The Foothills Lions Rugby Club is going to need to expand its den in preparation for a fourth kick at the can.
Foothills is looking to add approximately 10 players to be at a comfortable number of 50 for its Division II and Division III teams competing in the Calgary Rugby Union (CRU).
“The numbers are actually pretty good,” said Lions executive member Darcy Gallant. “We’ve had for a couple weeks 26 out and we still have about half a dozen that haven’t got back from school yet.
“The more the merrier and we would like to be around that 50 mark.”
The CRU season runs from early May to the end of September with weekly games taking place at the Lions home of Holy Trinity Academy or at the CRU fields in southeast Calgary.
“It’s about a three-hour commitment per week,” Gallant said. “We’ll take any skill level or age range. Our youngest is 18 and our oldest is 63, it’s totally wide open.”
Foothills is entering its fourth season in the CRU and boasts impressive alumnus in Canadian national men’s sevens and 15s rugby player Jeff Hassler.
Gallant said the primary reason to rumble with the Lions is the brotherhood the sport creates on and off the pitch.
“It’s a great sport, but with the social aspect of it I would say there’s no other sport like it,” Gallant said. “It has a very social atmosphere.”
The Lions’ first season with two teams in the CRU came with its share of growing pains.
The Division II Lions were riddled by injuries and player shortages late in the season and struggled to a record of 2-10, well outside the playoff picture.
Foothills’ Division III outfit, featuring newcomers to the sport and those looking for a more recreational style of play than their Tier II club mates, finished with a record of 3-8.
The winds of change have blown through the foothills this winter as new club coach Jim Ryan was brought in to enhance the development of Senior men’s rugby.
“We basically need bodies, we don’t have enough yet to field two full teams,” Ryan said. “We’re looking for forwards, backs, anything and anyone that is interested in rugby, that played rugby in high school and wants to play again.
“If we get enough guys we’re going to have a good side.”
The veteran of four decades worth of coaching and playing said his imprint on the roster has already been felt.
“It’s very clear to the guys who’ve been out and even at indoor (practices) that we’re going to run a very expansive, attractive style,” Ryan said. “We’re going to put up a lot of points and score a lot of trys.
“We’re playing a very expansive, rucking style and we’re going to run the ball constantly.”
Exhibition tournament
The Foothills Lions will get a sneak-peek at their Calgary Rugby Union season on April 27 when they host a pre-season tournament in Okotoks at either John Paul II Collegiate or Holy Trinity Academy.
“If guys want to come out and get a run in less than three weeks we will be out on the field playing games,” Ryan said. “There will be a team from Edmonton, a team from Calgary, plus us and one other.”
The four-team tournament will feature Division II squads and give the Lions a taste of what they can expect to see in the Calgary Rugby Union season, which begins shortly thereafter on the weekend of May 4.
For more information on the Foothills Lions, including the steps needed to register to play for the club, go to www.foothillslionsrugbyclub.com.
