The Red Deer Titans women’s rugby team suffered Saturday, but better days lie ahead.
The Red Deer squad fell to 0-4 on the season at Titans Park, coming out on the short end of an 80-5 score in a clearly one-sided match against the Lethbridge Rugby Club.
“We’re kind of short on numbers,” said Titans player Ursula Patterson, who was filling in for absent coach Ray Rogers.
“We’ve played a few games with 13 to 15 players, when normally you have 15 a side all of the time. We had a full lineup today, but it’s been kind of a slow start.”
The Titans are currently locked in playoffs to determine which teams advance to the Premier Division of the Calgary Rugby Union and which teams slot into the First Division. The Red Deer squad played in the Premier one season and didn’t fare well, but have won a First Division provincial title in the past.
“Once we get in the First Division we have high hopes that we’ll do well,” said Patterson. “We’ll definitely be able to compete at that level. It’s just that right now we have a few players who have never played before and a few others who are just back after having kids. It’s just a really slow start for the team. Once we get our coaching and our team established we’ll be fine.”
The Titans will play another two to three games before they’re slotted into their proper division. The Premier Division will consist of no more than four to five teams, with the rest moving to First Division.
“We prefer to play First Division, it’s easier to build your team and grow than jump into a very hard league and just get annihilated,” said Patterson. “You don’t learn very much that way.
“We’re a really small team this year. We’re very petite, but I think there’s potential there.”
Shannon Court scored a try to account for the Titans’ points Saturday.