Whitehorse Daily Star

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VALIANT EFFORT – Members of the Whitehorse Gold Diggers RFC prepare for a tournament game at the Midnight Sun 7’s Rugby Festival in Anchorage last weekend. Photo courtesy of SHINYA JOMURA

Upstart Yukon rugby squad turns heads in Alaska

It was quite the weekend for the Yukon’s brand-new rugby team.

By Freelancer on June 24, 2015

It was quite the weekend for the Yukon’s brand-new rugby team.

The first squad to train locally in nearly two decades took part in an Alaska rugby tour that took them deep into the last frontier to the Midnight Sun Sevens tournament in Anchorage.

Held on June 20, the tournament brought together top talent from Alaska’s rugby community, including delegations from Anchorage, Fairbanks and the elite soldiers stationed at Anchorage’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

Faced with strong challenges from Fort Richardson’s Arctic Legion, the Manu Bears and the Anchorage Barbarians, the Gold Diggers dug deep and played deliberate, smart, aggressive rugby.

With a roster that featured a healthy mix of rookies and veterans, the Gold Diggers turned heads early in their first pool game against Arctic Legion with a shock first-minute try from captain Neil Cosco.

By halftime, Cosco had run in a second try for a narrow 12-10 lead that left the hosts shaking their heads.

However, a handful of clean breaks through the defensive line gave the Legion a second-half lead that the Yukon tourists couldn’t regain.

The Yukoners then faced off against the Manu Bears in a classic showdown that pitted their strong offensive skills with the Bears’ stubborn, tar-heeled defense.

In the end, the latter won the day – and the Gold Diggers were primed for the plate quarter-final against the Anchorage Barbarians.

With experience on their side, the Barbarians played cohesively and systematically worked to tease out weaknesses on the attack while presenting very few of their own on defense.

Despite a brave showing and aggressive attempts to break through the Barbarians’ defensive line – including a ground-shaking breakaway by Darrin Sinclair – the Yukoners were stopped at the quarter-final level.

Despite going winless, the Gold Diggers put together a stellar team effort in their inaugural tournament.

Cosco set a strong example on the field by finding open lanes and frustrating rival defenders for repeat tries.

Sinclair – who deserves special mention for anchoring the tour’s 30-hour road trip – played strong and assertive rugby that kept defenders second-guessing his next move.

Tom Luxemburger and Brian Bruckman put up strong defensive challenges and retained possession of the ball through critical periods of difficult open play.

Eric Fekete played fearless rugby, both offensively and defensively, that frequently had opponents working around him in search of other opportunities.

Andrew Malloy was regularly seen beaming between plays after one of his multiple charges through the opposition defence.

Jason Watters played tenacious and reliable offence and defence that held the Gold Diggers together during some of the weekend’s toughest moments.

Mike Fancie quickly put his opponents on their back feet with clever restarting kicks and quarterbacked a number of crisp scoring opportunities during open play.

And pound for pound, Steven Qiu’s ability to stubbornly stop surging runs down the wing clearly made him the strongest defender on the squad.

The team would not have made it through the tournament without the sideline support of Tara Daveen, Bethanna Cavey, Jessica Smith and Vaughan Johnstone.

Injured player Shinya Jomura, without whom this tour could not have happened, was a constant force of positive energy and support throughout the entire weekend.

Despite returning to Whitehorse empty-handed, the Gold Diggers’ return to the Northern rugby scene has made a strong impression on which the team and its supporters are eager to build.

The team continues to organize touch and gentle contact rugby in Whitehorse – and is always on the lookout for new players.

Find Yukon rugby on Facebook by searching “Yukon Rugby Federation” or “Whitehorse Touch Rugby,” or show up for action at Takhini Elementary School on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 7 to 9:30 p.m. All ages, genders and experience levels are welcome.

– Report courtesy of Mike Fancie

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