Before Oak Bay-grad Connor Braid and St. Michaels University School alumni Mike Fuailefau and Luke McCloskey represented Canada at Gold Coast in sevens over the weekend in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, they were given the Boot.
If you came from either the SMUS or Oak Bay rugby programs — and some of Canada’s best players have — the Rees Boot match was a highlight of the season. It still is. The 24th Rees Boot Game goes tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Wallace Field on the University of Victoria campus.
The prize is a bronzed old rugby boot worn by Gareth Rees, who came out of SMUS to captain Canada and play in four World Cups.
“It’s such a great rivalry, and at the heart of two of the best high school programs in Canada,” said Rees, considered by many the greatest Canadian player of all time.
Former Canadian World Cup players such as Winston Stanley, Mark Wyatt, Phil Mack, Sean White, Norm Hadley, Bobby Ross, John Graf, Ed Fairhurst, Eddie Evans, Mike Pyke and Rees himself have been part of this Oak Bay-SMUS rivalry.
As an indication of how deep it goes, one-third of the current Oak Bay roster consists of players whose fathers’ played for the Barbs in the Boot Game against SMUS.
“This year’s edition of the Boot game will again feature two very good teams with serious talent,” said Rees, the only rugby player inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame.
The Boot series is tied 11-11-1. SMUS, currently No. 1 in B.C. in double-A, won last year’s game 17-7.
“There have been so many exciting encounters over the years, and such competitive balance. After 23 years, the series is deadlocked,” said SMUS coach Ian Hyde-Lay.
“Multiple players from both sides have gone on to gain national team honours.”
SMUS has been known for the number of fleet-footed backfield players it has produced for Canada. This season’s Blue Jags team also features speed with the likes of Luke Rainier-Pope, Matt Hagkull, Owen Weismiller, Simon Gilmour and Peter Koltronis ready to have a run at Oak Bay’s large and staunch defence. The SMUS forwards are led by captain Nick Papaloukas.
The B.C. quad-A powerhouse Barbs, returning from an unbeaten tour of Spain and Portugal, are bigger and more physical than the Blue Jags. Players on Oak Bay to watch include Alex Hutcheson, Nick Carson, Lachlan Kratz, Hector Jardine, Devin Fennerty and captain Tom Abercrombie.
