 Mike
went to Lord Byng High School and then the University of British Columbia where
he played basketball and also rugby before graduating with a BA and a major in
Psychology minor in Sociology. He also played soccer, ice-hockey, volleyball and
baseball.
His real introduction to rugby came when Lord Byngh's coach, Spence
McTavish, a former captain of Canada, suggested he took up the game after watching
him play volleyball. On graduation Mike went off backpacking to Australia
in 2003, where he watched Canada play Wales and New Zealand in the Rugby World
Cup. Whilst watching the matches in Melbourne he felt that if he worked hard and
things went his way, then he might very well play for his country in the next
tournament. He had set that as his goal. On his return to Canada he played
his club rugby with UBC Old Boy Ravens in Vancouver, as did Stan McKeen, helping
them reach the Premier League final in 2004. In the same year he also made his
international debut against the USA, in the Super Powers Cup competition played
in Japan. Mike's rugby experiences broadened when he went back to Australia
and had a spell playing for Northern Suburbs in Sydney, competing against Wallabies
and Super 14 players in an environment where you learn to sink or swim pretty
quickly. In 2006, Mike joined Pau, playing in the French Pro D2 League,
it tough physically and different from the way the game was played in Australia.
However, he enjoyed the challenge and relished using his strength, in his own
words, "to hit rucks and mauls and give a good shove in the scrums." Last
autumn saw his dream of playing for his country in the Rugby World Cup become
a reality, with his next goal now set to help the Cornish Pirates achieve their
push for the top.
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