Local members of Sask Rugby’s U16 and U18 girls teams run drills in Lashburn last week prior to heading to Calgary to compete in Rugby Alberta’s Western Canadian Championships, hosted by the Calgary Rugby Union from Aug. 4-6. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
A handful of local rugby players recently had the opportunity to scrum against the best in the country at the Western Canadian Rugby Championships.
Hosted by the Calgary Rugby Union from Aug. 4-6, this premier event included four divisions competing for the title of champion.
Divisions included U16 and U18 boys and U16 and U18 girls with teams from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador and Washington, Oregon.
Sask Rugby was represented locally by athletes in the U16 and U18 girls and U18 boys divisions.
Athletes from the area had their final practice last Wednesday night at Lashburn’s Murray McDonnell Rugby Park before hitting the road on Thursday morning and were feeling confident going into their games.
With Westerns being the pinnacle of competitive rugby before making the jump to U20, the opposition in each division was a little tougher and much faster than anticipated, giving each team something to work on for next season.
The U16 girls finished fourth in their division after some tough competition from the winning team from Ontario.
The U18 girls took home a bronze in the east pool, which included Ontario and Manitoba, and the U18 boys finished seventh in their stacked division of seven teams.
For Zara Wilson of the U16 girls, the gameplay was much more intense than expected.
“It was more aggressive than what we’re used to in high school,” she said. “It was also much faster and the hitting was much harder.
“It was also a lot higher skill level than in high school.”
Wilson explained her biggest takeaway from the weekend was the fact players have to be quicker on their feet while making split-second decisions.
Zara’s dad, Todd, who also coached the U16 team, explained the experience was something the girls won’t soon forget. It also gave local rugby clubs some things to work on in the future.
“We need to grow the program and get a few more bodies involved,” he said. “We want to keep trying to get players out and grow the sport in the Lloydminster area, and across Saskatchewan in general.”
