East Coast Bays Vs Capilano RFC - Saturday March 9, 2024 At 2:30pm

Come and Celebrate History

Come and Celebrate Tradition

This Saturday March 9th come down to Klahanie Park and enjoy a clash between the East Coast Bays RFC of New Zealand and the Capilano RFC.

This matchup is more than just a rugby game. It is the latest chapter of a storied friendship that dates back over 40 years to when members of these two clubs first crossed paths.

By most accounts the story starts in the early 1980’s when a lone East Coast Bay, Rowan Allnut, wore the black and gold and played a season or two with Caps. Although his time with the men in black was brief, a connection was made.

Paths would cross again when a touring Capilano side travelled through New Zealand in 1987. The two clubs didn’t play one another on that tour but members from both clubs enjoyed a night out on the town together likely discussing and solving some of the world’s problems.

From that point on, several East Coast Bays players began to travel to British Columbia to play for Caps throughout the late 1980’s and through the early 1990’s with some eventually sowing roots in Vancouver. Names like Wigglesworth, Salkeld, Mytton, Plimmer, Leader, and Menzies were some of original East Coast Bay brethren to call Klahanie Home.

The last time the East Coast Bays and Capilano RFC played one another was in 1997 at Klahanie Park.

The final score of that game is probably lost in the annals somewhere however, the true outcome of that match was a lifelong friendship between the East Coast Bays RFC and Capilano RFC.

Although the game of rugby is 80 minutes of full contact sport. The lifelong connections that are derived from this game and the community surrounding it are something we should all be grateful for.

The East Coast Bays and Capilano RFC kinship dates back decades. The Stormy Exchange program, informally started in the early 1990’s, but was later given its name after the passing of our friend and East Coast Bay’s great, John “Stormy” Salkeld. Over the years this Exchange program has sent dozens of Capilano RFC players down to play for the East Coast Bays.

The Stormy Exchange still operates to this day, and we will have a number of Capilano RFC players that benefited from that exchange on the field this weekend.

We encourage everyone to come down this Saturday and witness a game that turns another page in a storied relationship!

Go Bays! Go Caps!