Atlantic Provinces to do battle!
June 10, 2021
Atlantic Provinces to do battle!
The four Atlantic provinces are delighted to announce the much-anticipated return of the Atlantic Championships!
Four different age categories will do battle in three different events in 2021.
With last year’s cancelation, the Atlantic High-Performance committee has decided to adapt the traditional age groups of U16/U18 to U17/U19 to allow the U19 age group the opportunity to represent their respective provinces.
“Although the Atlantic provinces were lucky to continue with modified rugby in 2020, we know there is an eagerness of the four Atlantic provinces to get back to competition,” said Jack Hanratty, Rugby Canada Academy coach for the Atlantic. “The Atlantic provinces felt that we have a lot of talented athletes that missed out on a chance to play underage rugby last year, so we are excited to give that opportunity back in 2021”
Along with the U17/U19 event, which will take place in New Brunswick in early August, the tournament will also host the first interprovincial U15 bracket with the outcome of player development, a positive step for the region.
"We are ecstatic to have the opportunity to host what could potentially be the largest rugby event to happen in Canada in 2021," said Curtis Lauzon, Technical Director of Rugby NB. "We look forward to providing a quality event for the Atlantic provinces and providing an opportunity to the youth athletes in the region."
For the senior provincial programs, old rivalries will be restored when the senior women’s sides; the PEI Abbie’s, and New Brunswick Spruce battle it out with the Nova Scotia Keltics. This tournament will be the first of interprovincial play between the unions, hosted in Nova Scotia, and will be the perfect way for many National team longlisted players to get some much-needed game time.
A different approach for the senior men’s tournament this year where it will be an early Christmas treat as the PEI Abbie’s, New Brunswick Spruce, Newfoundland Rock and Nova Scotia Keltics move their activities indoor in early December, following the competition of Club and University local leagues.
All tournaments and each union’s participation are dependent on local Public Health rules and guidelines and are subject to change.
