The St. Thomas University Tommies men’s rugby team didn’t have the season they had envisioned.

The team went 0-6, but the roster turnover for next season has head coach Curtis Lauzon looking forward to next season already.

“Although the results were not near where we wanted them, we made some great steps as a group. We are only losing two players from the current roster and with many of the players planning on to play rugby in the offseason, we have set a good framework for coming years.”

The Tommies had several players take major leaps in their individual game this year, with a fair number of them having never played rugby prior to this year.

“Oliver Larson has become a very commanding and creative fly half,” said Lauzon of his second-year player. “A crop of new to rugby players, Connor Burtt, Josh English, Philip Schwenteck and Tiger Levi, were all forced to take on substantial roles throughout the season due to injuries and did so admirably. Peter Woulds was outstanding. Peter was as versatile of a player that we've seen, and he will be truly missed next season.”

Having 20 players in their first or second year of eligibility is just one more reason for Lauzon to be excited for the future of the Tommies, and he knows that.

“The biggest positive coming out of this season was the performance of our first-year players. Although Sam Perkins was injured early in the season, he showed that he has the potential to become one of the top performers in the league in future years. Alex Compton stepped into a major role immediately and was a solid performer all season. Thomas Barrett was an addition mid-season but will be a major contributor in this program for the next few years, doing all of the dirty work around the pitch.”

The Tommies will turn their focus to recruiting and offseason training in preparation for the 2020-21 season.