Rivals on the field in high school, Rugby Union, Ireland Murphy and Isabelle Quinton have seen their relationship evolve into friendship in their shared pursuit to represent Team Newfoundland and Labrador in Rugby Sevens next summer on home soil.

“When it came time to start training for the Canada Games and playing on the same team with The Rock, we started to get close,” said Quinton. “We were put together as the captains for a tournament and after that we just immediately became friends.”

“And it happened fast, like really fast,” added Murphy. “Now we just talk every day, all day.”

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The pair of Rugby Sevens hopefuls attribute the tight knit nature of their group to the amount of travel outside the province required to find competition as well as the size of the rosters in the sport.

“It’s such a tiny team of 12 of us at most. Everyone knows everyone and you have to know everyone so that you know how one another plays (on the field).” shared Quinton.

“I play soccer too and you can definitely see the different types of friendships that rugby has, said Murphy. “Soccer, it's more smaller groups whereas in rugby, we're all one team and we're all friends with each other.”

While the camaraderie carries over onto the field of play, it’s away from the action where that team chemistry is best built, suggests Quinton.

“When we travel, there's only three hotel rooms whenever we go away and we're always going away. Eventually, three rooms become one and then we’re all sleeping on the same bed.”

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Results have improved and collective confidence has grown for this group as they continue to travel to the mainland for valuable tournament experience.

If the X factor isn’t team chemistry for Team NL next summer in St. John’s, it will be the home field advantage that has Quinton and the rest of her team feeling ambitious as they get set to welcome the country to Swilers Rugby Club in August 2025 for the Games.

“Medaling would be good, medaling would be really good. It’s a big goal but why not?”