The Quw'utsun Secondary senior boys rugby team made history on March 11 by beating Shawnigan Lake School's top 15 by a 21-5 score. It was the first time ever that Cow High has bested Shawnigan in that particular sport.
"What's super exciting is our juniors beat their juniors 29-0 also," said Quw'utsun rugby head coach Robin MacDowell of the MacDowell Rugby Academy that operates out of the Duncan high school.
"It's been a long time coming," MacDowell said with a chuckle. "Shawnigan Lake School has a tradition of rugby excellence, of being the dominant program in the country, and one of the most dominant programs in the world for a long time; but for me, these wins are just the tip of the iceberg for what we're building in the Cowichan Valley."
It's been years in the making but MacDowell said his high school teams are becoming more and more able to compete with the bigger schools.
"We have been building for the last four years since we started the academy and we've provided our athletes with increased resources and professional coaching both on and off the field with things like the weight room and nutrition," he explained.
The newly constructed Quw'utsun Secondary School offers a world-class weight room, state-of-the-art classrooms, and a new playing field. What's more, there's a new culture also being built.
MacDowell said having the academy embedded at the school has meant he's been able to slowly build up a winning culture. It's taken a while, though, because of world events.
MacDowell said that through the pandemic young athletes lost a lot of sporting opportunities, "but now these kids are full of belief and full of desire."
And it's been showing on the pitch.
"We made history last year at the B.C. 'AAA' high school provincials finishing fifth," he said of the senior boys. "The best we've ever finished before that was 12th."
This year in early March the boys' team wasn't ranked at all. By the end of the month they were ranked No. 1. Both their team and the senior girls' team won the West Shore 7s tournament in mid March as well. The junior boys earned silver in the same event, losing by just two in the final.
"We need to back it up now but these local kids are full of gusto and have that winning culture," MacDowell said. "Now it's all about the experience and opportunity."
That's where the coach comes in.
After graduating from Cowichan Secondary himself, MacDowell built up a successful elite rugby career, playing with both the Canadian national team and professionally across the globe.
Following his playing days, he went on to coach six different national teams at various levels, but coming back to his hometown to bring up the next generation of rugby stars has been a highlight.
"Coming back to my home town and my home high school after 20-plus years playing rugby around the world... it transformed my life," he said. "Rugby changed my life."
He wants the sport to do the same for other kids, too. MacDowell said he's working with area elementary schools to introduce rugby to younger children and together with the community, including the Cowichan Rugby Football Club, they're providing opportunities that may not otherwise have existed.
"At the end of the day for me as a T-bird alumni, where I was really grateful to have the opportunity to fall in love with rugby. It changed my life. I want these small town kids to know there's opportunity out there in life and that they can go and chase their goals and dreams."
And chase them they will.
On April 15 the MacDowell Rugby Academy is sending 115 athletes, aged U14 to elite women, along with 30 staff to the Tropical 7s tournament in Florida.
Those curious about the academy can go to https://www.macdowellrugby.ca/ or email Robin@macdowellrugby.ca directly.
