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Kelowna, BC – July 30, 2019: The 2019 U16 Western Canadian Championships (WCC) wrapped up at Parkinson Recreation Park in Kelowna on Sunday after three exciting days of Age-Grade Rugby. Over 300 athletes took part representing boys and girls teams from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. BC teams battled hard over the course of the championship and topped the standings in both the Boys and Girls divisions.
The lush fields at Parkinson Recreation Park provided the ideal playing surface and gathered crowds of spectators cheered enthusiastically from the sidelines throughout the tournament. Despite the intense summer heat, each team produced some exceptional rugby moments, the warm air full of shouts of encouragement.
Girls U16 Division
BC’s U16 Girls’ XV were one of the favourites going into the tournament and they did not disappoint, scoring over 100 points in their first two games alone. Hot on their heels were the BC U15 Girls’ XVs who, despite playing against older opponents, showed a great amount of tenacity and skill on the pitch, conceding just three tries in their opening four matches. Alberta Wolfpack also fielded two teams, their Black XVs and White XVs both playing powerful, direct rugby and challenging their opponents to work for every single point.
A welcome addition to the tournament for 2019 were the Girls’ U16 teams from Saskatchewan and Manitoba, having been absent in 2018. Both of these sides produced some entertaining rugby over the course of the tournament, showing grit and determination to the very end. Manitoba got the upper hand in both encounters between the sides, but Saskatchewan did not go down without a fight.
The camaraderie and positivity that shone from all six teams in the Girls U16 Division was palpable, a great demonstration of both the significant progress that has been made in the development of female rugby in recent years and what lies ahead. Gathering all of the players together at the end of the tournament, BC Rugby’s Head of Women’s and Girls’ Growth and Development Darcy Patterson commended the athletes on their performances, highlighting the opportunities that lie ahead for those seeking to step up on to the national stage.
“Tournaments like this are vital for these young players,” said Patterson, “they give them a chance to face new opponents with different tactics and strengths while challenging teams to take more ownership over their own performances. We’ve watched these teams really gel over this summer, the coaches have done a wonderful job on and off the field, and it will be exciting to see how the girls carry these successes into future seasons with club and school teams.”
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