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Though the U14 boys rugby team from Campbell River lost to Cowichan 57-10, Erin Young, president of the rugby club, isn’t too worried about it.
“Cowichan is quite experienced and…half our team had never played yet, they had only practiced in the last month,” she said. “We had expected that result.”
The two teams met at Willow Point Park on Sunday in the final match of the Campbell River Athletic Association‘s annual rugby jamboree.
Kids as young as six years old had the chance to play flag rugby, tackling starts at the U12 level.
The jamboree seemed like more of a celebration of rugby than a tournament. They didn’t keep score and rugby clubs who didn’t have full teams could send their players who would then be placed on a team so that everyone had a chance to play.
“Everybody is a registered member of their club and B.C. rugby but they don’t have to wait until there is a full team to compete in the sport,” Young said.
Though it was a bit chaotic, there was a lot of learning going on. Coaches called directions from the sidelines and the referees took every chance they could to teach and make the game flow better.
“You will see it right up to the international level where the refs will be helping the game flow by giving tips and suggestions to players,” Young said.
The Campbell River Athletic Association has been around for a long time, but Young said that they have shifted their focus to youth rugby in the last five years or so.
In the beginning it was an adult rugby club and they had both men’s and women’s teams.
“It was pretty much when the Elk Falls mill closed that we lost a lot of people, but we have been rebuilding with youth,” Young said.
As for the U14 boys, Young reported that despite the huge score difference, the Cowichan club was impressed with the boys’ athleticism and believes they will catch on quickly.
“The whistle doesn’t blow in rugby it just keeps on going and you play both offense and defense,” Young said. “That is just the nature of the game, you take your chances and if you make a mistake you might pay for it but you might learn from it too.”
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