The World Rugby Sevens Series was a time for sports fans to dress in all manner of silly getup and cheer on their countries under the white dome of BC Place Stadium.
But for the Nanaimo Hornets Rubgy Club, it was a reunion with an old friend after a century apart.
Coverage of the Rugby Sevens:
In a jubilant ceremony outside the doors to the stadium, Eric Willis pulled the wrapping off a trophy emblazoned with the words, “Nanaimo League Rugby.”
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It was a cup that belonged in the club’s trophy case.
Willis found the cup at a store known as Shoulder to Shoulder Collectibles in Calgary and bought it for $420.
“How is that here, who knows,” he said of finding the trophy.
He turned to Facebook for answers, posting photos of the cup on the page belonging to the Nanaimo Hornets.
It wasn’t clear when the trophy went missing from the club’s trophy case, but photos of the cup in the clubhouse dated back to 1910.
READ MORE: Canadian men win first ever World Rugby Sevens title after downing U.S. in final
“If only this cup could talk,” said Hornets past president John Hanson.
“We have no idea where it’s been.”
Willis handed the cup over to club director Darren Wicks at BC Place Stadium.
The excitement of the Sevens could hardly compete with anything the Hornets were feeling.
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