Rugby club on a roll
Chris Gilding (left) of Abbotsford dishes out a stiff-arm against Kamloops.
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Updated: November 20, 2009 12:36 PM
Two months into rugby season, virtually everything has been going right for the Abbotsford Rugby Football Club.
The local association's dominance has been comprehensive, and Abby teams find themselves atop almost every division.
On the men's side, Abbotsford's Div. 1 and Div. 2 are currently undefeated and in first place. The depth of male talent extends all the way down to Div. 3, where the local squad is in third place with a solid 5-2 record.
The Abbotsford women also lead their league with a sparkling 4-1 mark, and the dominance has even trickled down to the youth ranks, where Abby won both the Tier 1 and Tier 2 leagues at the U19 boys level this fall.
"Our player base is really strong," enthused ARFC president Ryan McWhinney. "The ladies are really rolling along, and the U19s might be the biggest story from my perspective. For us to run two teams and have both of them finish in first place is a great accomplishment."
The ARFC hired a new coach, Melan Mudgway, to work with the men's sides this fall. Mudgway, a New Zealander who was coaching in Edmonton most recently, has helped to stabilize the program.
"He's got a wide variety of coaching experience, and it's been good to have him involved," McWhinney noted.
This Saturday (Nov. 21) marks a big day for the local men's sides, as they host Langley at Exhibition Park. Langley sits in second place behind Abbotsford in both the Div. 1 and Div. 2 standings, and victories this weekend would virtually sew up the fall Coulter League titles for Abby.
The Div. 2 men play Langley at 1 p.m., followed by the Div. 1 game at 2:30 p.m. Earlier in the day, the Div. 3 squad takes on Capilano at 11:30 a.m.
