Sjoerd Witteveen
Kyle Miller gets hauled down by an Aurora player in high school rugby action last season. Miller is playing in a smalll English town he visited with the Ontario and SDSS teams during the past two years. He hopes to move up a division next year.
Sports
October 05, 2008 12:24 AM
SDSS grad playing in rugby country
By: Mike Hayakawa
Kyle Miller loves rugby.
The 18-year-old Stouffville resident was a member of the Ontario under-17 squad two years ago and the Stouffville District Secondary School Spartans seniors team that won the Ontario AA championship his last two years of high school.
Although Miller has graduated from Stouffville Secondary, he still plays the game, in Hinkley, England.
Miller plays hooker for a team from the town near Manchester in an under-21 league.
“It’s a starting point for me. It’s like a developmental league and one step below the men’s league,” Miller said before leaving Stouffville. “It’s about going there: here’s your chance and let’s see what you can do with it.”
As a member of the Hinkley team, Miller won’t receive any pay.
He is boarding with a family.
The opportunity came about two years ago when the provincial under-17 team’s tour of England that included a stop in Hinkley.
Then last year, while in his Grade 12 year at Stouffville Secondary, Miller and his Spartans senior team made a March break trip to England and, again, Hinkley was a part of the tour.
Setting the wheels in motion was Glenn Tarver, an assistant coach with the Spartans’ rugby program and director of the men’s junior provincial team, and Paul Walsh, who resides in England and lends a hand with the provincial men’s junior program.
“When I was over in England I loved it and maybe I’ll live there,” he said.
For now, it’s a six-month visit.
From there, he hopes his play draws interest from other teams.
“I hope to get an offer at the end of the season,” Miller said.
Miller is excited to show he can compete with players from a country steeped in rugby tradition.
“I’m playing for the love of the game. Hopefully things will turn out well. I’ve just got to make the best of it,” he said.