Collingwood’s rugby program is considered one of the best in Canada. It is a program steeped in history and tradition, even though our School is only 40 years old. A big part of the success is due to our tradition of touring. 

In the early years, all rugby was played in the fall against other ISA schools.
This made life incredibly difficult for the upstart Collingwood program as they were facing established and powerful rugby schools such as Brentwood, Shawnigan Lake, St. George’s and Saint Michaels University School. Wins were hard to come by in those early years. There were many Saturdays spent travelling to the Island to be thrashed in three or four straight games.

The turning point for the program happened when Roger Hatch and Dave Speirs identified a particularly keen group of students in Gr. 6 and 7. A decision was made to take a Gr. 7/8 team to England in 1992. This 10-day tour hosted by Salisbury College featured five games against English schools. It was a tour unlike any that would follow, as the coaches’ main concern was keeping the young Canadian boys away from Easter candy so they wouldn’t get upset stomachs before games. However, the tradition of rugby touring was established, and the program began to take off.

In 1995, an even bigger tour followed as Collingwood headed off on a five-week tour of the South Pacific. A traditional summer in Canada was given up for games in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji. This was truly a trip of a lifetime for these boys as they developed into excellent rugby players and learned a lot about the world.

With Collingwood’s rugby program now established, success at the
provincial championships began to follow. We earned a berth in the BC AA Championships for the first time in 1996. Since then, the Cavs have won 11 provincial golds, seven silvers and five bronzes. No other AA school can come close to these records.

Collingwood was once again on tour this March when the Cavs visited New Zealand and Australia. This was the 17th international rugby tour for our School, with a record 57 boys representing their school, family and Canada on a wonderful adventure of sport and travel. The tradition continues!

This story first appeared in the Spring 2025 edition of Bridge, and is authored by Athletics Director, David Speirs.