All coaches and athletes are welcome to join us at the Regina Rugby Club on November 13th at 7pm for a presentation from Olympic Silver winning Coach Jack Hanratty on “Winning Style of Play”.
Coaches will receive NCCP PD Points for attending and are required to pre-register for the event.
visit www.saskrugby.com/achatwithjack for more details.
Learn from other Saskatchewan coaches and leaders in sport during this unique one-day event.
Take the opportunity to network with other local coaches, and benefit from presentations and discussions on topics important to today’s coach.
Coaches who are maintaining their NCCP certified or trained status will earn three NCCP PD points upon participation in this event.
Hosted at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, there’s no better setting to hone in on your professional development as a coach.
View the full details for Community Coaches Day online and register today.
The Saskatchewan Rugby Union is seeking to recruit dynamic, engaged and qualified candidates to serve on our Board of Directors that embody our values, share our passion and want to help advance and strengthen our organization, the quality of our programs and the value to our memberships. We are currently seeking nominations for Directors for our Board of Directors. We are looking for individuals who have knowledge and understanding of the Saskatchewan Rugby Community, demonstrated leadership experience with strong network in your community. Directors will serve a three year term and be expected to attend and participate in all Sask Rugby Board meetings, commit to annual fundraising efforts and promotion as well as be actively involved in a standing committee. Online Nominations are now open and can be completed via this link ONLINE NOMINATION FORM
All completed nomination forms will be forwarded to the newly established Nominations Committee. Nominations are open until August 1st.
On Tuesday, May 27th, tragedy struck Waterhen Lake First Nation.
At around 1:00 PM a fire started in the roof of Weweyekisik Education Centres industrial arts shop. Thanks to a quick evacuation, no injuries were reported but the community still felt the loss of one of the staples that brought many together. Waterhen Lake First Nations and the surrounding communities suffered a loss of place, connection, and joy as the school was an anchor to the childhoods and early development of so many people.
The cause was reportedly caused by a lack of structural modernity with little effort given to making the necessary changes. Since the Weweyekisik Education Centre is 75km outside of Meadow Lake, the Fire Fighters couldn’t get there in time to mitigate damages but nonetheless, the building’s damages would cost millions.
There is expected to be Federal help as well as community outreach to make the best of a bad situation. There are expected portable classes to be set up to continue education.
Through many relentless efforts to bring rugby to life and to keep the culture of rugby thriving in the Northern community in Meadow Lake, Rufas Crawford took pride in beginning a successful girl’s rugby program named the She-Devil’s Rugby Club and a boys program called the El-Diablos which planted the seed for rugby to grow.
Through this seed, Rufas put forward an application for the Team Canada Olympic Day Grant for the Waweyekisik School for launching a pioneering girls’ rugby program, while aiming to introduce the sport to First Nation communities in Saskatchewan, fostering inclusivity, skill development, and pathways to regional and international competitions.
This Indigenous team, called the Wolfpack was a dream turned reality as it found its debut on May 23, 2024 through a mini-tournament played at Weweyekisik Education Centre which presented the Eagle Feather Cup (shown on the right) which was a symbol of new beginnings in the Saskatchewan Rugby community through an indigenous lens.
Understanding the gravity of the situation and the efforts taken to foster a beginning pathway for Indigenous rugby in Saskatchewan, we are working hard alongside important stakeholders, supporters, and sponsors to make amends and ideally restore the program.
We wish the best for the Waterhen Lake First Nation community and a quick recovery to its previous glory that the north held to such a high degree!
It’s going to be a trial by FIRE for the return of the Prairie Fire!
The Prairie Fire holds a strong place in the hearts of many within our Province. In its conception and early years, the team competed in the prestigious Rugby Canada Super League (RCSL) from 1998 to 2008 and the Rugby Canada National Junior Championship (RCNJC) from 2009 to 2010. The program has historically held high value in the History of high-performance Rugby in Canada as near the end of the Super League, the team was competing in the Finals, if not winning.
After a hiatus, the Saskatchewan Prairie Fire is back and stronger than ever. This U25 Selects team is a rep touring team on the rise and the Coast to Coast Cup is the preliminary tour for the reconstruction. We are calling all eligible players to get informed and come practice to join the Fire Squad!
Practices occur on Sundays at 12:00 PM (noon) to compensate most players’ busy weeks and are located at the Football Field in Davidson, SK.
The dates for these practices are as follows: May 26, June 2, June 9. There is a potential for more practices following the tour, and news will be revealed within team communications.
There will also be a Pre-tournament Camp held in Regina, SK from June 15-17 to prepare the team for departure as there will be the travel day on the 18th and the debut game on the 19th.
Costs for the tournament are as follows: $1000/player with a $300 deposit due June 1st.
The Coast to Coast Cup is a major competition for young high-performance athletes across Canada. The Coast to Coast Cup allows our players to compete against top-tier talent from across the country and beyond, representing not only themselves but also our proud province of Saskatchewan.
The tour will go from departure day on June 18th to return day on June 23rd through Halifax, NS.
The games will be as follows:
Game 1: June 19 @6:30 PM Vs. Atlantic Privateers
Location: Graves-Oakley Memorial Park
Game 2: June 22 Final Vs. Calgary Mavericks or Toronto Arrows Academy
Location: Wanderer Grounds Sport Complex
All games will be streamed on the Rugby Network.
Watch for updates via the SaskRugby social medias on Instagram and Facebook for Livestreaming updates, tour updates, and much more!
Saskatchewan Rugby is excited to launch the 2024-2029 strategic plan, the map to a robust future for rugby in Saskatchewan. This forward-thinking and long-term plan is a result of collaborative sessions with the board and members, where they got to provide their ideas and feedback.
“We, the Saskatchewan Rugby Board of Directors are working to start a strong structure for the game and participants—now and in the coming years,” says Interm President Jason Brandt. “The timeline is designed to maximize the Canada Games cycle, so we will have a chance to get items up and fully running by the 2025 games, and then reassess and make any adjustments as we head into the next cycle in 2029.”
The full version of Saskatchewan Rugby’s new strategic plan can be found HERE
The new mission and vision statements reflect an active and positive mindset with a forward focus.
Vision
A quality and welcoming rugby community
Mission
We advance lifelong rugby experiences
The strategic plan solidifies the organization’s priorities and will act as a filter to make decisions. That includes the values laid out in the plan.
Respect
Show respect to ourselves, those around us, and the game.
Integrity
Act honestly and equitably in and around the game.
Passion
Passionately find excitement, attachment, and belonging to the rugby family.
Solidarity
Connect and foster an inclusive community through the game.
Discipline
Commit to safety and accountability for the game.
These values reflect the focus on making rugby in Saskatchewan accessible and equitable. Saskatchewan Rugby aims to re-energize and advance the sport in Saskatchewan.
The plan is built to address member needs, and designed to align with Sask Sport, a funder and a leader in the province. Sask Sport’s new sport development framework will be linked to funding reporting, and Saskatchewan Rugby’s outcomes and initiatives for the next five years are divided into the three pillars used in that framework: athlete development, capacity for support, and sport in community.
Athlete Development
Expected Outcomes
Major Initiatives
Capacity for Sport
Expected Outcomes
Major Initiatives
Sport in Community
Expected Outcomes
Major Initiatives
To help modernize Saskatchewan Rugby and the approach to the sport in Saskatchewan, the plan will need help with implementation at all levels, including member clubs and volunteers.
“Collaboration was key to creating a strong strategic plan, and it will be key to bringing the plan to life,” says Brandt “Everyone will need to work together: the board, players, officials, administration. We have identified the need to strengthen Saskatchewan Rugby as an organization to support the game, our members, and participants.”
As the 2024 season approaches, Saskatchewan Rugby is finalizing an operational plan to translate the high-level goals in the strategic plan into measurable targets and tactics to make the plan a reality. Members can expect to hear more as both plans move forward.
The Saskatchewan Rugby AGM is scheduled for April 21, 2024 at 2205 Victoria Ave in Regina, SK at 11am.
There will be a Junior and Senior Planning session to start and the business portion of the AGM will begin at 12:30pm. Please contact your Club President for further details.
Saskatchewan Rugby is looking to hire youth workers for a variety of summer positions in 2024 out of Saskatoon, Regina, Lloydminster and Meadow Lake.
Sport Program Coordinator (Regina, Saskatoon, Lloydminster, Meadow Lake) – Job Description 2024 Sport Program Coordinators HERE
Sport Program Administrative Coordinator (Regina) – Job Description 2024 Sport Program Administrative Coordinators HERE
Grounds Maintenance Labourer (Saskatoon) – Job Description 2024 Grounds Maintenance Labourer HERE
These positions are funded through the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) wage subsidy from Employment and Social Development Canada. CSJ provides wage subsidies to employers to create quality summer work experiences for young people aged 15 to 30 years. These positions are subject to funding approval as our applications are currently under assessment, however they are typically approved as full time (30 -35 hours per week, between 9 – 12 weeks, between April 24, 2024 to August 30, 2024.
Please email your resume with a cover letter detailing how your skills and experience would make you a great fit for this position by March 31, 2024, to:
Email: jobs@saskrugby.com
We’d like to thank all applicants for your interest in Saskatchewan Rugby, only candidates selected for interviews will be contacted.
Over the last decade and a half, Kristine Lovatt has played for 12 rugby teams across Canada and travelling to three continents to referee games all the way up to Olympic qualifiers. An impressive feat for anyone, but especially for someone who had “literally never even heard the word rugby” before she started attending Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in 2006.
Both Lovatt and the game have grown a lot since she started playing. She had always been sporty, and the school encouraged one sport a season. When the time came to choose her spring sport in 2007, it was an easy decision.
“My options were softball and rugby,” Lovatt said. “And despite being relatively athletic, I become the most uncoordinated individual when you put any sort of object in my hand to play a sport.”
Though the highest levels of the sport were in her future, a relaxed and comfortable environment is what helped develop her love for the game. The sport season at Athol Murray was often very intense, but the start of rugby in the spring was just the opposite. She calls the difference between seasons “that feeling of taking your jeans off at the end of the day.”
The environment was nurtured by her coach, Darren Beaulac. His focus on making the game fun was formative for Lovatt. “It’s pretty hard to imagine I would have stuck around in the sport in those early days had he not been creating that kind of environment,” she said.
Another major advantage for Lovatt was that she got involved in the sport as it really began to expand for women in Saskatchewan. When she was just 15, she got to play on Team Saskatchewan’s U19 team—simply because there weren’t that many girls who wanted to play. Many of her school teammates were playing for the provincial team, so there was plenty of encouragement to try out for a spot.
“I tried out for Team Sask because I could,” Lovatt said. “Most years if you showed up you could play; there were only a couple cuts. It kind of fell into my lap and I was playing a whole heck of a lot more than I thought I would be.”
She stuck with rugby—at school and at the provincial level—through high school and when she moved out to Nova Scotia to attend Acadia University. But it was the chance to make a few extra bucks (AKA: beer money) in grad school that brought her a new challenge. She took her first refereeing course through Saskatchewan Rugby in March 2017 and officiated for the first time at a boys’ high school game that spring.
She quickly learned that refereeing was an even better use of her skills and personality than playing had been. “My overall personality has fit better in this context of the game,” she said. Her years as a player helped her build a broad knowledge of the game and an understanding of the rules in context, and she says her new role is a natural fit for her organizational skills and gut feelings.
The shift from player to referee might have been unexpected, but it took off quickly for Lovatt. Within a few months of starting to officiate, she was traveling to other provinces and meeting “some of the best referees in the country.” Not only did she enjoy meeting new people, but those connections also helped her leap to the next level as a ref—by the fall of 2017, she was refereeing university-level games.
“Within six months I had already achieved what it took me 12 years to achieve as a player,” she said.
Then in 2022, things really took off—which Lovatt certainly wasn’t expecting after the pandemic had her questioning how involved she would be in rugby going forward. That year, she got the opportunity to referee the Canada Games, which led to travelling to Mexico that fall to ref at the RAN Super Sevens. Since then, she has refereed games around the world:
Next on the schedule is the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Uruguay in March 2024, and though every new experience is exciting, it’s the people and the experience that keep stoking the fire for Lovatt.
“Rugby gave me a place in the world,” she said. “Refereeing in particular is what has…taught me that if you do things because you love them, because they matter to you and you value them, that’s going to lead to an authentic and meaningful life.”
She credits the game with helping her tolerate failure, build a strong work ethic, and balance responsibility, but most importantly to be part of a supportive community—on and off the field. After all her experiences, she wants to help others who could find their place on the field, too.
“I just want to stay involved with the game for as long as I can,” she said. “…I want to play my part in helping other people fall in love with the game.”
Rugby is seeking energetic, organized and collaborative people to join their team on behalf of Rugby Canada who is supporting the financial means for this position through Sport Canada.
The position requires great organization, communication and problem solving skills. Prior experience organizing sporting programs is ideal.
Reporting to Saskatchewan Rugby’s Development Officer, the position is a Part Time (9 hours per week) seasonal position running from March 2024 to July 2024. The YDO/Sessional Coach will be expected to work approximately 10 hours per week although workload may vary.
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL JOB POSTING:
Saskatchewan Rugby is the governing body for the sport of Rugby in Saskatchewan. Our mission is to promote, develop and administer, the playing of Rugby throughout Saskatchewan.