March 25, 1997

Island rugby

makes strong showing

By BILL MCQUEEN

The Truro indoor 7’s tournament has become one of the favourite events for rugby players in the maritimes. This rugby event is usually staged on the same weekend as the men’s AUAA basketball playoffs.

The games are not played outside on the snow but inside a large barn. The area inside the barn is usually used for cattle and horse showing events-- with a few white lines it turns into a rugby field. The size of the field is close to that of a hockey rink. The field is roughly a quarter of the normal dimensions of a rugby field. There are usually fifteen players in normal rugby, but in 7’s rugby there are seven players. The length of the games are also reduced from eighty minutes to fourteen minute games (seven minutes a half). The surface of the field consists of mostly dirt, rocks, and deposits from our animal friends. There are wooden boards that surround the perimeter of the field which are similar to the boards in a hockey rink.

The combination of dirt and nearby boards usually results in a few bruises and scrapes. The cold conditions and high contact makes it one of the most rugged tournaments around. The ample amount of alcohol in the bar is a common anaesthetic for the aches and pains of most players.

There was a total of ten Island teams that went to the tournament this year. In the men’s division there were four UPEI based teams, a team from Cardigan, and the Prince County Clansmen. In the women’s division there were three UPEI based rugby teams, and a Prince county women’s rugby team.

There are three divisions in this tournament: Men’s A, Men’s B, and Women’s A. This past weekend PEI’s teams fared extremely well. In the Men’s A division several ex and current UPEI players under the name of the Abbie’s lost in the consolation final to Saint FX (2-0). In the Men’s B final UPEI won a convincing victory against the Truro Seniors (2-0). The UPEI select’s, in the women’s category, won in their final 4-1 against arch-rivals, Mount Allison (Mount Allison has won the women’s section of the tournament for the three previous years). There were only two out of five finals in Truro that a UPEI athletes were not playing in. This emphasizes the amount of rugby talent and excellent coaching that is growing in PEI.

On a closing note there’s touch rugby at the Sports Centre Friday afternoons- if your interested just turn up! Well, I guess that’s a wrap for rugby until the summer league starts in June- -see ya there!

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e° The Panther Prints

Below: Men's B division winnders, 6ft Under.

photos P. Griesbauer