Well it was another soggy Sunday, this time at MacDonald Park in James Bay with all four teams finishing off their league play.

First up was the U14 boys that are really looking sharp moving the ball with ease and making their tackles. They cruised to an easy win and finished second seed in the standings, earning a home game next weekend for the semi finals against Cowichan.

Playing on side by side fields both of our U16 teams got to play in the muck, however it was a tougher go. The boys managed to score a try early in the second half to tie the game but lightening would not strike twice for us and the Bays managed a closing score to seal the victory on a tight game. Our girls were also up against a strong opponent and struggled to keep ball in hand with such sloppy conditions. Both teams play for pride in away games next weekend.

Even with the Mount Douglas Rams football players bolstering the JBAA lineup the U18 boys game was a wash out literally and by half time we had players switching positions to try making a game of it. By the third game in a row, the field was a mud pit and the ball was very slick however we moved it well other than the multiple forward passes. Hopefully it dries out a bit for next weekend where we also host the piggies as the second seed.

The strategy was to request a home game this second weekend of the break (which was granted) and reschedule (which proved difficult), so we scraped together anyone available.

Our U16 girls ventured north to Comox facing a tough Rapids team (again Westshore schedule) that are vying for top seed with Cowichan. Not sure what the head count was or how many Salish made the trip, but it was a fruitless result with ten tries to their favour. The U16 boys had to forfeit the game, with only a small group of local kids available.

The Brightside was our U14 boys matched the opponents’ numbers and ran circles around them. Heading into next week and the last league game at MacDonald Park in James Bay, the boys are the number two seed with a one-point differential on CW. The U18 boys also circled the wagons and managed to play a full fifteen a side game against a spirited Westshore team. It was good to get Milo back in action and we managed to double their score, however it will be good to have DJ, Thymen, Rio, George and Greg back for next week’s tilt against the Bays.

Here is some live action from the U18 game; https://youtu.be/IKLFG_AcHCg

In the first of two reading break weekends, we originally had this one off with all four teams however the girls combining with Westshore had them picking up their schedule. They played at Juan de Fuca and clobbered the north island selects whom appear to be struggling without support from the strong Comox side. They are up next week.

This weekend it was the three boy’s teams heading to the Cowichan Piggies home field at Herd Road, on a day that saw rain and wind blowing sideways.

 The U14’s played brilliantly and though it was only a couple try win; we really out played them the whole game, passing the ball and running to space. The U16’s were in tough against a fairly even opponent and traded scoring for the first half until Cowichan’s strength started to dominate. Tough to score if you don’t have the ball and that was the case a lot of the final frame.

 The U18’s got a solid win and looked strong at times but some sloppy play along with dubious calls, kept the piggies in play the whole game. The weather was miserable, so clean ball was rare, and I lost count at the times we were poised to score without finishing.  We will take it though and hope things dry up a bit. The girls had a bye weekend.

Opposite the first two weekends of play, this weekend was a deluge and appeared to be in our favour with the unplayable fields in Victoria shifting the games to Shawnigan Lake. Unfortunately the opponent across the board on the boy’s side was Castaway Wanderers, top of the league in all three divisions.

 Though the u14’s only lost by one point in a very close match, they missed scoring about four tries and should have won the game. The u16’s were handed their third defeat and it is not for the lack of trying, we are just missing some horsepower in the forwards, which has us chasing the ball most of the time. The u18’s knew they would be in tough going up against a rep player laden team. The three try difference didn’t reflect the game that was a ground and pound fight most of the time but their backs were fire, so the ball was out and gone.

 Hanging our winning hopes on the girls wasn’t to be, as the very experienced Cowichan team scored four tries to one at their home field in north Duncan. Delivering the proverbial goose egg for the club for the weekend.

Another beautiful day and triple header host duties, this time the three JBAA Bears came to huff and puff but only one house got knocked over. In similar fashion to last weekend our U14 and 18 boys had an easy go on the day, running up a big score in the first half and then moving players around in the second to try a new position. Lot’s of rotation on/off the field and most importantly there was no disrespect to the other teams.

The U16 boys on the other hand came up against a team that were a seasoned unit that have been playing together for a while and seemed to endlessly be on their front foot attacking. They were stronger, faster and seemed to have the ball the majority of the time. We did manage to prevent a shutout but it was a tough day, loosing one of pour top players on the first kick off.

The U16 girls playing as the Salish/Shores pulled out a big win 68 to 29 against Castaway Wanderers (CW) at home in Colwood.

Coming up this weekend is the Thanksgiving break then we are at Windsor Park in Oak Bay the following Sunday with all three boys teams. The girls will be playing at Herd Road in the North Cowichan, so it is close for the local families. I’ll be returning from Guatemala that day, so good luck to all!

On a glorious sunny day at Shawnigan, all three boys teams hosted the Comox Rapids to kick off the season. Though no pictures were taken for proof, we finished the day two games to one. The u14 game stayed quite close for most of the first half with some big runners wearing Comox purple. Our boys however, really threw the ball around with a couple scores to end the half and then a blow out second. The team looked dominate with multiple phases with the ball and line breaks to score, ripping the game wide open.

The u16’s had a much tougher go with some solid running and tackling from the Rapids. The game went right down to the wire however we were defeated by a point.

Our u18’s on the other hand cruised to a lopsided win that appeared evident from the first kickoff. By half time players were being switched around and a few of our guys helping bolster their team. Unfortunately Cohen Huisamen received an injury to his hand that may sideline him for a bit.

Last was our u16 girls team travelled to Westshore with both teams short on numbers so they played sevens and have ultimately decided to combine for the season so they can participate in full fifteen play. So I will keep you posted on how that evolves along.

For the second year in a row our under 14 boys kicked off the year at the Kamloops’s Sevens, this time accompanied by the U16 girls in the Competitive division and the U18 boys participating in the Elite. Day one saw all three teams go undefeated with the 14’s scoring 127 points to 14 with two shutouts. The 16 girls also broke a hundred going 101 to 15 against and the 18 boys scored 106 to 26. A good day for the club. The sun was shining, and everyone felt good.

Day two proved to be tougher, facing top teams in the other pools on a wet overcast day. The girls went up against a polished JBAA team that went on to be crowned champs, losing 41/7 and then faced last year’s champions Abbotsford in the bronze medal game, coming up short 22/14. The U14 won their semi final game in a close one against St. Albert 22/19 but came up short against Langley 26/12 to win a Silver medal. The U18 boys also won their semi final in a tough 15/10 hard hitting game against Abbotsford however Langley was prepared to spoil the party for both boys’ teams and literally sprinted to a 36/15 win for the championship. They came at us flying and the ball just didn’t bounce our way.

In all it was a great experience for the players and there is no better way to kick off the season then with a road trip for team building. This looks to be an annual event, so let’s do it again next year. More pictures to come.

Salish Sea Warriors RFC