Shawnigan Lake School pulled off one of the biggest wins in the history of the prestigious Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament in Japan when the team beat top-seeded Kelston Boys High School from New Zealand.

The three time BC Provincial Championship squad from Shawnigan Lake School travelled to the Sanix Tournament for the first time knowing that competition would be some of the best in the world. And since no Canadian team to date has managed more than one win at the tournament, Shawnigan was not considered one of the favourites going into their draw but they did something that no other team at the tournament managed when they pulled off a win against Kelston who are widely regarded as the best high school team on the planet and who eventually went on to win the 2012 Sanix title.

For grade 12 student and team veteran Evan G. the victory was a highlight of his rugby career. "It was like winning the provincial high school championship. The atmosphere in the stadium and the emotions coming from the boys were unreal; it felt like we had really accomplished something significant. The win wasn’t so much a surprise but a true milestone for the team because we never came into a game expecting to lose."

All in all, the Shawnigan team set a new Canadian record at the tournament by recording 4 wins in 6 games and finishing 10th overall, the highest place finish for a Canadian team ever.