WOLFVILLE, N.S. – The Axewomen Rugby team, host of the 2018 U SPORTS National Women's Rugby Championship, will head to Florenceville-Bristol, N.B. for two exhibition games against the RSEQ Université de Montréal Carabins.
The Carabins finished fourth in the RSEQ conference with a 4-3 record and lost to the eventual RSEQ and U SPORTS champions Ottawa Gee Gees in semi-final play. The Axewomen, who posted a second-place 4-2 record last season, were finalist in the AUS championship game.
The two exhibition games scheduled for Wednesday, August 29 – 5:30 p.m. and Thursday, August 30 – 12:00 p.m. will be the first time the Axewomen have played the Université de Montréal Carabins. Hosted at Carleton North High School, head coach Matthew Durant is grateful for the games that have been organized by the community and Acadia University alumnus Stephen McCain.
"Any exhibition game strengthens our program. Playing a solid RSEQ team during our training camp will make us that much better come AUS playoffs and U SPORTS Championship season. The generosity of the community, the town of Florenceville-Bristol and Carleton North High School has been outstanding and the impact of these experiences for our team in late August are sure to pay dividends throughout our season," remarked Durant
Included in the two-game exhibition series will be a free youth clinic for those have interest in the game of rugby. The Clinic will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. prior to the Axewomen's Thursday, August 30 game at noon. Interested participants can register with the Florenceville-Bristol Recreation Department at 506-392-6763.
"We are also excited to be able to reach out to the local Florenceville-Bristol community and help raise the profile of rugby in that region. It will really be a great win-win scenario for us all," concluded Durant.
Speaking on behalf of the community, McCain noted the great opportunity for rugby enthusiasts to enjoy the best women's rugby Canada has to offer.
"We are very pleased to welcome two elite U SPORTS women's rugby teams to Florenceville-Bristol and are excited to have the opportunity for local rugby players and sports fans to see this high-level competition. As an Acadia grad, I am happy to help organize these exhibition matches as Acadia prepares for a run towards a national championship when they host the U SPORTS National Championship in November," said McCain.
Both games will take place at Carleton North High School with free admission.
The Axewomen open the AUS regular season at home against the visiting UPEI Panthers on Saturday, September 8 at 2:00 pm on Acadia's Raymond Field.
As the site of the U20 Tri-Nations Women's Rugby Cup with England, USA and Team Canada participating, Acadia University is the host of the 2018 U SPORTS National Women's Rugby Championship from November 1st to November 4th. Tournament packages are on sale now at the Acadia Box Office.