Horns rugby using different approaches for success

By Lethbridge Herald on September 10, 2025.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

The University of Lethbridge Pronghorns Women’s Rugby 15s team have started a new Canada West season and are looking to different on and off the field approaches to help with their success.

“We’re looking at connection and care and the girls have come up with certain standards and behaviours that really are important to them ,” said Graeme Moffat, Horns head coach, on what the teams off-field approach is.

While on the field, the Horns approach is to  show courage, competence and compete.

“If we’re competitive, if we’re competent in our skill sets, (if) we play with courage and we’re brave,  then we can look to do the things that we want to do,” said Moffat.

A challenge for the Horns this season is having battles for spots on a deeper roster.

“The hardest thing for everybody in a team sport is making sure that we  continually put the team first,” said Moffat.

“We’ll have girls that (will) be disappointed (they) didn’t play last week, there’ll be girls that’ll be disappointed they don’t play this week. But we have to be able to keep moving forward and do whatever we can to make sure that the team’s in the best possible place.”

The Horns are expected to be led by American Seq’hiya Simmons who transferred from Central Washington after they shut down their rugby programs.

Simmons played a year of NCAA Division I rugby.

“She’s an athlete, she’s just shy of six (feet), she’s quick, she’s powerful  and she’s got a good engine,” said Moffat.

“ She’ll  bring a high-work rate to our team which is gonna be pretty critical to us competing this season.”

Brooklyn Perry is expected to help the leadership after recovering from knee surgery.

“She’s a feisty competitor and  we’re delighted to have her back, and her experience and her leadership,” said Moffat.

Captain Mackenzie Hutten will also be under that leadership umbrella.

“She’s done a great job in growing a lot  in her leadership as well over the last couple of years and it’s really great to see her step it up this year and demanding more from the girls,” said Moffat.

The Horns have already encountered a learning curve after opening the season with a 26-26 tie with University of Alberta last week.

U of L saw their 26-5 halftime lead dissipate.

“(The) girls were pretty disappointed with the outcome, (it) almost felt like a loss,” said Moffat.

“We gotta build and keep getting better in our performances and we did somethings really well and  we got some things we gotta work on.”

U of L is coming off a year where Moffat led the Horns to a 4-2 regular season record, a sweep through the Alberta university teams for the first time in 13 years, going undefeated on home turf, taking the Suggitt Cup over the University of Alberta, obtaining a higher win percentage and seeing his team score more bonus points and trys.

-With files from Justin Seward