A single rugby program that involves students at both Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School (PSO) and 100 Mile House Junior Secondary is up and running.
They’ve been practising on the Junior Secondary field since mid-September, honing their skills in the game of seven-aside, or sevens, as it’s usually called.
Returning coach Jade Jewitt looks after the girls’ team, which at 16 members, is enough to field both a junior and a senior team this season.
“That’s a really big turnout compared to previous years.”
While there was no local school rugby program last year, Jewitt worked with many of the girls last spring on fitness training and skills, and says her players are in good shape.
“They’re small but tough and they’re not scared. They’re going to be a good bunch of girls to work with and they love the sport.”
Rugby is an aggressive game and Jewitt says they’ve put extra emphasis this year on safety. She explains parents and guardians of players were individually spoken to about the sport and made aware of what their child was getting into.
Former rugby coach and Mile 108 Elementary School principal Tom Turner did a safe tackling workshop with players at the beginning of the season to teach them how to protect themselves during play.
Jewitt is a PSO grad who played school rugby for six years and is in her third year of coaching.
The boys’ team is led by coach Matt Leclerc who is also a PSO grad and an automotive shop substitute teacher.
He has his work cut out for him with a 15-man junior team and eight-man senior squad this season.
The talent pool is mixed, with a few veterans and a fair amount of new interest, he says.
“A lot of the guys are green, but have quite a bit of potential and skill. We’ve got quite a few athletes, which is very nice.
“I’m pretty excited about the season. I’ve got more talent than I bargained for, which is a great surprise.”
Leclerc has five years of secondary school rugby under his belt and he coached last year in Surrey.
PSO teacher John Murray returns as the rugby program teacher sponsor.
The girls’ and boys’ teams play their first games of the season with Williams Lake today (Oct. 10), starting at 3:30 p.m. at the Junior Secondary fields.
