Bryan Ray

CO-FOUNDER / EDITOR / NORTH AMERICA ... has been writing about Canadian rugby since 1998 for various publications. Also talks sports (and sometimes other things) on CBC Radio. Former player of 20+ years, coach, and senior referee.

Heaton Ready to Tackle All Comers

When he’s not busy throwing his body in front of small buses disguised as human beings, Matt Heaton can often be found moving heavy inanimate objects on iron bars. A casual glance at his social media postings will tell you that the hours required in the gym by a professional …

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Notes from the North

Once again we’ve drifted far too long between entries. With so much going on behind the scenes it’s hard to keep track of what’s most important in Canadian rugby right now but in this column we’ll try to focus on the immediate concerns – the Women’s World Cup, the CRC, …

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The Straight Feed – Fixing the Fixers

It’s now July 4. Independence Day for those who hail from South of the 49th. Or holed up at the Alaskan Mountain Grounds. The Eagles have now been celebrating for the best part of three days straight. Not only did they steal Canada’s spot in the World Cup, they also …

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USA vs Canada – The Keys to Victory

The day of reckoning is upon us and come Saturday evening there will be one more team with anime invitations in their inbox. While the game in Hamilton was exciting from a spectator’s point of view, it was rife with errors from both teams and in terms of execution left …

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Why Canada must win on Saturday

International rugby is about winning. That goes for every minute of every match. Winning the set piece, winning the collisions, whatever battle that needs to be won to walk away victorious. In sport, however, some games are more important than others. The knock-outs. Local derbies. Cup finals. The Americas 1 …

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Notes from the North

It’s been a while since the last issue and there’s simply too much to talk about all at once, but here are some updates and comments on a few of the more prominent topics being passed around Canadian rugby quarters at the moment. More to come next week. HIGH FIVE …

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The Straight Feed – Woe Canada

Now that the euphoria of the Vancouver 7s has faded it’s time to get back to serious business. To steal a phrase from Chris LeFevre’s open letter, Canadian rugby is ‘heading into the abyss’ and it’s time to start clawing our way out. Conveniently Rugby Canada’s Annual General Meeting is this …

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