MANITOBA WOMBATS 50TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON OFFICIALLY UNDERWAY

The Manitoba Wombats are pleased to announce that the club’s historic 50th anniversary season is officially underway as the club begins to
prepare for the upcoming 2023 Rugby Manitoba campaign.

Pre-season training began back in March, the club arranged for a series of indoor practices at the University of Manitoba to give the senior men, as well as the Brumbies, the opportunity to shake off some rust and to ensure the team could hit the ground running once outdoor practices began.

After an extended winter kept the men from getting outside, the Wombats senior men were able to begin outdoor practices on Monday April 24
at Christine Lesperance School before moving to Maple Grove Rugby Park the following week. The men are set to practice every Monday and
Wednesday at Maple Grove starting at 6:30PM for the duration of the season.

After helping the Manitoba Wombats to provincial titles in 2019 and 2022 as both a player and coach, Sean Wijesinghe has decided to step
back from his full-time role as the head coach of the men this season. The Wombats will forever be grateful for the contribution to the club over
the years and look forward to seeing him around the field when his busy schedule allows for it. Thank you, Sean!
For the 2023 season, Wombat alum Gord MacInnes will oversee both Wombats premier league men’s teams this year. Doug Stevenson and
Josh Payne will join Gord as assistant coaches with the club this season.

In 2022, the Wombats reclaimed the provincial title with a thrilling victory in the final over the Eastman Warriors by a final score of 53-43 in the
Rugby Manitoba Premier League final. Last season in Rugby Manitoba’s development league called “M-League”, the Wombats 2nd XV finished
with a 10-1-1 record on the season before a narrow loss in the division semi-final to the Wanderers by a score of 17-7.
Together, the Wombats men cemented their place as the healthiest club in Manitoba last year through the club culture off the field, results
on the field and consistently fielding two full teams throughout the season. The upcoming 2023 season provides the Wombats to continue
to grow with commitment, mental resilience and a positive attitude being identified by the coaching staff as the three pillars for success this
year.

The Wombats have committed to fielding two men’s teams again this year, one in the Premier 1 division and the other in the Premier 2 division.

Message from the Coaching Staff

“We want to instill a sense of trust, communication and belonging within the team this year. A club that focuses on culture while executing the
highest level of rugby in our province, as we have proved over the last 50 years. It will take a lot of effort to achieve what we as the coaching
group want to, but we believe it is possible. We look forward to working with each and every wombat, past, present and future, to make our 50th anniversary a successful season and memorable season none of us will forget.”


Upcoming Key Dates

Practice: Every Monday & Wednesday – 6:30PM @ Maple Grove Rugby Park
Saturday May 27 – Manitoba Challenge Cup Playoffs (Preseason)
Times TBD @ Maple Grove Rugby Park
Saturday June 10 – Regular Season Kickoff
Wombats 1st XV vs Eastman Warriors – 5:00PM @ Maple Grove Rugby Park
Wombats 2nd XV vs Wanderers – 1:00PM @ Maple Grove Rugby Park

BRUMBIES OFF SEASON HIGHLIGHT BY THE RETURN OF COLLEEN HORTON

The snow is gone, the sun is shining, and the grass is still dead…that doesn’t stop the Brumbies from getting outside for the season! This year,
we are excited to be practicing twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, until games start up on Wednesday evenings. Before we chat about
the upcoming season, lets review the off season!

The Brumbies executive team put in place some great offseason activities. From spin classes to skating at the forks, recruiting, and casual
drinks. Time away from the pitch was certainly made up in social activities. This spring saw another successful pierogi fundraiser. Shout out to
JR (Courtney Maines) who sold over 200 dozen pierogies! Our fundraising committee also pulled of a stellar Rumor’s comedy club fundraiser,
which will be paramount for the seasons upcoming fees. Inflation. Am I right.

We are thrilled to welcome back an OG Brumbie, former coach, and rugby legend, Colleen Horton, as our president. Having Colleen back in the
mix has been paramount for keeping deadlines, setting dates, getting turf time for practices, and most importantly bringing unity back to the
club.

We started indoor practices much earlier than past seasons, which allowed us to keep the momentum and comradery we ended with last
season. Thanks to our coaches for committing even more time to us, and to all players who dredged through the snow to practice rugby in
February! Especially our 9 new players, some returning after years off, and some having never played!

This season is shaping up to be one for the books – see you all on the pitch on June 10, for the first kick-off of the 2023 season!