Jamie Cudmore named head coach of Canada Pacific Pride Academy

Rugby Canada have announced that Jamie Cudmore has been named head coach of the new Pacific Pride Academy, a national high-performance men's rugby program. Canadian emerging for international competition and professional rugby at the highest level.

The Academy will be in operation for approximately 10 months a year at Rugby Canada's Al Charron National Training Center in Langford, BC, and its first team will compete in the 2019-2020 BC Rugby Premier League season starting in September. 2019.

Cudmore, a graduate of Victoria's original Pride Academy program who played in the BC Rugby Premier League from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, is arguably the most successful Canadian player on the scene. international. 

He has represented Canada at four editions of the Rugby World Cup from 2003 to 2015 and has played for some of the world's leading clubs including Llandovery RFC, Llanelli RFC, Grenoble FC, Oyonnax and ASM Clermont Auvergne.

"I was a Pride player in 2000-2001 and it gave me an experience to then reach the professional ranks so I'm very excited to come home and help grow Canadian rugby after all that they gave me over the years,' says Cudmore. I look forward to working with these young talents from across Canada with a focus on high-quality, high-quality rugby, and building all of their skills to be ready for the next stage of their careers."

Since securing his professional playing crampons, Cudmore has developed his skills as a coach, having served as a coach at the Clermont Boys Youth Academy, and as a Rugby Canada coach for the Rugby Championship of the Americas. 2016, to then become head coach of the Oyonnax formation (France - Top 14) in 2017, and more recently as rugby director at Provence Rugby.