BLRC Match reports Feb 22 2014
BLRC Premier Women 60 – Emerald City Mudhens 7 (by Walt Brandl)
After a strong outing against a fired up young Abbotsford team last weekend there were still some doubts whether the Burnaby Lake Women had improved significantly since the fall or whether they had just opportunistically pounced on the newest member of the Premier League. A trip down the I5 to renew hostilities against our old friends the Emerald City Mudhens, a team which had beaten the Ladies of the Lake by 53 in early December, would be as much a journey of self-discovery as it was a routine league fixture. Through an early morning departure time, snow flurries and hostile border guards the team kept a single minded focus to arrive in surprising good weather in Seattle. Immediately the team went to work putting pressure on the hosts with hard running up the middle and excellent ball retention. After working the ball deep in Mudhen territory, via a scorching outside run by Ciara Malone, Carolyn McEwen was driven over the line by the extremely active lock pair of Alicia Noger and Haley Glendinning. From that point forward the Mudhens saw little of the ball in the first half as Burnaby Lake dominated scrum and lineout and the Burnaby backline made break after break through the mid-field. The score at the break was 31-0 for BLRC. The second half saw the Mudhens adjust and compete much more effectively both in possession and territory, but the Burnaby try fest continued unabated to bring the final score to 60-5. The score line represented a 107 point swing from the first outcome indicating that the team just might be showing signs of real improvement. Single tries were scored by Alicia Noger and Emily Young while the back row trio of Nancy Radman, Deb Capps and Laura Harmse added one apiece which was a tribute to how hard they worked. The Emerald City players had a particularly difficult time containing a cranky Julia Sugawara who scored 4 tries and added 5 converts. After the game the 8-9 combination of Laura and Julia were named the players of the match by the host team. This was the second Man of the Match recognition in a row for Laura, a great honour for a young player who is starting to come into her own! The player of the game as named by her BLRC teammates was Carolyn McEwen who had the privilege of wearing the newly minted “Chapeau du Lac” to the post game festivities. The BLRC Premier Women hope to build on this strong team performance against a powerful young Bayside team at Burnaby Lake next weekend.
BLRC 3rd Div Men 19 – Kats RFC 7
A turbulent week of 3rd div scheduling + re-scheduling (thanks to Peter Muirhead + Jim Ryan, the hardest working men in BC Rugby today) led the BLRC to an away fixture at the always difficult Balaclava Park with a later kickoff time than many of the lads were used to. The extra sleep seemed to pay dividends as the 3rd Div team that was taken apart last week by the Scribes were able to put some phases together and play some proper rugby. BLRC veteran Cory Turkington was back from injury and controlled the game from the #9 spot. The back row trio of Shelley, Duroloka, and Homewood were a wall on defense and the BLRC backline were always dangerous on attack with vets like Adam McLuskey + Graham Cross springing the youthful legs of Casey Evans, Anders Blizzard and Alex Golding for long runs into Kats territory. Duroloka scored a try and Casey Evans ran in 2. Evans also added a conversion as did #10 Colin Thompson. Next week sees the 3rds joining their club mates for the 1st time in 2014 with a fixture back in the comfy confines of Burnaby Lake!
BLRC 1st Div Men 53 – UBCOB Ravens 10
A very large BLRC forward pack travelled west for a date with the Rippers on Saturday. Only 1 starter (captain Preston Petrovich) didn’t tip the scales at over 240 lbs. Five of the starters stood over 6’3, with Craig McLaughlin standing tallest at 6’7. The return of #8 Andy Drummond after a brief sojourn in suspension-land would add stability to the pack that seemed out of sorts last week and the forwards took the game to their younger UBCOB counterparts with a steady dose of scrums, mauls and forward crashes. Aaron Goddard has rejoined the club after recovering from a bicep tear suffered last year and “Pitt Meadows favourite son” made his presence felt every time the ball was near him, dishing out punishing hits on Defence and making defenders pay when he got the ball. The backline of Shelley, Martin, Fisher, Vincent, Bonell + Tuidraki were steady all day and added some excitement on the occasions that the ball left the forwards and was sent wide. Another bright spot was the emergence of Taitusi Vikilani. The oversized 16 year old entered the game in the 2nd half and scored his 1st try!! Congrats Tutsi!!
BLRC try scorers: Petrovich (3), Laudisio (2), Drummond, Martin, Vikilani. Nolan Shelley would add 5 conversions + a penalty for 13 points on the day. The 1st division are looking ahead to this weekend when they’ll get a 2nd crack at the UVIC Vikes on their home turf.
BLRC Premier Men 29 – UBCOB Ravens 5
The depth of the BLRC Premier forwards would be put to the test on this day with 4 regulars (Govorchin, Plummer, Breadon, McHollister) unavailable on Saturday. The coaches worked with a shorter bench than they’re used to and the pack played exceptionally well against an equally skilled Raven squad. The game opened with the BLRC working the ball into the Ravens end, courtesy of a long maul that Gurvinder Kalar came out of, sitting a would be tackler or 2 down before finally being brought down himself. G’s trademark beard (2nd best beard at the club) makes him a noticeable figure on the pitch, but it’s his trademark hits that leave a lasting memory on opposing players. Gurvinder joined the club over the summer, and Saturdays match may have been Gurvinder’s best in the Blue + White jersey. He was everywhere on defense, dishing out powerful tackles that stopped the opposition in their tracks + absolutely smashing through the defence when he had the ball.
Geoff Ryan opened the scoring with a drop goal after finding himself directly in front of the uprights at the 22.The Ravens would answer back almost immediately on a beauty of a try, taking advantage of some BLRC miscommunication and exploiting a hole that had opened up on the far side of the field. The Ravens played a little give + go which sprung their winger (O’Hanlon I believe) in for 5 points.
The BLRC would add the next points + Joe Dolesau got his name on the score sheet, but equal credit should go to the BLRC pack. A Raven scrum was pushed + spun by the Blue + White causing a turnover. On the put-in, the pack pushed downfield before Rockson finally spun the ball to the backs. Dolesau was the recipient at the end of an overlap; he shrugged off a tackler and dove over to put the BLRC ahead. Ryan made the conversion and the BLRC would take a 10-5 lead into the 2nd half.
The 2nd half was all BLRC and opened with the BLRC pushing deep into Raven territory. Evan Thomas led the charge with a hard run that brought the team into scoring position. A BLRC scrum at the 5m line would push into the Raven end zone where Admir Cejvanovic only had to fall forward for a try. Ryan was good on the convert & the BLRC were now up 17 to 5. Jeke Gotegote would be next on the scoreboard. The BLRC were threatening in close with some forward crashes before the ball was spun out to Ryan who hit a charging Jeke at the 5 m line. The big guy scored untouched + Ryan would convert.
The bonus point was earned through the forwards as a long session of pick+go’s combined with some crashes from Kalar, Luca + Drummond ended with Scott MacKay driving in for the try! Final score was 29-5. The Ravens were consummate hosts post match and rumor has it that the BLRC stayed at the House that Bourne Built well into the evening! Extra Special Congrats to Raven coach Dean Murten and BLRC legend Maria Gallo on their weekend nuptials!! My invite must still be in the mail……
This weekend (March 1st) sees all 4 teams at home and we are looking forward to a great rugby day!
Many Teams~One Club
