Courtenay's Thyssen De Goede is on the BC Bears senior men's provincial XV at the upcoming 2015 Canadian Rugby Championships (CRCs).
Thyssen, who plays for James Bay, is one of five players in the back row for the team, whose lineup was announced June 22 by BC Rugby.
"This is a team with both youth and experience,” said Dean Murten, BC Bears Director of Rugby. “We believe that this group will benefit from that mix. Our veteran players have a lot they can teach to some of the younger guys and this will be a great learning opportunity for them.”
The 2015 Bears roster will look considerably different from the one that knocked off national side Uruguay in the summer of 2014, but there continues to be strong depth in the backs and the team will once again look to play its trademark up-tempo style of rugby.
“There is a lot of pace in the lineup. We’ll have to work hard in the forwards to provide top quality ball for our backs, and if we can do that, we’ll be very competitive. Unlike previous campaigns, this year’s CRC structure is all about winning a single game. Anything can happen in one game, and we will be prepared for that pressure.”
The two-game series kicks off on Sunday, June 28 at 2 p.m. PT at the Calgary Rugby Park against the Prairie Wolf Pack. The winner will move on to play for the MacTier Cup on July 1 against either the Ontario Blues or the Atlantic Rock.
The games will be streamed live online at livestream.com/rugbycanadaofficial
The CRC official website is canadianrugbychampionship.com
The BC Bears senior men’s program is the pinnacle of the BC Rugby Union male high performance pathway and is the launching point for players aspiring to represent their national team.
Several players from the 2014 squad are currently involved in the national program, including Conor Trainor, Sean White and Admir Cejvanovic. The BC Bears enter the 2015 campaign looking to atone for a disappointing third place result at last year’s CRC’s.
The Canadian Rugby Championships is the highest level of domestic senior men’s rugby in Canada, with teams representing British Columbia, the Prairies, Ontario and the Atlantic provinces.
– BC Rugby Union