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Tyee ends season with loss

As one of the fastest-rising sports in the world - and the newest Olympic sport with the sevens version - rugby doesn't seem to have an off switch these days.
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Pacific Tyee Phil Mack tries to elude Ontario Blues' Hank McQueen on Saturday.

As one of the fastest-rising sports in the world - and the newest Olympic sport with the sevens version - rugby doesn't seem to have an off switch these days.

But the body can only take so much in this physically demanding sport, especially in the full XVs game.

That makes summer rugby a tough sell for B.C. players, the only ones in Canada whose climate allows them to play a traditional fall/winter club season. So maybe it's not surprising the B.C. representative side, Pacific Tyee, concluded the summer Canadian Rugby Championship season Saturday night at 1-4 after a 32-17 loss to the Ontario Blues (3-1) at Bear Mountain Stadium.

"We play eight months over the fall and winter, and a lot of guys don't want to play in summer," noted Connor Braid, who kicked a penalty goal and two converts for the Tyee.

Overlapped onto that for standout players such as Braid, whose club team is James Bay, are national team assessments. The 22-year-old Oak Bay High grad is in the selection pool for the Canadian team that will host the 2012 IRB America's championships Oct. 12-20 against the U.S., Argentina and Uruguay at Bear Mountain Stadium in XVs, and long term, for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics in sevens.

"It's a good venue here, and if we fill it for the America's tournament, it's going to be exciting with all that crowd noise," Braid said.

"You heard how loud it was tonight [when it was only half full]."

As for Rio 2016, let the goosebumps begin just thinking about it.

"That would be a milestone moment in anybody's life," Braid said.

"It's definitely in the back of my mind."

cdheensaw@timescolonist.com