The men's St. Albert Rugby Football Club will “try” to win a provincial championship this upcoming weekend.
Last weekend, SARFC won the JA Shaw Cup (the city final championship) in convincing fashion, beating LA Crude RFC 32-12. This match was never in doubt, as SARFC started strong, gaining a commanding 19-0 lead at halftime, and never gave up the momentum. Head coach Alexis Michel was proud of the team's execution.
“We were very strong in the scrums,” said Michel. “We followed the game plan well, and were able to get the win.”
While the team was excited and wanted to celebrate the win, Michel made sure they knew they still have more to accomplish.
“I told the team that half of the job is done,” said Michel. “This win means a lot to the team, but we still have 50 per cent of the job left.”
SARFC will host the Calgary Canucks Rugby Club, a team that is both talented, and unfamiliar to SARFC.
“We haven’t played them in my three years here,” said Michel. “We're going to need to be more focused on the little things and discipline if we're going to win.”
SARFC will also have the benefit of playing in front of a home crowd, and at their home field for their final game of this year's campaign. However, it won’t just be their last game of the season, but Michel’s last game as their head coach. After three years, and three city championships, Michel is moving on in his rugby journey. Saturday will be a difficult goodbye for Michel.
“It will be a very difficult, and emotional day,” shared Michel. “This club has become my family, and I feel heartbroken, but I wish the club the best, and hope we have a lot of fan support for the last match.”
The provincial championship game will be taking place this Saturday, Sept. 21 at the St. Albert Rugby Club located at Riel recreation Park. There will be four matches taking place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information on match times and the teams playing, you can visit the SARFC website.
