Ian Hyde-Lay, a legendary sport figure with strong SMUS ties, was formally honoured this past Saturday, May 3, for his induction into the Canadian Rugby Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2024.
Hyde-Lay, a SMUS teacher, administrator and rugby and basketball coach for 40 years, as well as an official and a player who earned international caps, entered the Hall as a match official. He was honoured as part of the pre-game ceremony at the annual Boot Game between SMUS and visiting Oak Bay on Saturday afternoon.
Also honoured as part of the Canadian Rugby Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 was Ed Fairhurst (SMUS ’97), who was inducted as a player. Inductees had the option of where to have their award presented and Fairhurst chose February's Vancouver Sevens tournament at BC Place, while Hyde-Lay opted for SMUS's Alumni Weekend.
Hyde-Lay had a distinguished career as both a player and a match official. He served on Rugby Canada’s National Refereeing Panel for 11 years, from 1993 to 2003, and was widely regarded as one of the country's preeminent referees during that time.
He officiated 17 test matches between 1995 and 2000, as well as games involving the Australian and British Barbarians. Notably, he was a member of the referee panel at the 1999 Rugby World Cup, an assistant referee on two occasions in the 2000 Six Nations competition and served as an assistant referee in an additional 18 test matches.
Hyde-Lay was involved in two Sevens Rugby World Cups (1997 and 2001) and participated in the 1998 Commonwealth Games sevens tournament. Prior to his refereeing career, Hyde-Lay earned three international caps as a player and represented Canada at the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987 in New Zealand.
Fairhurst’s rugby journey started at just six-years-old at SMUS. Displaying a natural affinity for the sport, he captained SMUS to a BC AAA high school championship in 1997. This early success was just the beginning for Fairhurst, who went on to make waves at regional, provincial and international levels.
His Rugby Canada Hall of Fame announcement reads as follows:
“Ed Fairhurst had an illustrious career representing both Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team and Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team. He played for 12 years with Canada’s Men’s Rugby Team, from 2001 to 2012, earning 57 international caps and participating in three Rugby World Cups (2003, 2007, and 2011).
“At the time of his retirement, he held the record for the most caps by any scrumhalf in Canadian rugby history. In addition to his success in 15s, Fairhurst also played for Canada’s Men’s Sevens Team from 2000 to 2005, appearing in 15 tournaments, including the 2002 Commonwealth Games and the 2005 Sevens Rugby World Cup.
“On the professional rugby circuit, he spent two years with the Cardiff Blues (2005-2006), making 12 appearances, and three years with the Cornish Pirates (2006-2008), where he accumulated 49 appearances.”
In 2024, Hyde-Lay was also inducted in to the BC Rugby Hall of Fame in the builder category, honoured for his time as a player, coach, administrator and referee.
