United Rugby Club - Douglas History

Douglas History

The Douglas Rugby Club was established in the spring of 1971 when a group of Douglas College students, organized by Gert Van Niekerk, took part in a 7-a-side tournament hosted by Malaspina College of Nanaimo. That fall, the Douglas College team joined the Pacific Intercollegiate League and finished second with a record of 5-5-1. The team was captained by Howie Martfelt,

In 1972, the team won the Totem Conference Championship, playing against the other community colleges in the province. That year’s captain was Dave Jagger. Without suffering one defeat, the team continued as Totem Conference champions for the next two years. By this time, the alumni team had formed and took part in a series of exhibition games against local clubs.

In 1975, the Douglas College Rugby Club entered two teams in the Fraser Valley Rugby Union 2nd Division. In their first year, the A-Side won the championship and was promoted to the 1st Division for the 1976-1977 season. By the fall of 1977, the club had teams in all three divisions of the FVRU and the 1st Division side won both the league and playoff titles. At the end of that season, the club voted to change its name to simply become the Douglas Rugby Club. The college team had ceased to exist, but the club continued to recruit players from the college.

Douglas had enjoyed continued success since its inception, particularly with its 1st Division team. The squad won numerous FVRU league titles and playoff championships in 1981, 1983 and 1992. On more than one occasion, the 2nd and 3rd XV have each been champions. The collegiate team was revived in 1990 and won the Northwest Intercollegiate Rugby Union (NIRU) Championship in 1993.

Douglas first tested the waters in women’s rugby in 1974. The team beat Capilano College 36-4 in the Totem Conference Collegiate 7-a-side Tournament. The first serious attempt at women’s rugby occurred in the spring of 1977 when a team was formed under the tutelage of Burt Kirby, Mark Andrews and Mark Ovenden. The team was called the Loose Ruckers. They played in the first ever women’s 15-a-side match in the Lower Mainland, on March 6, 1977 against UBC at Jericho Park, losing 8-0.

There was very little competition at this time and, after a couple of years of exhibition games, the team dissolved. Some of the original members included Elanie Benson, Sara Lee Liner, Rita Boon, Barb Kirby, Diana Nygaard, Edie Naylor, and Marge Naylor.

Douglas revived its women’s program in the fall of 1991 when a team was entered in the recently formed West Coast Women’s Rugby Association (WCWRA). Other teams in the league were Vancouver Rowing Club, Ex-Britannia Lions, and the University of Victoria. Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia also had teams playing a series of exhibition matches. During the first year, the Douglas women were probationary club members. They were accepted for full membership by the 1993-1994 season.

The women’s program continued to grow stronger, especially with the support of Lou Rene Legge and the Douglas College Athletic Department. In the fall of 1995 the first ever Douglas College Women’s Scholarships were awarded to Anne Carnochan and Stephanie Biggar.

With expansion of the WCWRA to twelve teams in 1995, Douglas began the year in 2nd Division. After going undefeated for the first half of that season, the team beat UBC Old Boys 10-8 to gain promotion to the 1st Division. The women enjoyed their most successful season in 1996 with a record of 13-3-1, losing to eventual champions Ex-Britannia Lions in the BC semi-final.

In the fall of 1996, Douglas expanded its women’s program to include two teams. The 1st Division squad enjoyed continued success and the 2nd XV won the BC Championship in 1998. The 1st XV, in the re-dubbed Premiere Division, won championships in 2001 and 2002, while the 2nd Division team won a title in 2003 along with the Under-19 Girls.

Perhaps the most successful female player to come out of the Douglas program was Kelly McCallum. Her rugby career began almost by accident. McCallum, still dressed in her soccer gear, showed up early to watch the Douglas men play. Finding only a women's match in progress, she decided to stick around and watch. As the team was short one player, McCallum was asked to fill-in on the wing. Quickly taking to the game, she made her way up the ranks to the National Senior Women’s Team. McCallum went on to captain Canada in Edmonton during the 2006 Women's Rugby World Cup, before her retirement.

History provided courtesy of United Rugby Club executive member