Carpenter Set to Lead Sting Men's Rugby

The Seneca Sting are pleased to announce the hiring of Aaron Carpenter as the new Men’s Rugby Head Coach.

Carpenter joins the Sting following a tumultuous season in which the five-time Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) champions withdrew from competition due to a shortage of players. This followed a season which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Manager of Varsity and Operations, John Sharpe, is confident that Carpenter’s experience as both a coach and player will help rebuild the Sting into one of the conference’s elite teams.

“Aaron has experienced everything there is in the sport (of Rugby). From his time as a member of Canada’s national team as both a coach and player, to his experience playing professionally and in World Cup events, he has seen it all.”

Carpenter feels he is more than up to the challenge and is ready to hit the ground running with the plan to quickly build a championship team.

“We are looking to recruit athletes from around the province. We are going to create a strong, united and comfortable team environment. We are going to set measurable goals during the preseason in regards to skill level, fitness and strength and that will help build confidence leading into the season.”

Most recently, Carpenter was a coach with the Toronto Arrows RFC of Major League Rugby where, during their inaugural season, Carpenter helped lead the Arrows to a semi-final appearance. It is this experience, along with his tenure as a national team coach that Carpenter feels will provide the Sting with an advantage over some other schools.

“My coaching experiences at the national and professional levels will allow me to bring techniques, drills and systems used at the highest levels to the collegiate environment. My coaching experiences have also given me a deep understanding and the knowledge to create high performance programs for which will benefit the athletes.”

With training camp opening in less than two months, Carpenter will be busy contacting recruiting new players as well as returning players from the 2019-20 team. The World Rugby accredited Level 2 Coach has the tools to identify elite talent and strong student-athletes, thanks in large part to being able to put himself in the shoes of those he is hoping will help the team be successful.

“As a former student-athlete myself, I understand some of the issues these athletes are dealing with in trying to balance academics, sports and a social life. I will work hard to create a team culture of open communication, trust and camaraderie. I will give the players a voice and collaboratively set team and personal goals.”

Tryouts for the Men’s Rugby team will be announced in the summer. The Sting will begin the regular season in September.