PRINCE ALBERT — Prince Albert’s first men’s senior rugby team, the Gryphons, celebrated 40 years alongside the Prince Albert Whiskey Jacks Rugby team, who marked their 10th anniversary with the help of the Saskatoon Rugby community.
“It’s kind of an old boys' game here. We’ve got players coming in from Saskatoon to join us for a game of touch, just to have some fun out there on the rugby field,” said Gryphons’ player Darcy Murphy.
The Gryphons, Prince Albert Whiskey Jacks, and the Saskatoon Wild Oats Club met on the grassy field at the Prince Albert Collegiate Institute (PACI) on Saturday, July 19, for a non-contact game. They divided their players evenly for the friendly game of touch rugby. Following the game, the Gryphons hosted a reunion bar-b-que.
“Some of these guys are in their seventies now but played today,” Murphy said. “The rules are very simple. You have to be smart, you have to be athletic, and you have to be a team player. It’s not always about how skilled you are or how fast you are. There’s a position for everyone,” said Murphy.
Now 51 years old, Murphy played rugby in Germany with the national team in his youth. No matter their occupation or size, every man has the same opportunity to prove himself on the field in rugby, he said.
Since the Gryphons disbanded, some of their players practise and play with the Saskatoon Wild Oats, says Wild Oats player Jeremy Reed.
“We are just very happy to come up and support the guys, and hopefully they can get their team going here locally again soon. We hope to meet them on the pitch in Saskatoon,” said Reed.
The Gryphons team formed in 1985 and flourished with a diverse group of players coming together with a shared love for the sport. The team went on hiatus in the mid-1990s. The remaining P.A. Gryphons members encouraged the creation of a junior rugby program in 2002 at PACI and now support the Prince Albert Whiskey Jacks.
Currently, Prince Albert teenage players are making strides in the sport, says Murphy.
Prince Albert’s Matthew Tysiaczny and brother and sister Denaya and Cameron Neudorf have been chosen to represent Saskatchewan at the Canada Summer Games/Jeux Du Canada Games, Aug 9 - 14, in Newfoundland and Labrador’s St. John's Region.
Wylder Elphinstone secured a spot with Team Saskatchewan Under 16 boys, and Sarah Murphy was selected to play for Team Saskatchewan Under 18.
The President of the Prince Albert Whiskey Jacks Rugby Football Club, Kaleb Beauchesne, says the senior players were very competitive in the anniversary touch-rugby game on the PACI field, with the final score being 45 to 29.
“We’ve been at it a decade here. That’s one of the big benefits of rugby is the camaraderie,” said Beauchesne. “The competition is pretty solid.”
The Whiskey Jacks and the Prince Albert’s women’s team are recruiting new players to grow the clubs.
“We have opportunities for all levels, and we are active in division two in Saskatoon,” said Beauchesne.
Men and women interested in joining a rugby team in Prince Albert can find more information on the Prince Albert Whiskey Jacks Senior Men’s Rugby Club's Facebook page.
Junior practices are done for the season but will resume in September.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you have in your wallet or where you’re sleeping at night; it’s all level on the field,” said Murphy.
Senior rugby practices are on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. at PACI Field. Winter training sessions occur every Thursday night at the Alfred Jenkins Field House.
For more information about Rugby in Saskatchewan, visit www.saskrugby.com/canadagames/
