Former soccer Axeman Coats enjoying international rugby success

By John DeCoste

The last few months – in fact, the last couple of years – have been a whirlwind for Cooper Coats. A midfielder for the soccer Axemen from 2014 through 2017 and an all-conference player in 2016, Coats has been forging a whole new career for himself in the sport of rugby and, most recently, rugby sevens.

This summer, the Halifax native has represented Canada at both the 2020 Olympic qualifying tournament in the Cayman Islands and at the 2019 Pan-Am Games in Lima, Peru. Canada won the Olympic qualifier, earning a berth at the 2020 Olympics, then earned silver medals at the Pan-Ams.

Those familiar with Coats' time at Acadia will recall that soccer was his main athletic endeavour. He has, however, been actively playing rugby since he was a Grade 12 student at Citadel High in Halifax.

"I was in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program (in high school)," he explains. "As part of the IB program, we had to do a certain amount of physical activity in a different sport. My buddies and I had an idea to try rugby. I tried it and fell in love with it right away."

Coats first played rugby for Citadel in the spring of his Grade 12 year. "The coaches knew I was (first and foremost) a soccer player. They took advantage of me being a good kicker and played me at fly half."

He liked rugby, though he admits, "even in high school, I was still playing it for fun." Moreover, "it didn't interfere with soccer because high school rugby is played in the spring."

Halfway through that 2014 season, provincial team coach Jack Hanratty dropped by one of the Citadel practices. "He knew I was planning to go to university for soccer, but he suggested I might want to try out for the provincial rugby team." He did so and ended up making the Nova Scotia Celtics U-18 team.

That summer, "we ended up going to Atlantics and won. Then we went to the U-18 nationals and did quite well playing Tier 2." At nationals, where he was the top points scorer, Coats "got scouted by the national team scouts that were there." He was invited to join the national U-18 team and accompanied Team Canada on an U-18 tour to Rumania in the fall of 2014. "It all happened very quickly," he recalls.

He had arrived at Acadia by then (to study and play varsity soccer) and almost immediately had to take time off to travel overseas and play rugby. Fortunately, Axemen head coach Findlay MacRae "recognized what an opportunity it was for me and was really flexible and supportive."

Coats acknowledged, "I knew I was really out of my league. I'd been playing rugby for less than a year." At the same time, "I got to play alongside some really good players. I realized I might have a future in rugby. The national experience got my foot in the door. I set myself a goal to see how far I could get."

From then on, "the fall was dedicated to soccer and the summers to rugby." He represented Atlantic Canada at U-19 nationals in the summer of 2015, as a member of the Atlantic Rock. That fall, he was "fortunate enough to get to attend the U-20 national team camp in B.C."

He was invited to the U-20 national team camp in the fall of 2015. "At the final camp prior to playing the U.S. in a qualifier for worlds, I got injured and ended up missing the game (in which Canada fell short)."

The following summer, 2016, Coats again played for the U-19 Atlantic Rock, this time as an overage player. At the U-19 nationals, he "got scouted by the senior men's national team coach," and was offered a senior contract to train with the national team in B.C.

This would have meant moving to Vancouver. "They wanted me right away, but I realized the opportunity I had at Acadia, and I had two scholarships. I told the coach I wanted to finish my undergrad degree. He was fine with that and told me to keep in shape."

Coats graduated from Acadia in May of 2018 with a B.Sc. degree with a double major in biology and chemistry. Later that summer, he was offered a contract to join the senior national program's centralized group, based in B.C., and this time, he accepted. He relocated to B.C. in the fall of 2018.

While at the national camp, he was approached by Damien McGrath, coach of the national rugby sevens program, who "said he was interested in me as a player." From then on. "my focus shifted to sevens."

As opposed to traditional, 15 players-on-a-side rugby, sevens "is faster-paced, with shorter games." The national team schedule "is all tournament-based." The regular season, called the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, consists of a series of two and three-day tournaments held around the world.

"This year's stops were in Dubai, Cape Town, New Zealand, Australia, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Singapore, London and Paris. Last year, the L.A. stop was in Las Vegas, the rest was the same."

Coats' first 'cap' (game appearance with the national team) came in 2018 "against Argentina in Cape Town." He also got to travel with the team to tournaments in Las Vegas and Paris. At the latter tournament, "I got a decent amount of time on the field and scored my first try for Canada. I was pretty pumped up. I've been able to show that I can actually play."

Coats got to travel with Team Canada to the Olympic qualifier in June. "We ended up winning that tournament. The team qualified for the 2020 Olympics, and we have a year to decide on the final roster." He is not guaranteed a spot, "but I'm in the mix – and I did get to play in the qualifier."

His good fortune continued when he got to be part of the Team Canada roster for the Pan-Am Games in Peru. "We got silver, coming up short against Argentina in the gold medal game." The U.S. took bronze.

Coats reiterated, "it's all happened so quickly. I've been keeping myself in check by taking a bit of time to take it all in and appreciate it for what it is." He acknowledged, "during my first rugby season in Grade 12, that I might have this kind of an opportunity never even crossed my mind."

He added, "I've worked hard to get where I am today, but a big part of the reason I've been able to be this successful so quickly is the support I received at Acadia, from Findlay, Elliott Richardson, all my professors who were always so flexible and supportive, allowing me to write tests early and giving me extensions when I needed them.

"It makes me glad I chose Acadia. That kind of support, accommodation and flexibility is one of a kind."

Coats is "committed to rugby full-time for now," though his long-term goal is still to eventually attend medical school and become a doctor. At the same time, "the exposure and experience I've gained so far has been amazing. There's no reason not to continue for as long as I can. I turn 23 in October. There'll be lots of time for medical school."