It was a hard-fought and physical match that ended the season for the Kermodes senior boys’ rugby team when they took on Smithers for the zone championships May 13.
Smithers managed the win in the end and walked away with a final score of 13-3. Smithers will now represent the region at provincials.
Kermodes head coach Sean Hall said the team played their hardest for the match.
“The score is not very reflective of the game, unfortunately,” Hall said, adding it was failed attempts to get the ball to the ground in the end-zone that cost the team the game in the end.
“It (the final score) is not very indicative of the effort those guys put in,” Hall said, although he says it was a good game.
This wraps up a whirlwind season for the team, which is only months old and was created during the second half of the school year by a group of RCMP officers and teachers from Terrace’s secondary schools.
Initially when Hall went into the schools to run rugby clinics he just wanted to test out students receptiveness to the sport.
The response he got from the clinics was overwhelming, with almost 60 players initially signing up and an end official roster of 35 players on the team.
Hall said because rugby was so new to everyone, players who had never participated in team sports before got a chance to play on an equal playing field with all players, regardless of past experience.
Next season Hall wants to start up early in the fall, running smaller rugby matches of seven on seven, which require a lot more running and will get students in shape before the start of the regular season.
The team also hopes to broaden its competition next year by touring, possibly to the Lower Mainland, although Hall said if students would like to look into a trip abroad that it is definitely something the coaching staff would consider.
The team is also looking for certified referees. They are hoping to run training clinics for these referees in the summer and anyone interested in taking part can send a message to the Terrace Northmen on its Facebook page.
