Arlee hosts rugby tournament and clinic

Arlee hosts rugby tournament and clinic

The Montana Youth Rugby Union is sponsoring a High School Girls 7s Rugby Tournament in Arlee on May 6, to help introduce and promote the sport of rugby to girls in western Montana.

The three-team, three-match event begins at noon at the Arlee High School football field, and will include players from Kalispell, Missoula, Helena and the Bitterroot Valley.

Prior to the tournament matches, the Bitterroot Valley Rugby Football Club will host a talent-identification camp tryout and clinic for their traveling 7s team, the Bitterroot Koa Wahine (these are seven-member teams that play seven-minute instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves). The camp begins at 10:30 a.m., followed by a short introductory clinic.

The clinic offers an opportunity for high school girl from across the state to compete for a spot on the select invitational team playing in the North American International (NAI) 7s tournament in Salt Lake City in late July. The NAI7s is the largest youth rugby tournament of its kind, with teams attending from around the world. This marks the third year the team from the Bitterroot has accepted an invitation to play.

Middle school or high school boys and girls, and their parents, who want to learn more about the sport of rugby are invited to attend the free clinic and stay for the girls matches. Email Arlee Superintendent Mike Perry at mperry@arleeschools.org for more information.