It’s almost kickoff time for the Williams Lake Rustlers Rugby Football Club as they gear up for their home opener Saturday, May 13 against Prince George at the Ottoman Drive pitch.
Rustlers head coach Braden McCallum said the team began practicing Tuesday evening for the upcoming season with a talented group of players.
“We’re looking to build off our success last year where we finished second at the Stampede Rugby Tournament,” McCallum said. “That was a great boost to our club.”
The team practices Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 8:15 p.m. at the Ottoman Drive rugby fields, located off Dog Creek Road, and McCallum said anyone interested in coming is more than welcome.
“We’re always looking for more players, or anyone who just wants to come out for a run,” he said.
Following its home opener the Rustlers head north to Prince Rupert — who re-entered the league this year bringing the total to four teams — May 21-22 for a double header versus Terrance and Prince Rupert.
They’ll then host Terrace Saturday, June 3 in Williams Lake, before the annual Stampede Rugby Tournament takes place from July 1-2.
On Saturday, July 15, Prince Rupert comes to Williams Lake for a tilt.
Then on July 29, the Rustlers will close out its season with the Saratoga Cup — a B.C.-wide competition for clubs in the province from Northern B.C., Vancouver and Vancouver Island, the Kootenays and the Okanagan. Last year’s Saratoga Cup was won by the Terrace Northmen.
McCallum said the Rustlers, however, have their sights set on the Cup this year.
“We’re definitely looking to improve on last year,” he said.
In other Rustlers news the team will be hosting a Rookie Rugby program beginning in June and running until August.
McCallum said club members were treated to a training session from the BC Rugby Union’s Darcy Patterson Thursday evening.
The Rugby Canada program is non-contact, safe and a fun introduction to the game of rugby and is designed for girls and boys of all ages. The Rustlers will be coaching multiple age groups: three years old, Kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-4 and grades 5-7 with a minimum of six players and a maximum of 12 players per group.
The program will run Monday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Marie Sharpe Elementary School field and sessions will include learning basic rugby skills and playing a mini flag rugby game.
“We’ve got about 10 coaches right now,” he said. “We’ll do four rugby-related drills about 10-12 minutes each.”
The cost is $35 for the six-class session, and interested participants can sign up at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex.
