LANGLEY, B.C. – Fresh off representing Canada at Rugby World Cup 2019 this fall, Canadian prop Hubert Buydens will join Trinity Western University, as an assistant coach with both the men's and women's rugby teams for the remainder of this season. 

The legendary front-rower, who has earned 58 caps with Canada's national side and competed in three World Cups including 2011, 2015 and 2019, will formally join the Spartans coaching staff in early January, as he will travel with the team to San Francisco, Calif., as the Spartans prepare to play Division 1-A powerhouse Saint Mary's College (Jan. 4). 

Buydens, who started against both Italy and South Africa and came on as a substitute against New Zealand in the most recent World Cup, has professional experience with both Manawatu in New Zealand (2013-2015) and with NOLA Gold in Major League Rugby (2018-2019) as well as 14 years as a Canadian international. 

"Hubert is one of the most intelligent people I know, especially in the rugby sense," said TWU's Director of Rugby Andrew Evans. "He is one of the most experienced Canadian internationals of all time and he also brings that professional experience that our young players can learn from. Our young forwards have a prime opportunity to learn from Hubert's technical expertise in the scrum. He brings a wealth of knowledge and his character is right in line with what Trinity Western is all about."

Buydens will be an assistant coach with the men's team, leading the forwards and defence. He'll also assist with scrummaging and lineouts with the women's team.

"It's exciting because it's a new program and there is a lot of opportunity to help build something here," Buydens said. "It'll be fun to work with the teams and I think I can help them in terms of game preparation and getting things done in a professional way."

Buydens joins a Spartans coaching contingent that already includes Adam Roberts with the men's team and Julia Sugawara, with the women's team. 

"We're trying to build an amazing coaching staff that will help our players get to the professional and international level while excelling in every other area of their lives, including academics," Evans said. "Hubert rounds out all those things perfectly for us." 

The Spartans men's side has got off to a successful start in their first semester back as a varsity program, earning the Shield Championship at the prestigious West Coast 7s in San Francisco before beating UBC Okanagan 43-20 in TWU first 15s game of the year. The women's sevens team will open its schedule with the first of three stops on the Canada West Sevens Series Jan. 18-19 at the University of Alberta.

The Spartans rugby teams re-launched this past September, following in the footsteps of a great rugby tradition at TWU, which saw the men's program thrive from 1988 to 2004 and compete as a varsity program from 1996 until 2004. TWU also previously had a women's rugby club program from, 1997 to 2000 and from 2003 to 2005.

About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 11 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes in the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) in men's hockey and as an independent team in men's rugby. The men's and women's hockey programs will begin playing in Canada West and U SPORTS in 2020-21. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 12 U SPORTS team championships and 27 Canada West team championships and two BCIHL championships.

-TW-