As sweet as it gets T he Guardian - What does it mean to you and club to
Mudmen’s Phil Gallant reflects on club’s tremendous season
It’s already a sweet feeling for Phil Gallant being a two-time Rugby Nova Scotia division one champ, but add a second division crown for the Hunter’s Corner Mudmen RFC and he might be downright giddy.
Last weekend the Mudmen completed the sweep of the men’s senior divisions with 41-21 win over the Halifax Tars in the division one McCurdy Cup in Charlottetown and a 26-10 victory over the Tars in the second division Shannon Cup championship in Halifax.
So forgive Gallant, a longtime Mudmen player and organizer, for bubbling over just a bit. After all, he’s seen the club go from struggling to win second division games to becoming a two-time division winner, sweeping the 2018 playoff and earning berths in their respective Maritime championships.
The Mudmen host the Maritime title games on Saturday, Oct. 13, at UPEI. The second division game for the Wheaton Cup versus the powerhouse Moncton Black Tide goes at noon, followed by the first division contest against the Fredericton Loyalists in a rematch of last year’s Caledonia Cup won by Fredericton 22-20.
The Mudmen joined the Charlottetown Rugby Football Club (CRFC) as double Nova Scotia champs this season. CRFC won the women’s Tier A and B crowns earlier this summer.
The Guardian caught up with Gallant for Q&A about the Mudmen’s feat and what’s coming in the Maritime contests.
T he Guardian - How does it feel to be champs again? And what are your thoughts on the B side winning its division?
Gallant - It feels amazing to be champs again, even better to beat the Tars to do it. The B side winning was so huge also. Everyone worked so hard this season to accomplish our goals and we are halfway there.
T he Guardian - What were the key to the games?
Gallant - The keys to both sides was defence. We pressured them in both games and gave them no space. We had strong tackling and great support. We took a lot of penalties for being aggressive and that was the only time we gave them yards. In the second game we clearly were the fitter and faster team from the get go. In both games we had way more talented depth that allowed us to keep guys fresh and use impact subs.
sweep the titles? And with the CRFC winning as well, what does that say about P.E.I. rugby?
Gallant - P.E.I. rugby is s ending a big message with the girls two championships and the Mudmen sides winning and the success of the UPEI programs. A small province is making some big noise in the Maritimes. Winning two titles in one club is almost unprecedented in our circuit, but to see four with the girls and guys is unheard of. We still have so much left to do. Our goal wasn’t to just win two titles or host Maritimes, we want it all. We are not finished by any means. We want to win two Maritime titles to cap off this historic season. The Mudmen have been thinking about that loss (to Fredericton) for a full year and are looking to avenge it on home soil.