Elite Athlete Development Program

The Upright Rugby Academy focuses on developing and refining the core skills necessary for “breaking the gain line” and moving on to the next level. Whether your ambitions are provincial, varsity, national, or simply to be the best player you can be, our sessions will provide you with the resources and know-how to get you there.

Our mission is to provide the best off-season training program for boys and girls aged 14 to 18 who are passionate about rugby and committed to their success. Ultimately, we want to train our athletes to best provide an opportunity for them to excel in their sport.

Those interested and pursuing high-level playing opportunities be it at the varsity, national or professional level, should consider our 16-week Advanced Skills Rugby Academy.

Our Elite Athlete Development Program is specifically designed for players who want to fully commit to their personal training and development in order to perform to the best of their abilities at the highest levels. Our goal is to ensure that players are equipped with the skills and understanding of the game required at the provincial, collegiate/varsity, and national levels.

Former athletes have included:

Taylor Black – 2024 Olympic Silver Medal winner 🇨🇦 NSWT 7s, Exeter Chiefs, 🇨🇦 NSWT 15s, 2017 Junior National Player of the Year
Liam Bowman – 🇨🇦 NSMT 7s, former Toronto Arrows, Montauban (FRA)
Andrew Ferguson – former Toronto Arrows, 🇨🇦 National Senior Men’s Team 15s
Matt Tierney – Castres RC (France), 🇨🇦 NSMT 15s
Djustice Sears-Duru – San Diego Legion (MLR), 🇨🇦 NSMT 15s
David Richard – 🇨🇦 NSMT 7s
Ethan Hager – Dallas Jackals (MLR), 🇨🇦 NSMT 7s
Jack Shaw – Rugby LA (MLR), 🇨🇦 NSMT 15s
Callum Tam – Hong Kong Cricket Club, Hong Kong U20s
Kainoa Lloyd – Pacific Pride, 🇨🇦 NSMT 15s
Tyler Rowland – 🇨🇦 NSMT 15s
Kevin Vertkas – Canada U20, 🇨🇦 NSMT🍁7s
Josh Engelbrecht – Queens University, Canada U18, 2017 OUA Male Player of the Year
Taylour Hurd – Brock University, Canada U20, 2017 OUA Female Player of the Year

Program Includes:

Technical Development

18 weeks of Advanced Technical Skills Training that utilizes the latest technology to provide concise, accurate feedback for each athlete;
Athletes participate in one or two weekly Skills Development sessions with some of the country’s best skill assessment and development coaches.

Tactical Training

Athletes participate in on-going tactical training and development through a series of modified, challenging games.
They also benefit from participation in the local 12-week touch rugby league offered by Canada Touch Rugby.

Strength Training

For the first eight weeks, athletes participate in weekly Speed and Strength training sessions.
For the second phase of the program (8 weeks), athletes participate in weekly Speed and Strength training sessions.
Training is provided by highly reputable and knowledgeable coaches, each of whom brings their own impressive résumé of high-performance strength training and conditioning.

GUELPH ACADEMY

OAKVILLE ACADEMY

Our program maintains consistency with the Long Term Rugby Development (“LTRD”) goals established by Rugby Canada and implemented by World Rugby.