Justice Rugby’s Velouropean Tour

Saturday’s a rugby day, and yesterday did not disappoint in any way. Justice RFC showed up to the Wiener Krapfen Cup old boys tournament ready to play. We wrapped up the day 3-2, capped it off with a dominant boat race victory, forged new friendships, and made new memories. This is why we tour.

Thanks go out to Kew Occasionals, Bremen Senators, Stade Vienna, and Bier und Bratwurst Barbarians for the spirited matches. Special thanks to Vienna Celtic Rugby Football Club for being such great hosts and giving us a great run.

We hope you’ll all tour to Vancouver in the future!

📸 pics 1, 2, 9 & 10: Thomas Lieser

The Pilsner Urquell brewery tour did not disappoint. We’re sad to be leaving the Czech Republic, but this was a fine send-off and a don’t miss if you find yourself in this part of the world.

For now, it’s farewell, Czechia, and see you soon, Munich!

It was a glorious day for rugby, and we are very grateful to our hosts with Ragby Olymp for their hospitality and a great run. New friendships and connections were made, and the door is always open for them to come to Vancouver so we can reciprocate!

Lovely day for a visit by the tourists to Prague Castle.

Beyond these doors the Velouropean Tour awaits.

Off we go on the first leg of our journey. See you soon, Prague!

Our velour is ready for tomorrow…it’s not see you later, Vancouver…it’s see you soon, Prague.

Meet Justice Rugby Football Club’s tourists!

Photo one

Khaled A., tour rookie, police officer, position: purveyor of moustache wax

Jason B., 2nd Justice tour, police officer, position: bumbling backrow

Shaun B., 2nd Justice tour, corrections officer, position: Jim Lahey's devoted assistant

Eric B., 2nd Justice tour, police officer, position: not bad enough he's a traffic cop, but he's also an American...we're sorry

Photo two

Jordain C., 2nd Justice tour, supporter, position: generally upright except when feigning injury

Lance D., tour rookie, Coast Guard member, position: trained paramedic, so typically telling Jordain to get up

Justin D., 6th Justice tour, supporter, position: Monday-morning fly half

Brayden D., tour rookie, police officer, position: large Farva

Photo three

John D., 74th Justice tour (made the off-load to William Webb Ellis), police officer, position: international man of mystery

Tanya D., 8th Justice tour, athletic trainer, position: provider of emergency medical attention and large slices of humble pie

Peter D., 3rd Justice tour, border services officer, position: generally neutral, unless you have extra beer; then he sends you to secondary

Kenny E., 6th Justice tour, retired police officer, position: master of sideline brown bottle curls

Photo four

Devon G., 2nd Justice tour, police officer, position: not only a client, but president of the Hair Club for Men

Craig G., 2nd Justice tour, police officer, position: professional impersonator of Yogi Bear, a bear that you all know, Yogi...Yogi

Stew H., 3rd Justice tour, police officer, position: considers Buckfast a breakfast juice

Stu H., 3rd Justice tour, police officer, position: number 8 on the pitch, number 734 in our hearts...we mean number 1, Mr. President

Photo five

Jeremy J., 6th Justice tour, supporter, position: retired Kevin Smith lookalike

Mike K., 5th Justice tour, police officer, position: immediate past president running a shadow government with Stu as a front

Dan L., 2nd Justice tour, corrections officer, position: able to claim the senior citizen discount at all restaurants on tour

Erik L., 4th Justice tour, supporter, position: rookie saboteur...we mean mentor

Photo six

Matt P., tour rookie, police officer, position: making cozy European hotel rooms cozier

John P., 2nd Justice tour, police officer, position: tour slush fund coordinator

Hans R., tour rookie, corrections officer, position: bedtime story reader

Taylor R., 3rd Justice tour, police officer, position: usually in front of a mirror flexing and claiming to see huge gains

Photo seven

Sim R., 3rd Justice tour, police officer, position: not needed in writing...he'll tell you it and more opinions within a minute of meeting him

Anton S., 4th Justice tour, police officer, position: he's a Dapper Dan man

Ryan S., 3rd Justice tour, police officer, position: putting the "old" in "old boys"

Riley T., tour rookie, police officer, position: that shirtless extra on every episode of COPS

Photo eight

Mark W., tour rookie, police officer, position: currently dusting off cobwebs following a 30-year break from rugby

William Webb Ellis, every rugby tour since 1823, minister, position: still grateful for John D.'s offload

Sir Peter Musson, 13th Justice tour, mascot, position: 1-15...the ultimate utility player...even with an illegal mouthguard

Located on Port Moody’s famed Brewer’s Row, Parkside Brewery is deeply connected to its community roots. Honouring their pledge to create excellent beer and be excellent to one another, Parkside celebrates friends, nature, community, and a sense of home.

Stop in for a pint sometime or visit theparksidebrewery.com, and, if you’re there, be sure to thank them for their sponsorship of our Velouropean Tour.

Training first responders in health, humanity, and human performance, Mindful Badge’s certified mindfulness trainers provide their services all over North America. Mindful Badge delivers vital, research-based resiliency education to those who protect our communities in building beyond simple trauma awareness to a level of trauma competency.

Visit mindfulbadge.com for more information about this Pacific Northwest-based company and its work, and we are grateful for their sponsorship of our 2022 Velouropean Tour.

A full-service mechanical consulting engineering firm, AME Consulting Group specializes in efficient, sustainable designs. AME focuses on thinking outside the box to create a lasting impact on the building industry for a better future.

Visit amegroup.ca for more information on this exciting BC-based company, and we are grateful for their sponsorship of our 2022 Velouropean Tour.

A message from the tour co-chairs:

Justice Rugby Club is extremely lucky to be embarking on our 13th tour after the global upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We look forward to our 29 tourists building bonds with the international rugby and law enforcement communities while we travel to Prague, Munich and Vienna.

A big thank you goes out to the willingness of our spouses and families to put up with our absence during tour, as well as the time spent planning, fundraising, and practicing. Without their support, this tour would not be possible.

We also appreciate the work Jan at Ragby Olymp Praha and Antonio at Vienna Celtic have done to arrange matches for us.

Thank you to our tourists for trusting and believing in our ideas and planning as we took this tour from a vague idea to a reality over the last four years.

Planning this tour was significantly easier with help from suppliers and sponsors, and special thanks goes out to VPD’s PMBA, Vacation for Heroes, AME, Xtreme, Parkside Brewery, Mindful Badge, 99 Social, Main Street Brewery, Irro Verkehrsservice, Budgy Smuggler, Stanley Park Brewing, and Emblazon Embroidery.

Yours in rugby,

Stu Hurst & Mike Kajander
Tour co-chairs