Three women from the United Rugby Club were named to the British Columbia under-20 women's provincial team for the upcoming National Women's League finals in Vancouver.
The tournament is set for June 27 to 30 at the University of British Columbia's Wolfson Fields and will feature u20, Senior Tier 2 and premier divisions at the 2013 edition of Rugby Canada's top level domestic competition for women's rugby.
Mackenzie Fawcett and u-23 players Shannon Craig and Jennifer Cousineau were added to the 25-member B.C. squad.
At the 2011 final, B.C. fell agonizingly short in a crucial 17-15 loss to eventual champions Ontario and ended up placing third overall.
This year, B.C. will open their campaign with a morning tilt against Ontario on Thursday June 27. B.C. will then play two 20-minute games on Saturday, June 29 that will be used for development purposes and won't count towards the final standings. The hosts will then wrap up their tournament with a final game against Alberta on Sunday, June 30.
"Our goal for this team will be to come out on June 27 as competitors and show on field what we have been training towards," said B.C. head coach Steph Murphy in a B.C. Rugby release. "We will need to adapt to both 80minute and 20-minute games and still keep our focus and mindset with two very different game styles."
This year's u-20 competition will allow for overage players and Murphy is expecting strong performances from familiar names like Elyssa Phillipson and Cousineau in the back line, as well as Meagan Chambers and Casey Jones up front.
Key players to watch include Kayla Van Veld, Shantel Hightower from Simon Fraser University and Renae Desrochers who will be anchoring the forward pack.
"We also have backs Caitie Ryan, Meghan Wellis, Annie Arnott and Rachel Craig - who are dynamic and speedy, but they are all strong at the contact point and we will look to them to create opportunities for turnover ball," Murphy added.
