Cougar rugby looks for full team effort

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The Crowther Memorial Junior High School’s rugby team lost a lot of experienced players after many Grade 9s moved on from last season. The team doesn’t hold try-outs but consistently have had 32 players out to practice as of late, which is an encouraging sight for head coach Wayne Hvingelby.
“We’ve always had lots of guys show up,” said Hvingelby.
“And we’ve always struggled getting enough numbers for the girls squad. But this year numbers are strong. As long as they keep showing up it’ll be encouraging. We’ll see what it’s like for the first couple of games. ”
He added that rugby is a team effort and some players adapt earlier than others.
“Some of them will take until the end of the year but some of them are able to pick it up within the first couple of practices and you can tell as a coach, ‘yeah you’ve got it, you just need a game,’” said Hvingelby.
His overall goal is not so much winning but to get them the experience of playing the sport and preparing them for the high school programs.
The Cougars will host their home tournament on April 22, before heading to Lethbridge on May 14.