Rugby Manitoba is hoping to get the town of Portage more involved in the sport going forward.

Over the past few weeks, the Brandon Barbarians played three games in town to show locals what the sport entailed. Head coach Adam Kowalchuk describes what it was like playing in Portage.

“I think it won’t be our last time playing here. The guys really enjoyed it and the venue at Republic Park, the guys really liked playing at,” says Kowalchuk. “I think the guys liked the drive to Portage compared to the drive to Winnipeg. Being a part of the Portage community was awesome and I imagine we’ll be coming back next year for more.”

The Barbarians went 1-2 during their three outings in Portage and Kowalchuk says they were happy with their performances for the most part. He says people around town started to gravitate toward the sport more in each game they played.

“For the very first game, there was like nobody there but the next one had a little more, and by the last game there was a solid amount of people there,” Kowalchuk explains. “I hope they were able to grasp it and I’m hoping to see more interest from the area now.”

He says he wants this to be a regular thing for the Barbarians until there’s enough interest for Portage to have a team of its own. The Barbarians will be back in action on September 18 in Brandon as they take on Wasps Premier.