Brett Beukeboom from Lindsay, Ontario plays Lock for Rugby Canada and the Cornish Pirates of the Greene King IPA Championship League in England. At 25, he’s enjoying a professional career that many players can only hope for.
Internationally, he’s played with Canada since 2012 and proudly represented his country last Fall in the Rugby World Cup.
Rugby Canada Lock Brett Beukeboom on Rehab and the Future
2015 was an exciting year of rugby worldwide, with many positive changes and evidence of growth in new areas. Many of these new changes can and should potentially positively affect Canada; new opportunities to play international rugby, new competitions to make sure more countries have international exposure, more grass roots support to grow the game.
Yet, despite good things on the horizon, 2015 was not an overly positive year for Rugby Canada. The year was plagued with many close calls, so many of which frustrated the Canadian boys. The results don’t reflect the graft.
Beukeboom shared with LWOS that at the end of the Rugby World Cup the players felt that Canada should have taken third in their pool. Instead, they fell just short time and again and finished the year deflated and sitting 18th in the world rugby rankings. The men were disappointed in themselves for months afterwards for letting their country down. So, Beukeboom stated, this year the focus is to look ahead to better things as a team. To focus on the future and continue to grow.
Rugby Canada has three chances to do something great here at home in June tests. First against Japan in Vancouver (June 11th), in Calgary versus Russia (June 18th) and as hosts to Italy at BMO Field in Toronto on June 26th. Sadly, Beukeboom won’t be part of that squad as he’s currently recovering from surgery to repair a torn LCL sustained in a game back in March. After the month of May spent at home in Ontario, he returns to Cornwall, England to carry on with the hard task of rehabbing that left leg, which he and his physios are very optimistic about.
Although he isn’t with his Rugby Canada colleagues this June, Beukeboom looks to return to the fold for the Autumn tests and is looking forward to working with new head coach Mark Anscombe and his “Kiwi style” attacking structure. “Hopefully we can implement the structures he wants to put in place and we can play to them to the best of our ability so we can have a good reflection of his coaching ability.”
There have been many changes at Rugby Canada and Beukeboom thinks they’ll have a positive impact on all our rugby programs. And he and the players are ready to respond to the challenge Anscombe has issued.
At club level, Beukeboom enjoyed playing this past season at Cornish Pirates alongside fellow Canadians Matt Evans and Aaron Carpenter – as the aptly-named ‘Trio of Canucks’ [despite, Beukeboom says, Evans being a “fake Canadian” hailing originally from England]. Alas, the trio disbands this coming season as Carpenter heads up to London Welsh. While Beukeboom wishes his teammate all the best, he feels that Carps is trying to get away from him: Beukeboom went to Carpenter’s team Plymouth Albion for the 2014-15 season only to have Carpenter depart for Cornish Pirates at season’s end. Then Beukeboom followed Carpenter’s lead to Pirates only to lose Aaron Carpenter again after a single season. But Beukeboom’s not taking it personally. As he earnestly stated: “[Carpenter] will be missed. He’s a great player, and I wish him all success up playing for London Welsh.” It’s too bad they won’t still be together – they play off each other really well.
We also spoke about the new Pro Rugby League, just completing its inaugural season in the United States. Not surprisingly, Beukeboom feels strongly about the league helping players out by affording them greater professional exposure. He’s a great proponent of the league, saying that it’s been great for players coming off World Cup to have professional teams as an avenue toward improving their game – so they can play better as a country too. The new league will help both Canadian and American rugby players. Beukeboom echoes my sentiment that the more players playing professional rugby closer to home only benefits Canada and our players’ overall fitness. He has also heard the whisperings that there may be two teams joining the Pro league from the Canadian side, which we agreed would be great to see in the next couple of seasons.
“I am really one that supports this league and I think that Rugby Canada should jump on board and get as many teams as they can get going to build the depth of rugby in Canada.”
We discussed how Canadians are already infiltrating the league. Hooker Ray Barkwill, current Canadian captain Hubert Buydens, Jake Ilnicki, and former Sale Shark Phil Mackenzie are among those down there playing in the five-team league. “As many guys as possible from the Canadian team want to be doing this as a living, so the more options they have open, the better Rugby Canada will benefit [by having] these professional leagues.”
To that end, Mackenzie joined Pro Rugby to give it a needed professional shot in the arm, as it were. He captains San Diego and is very vocal about the league’s growth. So much so that he’s written a great article that echoes what we as Rugby fans feel about a league here in North America, and what players like Brett Beukeboom feel about how professional play ‘ups’ the game for all international players. You can find Mackenzie’s awesome rundown on his time in the new league thus far here: http://www.theplayerstribune.com/2016-5-20-phil-mackenzie-american-rugby-league/
Nothing like growing the game and getting in there. 18th in the World Rugby rankings is not a place that anyone who loves Canadian rugby feels comfortable being. The goal is to get the players up to a level where they can competently compete on the international stage. Like all players, Brett Beukeboom feels that one vehicle to getting to that place is the new Pro Rugby league.
In the seasons to come, we will see if Canada gets on board with the new Pro Rugby league; we will hope that the new league takes off, expands, collects more supporters along the way, and that more Canadian Internationals, or international hopefuls, join and benefit from the league as well.
With more players like Brett Beukeboom actively talking the new league up, and seasoned professionals like Buydens, Barkwill, Ilnicki, and Mackenzie already there making an impact, it’s bound to happen.
At the same time, for players like Beukeboom himself, already making his mark and earning respect in Europe, their game time enhances our program too. A seasoned Rugby Canada veteran like Beuks has the respect of supporters and younger players coming in. And for those of us who follow the international players playing abroad closely, he is another shining example of a great Canadian sporting ambassador.
Brett feels as he’s near the end of his time off at home that his leg is doing much better than expected. He’s looking forward to heading back to Cornwall next week to rejoin the Pirates to continue his rehab. And continue to make a difference with the Pirates, and by extension, Canada. It will be great to see Beukeboom respond to Anscombe’s demands for attacking play – it suits Beuks well with his size and fearlessness. He’ll be ready to get in there at the breakdown, as soon as his knee is. Seems to me that the knee is raring to go. That’s a good sign, for both Pirate and Rugby Canada supporters!
All the best to this great player and all around genuine and affable guy.
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