exeter, Harlequins, Leicester, Saracens and London Wasps. London Irish won the event last year.
HFW Wailers
1. Scott Riddell capt (Scotland) 2. Aaron Myers (Newcastle) 3. Justin Mensah-Coker (Canada) 4. Phil Mack (Canada) 5. Ricky Thomas (Wales) 6. Jack Smales (Newcastle) 7. Tyson Lewis (Blackheath/Newcastle) 8. Steve Parsons (Newcastle) 9. Fred Burdon (Newcastle) 10. Owen Broad (Wales) 11. Hamish Smales (Newcastle) 12. David Akinluyi (England)
Dean Budd - Last Season BC Premier - This Season Scoring Tries in the NZ NPC
[ed. comments below] posted July 29 2010
Has there ever been an All Black who played in the BC Premier league first? I'm hoping Dean Budd will break that barrier because it highlights a basic difference between my philosophy of high performance and the people in charge of high performance at Rugby Canada. While they're happy to spend money to ship our best players over to play Division One in the UK (or lower as in the case of North Wales), I say bring the best in the world to BC and raise the level of play in the BC Premier. Unfortunately many clubs in BC don't agree with this as they recently voted to limit the total number of imports and carded players to four per team in the 2010-2011 season. A very short sighted view in my opinion.
Dean Budd played for Velox last year and it shows that there's opportunities for clubs in BC to attract top imports. There's a case to be made that spending a year in BC for a young player will advance their career as it assists in their maturity and gives them a global view of the game. Both key factors in developing the proper attitude for developing their professional rugby careers. In return they provide our domestic players a chance to compete with the best and learn or to be mentored if playing on the same team.
The following is an article on Northland's defeat of Taranaki (ironically the former employer of the current Canadian coach).
You can also see an interview with Dean Budd when he was playing in the BC Premier on Rugby Street TV.
Also video highlights of the match can be viewed below.
Moyse Wins Gold – Heather Moyse blasts to Victory in Bobsled
from BCRN 7s correspondent posted Feb 25 2010
For those rugby fans who watched the Olympics last night it must have been very satisfying to see dual international Heather Moyse win a Gold Medal for her community and for her country.
Much was made of fellow Olympian Clara Hughes who also had competed in two sports – so much so that Heather Moyse’s accomplishments in rugby were somewhat understated.
However on the iRB website today it was made abundantly clear of Moyse’s status within the rugby community and the fact that she was the top scorer at the last Rugby World Cup was defined with clarity.
Last night’s golden victory was celebrated by her rugby team-mates from coast to coast and it was clear of the deep friendships which exist within our National Women’s Team.
In a sport that relies so specifically on the start at the top of the run it seemed to this observer that Moyse was the best in the world last evening. Her power, timing and athletic abilities were there for all to see as she blasted her sled and her driver out of the blocks and onto victory.
Well done Heather!
While she celebrates her accomplishments in the days ahead it will be interesting to see when or even if she returns to her ‘other game’ and the pending Rugby World Cup which starts this August in London, England.
Will the RWC be enough to entice her back into the rugby family for another world class event and intense challenge?
Unlike her bobsled event – rugby is a complex game with multiple facets and a skill package which is demanding – even for someone of Moyse’s ability.
Meanwhile her team-mates have been preparing for over a year now with demanding fitness regimes and dietary restrictions – the commitment by our NSWT has been awesome and the sacrifice has been overwhelming.
So the question begs – will Moyse be ready to enter this arena with six months to go before kick-off on August 20 at The Stoop Ground in Surrey against Scotland?
It is clear that the high performance team wants her back – in fact they wanted her for the Sevens World Cup in Dubai. They were convinced that she was a game-breaker in the short game and given her performance at the last World Cup in Edmonton they probably feel the same way as London approaches.
Meanwhile – it is time for Heather Moyse to celebrate with her family, friends and community. After all she has won a Gold Medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games here in Canada!
Scottish bred fly half a boon for Team Canada
by Travis Paterson (Black Press) posted Nov 11 2009 [ed. good to see some movement from Europe back to BC. Might as well play first tier domestic rather than second tier european rugby.]
You can’t substitute experience. Those are the simple but important words stated by the head coach of Canada’s national rugby team, Kieran Crowley.
And by experience, Crowley is talking about Ander Monro and his right foot.
Recently re-located to Oak Bay, Monro is a Canadian born but Scottish-bred fly-half half who is returning after six professional years in Europe -- four with Edinburgh of the elite Magners League and two years with Colorno of the Italian Rugby Union.
Prior to departing for this week’s tour with Team Canada to play two International Rugby Board tests against Japan, in Sendai on Nov. 15 and Tokyo on Nov. 22, the 28-year-old explained his decision to move to Victoria.
“I was becoming a little bored of just being a pro rugby player,” said Monro, during a cold morning of training on the artificial turf at the Pacific Institute of Sports Excellence in Saanich. “With Colorno, I wasn’t playing at a high enough club level to feel it was a worthwhile achievement at this stage in my life.”
That stage of life includes a wife and infant son, born Oct. 5, within weeks of Monro arriving here.
Originally from Toronto, Monro’s family moved often for his dad’s military career. Monro grew up playing rugby at Glenalmond College boarding school in Scotland and represented Scotland at the Under-15, U16 and U19 levels. He was selected to the Scotland sevens squad in 2000 but never played in the tournament, though he won the goal-kicking competition. He used his Canadian passport to play for Canada in the 2006 Churchill Cup and since has a total of 17 games with the national side.
“Having played for Team Canada, I asked around to some of the guys and decided to move to Oak Bay, take up with the Castaway-Wanderers and train full time with the national program,” he said, and that’s what he did, beginning the season with CW in the Vancouver Island Rugby Union.
Ranked 12th in the world by the IRB, Canada’s roster includes seven players playing professionally in Europe, not counting Monro or the handful of players unavailable due to injury or club commitments.
Nearly all teams ranked above Canada boast entire rosters of players competing at a pro level. That’s where players with Monro’s experience are important.
Due to rule changes encouraging a faster game, the international brand of rugby has morphed in recent years. One of the changes is an increase in the amount of “aerial ping pong,” as Monro calls it. In a bid for more time, or to slow the game for the hard-working forwards, a fly half or designated kicker will boot the ball downfield, over the mass of players. Often, however, the ball is immediately booted back, and this is sometimes repeated three or four times in succession, with the two opposing fly-halves controlling the tempo of the game.
It’s a trend that’s growing in elite European rugby union play, and will likely move to International Rugby. It’s a tactic Monro has experience with.
“It’s a part of the game, but I want to have all the tools,” said Monro, who is in a rare position of having left the pro game while expecting to become an even better player. “By coming to Canada I want to get a career going, I want to become part of Canada’s run at the Rugby World Cup 2011 (in New Zealand).”
Of course, Monro isn’t Canada’s only man in the kicking department. Vikes’ fly half Nathan Hirayama will share fly-half duties. Hirayama, the UVic Vikes starting fly-half, scored all 11 points for the B.C. Bears in the America’s Rugby Championship final against Argentina with a penalty conversion and a try which he converted.
The latter two will also have the added kicking experience of scrum half James Pritchard, currently playing for the Bedford Blues of the English Championship league. Up-and-coming Matt Evans is also in the mix, and will get a chance at fly half either in Japan or when Canada returns to play Team Russia in Vancouver on Nov. 28.
International rugby comes to Victoria, 7 p.m. on Nov. 24 when Russia plays the B.C. Bears representative provincial side under the lights at the new Bear Mountain Stadium at City Centre Park in Langford.
Victoria-based players named to Canada roster for Nov. 15 and 22 games against Japan and Nov. 28 against Russia.
Chauncey O’Toole (Castaway Wanderers/ Belle Isle, N.B.) Nanyak Dala (Castaway Wanderers/Regina, Sask.) Ciaran Hearn (Castaway-Wanderers/St. John’s, N.L.) Ander Monro (Castaway-Wanderers/Victoria) Nathan Hirayama (UVic/Richmond) Sean Duke (UVic/Vancouver) Phil Mack(UVic/Victoria) Pat Riordan (UVic/Burnaby) Sean White (JBAA/ Victoria) Mike Pletch (Velox Valhallians/Lucan, Ont.) Nick Blevins(Velox Valhallians/Calgary)
MEGHAN MUTRIE – ONE YEAR LATER: "GETTING GOOD AT LIFE"
by Stacy Malloch posted Sept 18 09
This year’s Nations Cup event in Canada began very differently for Meghan Mutrie in comparison to how last year’s event in England ended. As Mutrie arrived at the field to perform communications duties just one month ago, she was met by the England player who she collided with on August 29, 2008 which resulted in a career-ending injury. An emotional meeting, the two young women shared an embrace and albeit harsh reality of any contact sport: injuries happen.
“I interrupted her ramble with a hug. I think we both needed it. It's rugby; it was no one's fault, it just happened,” Mutrie says compassionately, acceptingly.
Just two weeks ago Mutrie experienced an anniversary no one would wish for – the one year anniversary signifying the final game she would play for her country. The tackle involving Mutrie resulted in bruises in four areas of her brain causing serious symptoms, immense challenges and her eventual retirement from a sport she thrived at.
In the year since her injury, Mutrie’s life has changed considerably and without hesitation she takes each challenge in stride, continually raises the bar for herself and lives her life with boundless ambition. Mutrie admits that although she has been completely humbled by her injury and recovery, she has also been rattled by it.
“It's an invisible disability; I looked fine so people would expect (and still do expect) me to be normal. It's a very lonely injury because no one else can see it or understand it,” says Mutrie.
Mutrie confesses her confidence was completely shaken, especially in social contexts where interactions that were once thought of as simple suddenly became tall hurdles.
“It took me three months to make my first phone call. I had to practise first and I had notes reminding me to say hello and goodbye. A lot of the times when I couldn't remember something or stumbled on my words I would attribute it to my intelligence, not my brain injury. It was hard to differentiate the two.”
To name but a few symptoms that have struck Mutrie, she has a loss of sensation in her face due to cranial nerve damage – also the cause of occasionally-slurred speech, especially when it’s cold; balance and coordination have been significant obstacles throughout her recovery; she has a heart rate restriction and thus resorts to what she calls a ‘Trophy Wife Workout’ to stay fit – predominately body weight and balance exercises; and she regularly battles fatigue, which she admits is still a very real challenge. “I still really struggle with my fatigue. It is getting better but I still need to be careful about how much I try to do in one day. I learned this the hard way last week as I pushed 'too hard' and had to sleep for three days straight and only got up to eat. Lesson learned: I still need to pace myself.” Mutrie effectively highlights just how fragile her recovery process has been and how much caution must be exercised with day-to-day activities.
An MRI completed in March revealed that the bleeding in Mutrie’s front right temporal lobe and corpus callosum had cleared from when it first appeared at the time of the injury. This news is extremely optimistic confirming that her injury is not structural and therefore not permanent. The prognosis from her team of doctors is that it will take time to build up stamina to improve her fatigue and for her brain to ‘rewire’ itself.
If Mutrie was to play rugby again there would be a life-threatening risk of incurring another brain injury. As a result, she made the decision to retire from rugby early this year:
“As far as not playing again, I genuinely mean it when I say it's okay. My priorities have shifted after months of being off balance and not being able to talk or string thoughts together. I want to get good at life first and then I'll worry about tackling the sports world again,” Mutrie elaborates poignantly.
Mutrie has formed a newfound respect for her health rather than rush to get back to life as it were – her tendency in the early stages of her recovery. A move from Calgary to Victoria and commitment to a series of medical treatments and therapies, Mutrie has clearly taken charge of her own healing. She regularly receives acupuncture, speech pathology, neuropsychology, CBT and places a high importance on naps and frequent rest.
In a recent battery of tests centered on intelligence, memory, focus, attention and coordination as part of a neuropsychological evaluation, Mutrie scored higher on each one (with the exception of coordination) than that of someone the same age with an identical education but without a brain injury. Although the right side of Mutrie’s brain is still delayed, these tests indicate substantial progress, healing and, in turn, further optimism from Mutrie.
“Once I get this fatigue under control, I would love to start looking for a job in media overseas. If rugby does make it into the Olympics, it would be amazing to be there to cover it,” comments Mutrie excitedly.
In the midst of her recovery, Mutrie continues to pursue an array of work, projects and causes, once again demonstrating an unmatched passion and verve for life. Recently completing an internship with a local TV news station, Mutrie was also the media director for the BC Senior Women and is presently the communications director for the BC Senior Men for the approaching ARC competition. She is a weekly guest on a New Zealand podcast called The Rugby Round Table with host Jed Thian, writes a monthly ASPA-award-winning column in New Zealand and is an independent writer, reporter and communications director for NSWT of Rugby Canada.
Next month Mutrie will be taking on a new responsibility as an Athlete Ambassador for the Right To Play (RTP) organization headed by Norwegian Olympian Johann Olav Koss. She will be traveling to schools in Surrey, British Columbia, to deliver speeches as part of their partnership with RTP and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Mutrie is extremely humbled by the honor but it’s evident she deserves to be in such good company. [Mutrie’s RTP Bio can be found at: http://www.righttoplay.com/site/DocServer/Meghan_Mutrie_Bio.pdf?docID=12501].
With the little time left over from the aforementioned undertakings, Mutrie is working to develop a manual and protocol for Rugby Canada, and perhaps other countries as well, to follow when an athlete is critically injured.
“Thanks to the Rick Hansen weekend I recently took part in, I've networked with the spinal cord injury community and because of my own injury I've networked with the brain injury community for resources. It's going to take some time and some effort, and I'm fumbling my way through some aspects of it, but the end result helps keep me focused. I've been approached by the Canadian Rugby Foundation to start a fund for critically injured athletes, so that's really exciting as it's a huge piece of this idea.”
Mutrie embodies a remarkable wisdom and maturity in moving through this experience and one cannot help but be moved by her ambition, optimism and charisma. She is an example not only to athletes who suffer from a critical injury, but to any athlete, any person who wishes to live a rich life.
Her dreams vary from running a marathon in a different country each year, to traveling around the world and perhaps even opening a café to fulfill her love for baking. Yet Mutrie remains incredibly grounded, realistic.
“That’s a long, long way away. For now, it's very day to day for me. And again, that's okay. I realized how much of my love of rugby was my love of the people involved and it's wonderful to be back around them again.”
In the spring of 2010, Mutrie will walk in her graduation from Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand, where she was studying before she went to England to compete in the Nations Cup one year ago. She has successfully earned her graduate diploma in Journalism and thanks her professors, Alan Sampson and Grant Hannis for their support throughout her injury.
“It's taken me a long time to see it, but I do think I'm really lucky. I might not choose to go through this experience again, but because of it I have met some of the most amazing people and have a better perspective on life. It's still very much a process, and I'm still going through it, but I actually think this may be a good thing.”
Stirred by the totality of her experience, Mutrie captures the past year and far more with the following sentiments:
“I have learned a lot and I am still learning every day. I have learned never to assume anything; everyone has a story. I have learned the value of friendship and the relationships in my life. I appreciate the plasticity of the brain and I am amazed at what it is capable of. I've learned a lot about myself through all of this. I've learned that it is a choice how you handle what happens to you.”
Casey Dunning signs with Pertemp Bees of UK National One league
posted June 14 2006 {ed. comments below]
I had a chance to talk to Casey Dunning today about his signing with the Pertemp Bees of the National One league in the UK. The loosehead prop is looking forward to the upcoming season in the UK and got some advice from another Canadian prop, Kevin Tkachuk, who played one season for Pertemp before moving to Glasgow. The National One league is a forward's dominated league so it will be a good chance to hone his skills with the World Cup starting in 2007. Dunning made it clear that playing for Canada in 2007 is still on the agenda.
The newly hired Pertemp coach is Steve Williams, who played lock for Cardiff among other teams and knows John Tait from his time at Cardiff. No doubt the Canadian coaching staff will get updates through this Cardiff connection.
Casey will leave in July for an August pre-season with the league in full swing by September. Brother Matt plays for the Waratahs in the Super 14 competition and is on the Wallabies short list for prop. The scenario still exists for a brother v brother front row confrontation at the 2007 World Cup in France.
There are several BC Premier players who have played or are playing in the National One league in the UK. These include: Stan McKeen (Cornish Pirates); Jared Barker (Coventry); Milan Mrdjenovich (Bedford); Mike Schmidt (Rotherham); John Cannon (Coventry); James Pritchard (Coventry); Nik Witkowski (Coventry).
Kevin Tkachuk named as Glasgow Warriors Player of the Year
posted May 23 2006 [ed. the following story from the Glasgow Warriors website. Also should mention that John Cannon was named to the "Rugby Times National One Dream Team" for the second consecutive year. The Rugby Times asks all England National One coaches to name their all-star starting 15 and John was named by the coaches as the starting #12.]
Prop Kevin Tkachuk has been named as Glasgow Warriors Player of the Year at the official Scottish Rugby Awards. The award was voted for by Warriors fans on this website and reflects 'T-Bone's solid performances for the Warriors throughout the season.
Kevin takes over the title from fellow front row player Scott Lawson.
Well done to Kevin from everyone at Glasgow Warriors!
KEVIN TKACHUK DOB: 11-Sep-1976 Position: Prop Height: 1.80m Weight: 115kg
Kevin Tkachuk played four games for Canada in the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, scoring a try against Wales. He is also an Oxford blue, having played in three University matches against Cambridge. While at Oxford, he gained a masters’ degree in history. After the University match at Twickenham in December 2003 Kevin joined Pertemp Bees, and he went on to join Glasgow in the summer of 2004. His first try for Glasgow was in the Celtic League victory against Ulster at Hughenden in October 2004, and he scored a second in the home win against Connacht two months later. He has also played for Prairie Fire, Saskatchewan’s Rugby Canada Super League team, as well as the Capilano and Castaway Wanderers clubs in British Columbia and Henley Hawks in England.
RUGBY TIMES NATIONAL ONE 2004/05 TEAM OF THE YEAR - JOHN CANNON SELECTED AT NUMBER 12
[ed. this story submitted by Peter Cannon] posted May 17 2005
RUGBY Times' National One Dream Team, as voted for by the 14 coaching teams in the division, includes seven members from Bristol's championship winning side.
Fullback Bernardo Stortoni, winger Sean Marsden and fly-half Jason Strange have made it into an illustrious back line, while hooker Saul Nelson, lock Jim Brownrigg and flankers Matt Salter and Joe El Abd are named in the forward pack.
Two of Bristol's new recruits also make it into the line up. Coventry scrum-half Shaun Perry teams up with Strange at half-back, while Plymouth No.8 Dan Ward Smith is included for the second year.
Ward Smith's Albion team mate, James Pritchard, is included on the left wing and Coventry's John Cannon and Henley's Ali James form the midfield.
Otley's famed front row is represented by props Justin Wring and Kris Fullman.
15. Bernardo Stortoni (Bristol) The Argentinean moved to the Memorial Stadium from Rotherham in October. Bristol fans raised £12,000 towards the deal and Stortoni, who became known as the 'People's Player', repaid the faith shown in him. Solid in defence and purposeful in attack, Stortoni was badly missed when out for six weeks in February because of knee ligament damage.
14. Sean Marsden (Bristol) The former Bristol Grammar School pupil arrived back at the Memorial Stadium in 2003/03 primarily as a fullback. But Stortoni's signature saw Marsden flourish on the wing. He went on to score 34 tries in the season to beat Paul Hull's previous club record.
13. Ali James (Henley Hawks) James' two tries against Bedford on the final day of 2003-04 helped keep the Hawks in the division. It was hoped that he would keep the momentum going into this season, but injury restricted him to just 13 starts and his organisational skills in defence and pace in attack was badly missed as Henley failed to repeat last year's escape act.
