Holy Rosary Raiders Rugby 7s played with heart to bring back the sportsmanship award at the recent Alberta provincials in Calgary.
Coach Ryan Topley says in their first year as an official team they took ten players to the tournament facing teams that had a full roster of 19.
“The coach of the host team who is also the coordinator of the tournament said that they heard a lot of really good things about our team. Not only how hard we played for the few boys that we had. They were shocked that we would even show up with that small of a roster, but also what good sports we were. We took a lot of the old traditions in rugby and brought that to the pitch, where you’re clapping for the winners even if you lose the match.”
The coaching staff wanted to make that a priority and Topley added there was respect for an opponent and “that paid off.”
The team played in tier two of the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association and finished sixth overall among their group of eight.
