For the first time in the team’s history, the Dauphin Clippers girls rugby team are provincial champions.
Just one week after winning the Westman High School Rugby title, the Clippers captured provincial gold in Winnipeg.
Dauphin earned its spot in the gold medal game with a 46-0 win over Winnipeg Vincent Massey Trojans and clinched the gold medal with a 27-10 win over the Rivers Rams.
Clippers coach Shawn Sarkonak said it was an amazing feeling to win provincials, with the players sticking to a team mentality and not playing as individuals being key to their success.
“That’s what was preached and coached all year and they stuck with it. And that’s what led to their success,” he said.
In facing a team they had never seen before in the semifinals, the Clippers just stuck to their own game plan, like they have done all season.
“That’s what we’ve done with every game this year. Every game is a brand new game and you don’t know what you’re coming up against. So that’s out of your control, but you stay with what you can control and that’s the team game and the way that we prepare and practice. And that’s what led to the success,” Sarkonak said.
The Clippers were confident going into the gold medal game against Rivers, a team that had already beaten twice before.
“But again, we kept saying it’s a brand new game, so you never know what’s going to happen. You’ve just got to stick with the team mentality,” Sarkonak said, adding there were points in the game where the Clippers were taking needless penalties and had some core skill letdowns, such as knock-ons and forward passes.
“In the second half, we came out flying and cleaned it up and it led to the success and bringing home the gold,” he said.
Being a provincial champion is hard to describe, Sarkonak said.
“You start with the league title and it’s always hard just to get there. And to cap it off with a provincial title is indescribable. It’s amazing,” he said.
The Clippers finished the season with a perfect 9-0 record and only allowed 30 points in those games.
The Clippers boys won the bronze medal, thanks to a 39-0 win over the Crocus Plains Plainsmen.
Dauphin lost its semifinal to Dakota Collegiate, 5-0.
Clippers coach Aaron Miner said losing by just one try was heartbreaking, especially considering how close they came to scoring themselves.
“We were so close so many times. We were within an arms reach of putting the ball over the try line and popping one in. But it was such a defensive game on both ends. It was hard to make an inch, never mind an arm length,” he said.
The boys were confident going into the bronze medal game, as they were facing the Plainsmen for the fourth time this season.
“We knew all their ins and outs and all their plays and all those things. But we didn’t make it about the game, we made it about the graduating class that game,” Miner said. “We spent special attention to those 12 guys that are moving on or moving back to their home country, with the exchange students. We made it a meaningful game for those guys. The game was all about them and all their successes and learning experiences about rugby, the game, the heritage, the culture, the history of the game throughout all the years. It did have meaning to our group. There were some tears shed and some longer than usual hugs after the win. It was very meaningful.”
As a coach, it is hard for Miner to see the graduating players move on.
“This team was 10 years in the making. When Gerald (Lopez) and a few of us started the Parkland Pirates mini-rugby 10 years ago, this is what we envisioned,” he said.
“We feel we have a good program and we have a great feeder system now. We have high expectations that we end up in the top two minimum in the league every year for many years. And get a chance to compete at provincials yearly.”
The boys finished the season with a record of 7-1 while allowing just 25 points.
