Have you ever heard of a scrum, a ruck or a maul? Have you ever been a loosehead, a tighthead or a blindside flanker? If you’ve heard these terms before, you know about one of the most popular sports in the world – rugby!
While not a well-known sport in Ontario, in places like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa it is followed with great interest – second only to soccer. British Columbia has the most active rugby scene in Canada.
Rugby is growing quickly in high schools across Canada and is very strong in the local high schools of Caledon. One of the longest running rugby programs exists at Mayfield Secondary School where Kirk Robertson has been a coach for many years.
One of Kirk Robertson’s most successful protégés has been Ryan Smith, a graduate of Herb Campbell Elementary School and Mayfield’s class of 98. Ryan Smith currently plays professional rugby for US Montauban in south western France. The team is part of France’s most elite league called the Top 14 division. Ryan has represented Canada in 34 games around the world and scored 4 “tries.” He played for Canada in the 2003 and 2007 World Cups.
“Kirk Robertson is the main reason I am where I am today. He was a good coach. He understands the game completely and his passion for it is contagious.”
After high school, Ryan did two years at the University of Guelph before signing on for a four-year run with the Oak Bay Castaway Wanderers in Victoria, B.C. and two years with Pacific Pride. He then moved to Calgary where he played for the Canadian Sevens team and travelled all over the world playing tournaments under the International Rugby Board.
Ryan’s first big professional break came when he signed his first contract with the Southland Stags in Invercargill, New Zealand. “It was as close as you could get to Antarctica.” Ryan recalls with a smile. “New Zealand is a lot like Canada actually, and they’re rugby mad.”
After New Zealand, Ryan toured with the Canadian team in France and Romania and was invited to a three-week trial with US Montauban. They signed him to a professional contract and he’s been living and playing in south western France for the past two and half seasons.
When asked about his French, Ryan responds, “I can get by.” On a team of 36 players there are about six who are English speaking. Most are French, but there are players from New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Argentina and Romania. “It’s a great group, very international.” On the differences between life in Caledon and France, Ryan replies, “Miles apart! It was real culture shock at first, a totally different pace. They take longer lunch breaks. Everything is slower. On Sunday, everything is closed. Once you slow down your pace though, it’s pretty nice. There’s a lot less stress. Oh yeah, and the food is amazing. The wine is the best in the world. On the downside, a lot of people smoke. It’s embedded in the culture.”
Ryan plans to be back in Canada this summer to get married and start looking around for a second career. An avid golfer all his life, he is considering becoming a golf pro.
Looking back over his career, he recalls his two highest points. The first was his first selection to play for the Canadian national team in 2003. The other was a particular game played against Fiji in Hong Kong in 2005. “Fiji was the favourite team and this was the biggest Sevens tournament in the world. We beat them in front of 40,000 people. That was a great game!”
Ryan would like to see rugby grow in Canada. He estimates there are currently about 30-40,000 registered players here. A typical game might get about 8,000 people out. The biggest centers for the sport are currently Vancouver, Victoria and Toronto. Ryan mentions the Brampton Beavers, The Oakville Crusaders and the Irish Canadians as among the best in this area.
“I think rugby is the best of all sports. It requires physical skills, but you’ve also got to have a good head on your shoulders. It’s such a simple game. There’s no equipment needed – just shorts, a shirt and a ball.” n
Michael Reist is a local educator, speaker and writer www.michaelreist.ca

Ryan’s advice for young athletes and young people:
“I was never the best at any sport. I was never a natural.
You can’t cut corners.
If you’re going to cheat yourself out of that one lap,
that one exercise, that one practice, you’re going to find
you won’t have it when it counts.”