It is a significant achievement at any level in any competitive sport when one repeats as a champion five years in a row. Such was the Winnipeg Wasps Rugby Football Club’s 3rd division side who were victorious winning five Manitoba Rugby Union 3rd Division Championships between 1985 and 1989.
During the middle to late ‘80s Manitoba rugby saw a strong and vibrant community with many clubs fielding multiple teams across all three divisions of competition. These clubs included, the Brandon Barbarians, Sturgeon Creek Rowdies, St. Vital Griffons, Winnipeg Saracens, Shilo Stags, University of Manitoba Wombats, Portage Wolves, Assassins, Dauphin Mavericks, and the Winnipeg Wasps.
The third division level of competition was devised by the Manitoba Rugby Union as a means to provide an opportunity for older veteran players, not quite up to the training and practice demands required at higher levels of competition, to continue playing the game at a competitive level and at the same time provide a competitive opportunity for the newer and younger generation of less experienced players who were discovering the game and would benefit greatly from veteran on field experience.
The middle to late ‘ 80s saw tremendous success for the Winnipeg Wasps Rugby Football Club with numerous appearances in and successes in Provincial Championships at all three divisional levels of play. The 1st division side was competing in Premier Provincial Championships, the 2nd division side won both a league title and a provincial championship, and the 3rd division side dominated.
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The legacy of the Wasps 3rd division side was to be the genesis of The Legends, a team comprising of older veteran players from both the Assassins and the Wasps making room for younger veterans to continue the mentorship of young players competing in the 3rd division.
During the middle to late ‘80s Manitoba rugby saw a strong and vibrant community with many clubs fielding multiple teams across all three divisions of competition. These clubs included, the Brandon Barbarians, Sturgeon Creek Rowdies, St. Vital Griffons, Winnipeg Saracens, Shilo Stags, University of Manitoba Wombats, Portage Wolves, Assassins, Dauphin Mavericks, and the Winnipeg Wasps.
The third division level of competition was devised by the Manitoba Rugby Union as a means to provide an opportunity for older veteran players, not quite up to the training and practice demands required at higher levels of competition, to continue playing the game at a competitive level and at the same time provide a competitive opportunity for the newer and younger generation of less experienced players who were discovering the game and would benefit greatly from veteran on field experience.
The middle to late ‘ 80s saw tremendous success for the Winnipeg Wasps Rugby Football Club with numerous appearances in and successes in Provincial Championships at all three divisional levels of play. The 1st division side was competing in Premier Provincial Championships, the 2nd division side won both a league title and a provincial championship, and the 3rd division side dominated.
(continued on next page)
The legacy of the Wasps 3rd division side was to be the genesis of The Legends, a team comprising of older veteran players from both the Assassins and the Wasps making room for younger veterans to continue the mentorship of young players competing in the 3rd division.