Rod Snow- Athlete

Inducted 2017

As one of the most prolific front row players to ever represent Canada, Rod Snow has enjoyed an illustrious Rugby career that spanned four decades.  In 1989, a nineteen-year-old Snow represented Canada in the annual fixture against the US Collegiate All-Stars and became a member of the Canadian Developmental Team.  In  1991 the Canadian Developmental Team did a tour of New Zealand playing in all five fixtures.  By 1994, Snow had earned his first senior Cap at hooker against Argentina.  In all 62 Caps for Canada Rod Snow played in all front row positions scoring seven tries.  This feat made Snow the most capped dedicated front row player to ever play for Canada.  His world-class skills lead him to Canada’s formidable scrum, playing in the 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 World Cups.  His skills lead him to play professionally beginning in 1995 for Eastern Province starting in all six Currie Cup matches.  Later that year, he signed with Newport RFC (later known as the Gwent Dragons) where he played with this club for ten years.  Snow scored thirty tries in 150 matches with Newport, the most of any front row player in the 140-plus-year history of the club.  His skills helped his team become the Welsh Cup champions in 2001.  His Newport accolades include being awarded the Player of the Year Award in 1997 and 2003; and his Testimonial Dinner in 2005 for ten year’s service – raising 20,000 pounds sterling for various Welsh charities.  In 2016 Snow was honoured by being inducted into the Newport Rugby Hall of Fame.  Following his retirement from professional Rugby, Snow returned home to Newfoundland and played with the Newfoundland and Atlantic Rock for six seasons.  He was an integral part of the National Championship wins in 2006, 2007 and 2010. Other honours for Snow included having played for the Barbarians versus Wales in 1996 and versus east Midlands in 2003; played for the World XV in their match against Argentina in 1999; named the #3 prop in the world, as rated by World Rugby Magazine, October 1999 and he was named as British Writers’ Player of the Year in 2005.  In 1995 Snow was named Newfoundland and Labrador’s Senior Male Athlete of the Year.

Rod Snow’s on-field reputation for uncompromising physicality, tenacity and world-class skills, combined with the record number of appearances for Canada and other Rugby clubs clearly identifies him as an outstanding athlete.  These traits exemplify an important era in Canadian Rugby at a time when Canada competed internationally at a very high level and won many tests against higher-ranked countries. In late January 2017 Rugby Canada announced that Rod Snow was one of a select group to be named to Rugby Canada’s Hall of Fame.  That ceremony will take place later this year.

There is no doubt that Rod Snow’s success with Rugby has been and will continue to have a source of inspiration for the many generations of rugby players and fans to follow.