Lloydminster Meridian Booster — On paper it should have been a blow-out, instead the Accurate Machining Reapers Rugby Club gave Royal Irish Regiment all they could handle and more.
While the score did end up 43-21 for the Irish, the Reapers played a much closer game than that as the final tally was inflated by two late scores as the Irish broke through a tired defence to put the game out of touch.

The reapers actually led the game for the first few minutes of the contest as Shaine Wald scored off the opening kick, delivering a message that the Reapers were hardly going to roll over dead for the Irish.
“I expected them to come out running hard, and they did, and I expected our guys to come out hitting hard, and they did,” said Wald. “Right off the kick off we caught them by surprise, I caught the ball running wide, and I got lucky punching one in there right off the bat. Maybe it was a wake-up call to those guys ‘holy crap these guys are here to play rugby, not lie around.’”

The fact the Reapers held tight all game was huge due to the implications this game held for the club moving forward. This was the first time they had been able to secure a game on Armstorng Field and they were rewarded with packed stands. The Reapers

weren’t the only ones to benefit from the game however, as all proceeds – $805 – went to the SPCA.
“This was huge for us … it just grows the game so much having a team of this calibre come and play,” said Wald. “(People) can see what this game is about, it’s not a bunch of guys running around and some chaos – there are rules and it is a very controlled game. It’s a hard fought game that rewards itself in the end.”
This is a special trip for the Irish as it will mark their final tour of Canada.
The Royal Irish Regiment was formed to combat terrorist action in Ireland, much of which most of the members had witnessed growing up. However, with terrorist activity falling rapidly in Ireland the regiment is being disbanded in March of 2007 – meaning no more rugby team and more importantly, they are all now in search of work.

“It’s very uncertain,” said Irish captain Johnny Gibson who has been with the club for 12 of its 13 years. “For a lot of us it’s our livelihood, it’s the only job we have and we’re uncertain where we’re going to get a job from.”

The Irish head coach is a familiar face to the Reapers, as Dean Murten was the club’s first-ever head coach back in 2004 while he was stationed in Wainwright. With Murten’s long career in the military now over he wants to continue coaching Rugby, and that may just mean a return to the Border City.

“I’m hoping to come back for a few months next year, just to see how things are going, and I’d love to one day come back here (to coach),” he said. “If I can get employment over here, we’ll see.”

Wald says they are trying to put together the right package to allow for a return of Murten, but this time his responsibilities would be expanded past the border markers.

“I don’t want to slam my tongue in no doors, but we’re in negotiations with Dean and he’s got to talk to his wife and kids back in Ireland,” said Wald. “Not only would it be with our club but also with the Saskatchewan Rugby Union. He would be a junior development coach across Saskatchewan as well as the Reapers head coach.”

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