Beaconsfield Rugby Club’s first-division men’s side returns to form

BY MICHAEL PIASETZKI

After suffering relegation to the Quebec Rugby Federation’s first division, the Beaconsfield Rugby Club men’s team has finally earned the right to return to where it wants to be.

It will play in the premier division next season. Only four years ago it played in —and lost — the premier league Quebec Cup final against the Dollard des Ormeaux-based Montreal Barbarians before losing several key players and suffering demotion one year later. However, with an influx of new talent combined with solid veteran contribution, it recently wrapped up a tremendous regular season, putting together a perfect 12-0 record. It will play a semifinal contest this Saturday afternoon at Beaconsfield High School with the winner going on to the league final on Oct. 13 at St. Julie.

“We’ve had several new players come in, including Armando Cappello and Marco Dellaserra who have made a huge impact along with veterans like Greg Gallant, Scott Gill, Phil Dobrosielski and Scott Warcup,” said veteran Beaconsfield player and club president Tim Quinn. “But a huge reason has been the coach He’s brought us back to basics, playing a simple game.”

That coach is 43-year-old Guillermo Gulli, who arrived in Canada four yeas ago from Argentina and took over the reins from Mike Lome three years ago.

“When I first took over this club, I quickly realized I had players, not athletes,” said Gulli, who also serves as the Quebec boys’ under-18 head coach and runs the West Island-based 300 Rugby Academy. “My job was to turn them into athletes. I got them in shape, while we tried to use each part of the field as a chess game. Our aim was to first obtain the ball, then control it, and finally connect it all to a more dynamic kind of rugby.”

That form of rugby should fare well next year against the so-called big boys from the Barbarians and Ste. Anne’s rugby club.