Rowers lose on road; will play final matches of the season April 12--UPDATE!
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| Gareth "Sarah" Brown chugs down the pitch in the Rowers' first division game versus Burnaby Lake April 5. The firsts lost the match 28-10. Photo courtesy of Ron Hole Photography. |
BURNABY--The Rowers travelled to Burnaby Lake for three games April
5, but all squads fell short of victory.
3RDS
The thirds were in tough against a middle-of-the-pack Burnaby
side that played a fast-paced game. Ultimately the thirds came up short 36-5.
1STS
The first division team went into Saturday’s game against
league-leading Burnaby Lake with an air of quiet determination. The
understudies were faced with an opportunity to show the league and themselves
they belonged on the same patch as the best. They wanted to show they were
capable of better play than some of their recent outcomes would suggest.
The Rowers’ initial pressure was very good, as they defended
well against a high-paced Burnaby attack. It took perfect execution for Burnaby
to earn the first try on a speedy wide-pattern play. Rowing Club captain and fly-half Henry Recinos answered the bell and pulled his
club even with an inventive use of space and speed inside his opponents’ 22-metre
line. Recinos laid a try right between the posts and slotted the conversion. A
later penalty kick from Recinos would put the Rowers ahead in a fantastic first
half of Rugby.
After half time, poor scrummaging by the Rowers pack (who
were out-weighed and out-worked by a well-drilled Lakers’ scrum) left
the visitors at a marked disadvantage. This allowed Burnaby more ball possession
than a team of their calibre reasonably needs.
Burnaby finished the day with 28 points to the Rowers’ 10,
taking a hard fought victory on their home patch. Though the pack will no doubt
need work on their scrum in the coming week, one bright spot came from the line
out, as hooker Aaron “Sushi” Collard was reunited with the dynamic jumper
Maverick “The Stilt” Seed. Their crisp throws and catches were reminiscent of
the Rowers' OK Spring League finalist team of 2012.
The 1st div will look to finish the season on a high note
next weekend away to UVic.
PREMIERS
Despite failing to score any points, the Rowers' top side
can be said to have given a fair run to league-leading Burnaby Lake last
weekend. Bounces did not go the Rowers way and standout-fullback Kevin Gurniak
was taken out with a concussion before he could be of significant service to
the red and white. Winger Caleb Hansen had several strong line breaks, but the
team was unable to capitalize.
Coach Jeremy Sabell impressed upon his team after the game that they could hold their heads high despite a lop-sided 29-0 score line. He
continues to believe the Rowers have the talent to be competitive in the B.C.
premiership and he feels that focusing on the fine-tuning of individual
weaknesses will be the missing piece that yields better results.
Indeed, there does not appear to be any glaring holes in the
Rowers game, effort and talent being abundant. It has been observed the
Rowers seem short on an ability to fight through hard luck and make the most of
brief opportunities. As both problems improve only through game-day experience,
there is good reason to believe this keen-to-play side will improve yet.
This week the Rowers face UVic at Wallace Field in Victoria.
UVic is coming off a narrow 29-24 loss to the Ravens. If the Rowers can down
the home side, they will finish their first season back in the premiership at
6-8 and in a very respectable sixth place.
UPDATE -- APRIL 12 - last matches of the 2013-2014 season.
1 p.m. 1sts @ UVic Norsemen (Wallace Field)
2:45 p.m. Premiers @ UVic Vikes (Wallace Field)
MAY 3
VRC Awards Banquet
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