Lep Tigers roar past Titans

Lep Tigers 64 Titans 0

The Red Deer Titans took it on the chin again Saturday, but coach Bill Bowd is confident his charges will eventually learn to not only roll with the punches, but deliver a few hard knocks of their own.

The Titans, the new kids on the block in the Women’s Premier Division of the Calgary Rugby Union, were dumped 64-0 by the visiting Edmonton Lep Tigers after falling 81-0 to the Calgary Canadian Irish Athletic Club at home the previous weekend.

The Red Deer squad moved up to the Premier Division this season after dominating the Calgary First Division for the past several years.

“We were going to lose half of the team if we didn’t play Premier this year,” said Bowd. “Some of the girls were thinking of quitting or going somewhere else to play. They needed a challenge.”

So far, the Titans have struggled mightily to meet the new challenge.

“These teams are more experienced and have a lot better fitness level. The Premier is a couple of steps above the First Division in that regard,” said Bowd. “So it’s been a real eye-opener for everybody. “For our players, it just a matter of stepping up the pace. Right now they’re still playing at a First Division pace. After a couple of more games, they’ll understand what it takes to play at this level.”

The 2008 Titans feature a half dozen new players, three of whom played their first game of competitive rugby Saturday. Otherwise, the squad is led by the likes of veterans Shannon Court, Chelsea Clifford, Anita and Bernie Larose, and Aly Bowd.

“Those are the players who have to play really hard and be good leaders,” said the coach, whose roster will expand by eight to 10 players at the conclusion of the high school season.

“We’ll have a good size roster, and that’s what you need at the Premier level,” he added. “You can’t play with 15 or 16 players, you need those subs. Today we had 18 players as compared to 13 the first week, so we could get some subs into the game.”

Bowd expects to see a big improvement in his team in the not too distant future.

“We knew we’d have to play the best teams in the province right away,” he said. “We’ll, we’ve gone through the best two and although we lost to them we got by without any injuries and also learned a lot.

“The rest of the teams we play are going to be closer to our calibre and when we play these teams (Calgary Irish and Leg Tigers) again at the end of the year they will be different games. Our skill level is going better, I could see that even in this game. And our fitness level will also improve.”

Bowd, a former Titans men’s and high school mentor, had never coached a women’s rugby team until this year.

“It’s great, I enjoy it. It’s no different than coaching men,” he said. “It’s all the same. You have to teach them the basics and as they get better with the basics you can start getting more elaborate with your plays.”

The Titans tutor knows his squad won’t be celebrating a Premier Division championship this summer.

“Our goal isn’t to win the league, not this year,” he said. “Our goal is to be competitive by the end of the year. If we can finish in the top five teams, that’s good.”

Contact Greg Meachem at

sports@reddeeradvocate.com