When opportunity knocked, Clay Panga answered the door.
Panga was presented with the opportunity of the lifetime to instruct and train the fantastic firsts, winners of two Labatt’s Cup provincial championships in the last five years, after Jo Hull resigned. She is leaving the club to take a job with the Hong Kong Rugby Football Union.
“I’m very excited. I can’t wait to get out there and work with St. Albert and be a part of their club,” Panga told the Gazette in Wednesday’s phone interview from Victoria, where he is rucking and mauling with the Castaway Wanderers in the British Columbia premier circuit.
Panga, 29, is the fourth head coach since SARFC rejoined the premier ranks after winning the 2007 Lor-Ann Cup second division provincial title, kick-starting an incredible run of six trips to the final in seven years, highlighted by the first Labatt’s Cup in club history in 2010 under Chal Smyth’s guidance at 13-2 and last year’s memorable accomplishment with Hull at the helm at 14-1.
Two years ago, Panga was captain in his last season with the Calgary Hornets, winners of three Labatt’s Cups with the New Zealander in the first 15.
The eight-man is also buddies with several SARFC lads through the B.C. premier ranks, the Calgary-based Prairie Wolfpack in the Canadian Rugby Championships and the IRB Americas Rugby Championship with Team Canada
“I know a lot of the boys and I’ve always had a respect for St. Albert. It’s one of those rivalries where it’s more based on respect, close to disliking them,” said Panga of the SARFC squad that lost three Labatt’s Cups finals to the Hornets since 2009.
He didn’t grace the pitch last year for the Hornets, winners of three-straight Labatt’s Cups and four in five years before SARFC pumped Calgary’s top rugby club 39-5 in the 2014 final in the Cow Town.
“I was busy with Wolfpack and I made the ARC team, plus I moved out to Victoria as well to kind of pursue my aspirations,” Panga said.
It was with the Wanderers when Panga was approached by teammate Adam Bontus, the SARFC man of the match with three hair-raising tries in last year’s final, to switch sides and coach the defending champions.
“That is where it kind of started and then a few of the other boys got on board,” Panga said. “I was a bit hesitant. I didn’t know if it was the right move for me. I’ve got my girlfriend out here and I’m very well set up but I think for my coaching experience it was something I had to do.”
His coaching background includes stints as a premier women’s assistant, served as an invitational coach with the Dog River (Sask.) Howlers, did some shadowing for Graeme Moffat, the former decorated field general of the Hornets, with U20 Canada and has helped out with the Hornets’ U18 program and several youth clinics.
“I’ve done a number of things but I’ve never been a head coach. This is my first real coaching gig. I’ve never had an actual paid position,” Panga said. “I guess you could say I did my apprenticeship under Moffat. He is a beauty.”
Panga was 20 when he moved to Canada and spent a handful of years with the Velox Valhallians on Vancouver Island. He also had stints with the Crimson Tide in the Rugby Canadian Super League, Maple Leafs 7s, B.C. Bears in the CRC and the Lionheart 7s.
“I also moved to England for a year just to play in a different scene and then I moved back to Calgary,” he said. “I’ve always been a player very focused on Wolfpack and very focused on trying to make the Canadian team.”
Panga described his role with the firsts as a player/coach and will line up at eight-man “or anywhere in the back row” after playing centre in his younger years.
“It will be selection by committee,” he said of finalizing the starting 15 every match for the firsts.
The game plan is to give the ball to the golden boys in the backs while the forwards do all the dirty work.
“For us to be successful in Alberta, we need to be able to play in the outside channel and that’s what I’m really going to drive into the guys,” Panga said. “Obviously I’m a forward so we need those big guys up front and I’m not going to forget about them but I would like to play some expansion rugby so when I get out there we’ll be practising on how to move the ball wide.”
Panga still has work commitments to complete before getting down to business with the firsts and the third division men in the Edmonton Rugby Union. The original May 2 season-opener for the firsts at the Nor’Westers has been rescheduled and the official premier lid-lifter is May 9 against the Strathcona Druids at 4 p.m. at Ellerslie Rugby Park.
Next week marks the first outdoor training sessions for the men and Bontus will run the show with the help of Byron Elliott, head coach of the SARFC women’s provincial second division champions, as well as some past and present players.
“Adam is going to be taking the boys through a few of the things that we need for preparation for that (May 9) game,” Panga said. “There is a great group of guys there and I’m pretty stoked to have them involved.”
The competition will be fierce for starting spots on the first 15. Johnny Moloney, an impeccable leader and intimidating Irish forward, and crafty scrum-half Jake Robinson, have announced their retirements and they will be hard to replace.
Last year’s MVP, centre Adam Higgins, plans to spend most of the summer back home in Bournemouth, England and he will also be missed.
The versatile Antony Fitch, a noted kicker with shifty speed, has confirmed he will return from England in time for the May 9 opener.
This year’s new imports include a flanker from Australia, a centre from Ireland and a standoff from France.
Panga will need all hands on deck to maintain SARFC’s rich tradition as an Alberta Cup powerhouse after Hull compiled a 22-7 record and two appearances in the final in two years with the firsts. She is now the Hong Kong women’s rugby performance manager.
“Rugby has developed so much in Alberta over the last five years and having Jo Hull and Graeme Moffat involved in the Alberta scene has done Alberta rugby wonders. The university programs have a lot to do with it too. That’s why clubs like St. Albert and the Hornets have done as well as they have,” Panga said.
SCRUM BALLS: The thirds scrum down May 2 against the Druids at 2 p.m. at Lynn Davies Rugby Park in Sherwood Park.
The first home game of the season is the ERU women’s spring league match May 20 between SARFC and Parkland Sharks at 7 p.m.
The ceremonial grand re-opening of the SARFC fields is the June 13 tripleheader.
