University of Waterloo Athletics

Mission Statement

The University of Waterloo (UW) has a mission to provide exceptional service and diverse programming through sport, to enrich the student experience, promote wellness, and inspire all our Warrior Athletes to reach their full potential.  Here in the Athletics Department, we strive to go beyond the classroom, to a place where experience is the teacher, and this is exemplified by the Warriors Men's Rugby program.

The Men's Rugby Program is focused on delivering a world-class university rugby experience, in line with elite rugby academies, that complements the University's academic excellence standards and helps prepare players for a future both on and off the rugby field.

We strive to achieve that balance that not only provides the training and pathway for the development of the elite rugby player, but also provides an environment for student athletes of all abilities to experience and enjoy our beautiful game, have some fun alongside their academic studies, and develop skills, memories and close friendships that will last a lifetime.

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Vision

Our vision is to deliver a successful Rugby program that provides a balanced approach to achieving ambitions within the game of rugby union while supporting students in their academic studies and life outside the game.  We aim to provide the environment and opportunity for each student athlete to not only become the best rugby player they can be, but also be better equipped and ready for life beyond University both on and off the field.

We aim to accommodate all players of all abilities from the elite, hoping to progress on to the professional game, to the beginner just wishing to learn and enjoy all rugby has to offer.  There are no try-outs with our program, we accept all-comers, and through our Senior and Development squads offer a pathway and a rewarding environment for everyone.
 

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Culture and Philosophy

The Coaches and staff here at UW look to support and challenge players in an environment that allows failure and promotes decision-making, adaptation, creativity, problem-solving, and resilience.  We believe this develops smart, and self-aware players through the core principles of the game and associated behavioural values.

We passionately believe that rugby is the ultimate team sport, and it takes time and effort to build strong effective teams.  One thing that will be apparent about our program is the focus on this aspect of the game.  Mutual trust and a willingness to stand tough next to your teammates in the heat of the battle is a fundamental trait of any successful rugby player at any level.  We spend a lot of time on team dynamics, alongside core rugby 'skills', building relationships that not only makes successful rugby players but also imparts lessons and skills that provide benefits outside of the game.  This builds strong bonds and provides wonderful memories that students can then carry with them for life.   Our active Alumni and Supporters group exemplifies this feeling of a tight Warrior family that lives on beyond your time at Waterloo.

On the field, we aspire to play an open, exciting, brand of rugby that balances well-organized teamwork with individual decision-making.  We therefore build a framework that is flexible and expansive in general, and we encourage our players to be smart, unafraid, and to 'go out and play'. 

We believe this provides flexibility and allows us to quickly adapt to changes in personnel, opposition game plans, weather and even officials.  We want to produce smart rugby players that can quickly and easily fit into any team and playing style.  Importantly, these acquired team skills and the associated mental approach also prepare players for life outside of sport, helping to deliver students that naturally integrate into the workplace environment.
 

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Player Development

It is often said that the difference between very good athletes and elite-level athletes is 'the top 2 inches'.  As a result, our program is aimed at ensuring all our players not only develop and master the core rugby skills but also learn and fully understand the game.  This approach enables a player to take responsibility for making good decisions under pressure on the field which not only increases the performance of the individual and the team but also sets a player up to fit into any rugby environment at any level.  While styles and trends of playing change, we provide the foundation of solid basics and culture along with progressive thinking on how the game is played now and will be played in the future. 

Learning to adapt and make decisions as part of a team requires a specific set of mental skills and a good knowledge of the game.  This sets our rugby student-athletes up to be able to easily integrate into any team, at any level, as they progress their playing careers.  Also, the mental and behavioural skills that develop are important and help prepare the student athlete for their career and life in general away from rugby. 

So, we work on both the mental and physical aspects of our players development, whatever the starting level, with the focused aim of developing smart rugby players.  We use a model we term the 'Rugby House' where we monitor a player's development in both their attitude (mental approach and understanding of the game) in conjunction with their aptitude (physical skill and S&C development).  Bringing these together, we challenge our players to think about outcomes more than process and to learn to problem-solve together as a team and on-the-fly, underpinned by excellent core skills.  We want our players to be as equally concerned about the 'why' as the 'how'. This ensures we develop both smart and skillful players capable of adapting 'in the flow' of the game.  We want our players, under severe pressure, to be able to 'see it, feel it and do it', not only as an individual but importantly together as part of the team unit.

We refer to the way this translates to the practice field as 'Outcome-Oriented Tactical Periodisation (OOTP)' ™, something developed by Head Coach Graham Stickler over his 30 years of Coaching around the world at junior and senior elite levels and borrowing from, and blending, methods and techniques from successful coaching methods in other elite-level sports.  Simply put, we encourage players to focus on achieving outcomes and then repeat the practice over and over to meld and ingrain the mental and physical skills as habit.

The University Rugby scene is now firmly part of the Rugby Canada international team pathway and with links into the Toronto Arrows Academy, and with other elite rugby academies internationally, we offer our elite rugby players the opportunity to progress on from our program into the professional game if they so choose.  For everyone else we aspire to make them the best rugby player they can be and to have a fun and rewarding athletic experience during their university life.

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Program Calendar
Our Warrior rugby program is year-round and tailored to fit with, and complement, the Academic program including the popular co-op courses. We divide our year into 3 sections.

1. Winter Foundation (Jan – Mar)

We begin our year with our Winter foundation preparation from January through March where we practice 2 nights a week for 2 hours.  We recognise that many students are away on their co-op placements at this time and so these sessions are focused on a reinforcement of core skills, with some fitness, in a team environment for those still on, or local to, campus.  Once a month during this period we also meet for a weekend where we get together over 2 days, have classroom and practice sessions, and team-build.  This includes an informal dinner with Alumni.  This format aims to make it as easy as possible for those students away on co-op placements to come back to Waterloo once a month and participate and remain connected to the rest of the squad.

2. Spring Sevens (Mar – Apr)

Suspended during the covid pandemic, 2023 will see the return of spring 7's. During this time we will prepare a 7's team and look to attend spring tournaments.

3. Club Rugby (May – Aug)

We encourage our athletes to participate in Senior Club rugby during the summer season wherever they may be located.  We are constantly working to build closer ties into the Club Rugby scene to facilitate this.  Our aim is to liaise and work closely with the athletes and their clubs to maximise the effectiveness of this in conjunction with our Warrior program and to prepare them for the University season in the Fall.
The Warrior coaching team is available during this time for 1:1 mentoring, and we aim to meet as group once a month on a Sunday to catch-up, discuss physical and mental well-being, and any rugby-related issues that arise from playing Senior Men's Rugby.

4. Fall Competition (Aug – Nov)

Our competitive season at the University begins with our pre-season rugby 'camp' beginning usually the week before the Academic Year begins at the beginning of September.
After the camp the competitive season begins and a typical Warrior rugby week looks something like this:

Sunday: Rest day.  Pool, yoga, stretching
Monday: Video review sessions and individual light training/S&C
Tuesday: Full training (2-hour intensive session in the evening)
Wed:  Players work on their own video preparation for Saturday's game and individual light training/S&C
Thursday: Full training (2-hour intensive session in the evening)
Friday: Captain's run (early evening light session: organised and run by Captain)
Saturday: Game Day!
Depending on success the competitive season runs into early/mid November.

In December we encourage our athletes to rest (maybe some light exercise to stay fit and healthy), and importantly give their bodies time to recuperate, enjoy the holiday season, and then return fresh in the New Year.

Off-pitch individual training.  All players are provided with Strength & Conditioning (S&C) programs and nutrition plans throughout the year and we make use of the virtual Google Classroom environment outside of the competitive season to provide assignments to develop the smart Warrior rugby player.  These are not meant to be a heavy workload, requiring no more than an hour or so per week to complete, allowing for student athletes to fit this in around their academic studies and co-op placements as best suits them.

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Facilities

Student-athletes can improve all aspects of their game at our Columbia Ice Fields (CIF) site on the North Campus with access to all our specialist modern facilities.  We are lucky to have one of the best grass pitches in Ontario, outdoor grass training areas, and the all-weather, floodlit, Warrior Field Stadium which provide the perfect surfaces to train and play rugby on.

In addition, the CIF complex houses our new $16.5m indoor Field House opened in 2019 which added 65,000 square feet of recreational space to Waterloo's ever-growing campus, including a full-playing field, measuring 100 by 50 yards, which allows for year-round training as well as providing a modern fitness centre, treatment suites, combat room, classrooms and indoor courts for specialist skill work.
 
Facility Information
Virtual Campus Tour