by Peter MacDonald
On a sunny day at Jericho the Ravens and their recent rival Burnaby renewed acquaintances after a two-year break in their relationship. After the Rippers came out on top in a hard-fought game against the perennially tough Lakers second squad 17-11, the premier players took the field not certain about the relative strength of their teams. It took till early in the second half to get some clarity on that matter.
As we noted after Week 2, Austin look the team to beat this year and are the only undefeated side now. The following are the match results, Canadian players in the rosters, match highlights and the standings after Week 5.
Castaway Wanderers 43 v University Of Victoria 15 14:45
Referee: Cole Pedrick Referee 2: Carter Haddow
Venue: Windsor Park
We said CW by +8 but it was CW by +28. We also heard reported 47-15 and 45-15 but the BCRU site has it as 43-15. Needless to say a bonus point win for CW. CW go to 2nd in the table behind the Ravens, both 4-0 with Ravens claiming an extra bonus point. UVic drop to 9th at 0-3. Next week CW visit cross town rivals James Bay while UVic host Westshore.
It seems rare for the Republicans and Democrats to agree on anything south of the border, so it’s interesting to see a bipartisan resolution with rugby as the common bond.
from Capilano RFC
Premier Men by Steve Feenstra
The contest between the T-Birds and Caps turned out to be a thriller that had a bit of everything. Hard hits, shifty side line running, bad tempers, a thirty- or forty-minute delay in the first half and a deluge in the second half. Something for everybody.
from World Rugby
World Rugby reiterates its condemnation of Russias aggressive invasion of Ukraine and the facilitation of this action by Belarus. The global rugby family is united in standing in solidarity with everyone affected by these deeply disturbing events and joins the global community in calling for the restoration of peace.
Austin still look the team to beat and this week they face a stern challenge as they travel to Seattle to play another undefeated side, the Seattle Seawolves. The result may give a hint as to who has edge in the race for the title this year.
Only 3 Premier matches this weekend with 2 on the Island. The Mainland game should be a good one, UBC host Capilano. Seattle come back into the schedule on March 12th, it will be interesting to see how they adjust the playoff picture with Seattle only playing 4 games, 2 home and 2 away.
There’s talk of an international U20 tournament to be held this summer in Ontario to coincide with the national U19 championship. It would involve Tier 2 teams like Canada, with perhaps Portugal, USA, Chile involved. Details when they become available.
We took a look at the Country of Origin/Eligibility for the weekly MLR All Star picks, called the First XV. We’ve seen, from Canada’s example, that selecting a national team from those who simply make the MLR isn’t sufficient to qualify for the World Cup. The MLR, currently, isn’t of high enough quality compared to other professional leagues in Europe and the southern hemisphere. Players have to consistently excel in the MLR to be competitive at the international level. Players who get regular game time in leagues like France’s Top 14 should be considered ahead in development.