Fergus Highland Rugby teammates Alex Swainson and Joel Brattan and their teammates from Shawnigan Lake School pulled off one of the biggest wins in the history of the prestigious Sanix World Rugby youth invitational tournament in Japan when they beat top-seeded Kelston Boys High School from New Zealand.
The Sanix tournament is held in the Fukuoka Perfecture in Japan annually. Participation is by invitation only, and the overseas schools selected by their respective unions to represent their country are generally expected to be of a high standard and among the top five in each country.
It is a unique competition in world rugby for high schools, and is often referred to as a mini World Cup.
Since no Canadian team to date has managed more than one win at the tournament, Shawnigan was not considered one of the favourites going into its draw but it did something that no other team at the tournament managed when it pulled off a win against Kelston.
That school is widely regarded as the best high school team on the planet and it eventually went on to win the 2012 Sanix title.
Swainson, a grade 12 student, and Brattan, a grade 11 student at Shawnigan Lake School in British Columbia were amazed at the high caliber of rugby the teams exhibited at the tournament.
Both have played rugby for several years with Fergus Highland Rugby Football Club, and have represented Ontario at the national level. Competing at the international level has given the two a whole new perspective on rugby that they will bring to their home club in Fergus and to their provincial teams.
