For the first time since they came to St. Thomas in 2013, Christian and Zach Lakes are suiting up for the same team.
Christian and Zach, identical twins from Wolfville, NS, are members of the STU men's rugby team that competes in the New Brunswick Rugby Union University 'A' division.
Christian, who plays 8-man or forward, has been on the team the last three years, but Zach, who plays wing or fullback, joined the Tommies this season after a three-year hiatus that saw him train and compete in biathlon at the Canada Games.
"I'm happy to have him playing rugby with me," Christian said. "At first, it was kind of like 'wait, this is my thing,' but then you adjust. Purely from a rugby standpoint, he's good so it benefits our team."
This won't be the first time the Lakes brothers have suited up for the same rugby squad—they played in high school for King's-Edgehill and won a championship together in their senior year.
"Playing rugby at King's-Edgehill is definitely one of my fondest memories in sports," Zach said.
"Our school had around 300 students and we beat teams from schools that had 3000 students."
Although Zach and Christian don't play the same position and aren't competing for playing time, things still get competitive between the pair.
"I think competition as a twin is good because it's not toxic competition," Christian said.
"It's good to have someone that's your physical match. You want to be able to match each other, so it keeps you level."
The hard part of that competitive edge is keeping their emotions—namely their frustration with each other—in check.
"It's easier to get mad at someone you know really well because you get frustrated with them quicker," Zach said.
"You would say things to your brother that you would never say to a friend, and sometimes you have those moments in a team setting," Christian added. "The thing is, you know your brother will still be your brother at the end of the argument."
Despite the occasional disagreement, the brothers agree playing together for the Tommies has allowed them to reconnect—something they're both grateful for.
"We don't live together anymore, we have different class schedules, and when you get older you start to do different things so it's nice to reconnect. It's nice that it's rugby bringing us together," Zach said.
"The older you get the less time you have to hang out, so you start to realize how the activities you do together help you bond," Christian added.
After completing their undergraduate degrees, the Lakes brothers are both planning to pursue post graduate studies at STU.
Christian, who is double majoring in History and Science and Technology Studies, hopes to be accepted into the Education program, while Zach, who is completing a major in Psychology, plans on pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work.