Mt.A’s men’s rugby team wins three years in a row as the team grows
In a recent game against King’s College, Mt.A’s men’s rugby team won the Maritime championship for 2025, marking the third year in a row. In an interview with The Argosy, Team Captain Cohen Tremblay highlighted the team’s hard work leading up to the win, and noted the major growth men’s rugby has seen since he joined in 2021.
This was the final game of the season. The game was played against King’s College in Halifax, where the Mounties came out on top with a 22-5 victory. Tremblay noted “it was pouring rain,” adding “it was really windy and super cold” on the day of the final match. Tremblay explained bad weather is “sort of a given” for the Maritime Finals, since it takes place in late November. Despite the conditions, Tremblay says, “the weather didn’t cooperate with us, but we still got ‘er done.”
Last year’s Maritime Championship, played against Dalhousie University on Mt. A’s home field was also affected by terrible weather. Tremblay called it a “hard-fought game,” but became the second year in a row of the Mounties coming out on top. The year before was Mt.A’s first year competing in the Maritime Championship against Cape Breton University in Cape Breton. It was another cold day, and Tremblay says “[CBU] was probably the better team, but we stuck to our plan and came out on top.” He highlights the win as “a really big moment for the program.”
The men’s rugby program has not always been so successful. Tremblay reflects on his first year in 2021, with only 14 players attending the training camp, and the program needing 15 players minimum for a full-fledged rugby team. Since then, the team has grown tremendously. This year, there are about 55 active players.
Due to the team’s growth, this year is the first that Mt.A moved from the Division II league to Division I on exhibition status. As a smaller university, the team strengthened their squad by recruiting players from the Black Tide rugby club in Moncton. Tremblay says there is a “core [group] of guys at Mt.A” along with players from Black Tide, and it creates a “really diverse group.” He says that “all shapes and sizes are needed for a rugby team,” emphasizing that “it’s good to have lots of commitment.”
Between program growth and championship wins, the men’s rugby team is one of the prides of Mt.A athletics. In the past few years, the team has only been growing in size and skill. Tremblay says that he’s “got to play with a lot of really awesome individuals here at Mt.A and [he’s] formed a lot of great relationships that [he’s] going to have for the rest of [his] life.” He praises the support staff and coaching team, including Yves Pellerin, Ian Moran, and Bob Wallace. The coaches “keep it fun and keep guys wanting to come back,” which can be a major factor in the success of the team.
As the 2025 rugby season comes to a close, the Mounties can celebrate their three-peat championship and look forward to the trend of growth for upcoming seasons.