CRN Canadian Rugby News pulling the plug

When it rains, it pours. Rugby Union is taking a real hit in Canada. In the past week we've learned that the Rugby World Cup will only be available on Canadian teevees on a Pay-Per-View basis. And now some more sad news to report, Canadian Rugby News has an announcement posted at the head of their webpage announcing the website will now be automatically generated news, rather than a content provider.

Here's the full release:

Dear Readers - It has been a great five year run, but as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Canadian Rugby News was created through the efforts of Karl Fix and a great bunch of rugby supporters from across the country who had faith in what importance an independent rugby news site had for developing the sport in Canada.

This group pooled financial resources, provided legal advice and helped create the site that would go on to post nearly 7,000 stories, pictures, letters to the editor, podcasts and video. We made some people mad, others laugh, and always had a great time doing it.

In recent times the realities of life, having two kids, a mortgage and an understanding wife, began to neccessitate a move to more conventional work, and as a result, less time devoted to the webpage. As the 'day job' took on more of a role in my life, the decision to abandon coverage of rugby became a distinct reality, and while for a time we worked with our US partners at American Rugby News to try and keep the site going from there, the final decision, while tough, makes sense. We are going to close the site down, with the hope that someone else will pick up the the cause of rugby news in Canada. This move also allows me to stay involved in the sport however, though in a different role all together.

Thanks to everyone who helped along the way. I got to meet great rugby people from coast to coast and around the world. In a few days you will see a new front page to CRN, where the world's rugby headlines will be aggregated automatically, and hopefully, you will still find this a helpful service, getting your 'daily rugby fix' in one spot.

Yours sincerely,
Doug Crosse

Ouch.