| Rugby
Humour
Forwards frequently claim it is ‘shear hell’ up front.
A comment fervently supported by a back on the rare occasion of
his accidental presence in this arena of the game. Based on the
following answer to a University mid term chemistry question we
may have to revise the expression.
Question: Is hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs
heat)?
Most students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle’s
Law (gas cool when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or
some variant.
One student, however, wrote the following;
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time.
So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell
and the rate at which they are leaving.
I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell,
it will not leave. Therefore no souls are leaving.
As for how many souls are entering Hell, let’s look at the
different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these
religions state that if you are not a member of their religion,
you will go to hell.
Since there is more than one religion and since people do not belong
to more than one religion, we can project all souls go to Hell.
With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number
of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the
rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle’s Law states
that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the
same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as the souls
are added.
This gives two possibilities:
- If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which
souls enter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will
increase until all Hell breaks loose.
- If Hell is expanding at a faster rate than the increase of souls
in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell
freezes over. So which is it then?
If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman
year that, ‘It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with
you”, and take into account that I slept with her last night,
then number 2 must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic
and has already frozen over.
The corollary of this theory is that – since Hell has frozen
over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore,
extinct…leaving only Heaven thereby proving the existence of
a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting
“Oh my God”.
This student received the only A.
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RUGBY
IN BRITISH COLUMBIA-AN ABBREVIATED HISTORY
Doug Sturrock, Honorary Historian, BCRU
Beginning to 1919
It
is most likely that rugby got its start in BC in the late 1860’s
or early 1870’s when brief mention of ‘football’
appeared in print, but most certainly it was played regularly after
1876 in Victoria by local players and by sailors on the British ships
stationed at Esquimalt. Vancouver’s first match was in 1887
just two years before the BCRU was organized in New Westminster. The
first clubs, Vancouver, Nanaimo and Victoria, had a few home-and-home
games until 1895 when the McKechnie Cup was donated for play among
these three clubs. Nanaimo dropped out of the competition for a short
time but when the Vancouver and Victoria Rugby Unions were organized
in 1907, the McKechnie Cup matches were strongly contested. Rugby
was played mainly in Vancouver and Victoria where more teams were
organized after 1907 but Cowichan, Nanaimo, Kelowna and Kamloops also
had sides briefly.
When football fell into disfavor by many United States colleges and
universities in 1905, rugby became the game of choice at Stanford
University, the University of California and several other colleges
in California. Up to 1913, exchanges between Victoria, Vancouver and
the two universities took place annually for the J. Cooper Keith Trophy.
British Columbia’s first outgoing tours were in 1893 when Victoria
went to Portland and in 1894 when British Columbia went to the Midwinter
Fair in San Francisco. British Columbia was a favorite destination
for Anglo-Welsh (1908), Australia (1909), New South Wales (1912) and
New Zealand (1913) sides before the First World War. Vancouver’s
first two matches were against New Zealand in 1906 in Berkeley and
San Francisco where New Zealand won both. Calgary’s visit to
Vancouver and Victoria in 1912 gave better players a measuring stick
for their talents.
In addition to the McKechnie and Keith Cups, other trophies were donated
for competition: Barnard, Miller, Tisdall, and Province. Victoria
High School was the first to field a team but as schools opened and
as boys left school sides were organized to accommodate them. By 1914,
many boys who began their rugby in school were playing representative
rugby for their city.
Little rugby was played during the years of World War I when many
men who had been active in the game joined the armed forces but some
did play overseas for regimental sides or for the Canadian Expeditionary
Force team in 1919.
1919 to 1945
Much growth occurred in this period, primarily in Vancouver and Victoria.
The University of British Columbia (UBC) entered competition and Stanford
renewed its connection. The California Universities and UBC contended
for the World Cup, new clubs were formed and other trophies (Cowichan,
Heyland, Rounsefell, Bell-Irving) were donated. British Columbia sent
teams to California three times (1932, 1934, 1939).
Visits by New Zealand (1925), New Zealand Maori (1927), New South
Wales (1928), Japan (1930) and New Zealand (1936) allowed local fans
the opportunity to see local teams test quality sides from abroad.
After the national governing body, the Rugby Union of Canada, was
formed in 1929 its representative team contained mostly British Columbia
players when it toured Japan in 1932. Ex-King George and the North
Shore All Blacks led the Rounsefell Cup tally, yet UBC’s 1937
team ranks among the best.
Edmonton and Dalhousie University made Vancouver a destination and
UBC traveled by train to Montreal, Hamilton, Toronto and Winnipeg
for matches in 1930. On Vancouver Island, Victoria College and military
entries like Navy, Fifth Brigade and Canadian Scottish were stiff
competition for Oak Bay and James Bay. The Howard Russell Trophy (Victoria)
and the New Zealand Shield (Vancouver and District) became the major
school trophies.
Organized club competition was suspended during the years of World
War II though a few matches occurred.
1945-1966
In the years before professional ice hockey and football dominated
the sport pages in winter, rugby received its fair share of coverage
in the Vancouver and Victoria newspapers. The McKechnie, Rounsefell
and World Cups were much prized by its winners. British Columbia ventured
once again to California in 1947. UBC was very strong immediately
after the War and Vancouver’s Kats began a 15-year domination
as the most-feared and talented senior side. Kats successful tour
to Japan in 1961 was a groundbreaker as they, a club, had been invited
by the Japan Rugby Football Union.
Other countries continued send prime teams to British Columbia, such
as Australia (1948, 1958), Queen’s University (1953), Oxford-Cambridge
(1955), Barbarians (1957), British Lions (1959, 1966), Yawata Iron
and Steel(1960), New Zealand Universities (1962), Japan (1963), Scotland
(1964), Fiji (1964) and New Zealand (1954, 1964, 1967). Canada’s
team to the United Kingdom in 1962 was dominated by British Columbia
players and when the Canadian Rugby Union was re-formed in 1965 BC’s
Bob Spray was its first president.
Inter-provincial competition in 1958 and 1959 set the stage for British
Columbia’s 1959 Japan tour and the 1966-1995 Carling Bowl and
Labatt Trophy match-ups.
A season’s end seven-a-side tournament was first held in Vancouver
in 1956 for the Spray Cup and the Jack Patterson Memorial Trophy was
first awarded in 1964.
1966-1986
Unprecedented growth took place in this period. New clubs emerged
outside the lower mainland, new unions (Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island,
Okanagan Mainland, Central Interior) were formed to oversee competition
in those areas and new trophies (Dunbar, Japan, Brockington) were
donated. The Canadian national men’s team played more matches
at home and abroad, for which many British Columbia players were often
selected. With airlines now the preferred method of long distance
travel, touring overseas became commonplace for clubs and schools.
UBC’s one month tour of the eastern United States and across
Canada in May, 1969, was the first of its kind for a British Columbia
side. James Bay established a record of seven Rounsefell Cup victories
from 1974 to 1980.
When Canada played touring international teams at home British Columbia
was often included in the match calendar. New Zealand (1967, 1972),
Australia (1971), Wales (1973), Barbarians (1976), Japan (1976) and
England (1982). In addition, first class overseas teams discovered
that spring was a mecca for their year-end tour: Middlesex, Bridgend,
New South Wales, New South Wales Country, Cardiff, Aberavon and Newport.
British Columbia made four tours in this period, to Japan (1970),
England and Wales (1976), Western Samoa and Fiji (1978) and California
(1982).
The 18 acres of land purchased by the BCRU in 1967 was never developed
and eventually sold. The Union hired its first employee, a development
coordinator, a handbook was soon produced and summer games competitions
for regional age-groups were initiated.
Referee societies in Vancouver and Victoria initiated referee exchanges.
Club and school tours, both incoming and outgoing and too numerous
to mention in this article, reached an all-time high. A boys’
provincial high school championship started in 1971 and under 17 and
under 19 teams were started in some clubs. When the Canadian under
19 inter-provincial tournament was first held in 1976, British Columbia
was its first winner.
1986-2004
The huge growth of women’s rugby, the introduction of mini-rugby
for boys and girls and age-group championships demonstrated the diversity
of people now playing the game. An executive director was hired, a
supporter’s club took an active role, the West Coast Women’s
Rugby Association was started and sponsorship was sought and welcomed
by clubs and unions. Seven-a side tournaments sprang up in the least
likely of places like Cowichan, Whistler and Williams Lake, and coaching
jamborees became an annual event.
BCRU sent its senior men’s team to England and Wales in 1988
and then celebrated its centenary season in 1989-90 hosting international
teams from Australia, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand and Wales B. The
New Zealand under 21 tour became an annual one. As a result of the
1995 Rugby World Cup, a new premier division for the very best players
was introduced. The beginning of the National Super League, the most
recent winner being Vancouver Island, spelled the end of the Labatt
Trophy competition.
Most recently, a Chief Operating Officer was hired and youth development
officers were appointed.
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