Rugby Champions
Shawnigan Wins Boys AAA Provincial Championships!
On a picture-perfect afternoon at UBC's Thunderbird Stadium, Shawnigan's 1st XV capped off their perfect season by outdistancing St. Michaels University School 21-7 and claiming the 2009 BCSSRU AAA Provincial Championship. The victory marks the School's second provincial crown, and its first since 1998.
Things got off to a rocky start for the team, however, as SMUS took the game to Shawnigan in the first half and gained an early territorial edge through a combination of good defence, precision attacking, and some sloppy Shawnigan ball handling. St. Michaels’ aggression paid dividends with less than ten minutes to go in the opening half, when their outside centre broke through the Shawnigan backline and galloped home to stake his team to a 7-0 lead.
Rather than hang their heads, however, the 1st XV responded late in the frame with a total team effort that resulted in Number 8 Dustin D. touching down; the conversion by Carlin H. sent the teams into the intermission knotted at 7-7. A full year of tireless preparation and training was going to come down to the final 30 minutes of the season. After seeing victory snatched from them in 2008, the lads were not about to let this game slip through their fingers.
The team came storming out after the restart, controlling play and attacking the St. Michaels defence at every opportunity. The forwards dominated the set pieces and provided perfect attacking platforms for the backs to begin to break down the SMUS defenders. The determination paid off with sixteen minutes to play when Captain, Tye H., broke through from his inside centre position to score and give the team its first lead of the afternoon. The conversion put the team up 14-7.
Instead of sitting back on their heels and protecting the lead, the boys were merciless as they pounded the ball at SMUS, forcing their opponents to concede penalties and give up ground. Any attacks mounted against the 1st XV were thwarted by determined tackling and pinpoint kicking that kept St. Michaels trapped deep in their own half. With just over a minute to go, the team's tenacity paid off as Carlin H. scored between the posts, giving the team an insurance try and securing the victory.
As the referee's whistle blew at full time, the Shawnigan supporters in the crowd rushed onto the field to celebrate a well-deserved win and a truly memorable moment. Tye H. was named to the Commissioner's XV, but this was truly a team victory. For the 2009 1st XV, a season that began full of potential finished with the team at the top of the heap - Provincial Champions!
By Ryan Panton, Alumni Relations (photo by Wendy Woollven)