North Thompson Spartan junior rugby players had a strong showing April 29 in Salmon Arm, according to Gabe Francis, one of the coaches.
They played two 30-minute games against teams they will see in the Okanagan championships.
The junior Spartans lost 7-0 to Salmon Arm but played very strong defensively, Francis said.
“They were not intimidated by Salmon Arm’s NFL prospect, standing 6’5” 315lbs,” the coach reported on Facebook.
"The boys smothered him quick and brought him to ground in twos and threes. We can beat that team.”
The second match ran right after the first and was against Pleasant Valley of Armstrong.
“We fell behind early, down 5-0 at the half, but stormed back with Jaxon Kjenstad crossing the line off of a beautiful offload from John Proulx. Gibson Nash then sealed the deal, catching a kick and running through half a dozen opposing players to seal the victory in extra time,” said Francis."
The senior Spartans had a tough run on April 28 against the always strong South Kamloops.
“I am proud of you boys for not taking the bait and getting involved in the lip service. It’s a tough game, and you always do strive to dominate your opposite number, but let your play do the talking,” the coach commented.
On April 27 the Grade 8/9 Spartan boys got off to a strong start in the new 8/9 league against Merritt.
“We were up large early so we shifted our focus from hard punishing runs to improving our ball movement,” said Francis. “Half time saw us up 50-0 with a 65-5 final.”