Rugby season ready to begin

Times Reporter

 

Rugby season is once again upon us, and Strathmore High School’s (SHS) teams have been busy preparing for their upcoming games. The girls finished in seventh place at provincials last year, and are trying to qualify again this year, said coach Jerry Flaws. 

Last year at the start of the year there was only one player who had 15s experience. A 15s team means they play with 15 players per team on the field (pitch). The girls needed to borrow players from two other schools. This year Flaws would like to field a team exclusively with SHS students.

“With six returning players and crop of good athletes out of Grade 10 the future looks good,” said Flaws.

“There are only a few Grade 12s this year so we basically have two years to develop these athletes into rugby players.  I’ve recruited good athletes, now I just have to teach them the sport of rugby.  With rookies in key positions Tuesday’s game looks to be an eye opener for the players.”

Flaws said the game is hard to understand until you have played a game. After the first game he feels the girls will have a better idea of what they are trying to accomplish in practice.   

“With the athletic talent we have we will be competitive in league and our zone this year,” said Flaws. 

The boys team has more returning players this year than the girls, so they are starting the year with a little more rugby knowledge. The boys also plan to be competitive again in both league and game play. 

A tough schedule laid out for the boys this year should help prepare them for zones. They will play against the top three teams in the province during league play. Coaches Steele and Popel will be looking at the returning players to help lead the squad on and off the field. 

Both teams play their first games at home, before going on the road for the next three. The first game is April 24 with the boys playing at 5 p.m. followed by the girls at 6:30 p.m. On April 26 the teams will play again, with the girls playing the first game at 5 p.m. and the boys team playing after them.