It’s unusual for a national rugby team wants to play a club team. Even more unusual is the club team won. But that’s what happened when the Japanese women’s team touring Canada in 2009 asked the provincial champion Burnaby Lake Rugby Club to play a game. It’s the only time a Canadian women’s club team has defeated a national team. “They actually requested it, which from our side was a pretty big honour,” said BLRC coach Walter Brandl. At the time, Burnaby Lake women’s program was the dominant program in the province. “We put a number of Canadian players out on the field, but it was just a real tight-knit group of players that shared success at various levels, the club level, the provincial level and the Canadian level.” said Brandl. The game was a tough, hard-fought, 25-24 victory on Sept. 23, 2009. “It was a real close game right from the get-go,” recalls Brandl. “[The Japanese played] a very structured game, very programmed game and they were trying to win the ball with one and two-man rucks because they were typically undersized … It was definitely a contrast in styles.’