By Adam Donnelly

WolfPack Rugby 7’s squad wants to finish what they started

Oct 24, 2018 | 2:49 PM

KAMLOOPS — Around 600 of the best young rugby players in BC were in Kamloops last weekend, taking part in the third annual Kamloops 7’s Tournament. As part of that event, the TRU Rugby 7’s team — playing in only their second year in Canada West competition — invited rivals from UBC Okanagan and the University of the Fraser Valley for a pre-season tune-up.

“The girls we have haven’t played nearly as much rugby as the girls in some of the other programs we’re dealing with,” head coach Derek Pue explained. “It’s about getting them more game time, getting them on the field. That’s what this whole weekend is about.”

The WolfPack joined Canada West last year, in the second year of a three-year pilot project meant to determine if Women’s Rugby 7’s would be a good fit for the association. With 2019 being the final year of the project, Pue is hopeful his athletes can take the next step and make the program competitive.

“We sat down and said ‘this needs to be a concerted effort over the off-season to make sure this program moves forward’,” Pue said. “[The athletes] really attacked their training program over the summer and they came back in better shape. The key now is to get them more game time on the field.”

Anna Morrish grew up in Kamloops, playing with the Kamloops Rugby Club. She says despite Rugby 7’s inclusion in the Summer Olympics, attracting athletes to the sports is still a challenge.

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“It’s been tough to get girls to really come out,” Morrish explained. “They kind of think ‘Oh, rugby. I don’t know.’ It’s hard to get girls out to the sport when it’s still growing.”

Anna Young didn’t get her start playing rugby until after she finished high school.

“I didn’t actually start until I was 19,” Young told CFJC Today. “One of my friends was like ‘Hey, we need some girls to come and play’ and I was like ‘Sure, I’ll try it.’ So I went out, and fell in love with it.”

Between classes, studying, training and competing, being a student-athlete can be challenging; it also has some perks.

“It’s busy, but it’s worth it,” Young said. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s nice to get out with your team and have a break from studying to hit some girls.”

With the Canada West pilot project coming to an end after the 2019 season, and the future of the WolfPack Rugby 7’s team uncertain, Morrish says she hopes the team gets a chance to carry on building on the foundation they’ve already put down.

“Playing the sport I love while getting to build a career is ideal,” Morrish said. “It’s an honour to represent my school and what it stands for, it’s an honour to be able to say I’m a student-athlete, and I would love to see this program stay at TRU because I know we have the potential to compete with the rest of the teams across Canada West.”

The Canada West Rugby 7’s season is made up of weekend tournaments and runs from January through February.