CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Charlottetown Rugby Football Club versus the Halifax Tars in Charlottetown? Likely another classic Rugby Nova Scotia Tier A senior women’s rugby battle when the sides tangle today at Co-op Field.
Game time is 3:30 p.m.
CRFC is 3-0 against the Tars during the last two seasons, but CRFC fullback Katie Perry knows familiarity breeds contempt and the Tars will be gunning to avenge a 48-27 loss last month in Halifax.
“I think we have the same level of competitiveness, the same girls played AUS (Atlantic University Sport) that play with the Tars, but it’s definitely a friendly competitiveness,” said Perry, who faced many of the Tars when she banged out her university rugby with the UPEI Panthers women’s squad. “The key to any game is to be up on your opponent and to play good defence.”
So far, the get-stops posture has worked as the CRFC (6-0) leads the five-team division with 100 points allowed. As a good defence usually starts the offence, CRFC has also tallied a league-high 271 points.
Tars (5-1), though, isn’t far behind with a 247-182 points for-points against ratio. So, for Perry, the numbers mean CRFC must continue what it’s done in the three previous tussles.
“We came out wanting to play defence and wanting to hit. We came out aggressive and stayed aggressive,” said Perry, who learned the game with the Bluefield High School Bobcats. “Tars have a very experienced pack. Probably played together for years and at a variety of levels. So far, we’ve been holding our own.”
CRFC ran the table last year, going undefeated en route to a Tier A title. It could do it again as its last game is versus the 1-4 Halifax RFC Saturday.
But Perry isn’t looking past the Tars for a second perfect regular season. Instead, she’s very much excited about Round 4 in the rivalry (some of the fire likely absorbed from the years-long running battle between the P.E.I. Mudmen and the Tars) despite being on the pitch for the love of it.
“(CRFC versus Tars) is usually a very fast game, a very physical game. It gets heated out there, but not always in a bad way. At the end of the game whatever happened on the field is left on the field. It’s club rugby after all. You’re out there to have fun and develop the rugby community.”
The CRFC Tier B team (3-2) returns to action Saturday at noon against the Truro Saints (2-2) as part of a rugbypalooza at Co-op Field that includes CRFC Tier A against Halifax RFC (2 p.m.) and a Mudmen division two matchup versus Riverlake at 4 p.m.
