BLRC Premier Women 47 Abbotsford 5
The Women’s Premier season got off to a great start at as the ladies kicked off on the right foot. The squad has been bolstered by several UBC players this season. Some are returning veterans like Glendenning, McEwen, Watson + Kapaiwai while others such as Lee, Sloan + Ohler were suiting up in the Blue + White for the 1st time. Laura Harmse started the scoring with a try a few minutes into the game and would finish with 2 on the day as would team captain Julia Sugawara. Catherine Ohler would be good on 5 conversions and would combine with Mackenzie Lee + Breanne Watson to form a devastating 10/12/13 combination. The back row of Radman, Harmse + Capps led on defence all day and made life miserable for the Abby fly half. A great start which I’m told led into a great rookie night!
BLRC 3rd Div Men 0, Scribes RFC 19
3rd div matches against the Scribes are always looked forward to. They offer tough competition on the pitch with crafty veterans who know how to straddle the law book to their advantage, and their post game party is 2ndto none. As would be the case for the entire BLRC men’s program, the rust of a 90 day layoff was evident with dropped passes and mis-communication the order of the day. The coaches had high praise for the efforts of Bryce Worden, Scott McCartney and Walter Homewood in the forwards and Graham Cross in the back line who helped to keep the Blue & White in the game until the end! This squad will have to gel quickly as they travel to Brockton Oval next week to take on the VRC.
BLRC 1st Div Men 10 UVIC Norsemen 24
A tale of 2 halves for the BLRC 1sts; the squad would come out of the gates firing on all cylinders and the VP Angus Fisher would find a bit of space after a well worked stiff arm and score the opening try between the posts. A Nolan Shelley conversion and penalty kick saw the BLRC up 10-0 only 20 minutes into the game. Unfortunately for Coach Murphy’s men the wheels fell off and fatigue set in, allowing UVIC to rack up 24 unanswered points. The fitness of the UVIC squad cannot be overstated, these kids can run. Led in the forwards by former BLRC standout Blake Barnert, the Norsemen ran the much heavier BLRC forwards into the ground and their ability to counter-ruck before the BLRC’s big men could get to the breakdown was the story of the game. On the BLRC side, the scrums looked fantastic as the BLRC front row + engine room had their way with the students, seeming to drive the scrums at will. One Craig (McLaughlin) and a pair of Brads (Gordon +McHugh) were the standouts for the BLRC pack while in the backs, VP Angus Fisher was the man of the match, laying out some well timed hits and leading by example. Worthy of note was Barry Bonnell who started on the wing before moving to #12 at the start of the 2nd half. His defense was outstanding and he was a punishing runner with the ball. The game was the 1 st for BLRC newcomers Ben Bradley + Dustin Luther and we welcomed back Aaron Goddrd from injury and Giuseppe Laudisio from the Situation.
*BLRC Premier Men 35, UVIC Vikes 13*
Our Alumni, the Burnaby Lake Old Boys (BLOBS) were well represented on Saturday as they had rented a bus for the supporters that needed their rugby fix after a long layoff. Thanks to Jim Jamieson for organizing the bus and rounding up the Old guys. The players + Victoria Liquor stores appreciated your effort.
Amidst pouring rain and icy cold conditions (my friends in Alberta + New Brunswick might laugh if they knew I was talking about green grass and plus 5 degrees) the 3 month layoff ended and it was evident that players from both sides were eager to get back at it! While UVIC had been very active over the break, this was the first time that the Blue & White had the opportunity to put a hit on a non- teammate for quite some time. UVIC’s fluidity and BLRC’s rust were noticeable in the early going, as UVIC were able to string phases together and only some serious scrambling by the BLRC defense kept the game scoreless. Jeke Gotegote made his return to the BLRC Premier side after 8 months of rehab and a few Fall 1st div games and was very impressive on defense. UVIC’s phases rarely made it any wider than the big #12. The speed and physicality that Jeke brings to the BLRC backline, when healthy, is not easily replaced.
Geoff Ryan opened the scoring at the 15 minute mark with a 3 pointer from about 40 metres out to put the BLRC in the lead. Geoff’s pale + freckled leg was the Blue + White Talisman on the day as the BLRC seemed to collect themselves after that kick and started running the plays that they had been practicing since November. A big run from Joe Dolesau at the 20 minute mark started a scoring drive for the visitors. Joe sliced through and around a handful of would be tacklers before being brought down by UVIC’s Remi Antcil inside the UVIC half. BLRC’s captain, Anthony Luca, grabbed the ball from the base of the ruck and made another 8 yards with a bruising run before the ball was spun by #9 Cody Rockson to Geoff Ryan. Geoff noticed the UVIC winger on the far side had pinched up out of position so decided a high cross kick was in order. Winger Brian Murphy was the recipient and he took the ball “on the fly” powering through the UVIC Fullback for the 1stBLRC try. The try was converted by Geoff Ryan who would add an additional 3 points a minute later.
UVIC would work their way back into the BLRC end before an intentional knock on (if you had time to plan a purposeful knock on, why wouldn’t you plan to catch it and run all the way back for a try?) would see Evan Thomas sent off for the remainder of the half. This put UVIC on the front foot as they wisely attacked the short-staffed BLRC backs. After a few phases + BLRC penalties, UVIC’s Nathan Stewart found a gap and dove untouched for the try. Pat Kay would add 2 points and then follow it up with 3 more a moment later to end the half 13 to 10 for the BLRC.
Coach de Scossa’s encouraging words followed by a few choice ones from Luca + Gough got the men riled up for the 2nd half and the BLRC came out charging as they scored off the 1st breakdown. The ball was spun from a ruck to Gotegote just inside the BLRC half. Jeke put on the blinders and charged through the centers before going over the Fullback to score to the left of the posts. Ryan made short work of the conversion and would punish a UVIC infraction a few minutes later to put the BLRC up 23 to 10.
UVIC’s Pat Kay would cut 3 points off the BLRC lead with a penalty kick to end the student’s scoring for the day before Admir Cejvanovic put the game out of reach. This match marked Adi’s return to the squad after suffering a concussion in the Fall season. He hasn’t lost a step and still brings the BLRC faithful to their feet with his big punishing runs! This try was started by Dolesau who lured a few defenders his way before popping to Admir at the UVIC 22. The Big guy outpaced the Defenders and touched down for the try. Geoff Ryan would make the conversion to bring his match total to 15.
Joe Dolesau would round out the BLRC scoring with a try from in close to give the BLRC a bonus point and a 35 to 13 victory. In addition to Admir + Jeke the BLRC welcomed back Esava Nakulanisa (injury) Matt Alexander (Ontario) and (Man of the Match) Gareth Morrey-Jones (Australia & Gooood times)!
Big thanks once again for all of the BLRC supporters that made the trip. Thanks to UVIC, Abbotsford & the Scribes for the great hosting and the BCRRS for allowing the games to happen. Next week the women travel to Seattle, the 3rds face off vs the Rowers and the 1sts + Prems take on the UBCOB Ravens!
Many Teams~One Club
