BC Gold Defeat BC Blue 36-33: First Half Notes
BC Blue led 21-5 just before half time then the live stream went dead. Below are our notes from that time period. BC Gold obviously turned it around in the 2nd half, the BCRU might have an archive of the match they’ll upload to their YouTube channel. It’s wait and see.
First half notes
The live stream was lost just before half but BC Blue were up 21-5 at that point. It’s a shame that Blue scrum half Alex Ball was lost early in the half, he tried a skip step and it looks like he turned his ankle badly, hopefully it’s a speedy recovery for him. Jacob Bourne was a capable replacement who kept the attack going. First try was by #8 Sandon Gupta of the UBC Thunderbirds, Gupta came through the successful Ravens U19 program in 2022 and is at UBC now. He was pushing for a spot on the UBC Premier squad last season and showed up in the reserves for a few matches. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a few starts with the UBC Premier squad next season. Mike Moloney was orchestrating the attack well for Blue at this point at #10.
Next to score for Blue was fullback Drew Belbin from the Nanaimo Hornets. Again Mike Moloney was key in creating space and dishing it off to Belbin who had to beat a tackle to touch it down. Gold hit back with a try by winger, #11 Demetri Patterson of UBC. Patterson is a football/rugby dual athlete and looked to be the fastest winger on the pitch. Blue hit back with a 30 metre romp by Ravens hooker Jesse Mackail, it looks like it was Teigan White, second row for James Bay, who set him up with the sweet pop pass. Gold were attacking near the end of the first half after a yellow card to Blue, the feed died with a couple of minutes left in the half.
Up to that point Blue were looking strong, Mike Moloney, Alex Ball then Jacob Bourne, Kimi Vunituraga, Jesse Mackail. For Gold Zephyr Melnyk subbed in and was immediately noticeable, Demetri Patterson with that outstanding try.
*BC Bears Blue and Gold Rosters Announced for Friday Evening Trial Match*
It’s BC Blue v BC Gold in a trial match to select the final BC Bears team to travel east in mid-June for the Coast-to-Coast Cup in Halifax.
It’s a young group of players, the average age is around 21, with the addition of a few key veterans. Each team has about 10 Premier players with the majority of the squads coming from Division One teams. It’s a great opportunity for young Div 1 players to compete at this level and get noticed. The coaching staff have gone from one end of the province to the other to uncover hidden talent.
The game likely won’t be live streamed unless the BC School Sports group can be convinced to do it. The BCRU will hopefully put the game up the next day on YouTube if they can’t get the live stream sorted.
A number of the top BC players have gone to the southern hemisphere, playing in NZ and Australia. Others, like the Carson’s, are focusing on careers. The uncertainty around the men’s XVs national program and its pathways has not helped the situation. At this point focusing on the U21 level and having them work in a team environment with selected veterans under top coaches is the best solution available.
A quick look at the rosters shows the Blue team have a top level halfback combination with Alex Ball and Mike Moloney. Monty Weatherall is playing #10 for Gold and had a good season with the Lomas, we don’t know much about #9 Charlie Kinloch who plays for Kamloops. The Gold have a strong front row with Burnaby’s Lalit Bharadwaj and CW’s Jace Peters, again a bit of an unknown at tighthead with UBCO’s Nicholas Gray. Blue have a familiar name at hooker, Jesse Mackail of the Ravens, but the starting props are from Kelowna and Kamloops in Div 1, so it will be interesting to evaluate their performance in this match. Both teams have a Pacific Pride loose forward on the bench, Gold Zephyr Melnyk and Blue Matt Klimchuk. Both of those players would be certain selections in the final squad.
The match takes place Friday evening at 6:30pm following the Provincial high school 7s finals.
from BCRU
Squads have been confirmed for the upcoming BC Bears Senior Mens XVs Blue vs. Gold trial match taking place during the 2023 BC School Sports Rugby Provincial Championships in Abbotsford.
Watch some of BCs best Senior Mens Rugby talent this Friday, June 2, as the Blues take on the Golds at Rotary Stadium at Abbotsford Exhibition Park. Kick off is at 6:30pm.
The game will follow both the BCSS Boys Rugby 7s Provincial Championship Game and BCSS Girls Rugby 7s Provincial Championships Game and respective Championships Banner and Medal presentations.
Spectators are welcome and will need to purchase single day tickets to attend the Bears match, if they do not already have a ticket for the BC School Sports Rugby Provincial Championships.
All tournament tickets can be purchased here. Prices to attend the Bears match are as follows:
ADULTS $8
STUDENTS $5
CHILDREN 12 AND UNDER FREE
The trial match will aid final selection for BC Bears Senior Mens Coaches ahead of the 2023 Coast-to-Coast Cup competition in Halifax on June 17-20, with the final squad set to be announced on June 4.
BC Bears Men’s XVs – Gold Squad
The following athletes have been selected to the Senior Men’s Gold Squad:
1 Lalit Bharadwaj Burnaby Lake RFC
2 Jace Peters Castaway Wanderers RFC
3 Nicholas Gray UBCO Heat
4 Josh Halladay TWU Spartans
5 Simon Burns – Queens/Capilano RFC
6 Mike Finnemore Castaway Wanderers RFC
7 Rorik Munson Kamloops RFC
8 Jalan Farris Meraloma RFC
9 Charlie Kinloch Kamloops RFC
10 Monty Weatherall Meraloma RFC
11 Demetri Patterson UBC Thunderbirds
12 Johnny Franklin Capilano RFC
13 Rhys James Kelowna Crows RFC
14 Sam Heward UBC Thunderbirds
15 Dillon Hamilton UBC Thunderbirds
16 Theo Espagnol Meraloma RFC
17 Beaudry Leman UBC Thunderbirds
18 Seth Klassen – TWU
19 Zephyr Melnyk Pacific Pride
20 Colton Dirks Chilliwack Crusaders RFC
21 Bailey Alexander May Nanaimo Hornets RFC
22 Kyle Tremblay Kelowna Crows RFC
23 Mostyn Findlay James Bay AA
24 Anthony Jaruchik Kamloops RFC
BC Bears Men’s XVs – Blue Squad
The following athletes have been selected to the Senior Men’s Blue Squad:
1 Cass Kocevar Kelowna Crows
2 Jesse Mackail UBCOB Ravens
3 Nicolas Willey Kamloops RFC
4 Teigan White James Bay AA
5 Asfi Saeed James Bay AA
6 Austin Comeault Kamloops RFC
7 Kimi Vunituraga Burnaby Lake RFC
8 Sandon Gupta UBC Thunderbirds
9 Alex Ball UBCOB Ravens
10 Michael Moloney Capilano RFC
11 Jack Gelbart Burnaby Lake RFC
12 Sean Pyle UBCOB Ravens
13 Lenny Bonduau UBC Thunderbirds
14 Niko Andrianos UBC Thunderbirds
15 Drew Belbin Nanaimo Hornets RFC
16 Evan Mackey Burnaby Lake RFC
17 Logann Lowrence Nanaimo Hornets RFC
18 Emerald Lockhart United RFC
19 Matt Klimchuk Pacific Pride
20 Jack Tritt UBCOB Ravens
21 Jacob Bourne UBC Thunderbirds
22 Henry Do James Bay AA
23 Fynn Murphy – TWU
24 Ernest Chimbani – Meraloma RFC