University of British Columbia Athletics

Recognized by adversaries and team mates as an inordinately skilled player, Robert Hindson played four seasons with the Thunderbirds, including the remarkable 1974-75 season in which he helped lead UBC to a record of 20-2, including a Western Canadian Championship and a victory over the University of California Berkeley in the annual World Cup series.

His international career began in 1972 during his freshman year when he was chosen for the BC side to play against New Zealand. He received his first cap the following year against Wales. In his early days he was a superb goal kicker but it was his formidable presence as a multi-skilled player in all phases of the game that attracted the attention of the Canadian selectors. While still a student at UBC, he also played against New South Wales Country (Australia) in 1974, against Japan in 1976 and later against Bridgend (Wales) in 1979.

In 1974, he was selected by the Irish Rugby Football Union to represent Canada during the Union’s Centenary season. He played for the Irish Wolfhounds against Connacht and Leinster and was a reserve for the President’s XV against the complete Ireland team. In the latter game, players from six other International Rugby Board countries were in the starting lineup. In 1987, when South Pacific Barbarians went on their internal tour of South Africa, Hindson was the only Canadian player invited to join this select group of international players from the South Pacific countries.

When he retired in 1990, he had accumulated a Canadian record 31 international caps. Two of those caps were earned against Ireland and Wales at the inaugural Rugby World Cup in 1987. His remarkable career was officially recognized by his inductions into the BC Rugby Hall of Fame in 2011 and the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.

With files from the BC Rugby Hall of Fame