Well, I'm excited to see our team go. We
have an outstanding team. It's a little bit
under the radar in the world of rugby—we
don't get the recognition that the team
wants and deserves. They beat New Zea-
land this summer—people wait a rugby
lifetime to beat New Zealand. We've
won tournaments. We're building some
momentum for that group.
How are sales going for the
tournament?
They're okay; I'd like them to be better.
This will be our first home match in '24.
If we weren't hosting this tournament, we
wouldn't be able to have home matches.
The last time we hosted a game was in
Ottawa in July 2023 and we got over 10,000
people for Canada against the Black Ferns
[New Zealand's women's team]. We're hop-
ing for crowds of that nature, but it's a dif-
ferent kind of tournament.
How is the Canadian rugby scene
developing? Are people paying
attention?
There's a strong heritage of rugby in this
country. Particularly in this province, in this
part of the world. I always say Vancouver is
the best rugby city in North America. And
the metrics back it up. There's a lot of pas-
sion and support for the sport. Look at how
many rugby folks are going into the BC
Sports Hall of Fame this year. It is a rec-
ognized sport in this part of the world,
which is fantastic. If our women can
Originally from the U.S., Nathan
Bombrys spent over two decades
overseeing professional rugby in the
U.K., including time guiding one of
Scotland's top clubs. About two and
a half years ago, he was named
CEO
of Rugby Canada. We met at the
organization's Downtown
Vancouver office (it also has
an outpost in Langford) to
talk about the challenges
Rugby Canada faces, as well
as the economic impact it's
bringing to the province.
by Nathan Caddell
You're currently
overseeing WXV, the
annual international
women's rugby union
competition. The second
edition takes place in
Vancouver and Langley
over three weeks. What
are your expectations
for the tournament?
