By Lisa Crockett, courtesy photo

Rugby is a growing sport here in the United States. Fielding a whole team at a single school isn’t something that happens here, at least not yet. But after this season, all that may change. The “Harlequins,” a team housed at Rock Canyon High School and comprised of players from Rock Canyon High School, Highlands Ranch High School, Mountain Vista High School, Thunder Ridge High School, and Heritage High School has gone from severe underdog status to top ranks in just one season.

Head Coach Andre Joubert assumed the position of head coach this season, and took the team – which had previously met with an unbroken, three-year losing streak – to an impressive third place in Colorado.

“Rugby is meant to be fun,” said Joubert. “And these players were not having fun. I wanted to change that.”

Joubert grew up playing rugby in his native South Africa, and initially took an interest in the team when his 17-year-old son, Ryan, took up the sport.

Joubert worked to build the team from the ground up. Even returning players spent several classroom sessions learning the rules of the game and reviewing game films to improve their understanding of how the game is played. They watched footage of professional games to gain insight and also watched footage of their own team to trouble shoot areas that needed improvement – a practice that Joubert and the team continued throughout the season.
“We had kids who had never played sports come out for rugby,” said Joubert. “This was about performance, practice and support of other members of the team. We had a full roster, which was one of my goals for the season.”

One name on that roster was James McPherson, a team captain for the Harlequins and recent graduate of RCHS, who said that playing rugby has been a lesson in team work.

“Rugby is a team sport in every essence,” said McPherson. “If you take even a single player off the field it changes the whole dynamic and puts you at a huge disadvantage. Everyone is essential to success.”

And as the team gained skill and began to win games, its popularity grew. “We started to have more people come out to watch our games as word got out that we had improved,” said McPherson. “People started to realize that this was a fun sport to watch.”

Teamwork and hard work were just a few of the life lessons players gained from their experience on the team. Fifteen-year-old Marston Tweed, a Rock Canyon freshman, also described other skills he gained from playing on the team.

“I have learned to think fast,” said Tweed. “You can’t dwell on mistakes, you just have to adjust and move on. I’ve also seen a great example from the older players on the team and from our coaches [Head Coach Andre Joubert and Assistant Coach Rob Plenter]. They all do a great job of helping us understand the game and being patient with us.”

At the end of the season, the team had scored an impressive 203 total points, roughly 10 times the number of points they had scored in the three previous seasons combined. The team ranked third in the state of Colorado, and received an award for sportsmanship from Rugby Colorado, the governing body for school Rugby teams in Colorado. Joubert was also recognized as the coach of the year.

“That really came out of nowhere,” said Joubert. “I was selected by the other coaches and referees. It was a real honor.”

To learn more about the Harlequins, visit www.hrharlequins.com.