Provincial U16 Club Finals Wrap Up with Langley Winning Girls and Bayside Winning Boys: U18 Girls Final This Coming Weekend at Cowichan
The four Provincial championships were originally to be held Dec 4th at Cowichan but freezing weather and snow north of the Malahat changed plans. The U16 titles were able to go ahead in Oak Bay and were won by Langley (girls) and Bayside (boys). The BCRU write up on the day is posted below.
The U18 girls title is still planned for Cowichan with the date changed to Dec 11th, Cowichan and Abbotsford will contest that title. The U18 boys title is still in the TBD stage.
from BCRU
Age-Grade Provincial Champions were crowned in BC Rugbys U16 Boys and Girls Divisions on Sunday following a thrilling day of action at Windsor Park.
Originally due to take place at Cowichan Rugby Club in Duncan, the 2022 BC Rugby Age-Grade Club Crossover Finals event where Island champions face their respective Mainland champions for provincial honours was cancelled due to inclement weather across BC.
Amid significantly improved conditions and glorious sunshine in Victoria, Castaway Wanderers graciously hosted the U16 Girls and Boys Finals and the U14 Island Boys Regional Final in front of a partisan home crowd.
Langley RFC was crowned 2022 U16 Girls Champions following a thrilling 32-22 victory over Castaway Wanderers, while Bayside RFC won gold in the U16 Boys Division thanks to a 38-21 win against Castaway.
There was early cheer for the vocal home crowd, though, as Castaway Wanderers kicked off the afternoon with victory in the U14 Boys Island Regional Final thanks to a 60-25 triumph over a spirited Comox Valley Rapids Rugby team.
Canadas Rugby World Cup captain Sophie de Goede was on hand to present medals to all Sundays winners and runners-up, in what proved to be a bumper afternoon of Rugby.
The U18 Girls Final (Cowichan RFC vs. Abbotsford) will take place at Cowichan Rugby Club on December 11, while the U18 Boys Final (Salish Sea Warriors vs. UBCOB Ravens) will be rescheduled for a later date.
Below is a round up of all three championships matches that took place in Victoria:
U16 GIRLS FINAL: Langley RFC 32-22 Castaway Wanderers
Castaway Wanderers started strongly with the opening try of the match after a quick break on the right side. The kick was converted to give the hosts a 7-0 lead, before Langley replied with their opening try of the match thanks to some good build-up play on the left side.
Castaway capitalised on two penalties to score with a powerful run through the middle, before converting the try and further extend the lead. However, the advantage was short-lived as Langley scored a quickfire double either side of the half-time whistle to shift momentum. The first try came after an exceptional fake pass opened up a gap through the middle, while the second was equally as impressive thanks to a smart turnover of possession.
With both sides playing some free-flowing attacking Rugby, it took several moments of second-half quality from Langley to find the edge over their opponents and secure the championship to crown an impressive season.
U16 BOYS FINAL: Bayside RFC 38-21 Castaway Wanderers
Bayside kicked off on the front foot and scored the first try of the Final within the opening minutes, before Castaway responded with a score of their own on the back of some quick movement from the right side.
However, the South Surrey side began to turn the screw and moved ahead after patient build-up play through the middle of the field. Two further Bayside tries, coupled with some impressive kicking, provided daylight in the scores, before the visitors took impetus from two penalties to cross over for a fifth score before half-time.
A moment of honesty from the Bayside coaches in the second half displayed the true values of Rugby. Castaway appeared to have scored a hard-worked try underneath the posts, but Bayside stole the ball and raced clear from their own goal-line to score at the opposite end of the pitch. However, calls from the Bayside sidelines indicated their opponents had legally touched down, so a try to Castaway was eventually awarded by Officials.
Both sides traded further scores but Baysides defence held firm for a famous victory.
U14 BOYS ISLAND FINAL: Castaway Wanderers 60-25 Comox Valley Rapids Rugby
Castaway Wanderers and Comox Valley Rapids Rugby played out an exhilarating U14 Island Boys Regional Final to kick off Sundays action at Windsor Park.
The home side dominated the first half and scored four early unanswered tries to put the Rapids on the back foot. However, Comox Valley started to get a foothold in the game and their confidence grew both in attack and defence as time wore on.
With big performances in attack and defence from both sides, Castaway edged further clear before Rapids left their mark with three well-worked tries late in the second half. A final flourish from Castaway added extra gloss to the scoreline, but both teams can be proud of their efforts in what was an entertaining regional final.
THANK YOU
BC Rugby wishes to thank all Clubs, players, Coaches, Officials, and volunteers for all their hard work throughout a competitive Fall Age-Grade season, and their collective patience in working with us to reschedule all championship matches this season.
A huge thank you to Castaway Wanderers for hosting these three Finals at short notice and providing a warm welcome to all teams, Coaches, Officials, and supporters.
Thank you to our Officials for their hard work and commitment in ensuring all matches ran smoothly.
We also wish to thank Sophie de Goede and BC Rugby Director Matt Gordon for giving their time to present medals to all of Sundays athletes and Coaches.
*BC Junior Club Finals Event at Cowichan Cancelled Due to Weather*
from BCRU
BC Rugby is disappointed to confirm that the 2022 BC Rugby Age-Grade Club Finals crossover event due to take place at Cowichan Rugby Club on Sunday, December 4 has been cancelled due to the inclement weather in the area.
Following several days of snow and freezing temperatures in Duncan, and with the weather expected to further deteriorate there over the weekend, we are left with no option but to cancel the event and reschedule fixtures as a matter of safety for all involved.
At midday on Thursday, December 1, the playing fields at Cowichan Rugby Club were inspected by Officials and deemed unsafe to play on in accordance with Law 1.1 of the World Rugby Laws of the Game. With low temperatures and more snow predicted in Duncan on Friday, we do not anticipate conditions improving enough to safely move ahead.
While we appreciate many will be disappointed by this decision, safety and player welfare is always the primary concern.
BC Rugby Staff have been in direct contact with all teams involved and have worked collaboratively with Clubs to reschedule all championship fixtures. Games have been rescheduled in an effort to limit travel as best as possible.
We can confirm that the U16 Boys and U16 Girls Age-Grade Club Final gold medal matches will now take place at Windsor Park on Sunday, December 4.
The U14 Boys Regional Final (Castaway Wanderers vs. Comox Valley Rapids Rugby) will also take place at Windsor Park on December 4.
Should the weather deteriorate as such that fixtures are postponed, the U16 Finals will be rescheduled to take place at Windsor Park on December 11.
U16 Finals will kick off at the following times on December 4:
U16 Girls Final: Castaway Wanderers vs. Langley RFC (12:30pm)
U16 Boys Final: Castaway Wanderers vs. Bayside (1:30pm)
The U18 Girls Finals (Cowichan RFC vs. Abbotsford RFC) has been rescheduled to take place at Cowichan Rugby Club on Sunday, December 11.
We are still working with Salish Sea Warriors and UBCOB Ravens to rearrange the U18 Boys Gold Medal match.
Should the situation change, a further update will be given after 12:00pm on Saturday.
*BC Junior Island v Mainland Club Finals Scheduled for This Sunday: List of Regional Winners in U14, U16, U18*
The age-grade finals are planned for this coming Sunday, December 4th, at Cowichan Rugby Club. There are some concerns about snowfall and temperatures and BC Rugby will make a final decision on the tournament by Friday.
The tournament is an Island v Mainland format with the winners facing off.
These are the Island winners:
U16 Girls – CW
U16 Boys – CW
U18 Girls – Cowichan
U18 Boys – Salish Sea Warriors (Shawnigan)
These are the Mainland winners:
U16 Girls – Langley
U16 Boys – Bayside
U18 Girls – Abbotsford
U18 Boys – UBCOB Ravens
from BCRU
BC Rugby Age-Grade Regional Club Champions have been crowned throughout the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island, kicking off a week of junior championship Rugby in BC!
Eleven Regional Finals from BC Rugbys U14, U16 and U8 Boys and Girls Divisions took place this past Sunday, November 27, in a bumper day of action.
Winners from U16 and U18 Boys and Girls Divisions now advance to the 2022 BC Rugby Age-Grade Club Finals crossover event at Cowichan Rugby Club on Sunday, December 4. More information on the event can be found here.
Club Crossover Finals where champions from Vancouver Island face champions from the Lower Mainland in their respective divisions returns to the BC Rugby calendar for the first time since 2019, and will feature gold medal matches in the U16 Boys, U16 Girls, U18 Boys and U18 Girls Divisions.
As part of BC Rugbys long-term athlete development pathway, teams from U14 Boys and U14 Girls Divisions contested regional finals only. This is following the decision to adjust the Age-Grade Bandings for the 2022/23 season and beyond to align with the 2022 Rugby Canada Age-Grade Law Variations and the current BC Bears pathway.
Below is a breakdown of each division:
U14 DIVISIONS
U14 GIRLS ISLAND
Comox Valley Rapids Rugby completed an unbeaten season in style as they claimed the gold medal with a 52-0 victory over Cowichan RFC in Sundays regional final. The Rapids went 5-0 over the regular season, while Cowichan settled for silver following a strong league campaign that saw the team finish second in the table.
2022 U14 Girls Island Champions: Comox Valley Rapids Rugby
U14 GIRLS MAINLAND
United RFC edged a close encounter with Abbotsford RFC to win the U14 Girls Mainland gold medal. Abbotsford was previously undefeated in the regular season, but a strong performance from the travelling side ensured a fantastic victory for the Coquitlam side.
2022 U14 Girls Mainland Champions: United RFC
U14 BOYS MAINLAND
Host side Capilano RFC came out on top against a spirited Bayside side to be crowned champions with a 42-21 victory at Klahanie Park. Caps finished the season with a 4-1 record, while Bayside takes the silver medal back to South Surrey.
2022 U14 Boys Mainland Champions: Capilano RFC
U14 BOYS ISLAND
November 27 saw two regional semi-finals in the U14 Boys Island Division, with the final taking place on Sunday, December 4. Comox Valley Rapids Rugby advances to the final after Cowichan RFC defaulted their semi-final, while Castaway Wanderers defeated James Bay AA to book its spot in the gold medal match.
2022 U14 Boys Island Final: Castaway Wanderers vs. Comox Valley Rapids Rugby (taking place on December 4 at Castaway Wanderers)
U16 GIRLS
U16 GIRLS MAINLAND
Langley RFC was crowned U16 Girls Mainland champions as it secured its place in next weeks crossover finals with a 22-10 win over United RFC at Crush Crescent. Victory ensured that Langley stays undefeated in its quest for the gold medal, but they face tough opposition at crossover finals next weekend.
2022 U16 Girls Mainland Champions: Langley RFC
U16 GIRLS ISLAND
Castaway Wanderers defeated Westshore RFC 61-12 to seal its spot in the gold medal match against Langley RFC. Westshore RFC had finished top of the table after the regular season, with Castaway Wanderers placed second ahead of their match.
2022 U16 Girls Island Champions: Castaway Wanderers
U16 BOYS
U16 BOYS MAINLAND
Bayside A will be heading to Duncan this weekend to contest the gold medal match in the U16 Boys Division following a 36-0 win over Kamloops-Kelowna.
2022 U16 Boys Mainland Champions: Bayside A
U16 BOYS ISLAND
Castaway Wanderers ensured it would be fighting for both the U16 Boys and Girls Gold Medals after the U16 Boys team defeated Cowichan RFC 71-0 to advance to the crossover final. Both Castaway and Cowichan occupied the top two spots in the table, but it was the Oak Bay team that came out on top this time around.
2022 U16 Boys Island Champions: Castaway Wanderers
U18 GIRLS
U18 GIRLS ISLAND
Cowichan RFC will have home advantage for the U18 Girls Gold Medal match after defeating Comox Valley Rapids Rugby 36-29 to advance to the Club Crossover Finals this weekend. In a tightly-contested encounter, the home side pulled through and will now battle it out for the right to be called provincial champions.
2022 U18 Girls Island Champions: Cowichan RFC
U18 GIRLS MAINLAND
Abbotsford RFC travel to Duncan to face Cowichan in the U18 Girls Final after they defeated Langley RFC 96-7 in the Mainland Final. Abbotsford, go into Sundays match with the hosts undefeated, came good against a strong Langley RFC team that finished the regular season with four wins and one defeat.
2022 U18 Girls Mainland Champions: Abbotsford RFC
U18 BOYS
U18 BOYS ISLAND
Salish Sea Warriors will go into the 2022 BC Rugby Age-Grade Finals with an unbeaten record this season after they enjoyed a 46-14 victory over Castaway Wanderers RFC at Shawnigan Lake. The Warriors advance to Sundays final with 4-1-0 regular season record.
2022 U18 Boys Island Champions: Salish Sea Warriors
U18 BOYS MAINLAND
UBCOB Ravens defeated Bayside A 27-10 to reach the gold medal final next weekend, and will now face the Warriors for the championship. Ravens, like their upcoming opponents, remain undefeated in their regular season having amassed a 5-0 record.
2022 U18 Boys Mainland Champions: UBCOB Ravens
2022 BC RUGBY AGE-GRADE FINALS LINE UP
Gold medal matches taking place at the 2022 BC Rugby Age-Grade Club Finals crossover event in Duncan have now been confirmed. The crossover finals will take place at Cowichan Rugby Club.
U16 Girls Final: Castaway Wanderers RFC vs. Langley RFC (12:00pm)
U16 Boys Final: Castaway Wanderers vs. Bayside A (12:45pm)
U18 Girls Final: Cowichan RFC vs. Abbotsford RFC (1:30pm)
U18 Boys Final: Salish Sea Warriors vs. UBCOB Ravens (2:15pm)