Former captains highlight list of Rugby Canada's Hall of Fame Class of '23

Former Canada captains Mike James and Jen Kish lead the list of nine inductees to Rugby Canada Hall of Fame as the Class of 2023.

They are joined by fellow players Andrea Burk, Mark Cardinal, Steve Gray and Julianne Zussman. Rick Bourne and the late Keith Wilkinson are inducted are builders and Sherry Trumbull as a match official.

"This year’s class of inductees to the Rugby Canada Hall of Fame showcases nine outstanding women and men who have brought honour and fame, on and off the field, to the history of rugby in Canada," Mike Luke, chair of Rugby Canada's Hall of Fame project team, said in a statement.

“Their skills as former international rugby players and match officials, administrators and leaders in the game, has made them great contributors to Canada’s place in the world of rugby.” 

The inductees will be honoured in February at the HSBC Vancouver Sevens.

James won 57 caps for Canada, all as a starter, and played in four Rugby World Cups (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007). At club level, the native of Burnaby, B.C., helped Stade Francais to French titles in 2003, 2004 and 2007.

The statuesque lock forward also competed in two Heineken Cup finals and played five times for the French Barbarians. After retiring as a player, James coached the B.C. Bears to a Canadian Rugby Championship title in 2009. He has also held a number of roles with B.C. Rugby.

Kish captained Canada's women's sevens team to a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The Edmonton native made 134 appearances in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series from 2013 to 2018, scoring 34 tries.

The hard-running Kish also won 18 caps with the women's 15s side and represented Canada at the 2010 Rugby World Cup.

Kish was named Canada’s Sevens Player of the Year in 2012 and 2013 and nominated for World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year Award in 2013.

Burk represented Canada at the 2014 and 2017 Rugby World Cups, helping Canada reach the final in 2014 against England. The North Vancouver native won 38 caps for Canada, scoring eight tries and kicking 37 conversions and 15 penalties for 159 points.

Zussman earned 44 caps, representing Canada at the 2010, 2014 and 2017 Rugby World Cups. A fullback, she scored 18 tries internationally and, in 2017, was named to the World Rugby Dream Team and the recipient of Rugby Canada’s Gillian Florence Award given to the player who “best represents the qualities of Canadian rugby.”

Zussman, who also represented Canada in sevens play, continues in the game as an international referee and has officiated at the Tokyo Olympics, Women’s Six Nations, Rugby World Cup Sevens and Rugby World Cup.

Cardinal, a hard-nosed hooker, won 46 caps for Canada and attended three Rugby World Cups (1987, 1995 and 1999).

Gray collected 47 caps for Canada between 1984 to 1997, played in three Rugby World Cups (1987, 1991, 1995) and represented Canada in sevens including the inaugural Rugby World Cup Sevens in 1993.

A centre, Gray captained Canada several times, including a win over New Zealand’s North Island Selects team in 1995.

Wilkinson is being honoured posthumously. An accomplished coach and manager, he helped established the Rugby Canada Medical Science Committee in 1989 and served on the Rugby Canada board as national teams director from 1991 to 1997.

Wilkinson earned three caps for Canada in the 1970s.

Bourne served on Rugby Canada’s board of directors from 2003 to 2019, spending five years as president, and was Canada’s Rugby Americas North representative from 2012 to 2019. He continues to serve  on the board of the HSBC Vancouver Sevens and is a director with the Canadian Rugby Foundation and Canadian Rugby 7s Fund.

A veteran international match official, Trumbull officiated the Women’s Six Nations from 2012 to 2016 and the Rugby World Cups in 2010 and 2014, when she took charge of the bronze-medal game.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 13, 2023

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press