ternity; through long, hard, cold, wet miserable days, putting your body on the line time and time again, it builds bonds that are really quite unique. Even across generations, when you meet players of older years, you each know what the other has been through, the physical confrontation and fear and exhilaration, and you share that.” Those teambuilding efforts bore fruit. “Over the years we were able to get players out, some of them new to the game, and some talented individuals who had played before,” said Adams. “We started cementing traditions, holding ourselves to new standards, and this was all driven by the players.” And so that effort led, in many ways, to the grey day in Wolfville, the team still buzzing from its divisional triumph over Dalhousie, and headed to the provincial finals game against the University of New Brunswick. Before kickoff, the coaches brought the players in for some last words. “You’re setting the tone for the game. You’re setting a legacy. Be that legacy,” Krawetz told the 6
Tidings | winter 2013
team in a pregame pep talk. It clearly worked. The team took to the artificial field under an overcast sky and began immediately to put points on the board. After all the heartbreak of a credo of “try, try again”, the team scored tries, again and again. Kris Works and David Salanieks notched the team’s first two as the Blue Devils opened up a hefty lead. Back-up players on the King’s bench were warming up and preparing to play midway through the first half. By the midpoint, King’s was up 22-3. The New Brunswick team was physically larger than the King’s boys, but nothing comes easy for King’s rugby, and that’s the way they like it. Unlike football, the game doesn’t stop and start when someone gets hit—it keeps going. The sport requires stamina. The game lasted 80 minutes and the boys in blue knew to take advantage of every second. By the second half, the UNB team was tired and about to face another 40 minutes of rugby and an 18-point deficit. King’s scored within minutes.
“Rugby really breeds fraternity; through long, hard, cold, wet miserable days, putting your body on the line time and time again, it builds bonds that are really quite unique.” “When we scored at the beginning of the second half, it really set the tone, it really reupped the energy,” said rookie Liam MacNeil, nicknamed Goggles. Near the end of the game, UNB rallied and