Westmount Rugby: History is kept alive by friendships

“It's a privilege to have the leadership of such a reputable club,” says team captain, Mike Hogan, 29. “Our greatest ongoing success as a club is keeping it going after all these years.”

However the exact number of years the club has been in existence is a tricky figure to nail-down. What is known is that before becoming a member of the Canadian Rugby Football Union, the team, then known as Montreal Football Club (MFC), played competitive games with rugby-like rules as early as 1872.

According to former player Jon Albright, who extensively researched the club's history as part of his MA degree, MFC certainly played games as a rugby team in 1878 and possibly as early as 1876.

In 1885, the team became associated with the prestigious Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA), playing on a downtown field between Crescent and Bishop streets. And in 1888 the club relocated to the MAAA's new athletic fields on what is now Westmount High School.

In the Great Depression of the 1930s, the rugby team split from MAAA and renamed itself Montreal Scottish RFC. As the Scottish influence wained the team made its final name change to Westmount Rugby Football Club, eventually settling in its current home of Westmount Park. More recently the club adopted the Raven nickname in honour of the city's crest.

Team spirit and camaraderie

Though the club has welcomed new players every year since its birth, the team spirit remains very much the same. Ian Monroe, 81, played with Westmount from 1953 to 1956. “The best thing about the team was the friendly camaraderie after the games; both within our own team and with the opposition,” he said. “After games we used to retire to the Bel Air Street Armoury for a few drinks.”

The venue may have changed, but the ritual is still the same. Sitting in Peel Pub enjoying a post-game beer, 20-year-old Julien Ringuelet echoed Monroe's sentiments. “The social aspect to the club is great,” said the Argentinean-born student. “My best single experience so far was my first full game. It was hard work, but very rewarding at the end.”

Despite having players of more than 10 nationalities, the club is home to numerous Westmount residents, including a core of Selwyn House alumni. Eager to maintain ties with the local community, the Ravens run a mini-rugby program on Sunday afternoons, open to 8- to 12-year-old kids from Westmount.

Asked why the club has thrived for so long, Hogan said, “After the first practice, you have 20 new friends. We make players feel welcome . . . and we get them drunk.”

Westmount Rugby team trains on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. in King George Park. Home games are on Saturdays at 3 p.m. in Westmount Park. New players are always welcome. www.westmountrugby.com