This is the fourth in a series featuring Canada's ex international rugby players. Please join the Dog River Howlers facebook page to see all of them - www.facebook.com/dogriverhowlers
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Name:
------
Ryan Smith
Born (place and date):
------------------
Kitchener, ON Sept. 13 1979
Caps
----
Canada 15’s – 2003 – 2011 (51 Caps, 3 RWC)
Canada 7’s – 2003 – 2005 (12 caps, RWC 2005)
Early rugby - school(s), club(s), rep sides, age grade Canada with dates :
-----------
Mayfield Secondary School (Brampton, ON).
The MIGHTY Brampton Beavers RFC – My official home club and club for life (1996 - present)
Ontario U21
University of Guelph Gryphons
Toronto Renegades/Extreme
Later rugby - club(s), select sides, Canada (including the number of caps) with dates:
----------------------
Canada 15’s – 2003 – 2011 (51 Caps, 3 RWC)
Canada 7’s – 2003 – 2005 (12 caps, RWC 2005)
Canada U23 Pacific Pride – 2001 – 2003
Southland Stags – ITM (Formerly NPC) 2005
Montauban XV – ProD2, Top14 2005-2008
Calgary Canadian Irish Athletic Club – My official home club in my adopted province
Oak Bay Castaway Wanderers – a special place in my development
Your Influences:
-------------
Kirk Robertson (Mayfield), John MacMillan, Dack Heslop, Chris Leitch, Nathan and Andrew Smith, Kieran Crowley and Graeme Moffat.
Most memorable rugby game(s)/experience(s)/memories:
-------------------------------------------------
1. Beating the dirty Argy’s in Calgary (2005) at the end of a long summer of rugby.
2. Rugby World Cup 2011 – Just a fantastic group of players, coaches and supporters. Got to 50 games there and don’t know how!!!
3. Beating Fiji at the Hong Kong 7’s in 2004 to advance to the cup round – I came on with about 30 seconds to play, never touched the ball and didn’t make a tackle, but someone snapped my picture in celebration and I ended up on the cover of a couple of newspapers….just like I planned it.
How did rugby effect/influence your life:
----------------------------------
Anyone who plays rugby knows that this question is like asking “How do your parents affect/influence your life”. It just does. Rugby invades your sense of self, it builds character, it strengthens resolve and it shape who you are and who you become. I just hope that in living the rest of my life that I can apply many of the awesome lessons that I learned from the sport. I know for sure that the friends I’ve made over the course of my career will remain and I hope that I am always in some shape or form stay involved in the sport.
Current involvement in rugby:
-------------------------
I am a director with the Prairie Wolf Pack organization which keeps me heavily involved in rep. rugby and I spend a small amount of time doing drop-in coaching sessions around Calgary. I’m a big fan of all of the Canadian teams these days and I am very impressed with the strides they’ve made in the last 3-4 yrs.
What are you doing now (residence, work, family etc):
--------------------------------------------
I am married now to a very understanding woman (Chantal Mackenzie) and I work in Calgary in the Oil and Gas sector. I spend most of my days sharpening my golf game and planning my Olympic squash dream (is that sport even in the Olympics…??). I am also a struggling reality T.V. star (meaning I’ve never been on reality t.v.), as my wife and I are 0-1 in Amazing Race Canada applications.
Input/suggestions for Canadian rugby and or young players:
--------------------------------------------------
Play more rugby. There is a massive focus on strength and conditioning and building up these athletes and I think that young kids sometimes forget that to move to the next level they must be intelligent rugby players. I feel that kids could progress further if they are great rugby players than they could if they were great athletes whom we try and turn into a rugby players. Get a ball in your hands and go play.
Other comments:
--------------
If Kieran Crowley is reading this, I played 40 minutes for the Calgary Irish 2nd‘s a couple of weeks ago and felt pretty sharp. 0 tackles (0 missed tackles), 2 handling errors (pretty good for me), 0 line breaks (which is only 1 less than my career total) and 3 great ruck inspections… If you are short in the centres, I’ll be waiting by the phone.
========================
Name:
------
Ryan Smith
Born (place and date):
------------------
Kitchener, ON Sept. 13 1979
Caps
----
Canada 15’s – 2003 – 2011 (51 Caps, 3 RWC)
Canada 7’s – 2003 – 2005 (12 caps, RWC 2005)
Early rugby - school(s), club(s), rep sides, age grade Canada with dates :
-----------
Mayfield Secondary School (Brampton, ON).
The MIGHTY Brampton Beavers RFC – My official home club and club for life (1996 - present)
Ontario U21
University of Guelph Gryphons
Toronto Renegades/Extreme
Later rugby - club(s), select sides, Canada (including the number of caps) with dates:
----------------------
Canada 15’s – 2003 – 2011 (51 Caps, 3 RWC)
Canada 7’s – 2003 – 2005 (12 caps, RWC 2005)
Canada U23 Pacific Pride – 2001 – 2003
Southland Stags – ITM (Formerly NPC) 2005
Montauban XV – ProD2, Top14 2005-2008
Calgary Canadian Irish Athletic Club – My official home club in my adopted province
Oak Bay Castaway Wanderers – a special place in my development
Your Influences:
-------------
Kirk Robertson (Mayfield), John MacMillan, Dack Heslop, Chris Leitch, Nathan and Andrew Smith, Kieran Crowley and Graeme Moffat.
Most memorable rugby game(s)/experience(s)/memories:
-------------------------------------------------
1. Beating the dirty Argy’s in Calgary (2005) at the end of a long summer of rugby.
2. Rugby World Cup 2011 – Just a fantastic group of players, coaches and supporters. Got to 50 games there and don’t know how!!!
3. Beating Fiji at the Hong Kong 7’s in 2004 to advance to the cup round – I came on with about 30 seconds to play, never touched the ball and didn’t make a tackle, but someone snapped my picture in celebration and I ended up on the cover of a couple of newspapers….just like I planned it.
How did rugby effect/influence your life:
----------------------------------
Anyone who plays rugby knows that this question is like asking “How do your parents affect/influence your life”. It just does. Rugby invades your sense of self, it builds character, it strengthens resolve and it shape who you are and who you become. I just hope that in living the rest of my life that I can apply many of the awesome lessons that I learned from the sport. I know for sure that the friends I’ve made over the course of my career will remain and I hope that I am always in some shape or form stay involved in the sport.
Current involvement in rugby:
-------------------------
I am a director with the Prairie Wolf Pack organization which keeps me heavily involved in rep. rugby and I spend a small amount of time doing drop-in coaching sessions around Calgary. I’m a big fan of all of the Canadian teams these days and I am very impressed with the strides they’ve made in the last 3-4 yrs.
What are you doing now (residence, work, family etc):
--------------------------------------------
I am married now to a very understanding woman (Chantal Mackenzie) and I work in Calgary in the Oil and Gas sector. I spend most of my days sharpening my golf game and planning my Olympic squash dream (is that sport even in the Olympics…??). I am also a struggling reality T.V. star (meaning I’ve never been on reality t.v.), as my wife and I are 0-1 in Amazing Race Canada applications.
Input/suggestions for Canadian rugby and or young players:
--------------------------------------------------
Play more rugby. There is a massive focus on strength and conditioning and building up these athletes and I think that young kids sometimes forget that to move to the next level they must be intelligent rugby players. I feel that kids could progress further if they are great rugby players than they could if they were great athletes whom we try and turn into a rugby players. Get a ball in your hands and go play.
Other comments:
--------------
If Kieran Crowley is reading this, I played 40 minutes for the Calgary Irish 2nd‘s a couple of weeks ago and felt pretty sharp. 0 tackles (0 missed tackles), 2 handling errors (pretty good for me), 0 line breaks (which is only 1 less than my career total) and 3 great ruck inspections… If you are short in the centres, I’ll be waiting by the phone.
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