News
A Strong Start to the Rugby Season
Coming off dual SSNS Division 1 Rugby Championship seasons, both the KES boys and girls rugby teams kicked off their seasons this week. After competing hard in their respective winter sports, almost 100 players have been training together and learning the game since returning from March Break.
The spring sport season is relatively short in length, so both teams hit the ground running this week with the girls playing in an exhibition jamboree and then joining their male counterparts for two games here on campus.
The girls started their season by participating in the annual SMU Huskies Cayley Fox Memorial Tournament. The girls finished a perfect 4-0 in their modified games including victories over the two teams they had defeated at last year’s provincial championships: Auburn Drive High School and Citadel High School. Our players of the game for each of our matches on the day were Frances Aceron '24, Abbey MacRae '24, Gabby Shaw '25, and Ali MacLean '27. While many others also stood out, the bright spot of the day was definitely the play of first-year KES student (and first-time rugby player) Kaya Ullrich '25 from Germany!
After the successful exhibition tournament under their belts, our girls were ready to start the regular season. Unfortunately, our girls were humbled by a very strong and skilled team from Horton, falling 36-20. Ava Shearer '24 tried her best to will us to victory with three tries while Gabby Shaw chipped in with one herself. For her strong play in an entirely new position, Grade 11 student and KES volleyball captain Lola Wamback '25 earned player of the game.
Fortunately, the girls had to wait just two days to redeem themselves and they did just that as they won their second league game of the year over an upstart Park View team 54-12. Our girls scored early and often in a very balanced attack, but it was the play of Renee Olsen '25 that really seemed to be the catalyst for our success, and she earned player of the game honours for her strong play.
A relatively inexperienced boys team, made of mostly Grade 10s and players new to the game, took on an older and bigger Horton for their season opener on Tuesday. The KES boys adopted a new strategy that involved the use of much more field space, with faster passing and lots of kicking, to deal with the more experienced and heavier opposition. In the end, they came up short, losing by only two points. This coach is convinced that the team will have a steep learning curve this season, and their fortunes will improve the next time they meet Horton.
With one game under their belts, the team hosted Park View on Thursday. Park View rugby is a still-developing program, so we were able to get many more of our players some time on the field, which was our priority. We had a few people playing out of position and a couple who were playing their first game because several of our players were nursing bumps and bruises sustained on Tuesday. Nonetheless, our team came out ahead by a considerable margin thanks to good tackling, rucking, and running.
Some names of note include team captains Yuta Takahashi '24 and Baltazar Pazos Garcia Ramirez '24, who proved that their teammates chose their leaders wisely. Andy Cho '24 earned the title of Hammer of the Match on Thursday for his excellent attacking and kicking skills. Graydon Spence '24 and Tony Ojinere '24 used their considerable power and weight to make sure we maintained possession of the ball and moved it ahead and, in the process, earned their 1st XV sweaters.
Our match against Central King's on Tuesday is one in which we hope the boys refine more of their skills and everyone has more play time.
Rory Campbell and Jason Verryn Stuart
Girls and Boys Rugby Coaches
King’s-Edgehill School is located in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq People.
