We all won, despite the losses
Anyone that attended the games this past weekend at Windsor Park, deep in the heart of Oak Bay, witnessed what kids rugby is all about. The CW minis were finishing their sessions when I got there, the sun was shining bright and the park was a buzz of game anticipation.
Our u14s that really got stomped last week and that was a concern for coaches on both sides. So with dialogue that included the referee it was agreed to let us bolster our side with a few kids playing down and it made for an enjoyable experience for both teams. We managed 6 tries and 1 kick to their 11 tries and 7 kicks , though it needs to be said that many of our tries were line breaks with a few passes however CW passed the ball like pint sized pros. One try they scored I swear there were over ten phases with the ball being passed and caught over thirty times. Hats off to their minis program because they are developing players.
This was the first game for our u16 boys with last weeks reschedule and they came out strong. Scoring first and never looking in the rearview, though CW kept it close. The end result was 6 tries and 2 kick to 4 tries and 1 or 34 to 22, well done. Good luck Wednesday against a big JBAA squad.
The u18s unfortunately stumbled out of the gate and just didn’t take care of the ball when we needed to. Unforced errors will hurt the best of teams and we knocked the ball on way too many times to count, got out rucked, lost lineouts and missed important kicks to touch. Our scrummaging was an exception and we definitely held our ground but beating last year’s provincial champions will need a more sound effort than that. We host them at Shawnigan November 1st.
I can’t not mention the hospitality as it tied all the games together with a great big bow. There were multiple types of chili with pulled pork and meat buns, chips, sweets and drinks under the pavilion that everyone took part in. Lots of banter between players and coaching staff. It was a great day!
I must mention the u18 girls that were set for Nanaimo, who were short players and ultimately defaulted the game. For the second week we scrimmaged and made an exercise of it but let’s hope for a full game next outing.