by Natalie Ramsay | Feb 4, 2023 | Game Reports, Men's News
At Cumberland Village Park, in the torrential downpour this past Saturday, the Comox Valley Kickers Men’s Team hosted the Nanaimo Hornets. The weather resulted in difficult playing conditions. The rain and wind resulted in a tighter field of play, with more tackles and simpler set plays. The game plan didn’t change though and the Kickers came up victorious with a score of 48-5. Nate Bice (2), Brandon Hudson, JB Nikkel, Joe Barker, Steve Hextall, Jimmy Robertson and Joe Goldes scored tries with Kyle Hall and Nikkel adding two successful conversions each. “I’ve very proud of the heart the men showed today. Nanaimo really challenged us in the first half and we rose to the occasion. In the second half, we possessed the ball for a good majority of it which resulted in being able to put more points up on the board,” says Captain Brandon Hudson. “We have been getting more consistent players out which has helped us gel as a team. Excited for the season ahead.” The Kickers Women game vs. Bayside/Surrey was cancelled. Next game day is Saturday, February 11th. The Kickers Men travel to the mainland to play against the Scribes at Rupert Park and the Kickers Women host Langley RFC. Both the men’s and the women’s teams are continually recruiting players. No experience necessary. Practices are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Cumberland Village Park. Everyone welcome. For more information, please visit...
by Natalie Ramsay | Jan 29, 2023 | Men's News
James Dubois, a current player with the Comox Valley Kickers RFC has defied all odds. In 2020, James was diagnosed with cancer in his spleen which he subsequently had removed. A spleen will usually weigh less than a pound, but James’ spleen was so enlarged that it weighed approximately 7 pounds when removed through surgery. Not long after his spleen was removed, he found out that the cancer was very aggressive and was attacking his other organs, namely his kidneys and his heart. The heart is made of connective tissue and muscle cells that do not turn over very fast which is why heart cancer is extremely rare with an incidence rate of 0.002%. James did several rounds of chemotherapy. His body reacted well to the treatment, and he was in remission. One year ago, James was once again in a hospital bed at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, now in a cancer coma with a brain tumour that was attempting to spread. He was on death’s doorstep. With a strong will, he began chemotherapy again and eventually had a stem cell transplant in June of 2022. On Saturday, January 28th, 2023, everyone at Cumberland Village Park witnessed something special. James – now 53 years old – stepped on the rugby pitch and played his first game of rugby after having beaten cancer twice. Low and behold, as he wore the black and maroon for the Comox Valley Kickers, he played against Richmond RFC, the club from his hometown that he had previously played 20 years with. It was a beautiful day for rugby and the camaraderie shown...
by Natalie Ramsay | Jan 28, 2023 | Game Reports, Men's News, Women's News
The 2022/23 Club Rugby Season started up again this past weekend with both Comox Valley Kickers Rugby teams hosting Richmond RFC at Cumberland Village Park. As the Comox Valley Kickers Women’s team had participated in regional play on the Island this fall, this was the start of the BC-wide regular season. The return to play showcased a mix of veteran players and new recruits and resulted in a dominating victory of 50-12 over Richmond. Tries were scored by Karli MacFarlane (2), Tyra Schaad (2), Sienna Stigant (2), Jenn Lund, Chloe Speed, with converts added on by Stigant (2), Christina Green-Speck (2) and Jess Nikkel. “We came out strong and put Richmond under pressure right from the start. Our defense was sound, and we made our tackles. We were able to string together plays on offense with support and that made a big difference,” says Coach JP Lussier. “This is a good start to our season, but we gave up a lot of penalties. There is definite room for improvement. We have a solid foundation to work with and will continue to build on it as the season progresses,” says Co-Captain Natalie Nguyen. The spring rugby season marks the continuation of the fall rugby season with the #4 ranked Comox Valley Kickers Men’s team upsetting the #1 ranked Richmond RFC in a landslide victory, 61-21. Brandon Hudson (3), Nate Bice (2), Steve Tien, Jimmy Robertson, Joe Barker and Sebastian Lambert scored tries for the Kickers with Kyle Hall adding 8 converts. “I’ve been putting off playing with the lads and I’m glad that they convinced me to do it. It was...
by Natalie Ramsay | Jan 12, 2023 | Club Events
Comox Valley Kickers’ webstore is open for orders until Friday, January 20th. Current players, alumni and supporters - this is the time to purchase gear and proudly wear the black and maroon around town, at the gym and on the field! View the store...
by Natalie Ramsay | Jan 3, 2023 | schedules
BC Rugby released and confirmed the spring schedule for all leagues this past week. The schedule looks to be 8 games of regular season play with 3 week of playoffs. As the Comox Valley Kickers Men’s team played in a BC-wide league this past fall, their results will carry forward to this season. For the Comox Valley Kickers Women’s team, they played regionally this past fall and are now in a BC-wide league this season which means that they are off to a fresh...
