Canada’s U19 and U18 men’s rugby teams, both of which include multiple Cowichan Valley-trained athletes, have experienced mixed results on their recent tours.
The U19 men are touring Ireland, where they lost the first four of their matches, with the final game taking place on Thursday.
The U19 squad includes Cowichan Secondary grad Peyton Eagar, Brentwood College School grad Harrison Hooke, Shawnigan Lake School grad Evan Norris, and current Shawnigan student Gui Salo de Melo Costa.
Canada lost back-to-back games against the Ireland Clubs & Schools U18 team to open the tour: 56-17 on March 24 and 51-12 on March 28. On March 30, Canada lost 39-27 to Leinster, and on April 2, Canada was beaten 26-3 by Ulster. Canada’s final match was on Thursday against Munster.
The U18 men’s team, which includes Brentwood College School’s Matthew McDougall-Percillier and Shawnigan students James Macdonald and Dean Mason, fared much better in its March tour of Hong Kong, winning a three-game series against Hong Kong’s U19 side.
Hong Kong won the opener 28-24 on March 23, but Canada bounced back with a 62-5 victory on March 27, then won the rubber match 14-5 on March 31.
Hong Kong is also the site of Hong Kong Sevens, where the national senior men’s team, including Duncan’s Pat Kay, is playing this weekend in its last tournament before the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.