The provincial final in 2022 was the last time the Dauphin Clippers girls rugby team lost a game.
That was when they fell, 34-14, to the Rivers Rams in the provincial final.
The Clippers suffered its first defeat since then, Saturday, again in the provincial final, when they fell 31-22 to the Steinbach Sabres.
Clippers coach Shawn Sarkonak said the Clippers haven’t seen that level of competition in a long time.
“And I think the girls were a little bit shell shocked. They ended up getting down 18-0 in probably the first 15 minutes. But they were resilient, for sure. They battled back. They scored two quick ones right after,” he said.
“We went into the half, it was 24-12. Steinbach scored early in the second half and then the girls battled back, but, ultimately, couldn’t get it done.”
Despite the loss, Sarkonak is pleased with the silver medal, noting everything must come to an end.
“But what I’m most proud of is the way the girls didn’t quit. They battled as hard as they could. They put it all on the line. They went right to that final whistle. And they gave Steinbach a good push,” he said, adding he is pleased the girls were able to experience that level of competition.
“Especially our graduating girls,” he added.
Steinbach’s success over the last couple of years is proof of how far women’s rugby as a whole has come, not just in Manitoba, but across the country.
“With the success of the national women’s team, I think it’s just sparked an uptick in youth rugby, which is now translating into high school and young girls aspiring to play as high a level as possible. We haven’t had competition in Winnipeg in the last two years, so it was nice to finally see that,” he said.
To reach the final, the Clippers beat Springfield, 67-0.
Sarkonak offers his best wishes to Vanderkerckhove and Ryann Richard-Soltis who will be attending Brandon University, where they will play for the Bobcats, as well as Bourgouin, who will play for Mount Royal College, while Megan Thompson has transfered to Regina University to play for the Cougars, where she hopes to play alongside Felicity Sahulka and Percival.
The Clippers boys defeated St. John’s Ravenscourt, 52-5, to advance to the final against the St. Paul’s Crusaders.
In the final, the Crusaders won their 11th provincial title in a row and 12th in the last 13 years with a 26-19 win over the Clippers.
Clippers coach Aaron Miner felt the Clippers came as close as they possibly could to pulling off an upset.
“We lost by one try and we lost to a better team. They were better and stronger and just made fewer mistakes than we did. You couldn’t ask for more from our players, that’s for sure,” he said.
Miner feels the Clippers surprised the Crusaders with their strong play, noting they have had a good relationship with the Winnipeg school.
“In talking to their head coach, he did mention that this was definitely the best team that he’s ever coached in his career at St. Paul’s. So he was quite certain they were going to take it to us,” he said.
“I think we shocked them by being persistent and not giving up and making a full comeback. Even when they were up on us by two tries, we managed to come back. Like I told the guys, if it was a hockey game and there was a third period, we might have made the full comeback.”
Overall, Miner is pleased with the season, not just for his squad, but the girls and JVs, as well.
“It just goes to show the strength in the program at the DRCSS. Parkland rugby in general. Just nothing but a bright future ahead for the programs. We’re only one day out of high school rugby season and we’re already starting planning for the next event and the next wave of players coming up into the program,” he said.
“So no rest, and I think that’s how we keep our program strong and keep it going.”