Born in South Africa to a rugby-playing dad, it was pretty clear early on that Reece Tudor-Jones would end up playing the sport himself.
It took a few twists and turns, however, for him to end up representing Canada on the international stage.
“As soon as I had the ability to know what was going on, I was playing,” said Tudor-Jones, who will don the maple leaf kit for the first time at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games that start next week in the Bahamas. “I’ve loved it since the day I started.”
Tudor-Jones’s family moved to Canada when he was a preschooler, first to Toronto, then Victoria, before ending up in Shawnigan Lake about six years ago. Naturally, he went on to play for Shawnigan Lake School, where he recently finished Grade 11.
The Commonwealth Youth Games rugby sevens tournament, where he will be co-coached by Cowichan Secondary product and former international player Robin MacDowell, will mark Tudor-Jones’s international debut, although he has suited up for B.C. on multiple occasions: at U14 (twice), U15 and U16 levels, and at the Las Vegas Sevens in March. He was invited to the national U17 camp last summer, but had to decline because of a broken collarbone.
“It’s gonna be sweet,” he said of the upcoming games in the Bahamas. “It’s a big first step.”
Tudor-Jones helped Shawnigan win the provincial AAAA championship this spring and the B.C. junior title in 2016. He’s been part of two provincial sevens championship teams as well. He’s reluctant to pick a favourite between XVs and sevens.
“I really like both, honestly,” he said. “Sevens gives me that space I need. I find it suits me well.”
Regardless of how many players are on the field, one of the best parts of rugby for Tudor-Jones is the team aspect.
“You bond with your teammates throughout the whole year,” he said. “The Grade 12s who left this year were pretty sad. It’s hard to leave at the end of the year.”
Tudor-Jones has played with about half a dozen of his Canada teammates before, but he expects the bond to come quickly with the others.
“I think it always works out,” he said. “We all have the same goals, the same objectives. You’ve just got to go out there and respect the game and play.”
As of Tuesday, it wasn’t clear who Canada would be playing in the Bahamas, but Tudor-Jones wasn’t concerned about that either.
“We’ll play who’s in front of us, I guess,” he said.
The Commonwealth includes many rugby powers, including several who are ranked ahead of Canada internationally, but Tudor-Jones believes the playing field is more even at the U18 level. Coaches have told him it starts to make more of a difference at U20.
“We’re all able, all at the same level,” he said. “At this age, we have the ability to compete with teams we wouldn’t be able to compete with at an older age.”