A handful of Abbotsford youth rugby talent are competing at the Canadian Rugby Championship in Calgary, which run until Sunday.
Several local players were selected on the B.C. Rugby U15 to U17 boys and girls teams at the event in the Alberta city.
Abbotsford players heading to the event include: Brock McCartney (U17 boys), Braden Verleur (U17 boys), Kashish Arya (U17 girls), Tayler Bailey (U17 girls), Hunter Czeppel (U17 girls), Cheye Gustafson (U17 girls), George Brown (U16 boys), George Piper (U16 boys), Jace Webster (U16 boys), Rowan Bridger (U16 boys), Connor Paivarinta (U16 boys), Matt Turi (U16 boys), Sarah Meier (U16 girls), Emily Meier (U16 girls), Michalea Sweeting (U16 girls), Natalia Takhar (U16 girls), Henry Brown (U15 boys), Josiah Levale (U15 boys) and Phoenix Miller (U15 boys).
A total of six teams will compete in both the boys’ and girls’ tournaments against opponents from the other provinces.
A number of B.C. teams will be facing off against older competition, with the U17 Boys and Girls competing in the U18 tournament while the U15 Boys will take part in the U16 tournament.
Build up to the championships has taken place over the last three months, with the selection process including the Provincial Regional Championships (PRCs), training camps and matches against touring teams. In total, 145 players from across the country will travel to Calgary for an action packed week. In a tournament consisting of 65 matches, B.C. players will rack up almost 600 hours of competitive rugby. Opponents will include Quebec, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Newfoundland & Labrador, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for our age grade talent to step up and be counted,” stated Dean Murten, Senior Manager for Rugby Growth and Development in B.C. “We are making a concerted effort to improve development within the BC Rugby Rep Team program and hope that the players will really gain something from the tournament.”
Games for all divisions opened on Tuesday and conclude on Sunday.
Live streaming of some games will be available on sportscanada.tv/rugbycanada.
For more information, visit canadianrugbychampionships.com.