‘A bad taste was left in our mouth’: Kamloops Raiders chasing rugby redemption

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Kamloops is scheduled to host the Vancouver Thunderbirds on the women’s side and the Brit Lions of Delta in men’s action. 

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The women’s tilt is slated for 11:15 a.m. Check the KRC Facebook page for the men’s match time, which was unconfirmed as of Wednesday afternoon. 

THE WOMEN 

“Oh, yes – we are pretty determined this year,” said Emily Lindsay, scrum-half for the Kamloops women. “I’m hoping we make it back and have a different outcome than last year.” 

The Raiders placed second in regular-season standings last season, with a record of 11 wins, one loss and one tie.

 “Our first couple years, we came out of the playoffs a little bit earlier, so it was nice to get that experience, especially for some of the newer girls who hadn’t been in a provincial final before,” Raiders’ head coach Will Stanley said. “To have that, and with a lot of the core returning, yeah, the want is there to get back and show that rugby in the Interior is top.” 

Stanley huddled his team before practice on Tuesday, with about 30 players introducing themselves and taking part in team-bonding activities. 

They have a lot to learn about each other at this early stage of the campaign. 

“We have a lot of new girls, so I think it’s going to be a little bit different than last year,” Lindsay said, noting she’s thrilled to see so many players at training. “I’m hoping it’s pretty dynamic and there’s a lot of talk on the field, but we’ll see just what Saturday brings us.” 

The Kamloops women’s most recent BCRU championship victory came in 2013, when they knocked off the Nanaimo Hornets 34-10 to hoist the Karen Moore Cup. 

THE MEN 

On the men’s side, Kamloops appears to have re-tooled in the off-season following a successful 2025-2026 campaign in which it posted 13 wins and four losses to place second in league standings. 

“Oh, it’s great energy from the guys this year,” longtime Raiders’ forward Erik Rissanen said. “There are a whole bunch of new players coming out. They did a little thing up at TRU to see if they could recruit some guys. I think we got six new bodies. There’s a couple old guys like myself still playing, but most of them are younger, university age.” 

Head coach Ben Littlechild has help this season from former Kamloops bench boss Derek Pue, who is handling assistant-coach duties and implementing strategies. 

“A little more flowing, a little more fast,” Littlechild said. “We want to see our big bodies running in the wide channels. There’s a reason we put in a lot of cardio over the summer, and that’s to make the game look easier on Saturday.” 

Kamloops snapped an eight-year B.C. title drought in 2025, the Raiders dispatching Brit Lions 45-22 in the provincial final after a dominant campaign that included only one loss.  

The Raiders’ drive for back-to-back titles was quashed by the Crows – and that sticks their craw. 

“A bad taste was left in our mouth after last season,” Rissanen said.  

Victories on Saturday – Alumni Day at Exhibition Park – would help both Kamloops teams to dispatch any lingering halitosis. 

“Fantastic day for rugby,” Littlechild said. “Exhibition Park is one of the most beautiful parks in the whole province. Look forward to great food, a beverage if you like, but also two awesome, competitive games.”