After a winless 2015 fall season, the Algonquin Thunder women’s rugby team is poised to rebound.
The Thunder finished the 2015 season with a 0-5-1 record which resulted in a last place finish in the eastern conference and an eighth place finish in the OCAA.
However, the consensus among the Thunder players from last season is that the team will come back stronger this fall.
“I think next year will be different because we will have a more developed team,” said Maureen Foran, who played for the team last year. “Almost our whole team consisted of rookies this past season, so now that we have a strong base to work from, we will be able to work better as a unit and we will come out stronger.”
Madyson Blythe, who played forward for the Thunder last season, said that despite the record the team improved as the season went on.
“Throughout our time together, our team improved in most aspects of the game,” said Blythe. “At the beginning of the season we learned a new method of passing and it was new so naturally some people had some difficulty. However towards the end of the season our passing was on point and our improvement in that area was obvious.”
Blythe will not be returning to the team this fall, but envies all the girls that will be able to return to the squad next season.
Ian Campbell, director of Thunder athletics communications and events, confirmed that despite the winless season, the coaching staff will be back for the next. The win/loss record of a single season does not determine releasing or holding on to the coach.
“Unless we had a decade straight of abysmal results, I don’t think that is even something we would think about,” said Campbell. “You can always assume that the coaching staff for teams is going to return each year. Win/loss records do not in any way determine a coach’s value to a program and player turnover is way too high to attribute a team’s results just to the coach.”
However, despite the confidence in the coach and the progress made over the previous season, there isn’t an immediate jump to crown the women’s rugby team as provincial champions. More steps along the way will still need to be made.
“I think we need to start with the basics,” said Foran. “As we begin our new season, it is very important that we focus on each game and that we work hard every time we step onto the pitch. Our focus needs to be winning each game and as we build a good record, we will gain more confidence and that will help us make it to finals and onwards.”
The team hasn’t announced any new signings yet for next season.