Holy Cross Repeats as Barbarian Cup Provincial Champions

By Scott Arnold

The Holy Cross junior boys rugby team has etched its name into the history books after successfully defending its provincial title at the 2026 Barbarian Cup.

holy cross junior boys are back-to-back provincial rugby champions (photo via instagram @holycrossboysrugby)

The Crusaders captured their second consecutive provincial championship Monday, earning two victories on the final day of competition in Fergus, including a commanding 40-5 win over Brooklin High School in the championship match.

The victory makes Holy Cross just the second Peterborough-area school to repeat as Barbarian Cup champions. The only other local team to accomplish the feat was Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School, which won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.

Holy cross junior boys after their 2025 barbarian cup win (photo via instagram @holycrossboysrugby)

The Barbarian Cup is recognized as Ontario's longest-running high school rugby tournament. First introduced in 1961, the event serves as the unofficial provincial championship for junior boys rugby and attracts many of the top Grade 9 and 10 teams from across the province.

This year's tournament was held in Fergus on June 7 and 8 and featured schools from throughout Ontario competing for the provincial crown.

For Holy Cross, the championship marks another major achievement for the program and places the team among a select group in local rugby history to successfully defend a provincial title.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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