The high school rugby season will begin this weekend with the annual John Keogh Memorial Tournament in Brandon, hitting the pitch, Friday and Saturday.
The Dauphin Clippers will send both teams to Brandon, with the boys playing at 11 a.m. against the Crocus Plains Plainsmen and again at 3 p.m. against the Souris Sabres.
The girls hit the pitch in back-to-back games, facing the Swan Valley Tigers at 1 p.m., and the Rivers Rams at 2 p.m.
The Clippers began practicing about three weeks ago in the gym at the DRCSS with 55 players - 28 boys and 27 girls - between the two teams.
Clippers coach Aaron Miner said that is an all-time high for the high school rugby program.
The youth rugby program is starting to pay dividends for the high school teams. Miner stated he has never seen the teams so well prepared.
“Some of that can be attributed to exchange students who have played the sport since they were three years old. And some of it can be attributed to the program we have been running since these kids have been in Grades 2 and 3,” he said. “All our hard work that we’ve put into the youth program is starting to show and starting to pay off.”
Because the players already know the basics of the sport, the coaching staff, which includes Gerald Lopez, do not have to spend time teaching the sport. Rather they can focus on tactics and strategy instead.
“Even the few newcomers that we do have are being coached by the senior or the veteran players. So just the basic, how to throw a ball and how to catch a ball,” he said. “I often see the veterans standing at the back of the line with the newcomers, showing them how to twist the ball or how to kick and how to tackle safely. So a lot of that coaching is being done by the leaders on the team and it’s just great to have 40 out of 55 players know the game already. It’s been fantastic.”
Based on what he has seen, Miner is full of confidence heading into the season.
“Maybe too much. I’ve never seen a team like this. A youth rugby team that is so large in stature and so skilled and knowledgable of the game,” he said. “It’s going to be a great season no matter what.”
The Clippers girls open the season, Apr. 20, when they host the Swan Valley Stampeders at 5:30 p.m., the boys begin, Apr. 26 in Souris at 6:30 p.m.
