滨苍听June, Squamish鈥檚 Jamie Cudmore was back in Canada, leading the national rugby team in a series of test matches against international competition.
Before that, he was here helping coach the team in a tournament against other national teams from the Americas.
When he鈥檚 on a rugby pitch most of the time though, he鈥檚 in France, where he has played professionally for years.聽
Cudmore moved to France following the 2002 World Cup when he played for Canada.
鈥淚鈥檇 just come off a year of playing in Wales,鈥� he says.
His path has been chronicled in news stories, starting with some troubled younger years growing up in Squamish. He has credited rugby for helping to turn his life around. He started playing the sport with a previous incarnation of the Axemen in Squamish, then moved on to play with Capilano in the Lower Mainland.聽
From Canada, he left to play in New Zealand and Wales, then moved on to France where he now lives with his wife, Jennifer, daughter Maelle and son Grayson.
鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 never have to speak French in my life,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 was pretty lost my first year.鈥�
He started playing in Grenoble, then moved to ASM Clermont Auvergne where he played for 11 seasons. With the new season underway, Cudmore now wears the kit for Union Sportif Oyonnax Rugby.
Clermont is located in the central part of France, and Cudmore and his family were living in a 鈥渜uaint little village of about 80 people.鈥澛�
Changing clubs meant moving a few hours away since Oyonnax is located in the eastern part of the country.
Playing professional rugby in France means Cudmore has a little more of a profile than if he were back in Canada.
鈥淚鈥檝e been recognized everywhere, even in the most random places,鈥� he says.
At six-feet, five-inches and an estimated 260 pounds, Cudmore is not exactly inconspicuous anywhere. On the pitch, he earned the nickname 鈥淐uddles鈥� back in his days in Capilano where Roger Hatch, the coach, club member and director of sport (former rugby coach) at Collingwood Secondary, slapped the nickname on him and it caught on.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always the nicknames you don鈥檛 like that stick,鈥� he laughs.
Cudmore turned 38 in early September, and he and his wife, who has a background in business, have been preparing for life off the pitch, starting their own brand of wine, Sin Bin, the name referring to rugby鈥檚 version of the penalty box.
鈥淚t was kind of a whim,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檝e been in the sin bin a few times.鈥澛�
The company makes yellow and red card wines, again playing off the colours of penalty cards in rugby to correspond with their white and red wines. They also make a 鈥渞os茅 card,鈥� by the way.
One popular story had him presenting a red card to opponent Paul O鈥機onnell as a joke in reference to a dust-up they once had on the pitch for which Cudmore received the more severe red card, while O鈥機onnell walked away with only a yellow.
鈥淚 presented him with a few bottles after the game,鈥� he says.
Prior to starting Sin Bin, Cudmore opened a nightclub with some other players, then sold it to start up a wine bar.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 kind of where the whole wine thing started,鈥� he says.
Even though a veteran in a physically demanding sport, Cudmore is still a force on the field. Rugby season is a long one, although there a few small breaks throughout, which, along with a neck injury, freed him up early in the year to help coach Canada at the inaugural Americas Rugby Championship, which featured the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.
In June, he was back playing in Canada and captained the national team during three test matches against Japan, Russia and Italy, the first of which was held at BC Place in Vancouver.
In general, he does make a point to get home for a visit when he can.
鈥淚 try to get back once every year or two.鈥�
For Cudmore, advancing to top-level rugby meant moving to a different part of the world. When he began playing, rugby players usually started only once they entered high school. Now, kids are picking up the game at a younger age, with mini rugby and more girls are also playing competitively in their own leagues, or sometimes with the boys.
鈥淩ugby is one of the great team games... It鈥檚 definitely brought the skill level up across the board,鈥� he says. 鈥淚f the pyramid is strong, the top will just be better.鈥澛�
For now, playing rugby professionally in France is still a world away from the early days back home in Squamish.聽
With Clermont, he played before crowds of 16,000 and 18,000, and even more when playing in cities like Toulouse and Paris, where they can attract 75,000 people for a club-level match.
鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a different level,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 cool to see.鈥�
