Fort St. John prospect competes in North American Rugby 7’s

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Quentin Farquhar from the North Peace will be among the North American Rugby 7’s players this weekend in Utah.

A variation of rugby union, seven-a-side rugby consists of seven-minute halves instead of 40 in the more commonly known version.

Rugby sevens was first developed as a sport in Scotland in the 1880s and became an Olympic sport in 2016.

Farquhar will represent Fort St. John and Doig River First Nation when he takes the pitch in Salt Lake City with MacDowell Rugby Academy, a club based out of Duncan, B.C.   

He spoke to Energeticcity.ca about his appreciation and affinity for rugby and admitted that his athletic experience was limited before first playing the game at North Peace Secondary School (NPSS).

“Rugby was one of the first sports I tried in my entire life,” Farquhar said. “I love the game for the community and how many people you can meet worldwide.”

“In my experience, when playing, I feel like I’m putting my life on the line.  I believe it’s best to do your best when playing a sport, and it’s a difficult game, which is why I love it.”

Upon graduating from NPSS, Farquhar was recruited by Thunder Rugby, a club based on Vancouver Island that began in 2014 and represents the Indigenous community.   

The club took a tour of New Zealand last summer, and Farquhar credits the experience will come in handy when playing opponents as the tournament kicks off on Friday.

“It was my first experience playing outside of Canada [in New Zealand],” Farquhar said. “To be able to do that and tour with the team was a big highlight in my life.”

“What I found is to use my grit and not be nervous. Things can randomly happen in rugby, so I found it useful to concentrate and play as if we were training.”

Farquhar hopes to continue his rugby career as he progresses, potentially landing a spot in a European league.

“Going forward, with my training, I would like to play at that level in a few years,” said Farquhar.

The North American Invitational 7’s takes place in Salt Lake City from July 26 to July 27th.  

For further information on the tournament, visit the website here.