COPIED FROM THE FEDERATION DE RUGBY DU QUEBEC WEBSITE.
ALSO POSTED ON THE RUGBY CANADA WEBSITE – SEARCH FOR 05/04/12 – HIGH SCHOOL CHARITY GAME BENEFITS FIGHT AGAINST CANCER.

Lasalle East & West Rugby Players
Last Saturday Lasalle Community Comprehensive High School rugby players past and present got together with friends from Verdun and Lachine to host a charity rugby event at Riverside Park in Lasalle. The day started with the school hosting a preseason friendly between the Montreal Wanderers and the Montreal Exiles at Riverside Park and concluded with a selection game that drew over 40 area high school players. Despite the cold temperatures and strong winds the day was a great success and raised in excess of $3000 for the fight against cancer.
The idea for the day came from a committee of students from LCCHS. Bryce Moore one of the event organizers said that the day was put together for the love of the game but also as a means of remembering a good community friend that succumbed to cancer last year at the very young age of 17. “This event gives us the chance to have a great day of rugby, but also to raise money for a very worthy cause that has affected all of us.” The players, families, and community members rallied around the event selling refreshments and merchandise and holding raffles for various prizes to raise funds for their cause.
The game itself was highly entertaining showcasing some excellent rugby talent and went right down to the wire with the white team scoring in the dying moments to beat the blue team 22-19. Said Alex Karen LCCHS coach “This was an outstanding event. High school rugby in the area has only been around for a few years but it is taking off. To see the kids embrace the game and then take the initiative to organize this event on their own without any coach or teacher involvement and then bring in members of the community is incredible.” The event committee was also very happy with the results of the day and are already looking forward to hosting the event next year.
The committee would like to thank the city of Lasalle, the Cedars Cancer Institute, MUHC, the World Rugby Shop, Head Rush, Costco, and Quiznos. The committee would also like to thank all of the players, volunteers and community members for supporting the event.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012 – Submitted by Ian Baillie