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Hoary Marmots ruck on

Whistler tournament Saturday After a loss at home to the Vancouver Rowing Club two weekends ago, the Whistler Hoary Marmots RFC was back at it last weekend for the Simon Fraser University seven-a-side tournament in Vancouver.

Whistler tournament Saturday

After a loss at home to the Vancouver Rowing Club two weekends ago, the Whistler Hoary Marmots RFC was back at it last weekend for the Simon Fraser University seven-a-side tournament in Vancouver.

The Whistler squad got a boost with the addition of four players from Kamloops, and the team was renamed the "Whist-Loops". The pairing paid off, as the Whist-Loops went on to win all three games in their group’s round robin to qualify for the finals.

In their first game, the Whist-Loops faced the Ladysmith RFC. Although Ladysmith was first on the board, The Whist-Loops scored three unanswered tries to take the game 19 to 7.

Next up, the Whist-Loops faced a touring side from the U.S., the Chugalugs RFC. Whistler caught fire in this game, with tries scored by Rich and John Dillon, "Special Ed" Dalgliesh, John Jestin and team captain Johnny "Comedy" Gideon. The final score was 36 to 5.

In the last round-robin match-up, the Whist-Loops faced the Nanaimo Hornets, who were no match against the red-hot Marmots. Seven unanswered tries later with crash balls and well-planned overlaps put Whistler up 41-0.

Moving into the semi-finals, the Whist-Loops faced Richmond RFC, a well-trained and organized club, in the quarter-finals. Although the Marmots played hard, Richmond was a little more polished and took an early lead. Despite a second-half comeback, the Marmots were eliminated by a score of 29 to 14.

The Marmots will be in action again this weekend, hosting their annual seven-a-side tournament on Saturday. The Marmots have confirmed 12 men’s teams from around the province, as well as up to five women’s teams.

The tournament takes place at Whistler Secondary School in Alpine Meadows, with games started at 9 a.m. and running all day. Everyone is invited to come out and support the Whistler club, watch some first-class rugby, and party with the teams at Tapley’s Pub that evening.

The Hoary Marmots are keeping the season going through the summer with 15-a-side games against Seattle and SFU clubs in August.

The team trains every Tuesday and Thursday at Whistler Secondary, starting at 6:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come out and practice with the team.