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Rams TVRA girls rugby champions
Laidlaw and Kidder score twice in 34-12 win over WCI in A/AA final
May 17, 2023
By Rob J. Ross
ST. THOMAS - The St. Joseph's Rams are TVRA girls rugby champions returning to WOSSAA.
Riley Laidlaw and Dani Kidder both scored two tries (five points each) to lead the Rams, to a 34-12 flattening of the Woodstock CI Red Devils, in the Thames Valley Regional Athletic Association (TVRA) A/AA girls rugby final, Tuesday at St. Joe's high school.
"We wanted to come out strong and win this game," Rams' co-captain Nadia Van Asseldonk said. "Our goal was to get a try right away and that's what we did. We put the pressure on and we succeeded."
Laidlaw, who had not scored previously in her career, opened the scoring early in the first half, propelling the Rams to a 22-0 lead by half-time.
"A lot of the girls fed off that energy and realized we can do this and that's what put them in to drive to win this game," said Laidlaw, the Rams' second co-captain. "It was my first try. I got two today, so it was a big surprise but it was cool. It was very adrenaline pumping. To have my family and friends witness it made it even better."
Laidlaw felt it was the Rams' best game of the season that includes a 19-5 win over the Medway Cowboys.
"Just coming together was really mind blowing and a lot different than the other games," Laidlaw said. "We've had issues with being able to communicate without actually communicating, but today we were really able to tell which play was about to happen by simply looking at each other."
Morgan Wiebenga and Kendra Sheeller each had a try and Laidlaw kicked a pair of two-point converts.
Sienna McCorquodale and Emily Ratter scored for WCI, with Jacqueline Yates converting one try.
The Rams head to the Western Ontario Secondary Schools Athletic Association (WOSSAA) A/AA final, May 25 at FE Madill secondary school in Wingham.
The Madill Mustangs are 4-0 in the Huron-Perth Conference.
Picking up on their opponent's tendencies and adapting will be key at WOSSAA.
"It'll be being able to read how they play and figuring out where we need to work on more," Laidlaw said. "Realizing that we have each other to rely on and if every person gives it their all, I think we have a really good shot.
A year ago in the WOSSAA final, the Rams lost to Madill, 7-0, on a penalty try.
"It feels good to get another chance," Van Asseldonk said. "We want to come up with a gold medal this time."
The winner advances to OFSAA, June 5-7 in Belleville.
Taylor Arthur is the only player remaining from the Rams' OFSAA team in 2019.
"She's part of the reason we want to get back to OFSAA. Get that feeling again," said LaidLaw.
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