A huge team of 46 Ottawa athletes are set to compete at the St. John’s 2025 Canada Summer Games in Newfoundland. The Ottawa Sports Pages will be sending out a free daily email newsletter with recaps, previews and profiles throughout the Aug. 9-24 national youth multi-sport event.
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By Tyler Reis-Sanford
Fresh off a dominant performance at the 2025 Under-19 Canadian Rugby Championships, Ottawa’s Jack Priestman will have to be ready to suit up for Team Ontario again for the 2025 Canada Summer Games.
Although Ontario went undefeated in Calgary to win the 15s national title, they’ll have to stay sharp to capture a sevens title in Newfoundland. The nod to Team Ontario’s U19 squad was Priestman’s first ever, but the Barrhaven Scottish forward is far from new to the game of rugby.
“I started when I was about three years old, I played for a couple years,” recounts Priestman. “I jumped back into it around Grade 5 and I’ve been playing ever since.”
At this point in his career, playing for the Scottish isn’t just like playing with family, it is family. Not just because Priestman has been a part of the squad for so long, but because practically his entire household suits up for the Scottish. His brother and sister both play for the club, and his mom coaches his sister’s U16 squad.
Priestman says it’s nice to have everyone involved, and that the Ottawa rugby community is incredibly supportive of each other, even after facing off as opponents at Twin Elm Rugby Park on Saturday afternoons.
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“Anytime you play, everything gets left on the field. It’s all light-hearted. There’s no hard feelings,” highlights Priestman. “If you’re playing with the senior men’s squad, you’re going to the pub, you’re getting beers with the other team after. We’re very tight-knit. All the clubs know each other, especially at Twin Elm.”
Priestman and Team Ontario won every game at the July 20-27 U19 Championships in commanding style, with their average margin of victory being more than 37 points. Despite breezing through their first three opponents, an always competitive B.C. Bears squad kept it close in the final, falling 25-21 to the inevitable champion Blues. Priestman says his playing time was a valuable experience, and helped him better understand what it’s like to compete with the best young athletes in the country.
“I was kind of nervous going into it. It was out of my comfort zone, but I started getting into the groove of it and started laying some hits,” recalls Priestman. “In the finals, I had a pretty good run as soon as I got out there. I took it probably 50 metres. We ended up kicking for points, but that was probably the highlight in that final game for me.”
As exciting and rewarding as the tournament was, Priestman and a number of his 15s teammates will have to be ready for a quick turnaround. With the three-day Canada Summer Games rugby tournament ready to go Aug. 11-13, Priestman says the experience was helpful in giving him confidence, but he recognizes that sevens and 15’s are completely different games.
“In 15s, it’s all about keeping territory. In sevens, it’s all about possession,” explains Priestman. “No matter what, you want to keep the ball, because it’s only seven minutes (per half), and if you lose the ball, that could be game over for you.”
The Team Ontario forward will be switching away from his usual position at flanker to play a “pace prop” role in Newfoundland. The position requires both size and speed. Priestman will need not just to win scrums for Ontario, but also run the sideline like a wing might do in 15s.
“Having that back experience definitely helps,” highlights Priestman. “It helps being able to see where gaps will open, where I can move the ball and coordinate with my teammates to manipulate the defence.”
With years of practice and knowledge under his belt, Priestman feels ready to conquer any challenge at the Canada Summer Games, but recognizes that the psychological aspect of the game can be just as demanding as the physical.
“I just want to play my game,” he adds. “Don’t get caught up, don’t get in my own head, don’t succumb to pressure.”
In the fall, Priestman will be joining the back-to-back defending Ontario University Athletics-champion Guelph Gryphons as he works towards a degree in water resources engineering.
In the meantime, his eyes are set on the Canada Summer Games and capturing gold for Team Ontario. He’ll be joined on the Ontario men’s squad by Scottish clubmate Declan Crew-Gee, while Scottish counterparts ShonDreya Smardon and Grace Dingwall along with Ainsley McDonell of the Ottawa Irish will compete for the Ontario rugby sevens women.
“As a team, we want to go out there and just dominate,” Priestman underlines. “We want to go out there and play our hardest every game and show what it means to be from Ontario.”
Ottawa at the Canada Games Daily Newsletter
A huge team of 48 Ottawa athletes are set to compete at the St. John’s 2025 Canada Summer Games in Newfoundland. The Ottawa Sports Pages will be sending out a free daily email newsletter with recaps, previews and profiles throughout the Aug. 9-24 national youth multi-sport event.
By clicking on the submit button, you consent to receive the above newsletter from the Ottawa Sports Pages. You may unsubscribe by clicking on the link at the bottom of our emails. Ottawa Sports Pages | 21 Kolo Dr., Ashton, Ont., K0A 1B0 | 613-261-5838
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