Tight race for banner expected in AUS women’s rugby

X-Women shooting for a sixth consecutive conference crown

by Corey LeBlanc

(HALIFAX, N.S.) The programs vying for an Atlantic University Sport (AUS) women’s rugby banner in 2022 expect it to be a highly-contested season.

The campaign will kick off with the defending champion STFX X-Women visiting the UPEI Panthers in Charlottetown, while the Saint Mary’s Huskies will host the Acadia Axewomen in Halifax.

Both match-ups on Saturday, Sept. 10, will start at 2 p.m.

“It is going to be a competitive regular season, and we are ready to go,” X-Women head coach Mike Cavanagh says.

STFX and UPEI both fashioned 3-3 records last year, with the Panthers besting the X-Women in the 2021 season-opener.

“The team and I are looking forward to this season. We are excited about the challenge,” UPEI head coach James Voye offers. He adds that they want to “continue to build on the momentum and success” of 2021, a season that ended with a semi-final loss to the X-Women.

After posting a 6-0 regular-season mark, the Axewomen dropped the 2021 championship match to the X-Women.

“No one is head and shoulders above [anyone else],” Acadia head coach Matthew Durant says. “It is going to be really, really tight.”

Durant has been impressed with the “level of intensity” that his players have brought to training camp.

Acadia’s opening weekend opponent—Saint Mary’s—were winless (0-6) in 2021.

“We are young, yet again, and we continue our rebuilding process,” Huskies’ interim head coach Janice Cougle says. She notes they continue to improve at key positions, which bodes well for the future. Conceding it is “not going to be a banner year,” when it comes to competing for the AUS title, Cougle offers that Saint Mary’s will be a stronger opponent as they continue to grow and improve.

Since being toppled by Acadia in the 2015 championship, STFX has rattled off five consecutive banner wins, with the COVID-19 pandemic that wiped out the 2020 season the only thing to interrupt the streak.

The X-Women are seeking a sixth straight crown with a mix of experience and newcomers who are expected to make an immediate impact.

In recent seasons, the X-Women have bested opponents physically by pounding away with their powerful forwards. This season, Cavanagh expects to field a back line with “a lot of speed and skill.”

“We have a few more weapons,” he says. When it comes to leadership, fly half Hannah Ellis (Halifax, NS) and prop Maddie Harroun (Halifax, NS), along with co-captains scrum half Maddy Ross (Coldbrook, NS) and prop Annie McMullon (Rothesay, NB) are expected to lead the charge.

“They are going to be a key to success,” Cavanagh offers.

As for the first-year contingent, Sierra Wood (Stirling, ON), Emily Dodge (Fall River, NS) and Katie Murphy (Millville, PE) will be key contributors.

Speaking of backline play, the Axewomen return a group that Durant notes includes “speedy athletes.”

“We are going to have a pretty good attack,” he says, adding his squad will also be able “to hold their own” in set pieces.

The list of important returnees includes scrum half Katya Dondi (Caledon, ON), flanker Kenzie Cecchetto (Newport, NS), winger Grace Pinch (Port Williams, NS), lock Lauren Deal (Valley, NS) lock Dani Wisen (Wellington, NS), flanker Sarah Palfy (Sexsmith, AB), centre Sara Grant (Melrose, NB) and centre Mychael Paris (Halifax, NS).

When it comes to newcomers, Durant talks about hooker Kaitlyn Jinda (Campbell River, BC), along with a pair of backline players—Olivia Savoie (Garnett Settlement) and Maddie Methot (Rothesay)—who he expects to make an immediate impact. The latter pair took the pitch for New Brunswick at the 2022 Canada Summer Games.

“We are not going to change too much,” he says of Acadia’s well-known “fast-paced” style.

As for the Panthers, Voye notes that his line-up will feature a “great mix” of returning and incoming student-athletes. “I have been fortunate enough to be able to bring back some key veteran players who will lead the team, as well as several rookies eager to make an impact immediately,” he says.

Flanker Brinten Comeau (Hammonds Plains, NS), Emily Duffy (Saint John, NB) and fly-half Agustina Cohen (Halifax, NS) will be crucial key veteran contributors. Important newcomers include Jorja Cook (Victoria, BC) and Lauren Bull (Okotoks, AB), along with homegrown winger Ria Johnston (Charlottetown, PE) who represented her province at the recent Games.

“We want to continue to grow what we have started to build here,” Voye says.

When it comes to the Huskies, Cougle—noting they are on the “smaller side, but very athletic”—says they will be more “exciting and free”—a style she suggests is not commonplace in the AUS. Sophomore midfielder Lauren Maye (Sackville, NS), junior lock Mikayla Brown (Fall River, NS) and fifth-year senior Queenel Lubamba (Edmonton, AB) are expected to lead the way for the youth-filled squad.

New players to watch this season for Saint Mary’s fans include #10 Xenia Theoharopoulos (Halifax) and scrum-half Anna Van Wart (Halifax, NS), who are expected to contribute immediately.

Cougle describes her Huskies as “keen and eager.”

“Everyone is really excited to get going,” she says.