The 100 Mile Rugby Eagles boys and girls teams were in Williams Lake for games with Williams Lake Secondary School (WLSS), May 1.
The Junior Boys played a fast-moving match of 15-aside, winning 34-25 against a talented WLSS team, which is regarded as one of the top in the zone.
It was the first time this season the two teams had met, and Eagles coach Matt Leclerc is excited about the results.
“It’s really great that we managed to control the pace of the game. We were able to slow down the game and make some really good plays.”
He commends his players Brice Comskey, Derek Popadinac and Ian Heales for their skill and hard work.
“They made every pass and every hit and displayed amazing rugby. The entire back line did a fantastic job and everyone on the team was playing 110 per cent. This was a huge step in the right direction.”
Leclerc says the score would have had a wider margin, but in the final minute, his players ran out of steam and slacked off defensively.
The girls’ squad was short of sufficient players to field a 15-aside team, so opted for two games of seven-aside. Both games resulted in losses for the Eagles, but Leclerc says the girls came away with a lot of positives.
“They were making great plays and making hits. Williams Lake was just sucking them in defensively.”
The Eagles will have a rematch with WLSS on home turf after school on the 100 Mile House Junior Secondary field on May 16.
The home team will be sporting new jerseys, which are the result of donations amounting to $1,500 that came from Andre’s Electronics, Safeway and Sunrise Ford.
Leclerc notes that prior to the purchase, there weren’t enough of one colour of jersey to dress the entire team and there was always a mix of three or four different colours on the field at any one time.
“Our nickname has been The Rainbow Team.”
