Knights remain unbeaten
Men’s rugby team impressive in home opener, even without six starters from last season’s OCAA silver medal-winning squad
Coming off their best finish since 2008 the Fleming Knights men’s rugby side is a confident group this season.
The Knights improved to 4-0 to hold down first place in the OCAA East Division with a 35-10 win over the Algonquin Thunder in their home opener Friday night at the Fleming Sports Field Complex.
While they graduated all but six starters off last year’s OCAA silver medal winning team, head coach Aaron Stinchcombe says a lot of players have stepped up to fill in the gaps. They started the season with three straight road wins all with bonus points.
“Some of our guys who were on the bench last year have stepped up into a starting role. I’d say 10 of our starters were on our roster last year,” said Stinchcombe, in his sixth year with Fleming.
“It’s one of the first years where that’s happened. Where we’ve actually developed some players the year before who didn’t play much but have stepped into a starting role.”
One reason for that, says Stinchcombe who also works with the Peterborough Pagans program, is eight of his starters played summer rugby together with the Pagans. He says both Fleming and Trent University teams have created a synergy with the Pagans which is benefitting all three teams.
“That’s been a huge factor. We’ve really started as a club with Trent and Fleming to create partnerships and work together, sharing ideas between the three,” he said.
“At Fleming we’re seeing a lot more local guys playing at Fleming now. They’re playing club rugby and playing as a unit so when they come to Fleming they’re bringing some of the skills they learned over the summer to Fleming and also from Fleming into the club. We’re getting better and getting fitter at Fleming because of the programs these guys are on. It’s really working well hand-in-hand.”
The team’s success has also helped attract out-of-town players to the program. First-year players Caleb English, who plays club for Aurora, and Levi Konecny, who plays for Ajax, played on Ontario’s U18 team. Returning player Reece Honey was on Ontario’s U19 squad.
“Rather than the casual player, who might have played in high school, we’re starting to attract some provincial level talent and guys who are playing a high level of club rugby,” said Stinchcombe.
It’s all added up, he said, to a Fleming Knights' Graydon Meeks stiff arms Algonquin Thunder's Brandon Ferguson during first half OCAA men's rugby action Friday night at the Fleming Sports Field Complex. The Knights improved to 4-0 with a 35-10 win. See more photographs from the game in the online gallery at www. thepeterboroughexaminer.com. greater sense of confidence.
“The big difference between last year and this year is the guys are playing with a lot more confidence and they’re more focused,” he said. “Last year we didn’t know how things were going to turn out. We were just taking it one game at a time. This year, even though the approach is similar, guys are more focused to detail because they know what it’s going to take to get back to that gold medal game. The returning players are doing a great job of keeping the young guys focused and on track. Obviously, the goal is to play for a gold medal again.”
Scoring tries for Fleming against Algonquin were Corey Finch, Graydon Meeks, Alex Sicker, Zach Bignell and Honey. Joe Beagan kicked five converts.
The Knights will close out the regular season with home games Oct. 14 against Loyalist and the following week against St. Lawrence. The first place team gets a bye to the semifinals. p.m., OCAA Men's Rugby, Algonquin Thunder vs. Fleming Knights, Fleming Sports Field Complex p.m., Auto Racing, Autumn Colours Classic, Peterborough Speedway p.m., SPCSS @ CSS (jr/sr) p.m., KCVI @ NDHS (jr) p.m., OUA Women's Soccer, Nipissing Lakers vs. Trent Excalibur, Justin Chiu Stadium p.m., OUA Men's Soccer, Nipissing Lakers vs. Trent Excalibur, Justin Chiu Stadium p.m., Auto Racing, Autumn Colours Classic, Peterborough Speedway
p.m., Auto Racing, Autumn Colours Classic, Peterborough Speedway
p.m., OUA Women's Soccer, Laurentian Voyageurs vs. Trent Excalibur, Justin Chiu Stadium
p.m., OUA Men's Soccer, Laurentian Voyageurs vs. Trent Excalibur, Justin Chiu Stadium