Wednesday, March 27, 2019
by Mary P Brooke ~ West Shore Voice News
The Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour brought the iconic Webb Ellis Cup to Victoria and the BC Parliament Buildings on Tuesday March 26 for a celebration of rugby.
Ahead of a formal acknowledgement of the cup by Premier John Horgan and other VIPs, youth who are learning the game with BC Rugby tossed around the rugby ball for two hours on the lawn out front of the BC Legislative Buildings. Where rain had earlier been predicted, bright sunny skies prevailed on the slightly cool day.
The trophy was showcased but by tradition can only be touched by players on the team that wins it.
The ninth Rugby World Cup (RWC) will take place in Japan this year from September 20 to November 2, 2019. That’s the first time the tournament will be hosted in Asia.
Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team continues their storied tradition of attending every RWC dating back to the tournament’s inception in 1987. Canada will compete against Italy (Sep 26), New Zealand (Oct 2), South Africa (Oct 8) and Namibia (Oct 13) in Pool B in various cities around the country.
Attending with Premier Horgan and sharing the podium on the legislature lawn was BC Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Lisa Beare, and World Rugby Hall of Fame inductee Gareth Rees.
The Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour started in Victoria and Langford, followed by visits to Vancouver and Toronto during the rest of this week.
Premier Horgan, along with Minister Beare, and former Canada World Cup captain Gareth Rees addressed the crowd about the iconic trophy and recognized the accomplishments of the World Cup-bound Men’s XV team and the HSBC Canada Sevens.
The fourth annual HSBC Canada Sevens wrapped up competition at BC Place in Vancouver March 9 & 10, an event that attracted almost 74,000 fans over the two-day tournament.
Premier Horgan also expressed excitement for the upcoming HSBC Canada Women’s Sevens, coming up on Mother’s Day weekend, May 11 & 12 at Westhills Stadium in Langford. That will be the second-to-last stop on the HSBC World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series; third-ranked Canada will be fighting to secure Olympic qualification with a home field advantage.
“I’m so proud of the work that Canada has done—not just with Sevens—but of course we’re going to the World Cup in Japan in September,” said Premier Horgan.
Canada claimed the 20th and final spot in the Rugby World Cup 2019 in November 2018 in France. They will head to Japan this fall to compete against the All Blacks, South Africa, Namibia, and Italy and fight for a chance to bring the Webb Ellis back to Canada.
“It’s really important for us the support we get here. Not only to run our programs but to be able to hold big events that attract new kids and new families to the game,” said Rees, who is a veteran of four Rugby World Cups.
The Rugby World Cup 2019 Trophy Tour stopped off in Vancouver today, before heading east to Toronto and Ottawa to finish off the Canadian-leg of its journey. The Cup will then stop in South America before heading to Japan in June, as they countdown 100 days until the third-largest sporting event in the world kicks off.
Tickets to the HSBC Canada Women’s Sevens: https://www.canadasevens.com/womens/tickets/