Rugby in Canada

quinys13

I am an AIL player who is finding it difficult getting work here in Ireland at present.I saw that Usit are doing an under 35s working holiday visa.I was wondering where best to go to play Rugby with best chances of getting hooked up with a job.I have a degree from UL in Sport and Exercise Science.

JonnyF

I played a season with the Toronto Nomads who play in the Marshall Premiership, the top level of club competition in the East. It's a summer season in Eastern Canada and what a lot of the top guys will do is play the summer in Ontario and Winter in Vancouver.
The level of play is decent enough as there are a lot of imports and the clubs are very good at helping you find work. I found my club by going to the Toronto Rugby websitre, think it's www.torontorugby.com and emailed some of the big teams directly from there. The Nomads came back to me quickest and had other guys coming over so we were able to live together. There's another club you might try Irish Canadian RFC who are also based in Toronto but there's foreigners on every team these days.
Good luck with it.

PhosphoricAcid

Are Canada any good ? better than the USA?

JonnyF

they're usually a good deal better than the US in test matches. I know the US beat Canada while I was over there last year but that was in florida and it was tight enough, 18 9 or something. in the return fixture the canucks smoked them by a big margin.
At club level it's more even but that's mainly down to the amount of imports in the clubs on both sides of the border

andrewdcs

I know from buddies living there that there are plenty of work opportunities in Vancouver, they have a new semi pro franchise (BC Bears) and plenty of well established rugby clubs.
http://www.bcrugby.com/index.php?submenu=About_Us

I think Meraloma are the biggest club in the city, but victoria (on the Island) and all the surrounding towns have clubs too. Victoria is quiet enough in the winter but is a cracking town. Vancouver city is where you want to be, amazing place.

Spaceman Spiff

Alberta or BC are really the only places to go, if only because Ontario is hard up for jobs nowadays (that said if you got in with a rugby club you'd have an easier time).

BC has the best rugby (or at least has more good teams) but their season runs in the winter while Alberta is in the summer. Many players (mostly Kiwis and Aussies) have done the summer here in Calgary, then gone to the coast for the winter before heading home.

I should point out that the BC Bears are one of Canada's NA8 teams and you have to be Canada eligible to play, so if you plan to come in the spring Calgary would be your best bet for both work and rugby. If you're coming in August/September or so, then head to Vancouver.

Offside

Is there much hope of getting hooked up with a coaching job out there? I'm a foundation level IRFU coach and have done a refereeing course as well, coach in my old school at 13's, 14's and sometimes junior level. Thought I might apply to work in a summer camp or possibly just do the odd bit of coaching if there aren't any on, anyone coached this level in Canada?

Edit: I'll be in vancouver btw