The Rock (rugby team)
Encyclopedia
The Rock, also known as the Atlantic Rock, are a Canadian
rugby union
team based in St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador. The team plays in the Canadian Rugby Championship
(CRC) and is intended to draw most of its players from the rugby unions of Canada's five Eastern provinces: Quebec
, New Brunswick
, Nova Scotia
, Prince Edward Island
(PEI) and Newfoundland & Labrador
.
The organization is a successor to the four Rugby Canada Super League (RCSL) teams of those unions (PEI did not have a team), and was created when the IRB and Rugby Canada
decided to create a "hemispheric" rugby competition - the ARC.
The Rock played their only home game of 2009 at Swilers Rugby Park
in St. John's.
, a single team that was a competitor in the IRB's NA4 North American rugby competition, the four RCSL teams in the area (Quebec Caribou
, New Brunswick Black Spruce
, Nova Scotia Keltics
and the Newfoundland Rock
) and local club rugby.
In 2009, Rugby Canada and the IRB decided to expand the NA4 competition to become the Americas Rugby Championship. In this new competition, there would be four Canadian teams (B.C.
, the Prairies
, Ontario
and one to represent all of Canada's five easternmost provinces. Additionally, the RCSL was disbanded, to be replaced with a new Under-20 league called the Rugby Canada National Junior Championship
. Effectively, this new senior competition (the ARC) replaced both of the top two (NA4, RCSL) tiers of senior men's Canadian rugby.
In 2010, the Rugby Canada changed the format of the Canadian competition of the ARC, introducing the CRC
. The 4 Canadian teams which competed in the ARC stayed the same, but now played in the CRC, with a Canadian Selects team being chosen from CRC players, and that selects team going on to represent Canada at the ARC.
Though St. John's is actually the 5th largest urban area in the region (after Montreal
, Quebec City
, Halifax and Gatineau
), it had a strong rugby community at the time the league was created. Specifically, it had a strong recent tradition of success in national competitions, with the Newfoundland Rock having won the RCSL's Eastern Division (which included Ontario teams) five of the seven years immediately preceding the creation of the ARC. Therefore, Rugby Canada decided to support the placement of the "Eastern / Atlantic
Canadian" team in St. John's.
Demonstrating the strength of the predecessor organization (and possibly as a result of the team's placement in St. John's), a majority of the team's initial squad had played for the Newfoundland Rock in previous years.
against the Prairie Wolf Pack
, and Toronto
against the Ontario Blues
), as well as one game at home in St. John's (against the BC Bears). If the team had been able to finish in one of the top two positions (of four), it would have won a place in the "Canada Semi-Final" of the ARC. The winner of that match played against the winner of USA Select XV vs. Argentina Jaguars for the inaugural championship.
The Rock played their first match on 4 September 2009, defeating the Prairie Wolf Pack 31-23 in Calgary. The Rock scored 5 tries, giving them a bonus point in the standings for having scored four or more. However, the season did not continue as successfully, with a close 9-8 loss at home in Newfoundland against the BC Bears, and a thorough 32-5 defeat against the Ontario Blues in Ontario. Thus, the Rock finished third in the ARC's Canadian Division, and did not advance to the playoff matches.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
team based in St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador. The team plays in the Canadian Rugby Championship
Canadian Rugby Championship
The Canadian Rugby Championship is an amateur rugby union competition contested by 4 Canadian teams annually. During the inaugural season in 2009, the champion of round robin play would go on to play in the Americas Rugby Championship. Starting from the 2010 season, a "Canada Select XV" is...
(CRC) and is intended to draw most of its players from the rugby unions of Canada's five Eastern provinces: Quebec
Rugby Quebec
Rugby Québec is the popular name of the Fédération de Rugby du Québec which is the provincial governing body for the sport of rugby union in the Canadian province of Québec. The Fédération de Rugby du Québec is affiliated with the Canadian Rugby Union.The Fédération de Rugby du Québec origins are...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick Rugby Union
The New Brunswick Rugby Union is the provincial administrative body for rugby union in New Brunswick.-External links:*...
, Nova Scotia
Rugby Nova Scotia
Rugby Nova Scotia is the provincial administrative body for rugby union in Nova Scotia....
, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island Rugby Union
The Prince Edward Island Rugby Union is the provincial administrative body for rugby union in Prince Edward Island....
(PEI) and Newfoundland & Labrador
Newfoundland Rugby Union
The Newfoundland Rugby Union is the provincial administrative body for rugby union in Newfoundland....
.
The organization is a successor to the four Rugby Canada Super League (RCSL) teams of those unions (PEI did not have a team), and was created when the IRB and Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada
Rugby Canada, is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in Canada. Rugby Canada was incorporated in 1974, and stems from the Canadian Rugby Football Union, a body established in 1884 that now governs amateur Canadian football as Football Canada; and the now-defunct Rugby Union of...
decided to create a "hemispheric" rugby competition - the ARC.
The Rock played their only home game of 2009 at Swilers Rugby Park
Swilers Rugby Park
Swilers Rugby Park is a Rugby union stadium in St. John's, Newfoundland....
in St. John's.
History
Prior to 2009, senior men's rugby east of Ontario had three levels: Canada EastCanada East
Canada East was the eastern portion of the United Province of Canada. It consisted of the southern portion of the modern-day Canadian Province of Quebec, and was primarily a French-speaking region....
, a single team that was a competitor in the IRB's NA4 North American rugby competition, the four RCSL teams in the area (Quebec Caribou
Quebec Caribou
The Quebec Caribou are a rugby union club based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Drawing players from rugby clubs throughout Quebec, the Caribou compete against other provincial teams in the Rugby Canada Super League....
, New Brunswick Black Spruce
New Brunswick Black Spruce
Black Spruce Rugby are a Canadian rugby union team based in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The team plays in the Rugby Canada Super League and draws most of its players from the New Brunswick Rugby Union....
, Nova Scotia Keltics
Nova Scotia Keltics
The Nova Scotia Keltics are a rugby team in Halifax, Nova Scotia that compete in the Rugby Canada Super League.They play their home games alternatively at the Wanderers Grounds and Graves Oakley....
and the Newfoundland Rock
Newfoundland Rock
The Newfoundland Rock are a Canadian rugby union team based in St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador. The team plays in the Rugby Canada National Junior Championship and draws most of its players from the Newfoundland Rugby Union, one of fourteen Rugby Unions that have representative teams in the...
) and local club rugby.
In 2009, Rugby Canada and the IRB decided to expand the NA4 competition to become the Americas Rugby Championship. In this new competition, there would be four Canadian teams (B.C.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, the Prairies
Canadian Prairies
The Canadian Prairies is a region of Canada, specifically in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political. Notably, the Prairie provinces or simply the Prairies comprise the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, as they are largely covered...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
and one to represent all of Canada's five easternmost provinces. Additionally, the RCSL was disbanded, to be replaced with a new Under-20 league called the Rugby Canada National Junior Championship
Rugby Canada National Junior Championship
The Rugby Canada National Junior Championship is a new amateur rugby union competition in Canada. The league was created when Rugby Canada decided to disband the Rugby Canada Super League and replace it with a new under-20 league. The league consists of 13 teams, and are broken up into 4...
. Effectively, this new senior competition (the ARC) replaced both of the top two (NA4, RCSL) tiers of senior men's Canadian rugby.
In 2010, the Rugby Canada changed the format of the Canadian competition of the ARC, introducing the CRC
Canadian Rugby Championship
The Canadian Rugby Championship is an amateur rugby union competition contested by 4 Canadian teams annually. During the inaugural season in 2009, the champion of round robin play would go on to play in the Americas Rugby Championship. Starting from the 2010 season, a "Canada Select XV" is...
. The 4 Canadian teams which competed in the ARC stayed the same, but now played in the CRC, with a Canadian Selects team being chosen from CRC players, and that selects team going on to represent Canada at the ARC.
Though St. John's is actually the 5th largest urban area in the region (after Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, Halifax and Gatineau
Gatineau
Gatineau is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is the fourth largest city in the province. It is located on the northern banks of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario, and together they form Canada's National Capital Region. Ottawa and Gatineau comprise a single Census...
), it had a strong rugby community at the time the league was created. Specifically, it had a strong recent tradition of success in national competitions, with the Newfoundland Rock having won the RCSL's Eastern Division (which included Ontario teams) five of the seven years immediately preceding the creation of the ARC. Therefore, Rugby Canada decided to support the placement of the "Eastern / Atlantic
Atlantic Canada
Atlantic Canada is the region of Canada comprising the four provinces located on the Atlantic coast, excluding Quebec: the three Maritime provinces – New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia – and Newfoundland and Labrador...
Canadian" team in St. John's.
Demonstrating the strength of the predecessor organization (and possibly as a result of the team's placement in St. John's), a majority of the team's initial squad had played for the Newfoundland Rock in previous years.
2009 season
The team's 2009 schedule included two away games (in CalgaryCalgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
against the Prairie Wolf Pack
Prairie Wolf Pack
The Prairie Wolf Pack is a Canadian rugby union team representing the Prairies region in the Canadian Rugby Championship. The Wolf Pack's inaugural season includes a home game at the Calgary Rugby Park against The Rock and away games at the BC Bears and Ontario Blues.-Current squad:Squad for the...
, and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
against the Ontario Blues
Ontario Blues
The Ontario Blues are the senior men's representative rugby team for Ontario. They were founded in 2009 to compete in the Americas Rugby Championship against other representative teams from Canada, Argentina, and the United States...
), as well as one game at home in St. John's (against the BC Bears). If the team had been able to finish in one of the top two positions (of four), it would have won a place in the "Canada Semi-Final" of the ARC. The winner of that match played against the winner of USA Select XV vs. Argentina Jaguars for the inaugural championship.
The Rock played their first match on 4 September 2009, defeating the Prairie Wolf Pack 31-23 in Calgary. The Rock scored 5 tries, giving them a bonus point in the standings for having scored four or more. However, the season did not continue as successfully, with a close 9-8 loss at home in Newfoundland against the BC Bears, and a thorough 32-5 defeat against the Ontario Blues in Ontario. Thus, the Rock finished third in the ARC's Canadian Division, and did not advance to the playoff matches.
Current squad
Squad for the 2011 Canadian Rugby Championship seasonProps
Hookers
Locks
|
Loose forwards
Half backs
Fly halfs
|
Centres
Wings
Full backs
|