British Columbia Rugby Union


The British Columbia Rugby Union is the provincial administrative body for rugby union in British Columbia, Canada. The BCRU consists of nine sub-unions and 65 clubs. It was originally organized in New Westminster in 1889 where Alfred St. George Hamersley, the former England rugby union captain and recent immigrant to Vancouver, and member of Vancouver Football Club, became the first President. The same man is credited with founding the Amateur Athletic Club of British Columbia. and previously had introduced the game of rugby to the youth of South Canterbury, New Zealand. The current headquarters is on the west side of Vancouver.
British Columbia is considered a hotspot for rugby in Canada, as its mild weather allows the sport to be played year round.
The BCRU is responsible for organizing the Canadian Direct Insurance Premier League, the provincial men's club championship, and the Ruth Hellerud-Brown Senior Women's Premier Competition. It also oversees provincial representative teams which compete for national championships organised by Rugby Canada.
The BCRU also has a British Columbia Rugby Hall of Fame.

The BC Premier League

The BC Premier League is the highest level of amateur rugby in British Columbia. Many current and former Canadian internationals have participated in the league as well as number of high level foreign born players. The champions of the league's playoff system is awarded the Rounsfell Cup.

Participating Clubs (2018-19)

The BC Premier League is open to a maximum of 12 teams and features the following clubs from Vancouver Island, Washington state and the Lower Mainland.
TeamGroundCity/AreaFounded
Burnaby LakeBurnaby Lake Sports ComplexBurnaby1994
CapilanoKlahanie ParkNorth Shore1969
Castaway WanderersWindsor ParkOak Bay1906
James BayMacDonald ParkVictoria1886
MeralomasConnaught ParkKitsilano1923
Nanaimo HornetsPioneer ParkNanaimo1988
RavensJericho ParkPoint Grey1974
RowersBrockton OvalVancouver1908
Seattle SaracensStarfire SportsSeattle2014
UBC ThunderbirdsWolfson FieldUniversity of British Columbia1906
UVIC VikesWallace FieldUniversity of Victoria1963
Westshore ValhalliansJuan de FucaLangford1969

Province Wide First Division

Participating Clubs (2018-19)

The Province Wide First Division includes 6 teams from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley.
TeamGroundCity/AreaFounded
AbbotsfordCFV Exhibition ParkAbbotsford1972
Bayside SharksSouth Surrey Athletic ParkWhite Rock1987
Cowichan PiggiesHerd RoadDuncan1962
Port Alberni Black SheepPort Alberni Rugby ParkPort Alberni1979
Surrey BeaversSullivan HeightsSurrey1972
UnitedHume ParkTri-Cities2005

Province Wide Second Division

Participating Clubs (2018-19)

The Province Wide Second Division includes 11 teams, with reserve sides from clubs in both the Province Wide First Division and the BC Premier League as well as the following clubs from the Lower Mainland, the Thompson-Okanagan region and the Fraser Valley.
TeamGroundCity/AreaFounded
Brit-LionsJohn Oliver ParkDelta1928
Kamloops RaidersExhibition ParkKamloops1968
Kelowna CrowsParkinson Recreation CentreKelowna1969
LangleyCrush CrescentLangley1969
ScribesJohn Hendry ParkEast Vancouver1967
SFU ClanSimon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser University1965

Province Wide Third Division

Participating Clubs (2018-19)

The Province Wide Third Division is split into 5 conferences, the Mainland League, the Island League, the Okanagan League, the Kootenay League and the Interior League. The Mainland and Island leagues compete during the fall, winter and spring while the Okanagan, Kootenay and Interior leagues compete during the spring and summer. The champions of the league's 5 conferences play for the Saratoga Cup each Fall.

Mainland League

This league includes 12 teams, with reserve sides from clubs in the Province Wide First Division, the Province Wide Second Division and the BC Premier League as well as the following clubs from the Lower Mainland and the Fraser Valley.

Island League

This league includes 4 teams, with reserve sides from clubs in the BC Premier League as well as the following club from Vancouver Island.
TeamGroundCity/AreaFounded
Comox Valley KickersCumberland Village ParkComox Valley1889

Interior League

This league includes 4 teams from the Cariboo, Skeena, Northern Interior and North Coast.