The Dauphin Clippers rugby teams are into the semifinals in the Westman High School Rugby after ending the regular season, last week.
The Clippers girls beat the Souris Sabres, 55-0, to finish in first place with a perfect 4-0 record, outscoring their opponents, 276-0.
Isabella Williams and Felicity Sahulka had two tries each and Ryann Richard-Soltis, Ruth Dandeneau, Kiersten Vandekerckhove, Desiree Lariviere and Sigrid Katerud had one each. Ruth Evans added five converts.
Clippers coach Shawn Sarkonak was pleased with the team’s play, noting the first 15 minutes were back-and-forth with neither team gaining any field advantage.
“It was played between the 22 (yard lines). It was pretty much a defensive battle,” he said.
It was around the 15-minute mark that Dauphin scored its first try. And the score at halftime was 17-0 in favour of Dauphin.
“It was back-and-forth. They made it tough. And they almost got one on us. They drove it all the way to our five-metre line, got us hemmed in our own zone. But we managed to get it turned over and get out of the half and the rest of the game without being scored on,” Sarkonak said.
After doing some research, Sarkonak found the Clippers are 20-0 since the start of the 2023 season in 15s rugby, outscoring their opponents in that time, 1,206-30.
Sarkonak said the team takes pride in its current streak, but they are aware that streaks are meant to come to an end.
“(Assistant coach) Kent (Miner) and I just say that if we get scored on, we get scored on. It’s not going to be the end of the world. Just keep playing Clipper girls rugby and play hard, play tough and play team-like,” he said.
“They know that the streak is on the line, but I do believe it keeps them motivated to keep going as long as they can.”
Sarkonak was pleased to see the balanced scoring continue.
“That what you love to see. You have 14 teammates out there with you, so there’s no need for being individuals. And that’s honestly the biggest part of the success that we’re having, is just playing a full all-around team game,” he said.
The Clippers will now face the fourth-place Crocus Plains Plainsmen in the semifinals, tonight at 5:30 p.m. in Dauphin.
With no 15s girls teams in Winnipeg, the finalists in the Westman league will meet in Brandon for the provincial title.
Read this weeks Dauphin Herald for more.
