The Ladysmith Secondary School girls’ rugby team have earned the chance to compete at provincials for the fifth year in a row.
Luckily, they will not have to travel far, as their Tier 2 division competition will be held at Brentwood College starting May 26 against Robert Bateman from the Mainland.
Coach David Van Horne said the girls finished fifth in the AA division last year, but this year will be in the Tier 2 division, putting them against more equal competition.
“We’ll be against very evenly matched teams. Through the year, we were playing against AAA and AA teams.”
Those teams often have larger numbers to draw from.
For some of the more senior players, Van Horne said it will be an honour for them to make it again before graduating.
“They like that experience.”
In terms of the first team, Van Horne said they played them last year and lost back then. However one of the school’s key players has since graduated and moved on, so van Horne is not sure what to expect.
“We’re happy about that. We had to deal with that same girl for three years in a row.”
Leading up to the tournament, Van Horne said the team will be working on rucking and contact to prepare for the physical toll of games three days in a row.
“We have to make sure all 15 players on the field are aware of what their roles are.”