A face spotted with mud, blood dripping from her nose, and a tooth knocked out on the rugby pitch.
Yep, rugby player Holly Phillips was in her element on a U18 tour in England.
Canmore’s Phillips trained over the pond for nearly two weeks (March 30-April 10) as part of Rugby Canada’s tour invite roster.
Twenty-four Canucks from coast to cost made the travelling roster for the inaugural U18 women’s tour that included two hard-fought matches against the England U18 Talent Development Group at Bicton College in Devon, in southwest England.
Phillips, who plays prop, developed “triple the amount” as a player during the tour, and said the biggest thing for her to overcome was the mental aspect.
“It was so rewarding, it was unbelievable,” Phillips said.
But her journey en route to England with the U18 team hasn’t been years in the making.
The 16 year old joined the sport less than a year ago. She got her first taste for rugby on the Banff Community High School team last season, and it quickly turned into a passion for her.
To get to where she is has been “a lifetime” worth of dedication in a very short amount of time.
Through a constant grind and pursuit to improve, Phillips was recognized and landed on Alberta’s U16 team. She was added on the long list for Canada’s U18 squad, which was eventually whittled down to a 24-player roster that she made for a tour invite to England.
In order to go overseas, Phillips raised $5,000 for trip expenses to join the tour through local fundraising efforts.
When she arrived on the island, there were a lot of new faces and introductions.
“I was nervous, but not out of my element,” she said. “The time change, the different food, the environment we were in; it was a lot to take in the first day.
“We opened up with a really intense training session. My (assistant) coach Duncan McNaughton had a really unique way of making our outlook on the game change. He made you look at the person next to you and grind my teeth and move forward.”
Twice for two hours each day training sessions were held and the girls were served the same English meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which Phillips was “pumped” about – at first.
The young ladies quickly bonded, and Phillips made a connection with “inspirational” coach McNaughton.
“For me, the 24 girls who I went with, I had no idea who they were, but you play for the person next to you,” she said.
It was special for everyone when they received their red and black colours in a jersey ceremony before the first game, said Phillips.
“Wearing the Canadian jersey and putting it on and having the maple leaf over your heart, it’s always talked about, but you don’t get to really understand until you’re there,” she said.
The test series against England’s U18 ended in duel losses for Canada (41-17 and 17-12).
McNaughton’s time with the camp was cut short due to the sudden death of his father and, before the final game, the team wrote McNaughton’s initials on their hands.
In the final game, the old saying “when it rains, it pours” came to fruition in England. Heavy hail beat down on the pitch too, but the game kept on going.
Phillips made a tackle during the evenly contested match that cost her her front tooth, but should you ask Phillips about it, it “wasn’t a big deal.”
“I tackled a girl and got head butted in the face and my tooth got knocked out, so then I gave it to the trainer and kept going,” said she. “I was going to go to a dentist in England, but I took a few Advil and it wasn’t really bugging me much, so I didn’t get it fixed until I got back.”
The match was “unreal” and to play some “really awesome” rugby against a talented commonwealth crew, Phillips said.
She found herself rushing to get back to Alberta for school after it ended, and after nearly two weeks of an unchanged meal routine, she was ready to head home.
“After having the same food every day for 12 days straight, I was like ‘get me out of here,’ ” she said, joking.
Back at home, Phillips scored a try to lead the Banff Bears girls rugby team to a 55-0 win over Rundle College on Wednesday (April 13). Payson scored three tries, Anita Dimento recorded two, while Jalen Payson, Luna Kawano and Tasha Wespi all added singles. Amy Morton was perfect with five conversions.
The Bears men’s team didn’t fair as well, as they fell 43-5 to Rundle. Coach Alex Boston said Rundle had one or two outstanding players which was the difference.
“I don’t think the score reflected the tone. They had a few players who were quite dynamic and made a big difference. Saying that, there were lots of really good points were good for us.”
Boston said Banff’s forward pack was outweighed by 100 lbs but still managed to dominate, and the backs showed great quickness and speed.
Both the men’s and women’s teams played Bow Valley College Wednesday.
