Our team is sad to announce the official retirement of our head coach, Robert “Wee Bob” Jafferis, now that our spring 15s season has come to an end. Wisconsin Women’s Rugby is thankful for these past four years and we appreciate all of Coach Bob’s time, energy, and the love of rugby he shared with our club.
Coach Bob has led our rugby team to a series of history-making wins. Under Bob’s coaching, the Wisconsin Women qualified for back-to-back USA Rugby national championships, winning the national title in 2015 and finishing second overall in the nation a few weeks ago. Additionally, the team qualified to four straight Midwest Final Fours, competing in the Midwest Championship match for three of those four years and winning the regional title twice in 2015 and 2016. In Midwest women’s regular-season league play, the team finished no less than second overall each year, turning in two undefeated seasons in both 2013-2014 and 2015-2016.
Coach Bob also reminds us every day that we play because we love this game and that we’re on this team to have fun. He amuses us with hilarious rugby stories and teaches us international rugby skills along with the dark and subtle arts of the front row. Bob is a strong supporter of the game for women of all ages. Through his generous efforts, our club started our first-ever financial endowment fund to grow the long-term future success of this club and provide opportunities for future teammates.
Our team would be remiss if we did not also thank Bob’s wife Marsha. Thank you Marsha for letting Bob be our coach and for being a fan of our team.
If you see Coach Bob sometime this summer, please join us in giving him a hug, a handshake, and a job well done. Three cheers for Coach Bob. We’ll miss you!
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The Wisconsin Women will be looking for a new head coach starting immediately. Please look for our official team job posting out soon and please contact us if you or someone you know is interested.
Thank you!
