Pagans watched international play on B.C. trip
U17 and U15 boys rugby teams may not be able to play this season because of the pandemic, but they brought back memories and gained experience on an exchange trip in March
A group of teenagers got a taste of international rugby before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
A mix of Peterborough Pagans U15 and U17 boys flew to Vancouver for a cultural exchange from March 2 to 9 and watched the HSBC World Sevens Rugby Series at BC Place. Pagans coach Mike Bubyn said the trip was a YMCAsponsored cultural exchange pairing the team with Earl Marriott Secondary School in Surrey, B.C., with players billeting for part of their trip with the host school. They played friendlies with their hosts before participating in the Vancouver Sevens Invitational.
They met Canada’s Sevens players at a meet and greet and stadium tour March 6, then attended the tournament March 7 and 8.
In addition to a cultural exchange, Bubyn wanted to expose his players to high-level rugby.
“For many of them, it was their first experience seeing sevens at that level in a crowd of 30,000 to 40,000,” Bubyn said.
“We have a lot of people who play hockey, football and other sports professionally in Canada. We wanted to show them that large stadium experience is part of rugby and, if they want to work hard and set that as a goal, it’s absolutely within the realm of possibility.”
Ben Hopkins, a Grade 11
Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School student, was born in B.C. but moved east at age three.
“It was an extraordinary experience,” Hopkins said. “It was a great thing to go back there and see where I was born and snowboard and meet so many cool people and play rugby.”
Seeing Canada play was special, he said.
“Seeing them do so well in our home city was a great environment. The inside of that stadium was electric,” Hopkins said.
“It was super cool to see rugby on the professional level and teams from all around the world,” said Emmett Rahiri, a Grade 9 Adam Scott Collegiate student.
“We met Team Canada and got pictures with them,” Rahiri said. “The Team Canada coach told us any one of us could be there one day, we just have to work hard.”
The Pagans faced stiff competition. B.C. teams play yearround and the tournament featured rep teams from various provinces and the United States.
“I was very proud of how we represented ourselves in any of the games,” Bubyn said.
“A lot of the guys hadn’t played sevens before,” Hopkins said.
“It was a big learning curve especially since we were playing in such a high-level rep tournament. It was a big eyeopener for the guys, but it was still great fun because we really got to test ourselves and push ourselves to the limit.”
“It was really cool to see all the talent from around the country,” Rahiri said. “It was a great experience to see what’s out there. It will definitely help being aware of the competition out there.”
The Pagans spent a day skiing and snowboarding on Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver.
Bubyn said it was a clubbuilding experience.
“Because it’s a club tour and not a school tour,” he said.
“They might not know each other as well as the guys they go to school with every day. To spend that time together and really bond was not only good culturally, to be involved with Earl Marriott, but it was good for Pagan rugby to strengthen the culture within the club.”
Within days of returning home, Canada went into lockdown to combat the pandemic. It’s unlikely the Pagans will play this summer.
“It’s been really difficult for not just the kids but us as coaches and the larger community, everyone who is a part of this,” Bubyn said.
“It’s tough to manage now. How do we stay connected community-wise without being able to do the thing we love most together.”