Photo: Contributed - Doug Manning

Kelowna will host the 2015 Canada West Rugby Championships this summer.

Eight teams will play back-to-back games July 30 and Aug. 2.

Four provincial sides (under-16 men, under-18 women, under-18 men, and the provincial women's team) will take teams from the prairie provinces.

Players will be selected from the tournament to travel to Ottawa in August to represent Western Canada at the national championships.

Canada West and Rugby Canada selectors will be in attendance in Kelowna, observing games and providing skill-development clinics.

Jim Dixon, CEO of BC Rugby, says “BC Rugby is very proud to have been awarded the hosting of the inaugural Canada West Rugby Championships, and Kelowna is the perfect host city. Great venues, a strong volunteer community and proven track record of delivering great events were a significant reason for choosing Kelowna.”

The event will be supported by the Central Okanagan Rugby Enthusiasts (CORE), a local society dedicated to growth of the game.

"We are very pleased to host these eight elite rugby teams in Kelowna," said president Doug Manning. "By featuring top-level games in our community, it promotes a modern awareness of the fast, enterprising and fitness-oriented sport that rugby has become."

The championships schedule is:

July 31 (Apple Bowl)
2:30 p.m. – BC Under-16 Men vs Prairie Under-16 Men (Game 1)
4 p.m. – BC Under-18 Women vs Prairie Under-18 Women (Game 1)
5:30 p.m. – BC Under-18 Men vs Prairie Under-18 Men (Game 1)
7 p.m. – BC Women vs Prairie Women (Game 1)

Aug. 2 (Parkinson Fields)
10:30 a.m. – BC Under-16 Men vs Prairie Under-16 Men (Game 2 on P9)
10:30 a.m. – BC Under-18 Women vs Prairie Under-18 Women (Game 2 on P10)
Noon – BC Under-18 Men vs Prairie Under-18 Men (Game 2 on P9)
Noon – BC Women vs Prairie Women (Game 2 on P10)

For further information, email Doug Manning at [email protected].