First XV Rugby

The competitive season really started in September as the team came together. Some of us got the opportunity to play with the Cowichan Rugby Club during first term. In this club, because of low numbers, some players had to play in new positions; this helped us gain more experience and playing ability for later on in the season. During the rainy and cold days of second term we got the opportunity to improve in our fitness and skills. After this hardzous term, spring arrived and the team regained shape as it got back players who went off to play other sports during the colder months.  Finally back from spring break, the team was looking confident and strong going into our competitive season. We were even able to put two complete teams together. Sadly, we started the season on the wrong foot losing against Collingwood on our first game of the Stadium Series. After this, we didn’t put our heads down; it was a learning experience to see where we stood and it made us realize what we needed to improve on. We then played in a tournament called Scrumfest where we played as a whole club by mixing up the teams. This gave us the chance to improve as a club and gave the opportunity for the less experienced players to play with the more experienced ones helping them to improve their game. We went undefeated. Everything started to finally come together for the team.  Next we got to play SMUS, the reigning provincial champion, on our home field for Showcase and ended up defeating them 58-0. This brought the confidence up for the team and coaches. The same week, only one practice later, we played our second Stadium Series game against Rockridge. This game was very physical but we manage win 65-0. These two games helped us realize the things we can achieve when we play simple rugby. Jose Gregorio, Rugby Captain, Privett ‘17