Two-time defending U18 national champions British Columbia have released their roster for the Rugby Canada Canada National Festival, Aug. 7-11 at the University of British Columbia Aug. 7-11. The 25-player roster includes Foster Dewitt of G.P. Vanier Secondary School.
Coaching tandem Jeff Williams and Ramses Langston will return for a third straight year as the program seeks a rare three-peat. The coaching staff held a final selection camp this past weekend at Shawnigan Lake School where they were able to fine tune their squad heading into the tournament.
"Our camp went really well and we had 30 guys in attendance," said Williams. "We've been working a lot on our defence and putting in the hard yards and focusing on our tackling."
The squad is one of the faster teams to be assembled at the U18 level according to Williams, who says opponents will learn pretty quickly that they like to play some high-tempo rugby.
Playing at home has its challenges, Williams says, but the selection process of seeing the top talent in action at the club, high school and at the recent B2Gold Provincial Regional Championships has him convinced this squad is up to the task.
B.C.'s opening match will be a repeat of the 2012 national final where they downed Alberta 40-16 in Sherbrooke, Que. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 4:30 p.m. B.C. will also face Ontario (Thursday, Aug. 8 1:30 p.m.) and Newfoundland (Friday, Aug. 9 3 p.m.) in the round-robin before the playoff rounds start on Saturday, Aug. 10.
For more information on the National Festival Championships including team rosters, schedules and news, visit www.nationalfestivalrugby.com.
– British Columbia Rugby Union