BC Premier Regional Week 4 Results: Pride Trounce TWU; UBC Upset UVic, Bays Pound CW; Caps Top Burnaby; Ravens Fly Past Lomas; Rowers Paddle Seattle
Week 4 has wrapped up. In the Barnard Cup, the Bays can be announced as winners even though there’s two weeks left in the competition, their 3-0 record with 14 points is beyond the reach of CW and Westshore. Congrats to them. In the Coastal Cup it’s still a battle with the Pride at 3-1 leading, UVic and UBC at 2-2 and TWU at 1-3. On the mainland the Ravens (4-0) continue as the only undefeated side. A reminder there’s no Premier action next weekend, Thanksgiving weekend. Action resumes October 15th.
It’s Week 4 of 6 in the Premier Regional season where Premier teams play regionally before the start of the league. On the Island JBAA, CW and Westshore play for the historic Barnard Cup. The University programs and Pacific Pride compete for the Coastal Cup and the Mainland teams use it as a preseason warmup and bragging rights if they award the Mainland Cup.
University Of Victoria 26 v UBC RFC 40 @ 14:30
Referee: Saro Turner AR1: Michael Moss AR2: Martin Thornton
Venue: U Of Victoria- Wallace Field
The Vikes brought a +16 into the second leg of the Wightman Boot and needed all of those points to claim the trophy. UBC went up 21-0 in the game before UVic responded with 26 points and the lead. UBC scored the last 19 and tried a long penalty kick at the final whistle to win the series but it missed. After faltering the first two matches UBC seem back on form. Both UBC and the Vikes sit 2-2 in the Coastal Cup competition. Next weekend (October 15th) the Vikes are hosted by the Pacific Pride (3-1) while UBC visit TWU (1-3)
PREGAME
Each year the two universities compete for the Wightman Boot, UBC have won it for the last 8 years. This year the Vikes have a good shot of winning it back after they won the first leg of the competition by a +16 margin.
UBC host the university championships this year and qualify as hosts, UVic look set to qualify as top BC university.
UVic (2-1) have been playing well, just narrowly losing to the Pacific Pride last weekend. Gabe Casey at #10 has been impressive and Logan Martin-Feek, who missed last weekend’s match, is back at inside centre. Having two effective ball distributors at #10 and #12 adds to the backline’s effectiveness. There’s plenty of speed out wide with Hager and Robinson. The forwards have been holding their own and Denver Fatt has been a cornerstone at tighthead, he was drafted this year by the Toronto Arrows of the MLR.
UBC (1-2) have had their struggles to start the season but came up with a big win last weekend against TWU. Izzak Kelly returns to the roster as starting second row. Last weekend both McMullins started in the centres but this week Talon McMullin is missing from the starting lineup.
Always entertaining, fast paced rugby when these teams meet. UVic go in as favourites based on last head to head, this could be their year for Wightman Cup. Prediction: Vikes by 5.
UVic
1 Owen Kokan – Point Grey Secondary
2 Ryder Heaney-Corns – Claremont Secondary
3 Denver Fatt – St. Georges School
4 Muridach Casey – St. Michaels University School
5 Asfand Saeed – Victoria High School
6 Sully Curran – Kelowna Secondary
7 Merlin MCloud – Montague Regional High
8 Taine Clague – Bromsgrove RFC/James Bay AA
9 Ethan Smith – Carson Graham Secondary
10 Gabriel Casey – Nepean High School
11 Jonas Robinson – St. Michaels University School
12 Logan Martin-Feek – Claremont Secondary School
13 Shane Rikley-Krindle – Westwood High School
14 Ethan Hager – Brantford Collegiate Institute
15 Andrew Easson – Oakville Trafalger High School
16 Phoenix Moller – Robert Bateman Secondary
17 Brendan Kim – Elgin Park Secondary
18 Liam Mitchell – Brentwood College School
19 Ayo Ogunlade – Brentwood College School
20 Marcus Lott – Okay Bay High School
21 Jenner Teufel – Shawnigan Lake School
22 Graeme Norris – Shawnigan Lake School
23 Angus Boyd-Porter – Gonzaga
UBC
1. Koen Buckingham
2. Jacob Bossi
3. Peyton Teneycke
4. Izzak Kelly
5. Caden Wilson
6. Hillyard Carson
7. Joshua Downes
8. Relmu Wilson – Valdes
9. Jack Carson
10. Max Abercrombie
11. Pablo Palero
12. James Biss
13. Takoda Mcmullin
14. Jacob Bourne
15. Matt Percillier
16. Beaudry Leman
17. Cole Dreyer
18. Thomas Foote
19. Forest Scarrwener
20. Niko Andrianos
21. Owain Cormack
Pacific Pride 55 v Trinity Western University 8 @ 14:30
Referee: Nathaniel Hight AR1: Cole Pedrick AR2: Claude Paterson
Venue: Starlight Stadium
This was all Pride from the opening whistle. They had a 26-3 lead at halftime and continued the pressure in the second half. Callum Botchar looked impressive, scoring the first try and creating several line breaks, Ciaran Breen also looked impressive at #13 scoring a try from an exceptional individual effort. We’ll have some photos available later. Next weekend (October 15th) Pride host UVic and TWU host UBC.
PREGAME
TWU won the first meeting of these teams by +11, a major upset based on form from previous years.
The Pride (2-1) are again missing their #1 flyhalf, Max Stewart, who picked up a red from two yellows last week. It’s a big ask for his replacement, Justin Taylor, who gets his first start for the Pride this season. He did well in a similar situation last season against the Bays but he’s up against a national team player in Guiseppe du Toit this weekend. The battle between #10s could be an important factor in the outcome. Last weekend Elias Hancock was the hero for the Pride with his late linebreak to set up the winning try. He subbed in that match, this week he gets his first start at #8. Sethy Purdy and Ciaran Breen are a new combination in the centres, we’ll see what impact they have on the match.
The danger man for TWU (1-2) is their winger, Tamilore Awonusi. The Pride will have to mark him well to keep him off the score sheet. Guiseppe du Toit starts at #10, having a player with 14 caps starting at #10 is a big plus for TWU, he has been playing centre recently but started with the national team at the #10 spot. He’s only 27 years old, so still well capable of a comeback. David Wegert gets the start at second row but brother Sam, drafted by the Seattle Seawolves, is not in the match day 23 at the present time.
It should be a great game, Pride will be looking for some redemption at home in the stadium. Prediction: Pride by 3.
Pacific Pride
1 Aaron Clark
2 Dan Cooper
3 Sam Miller
4 Alastair Bruce
5 Callum Botchar
6 Matt Klimchuk
7 Cody Nhanala
8 Elias Hancock
9 Sion Griffiths
10 Justin Taylor
11 AJ Kosempel
12 Seth Purdy
13 Ciaran Breen
14 Alan Berros
15 Oliver Mackenzie
16 Austin Creighton
17 Willem den Ouden
18 Kyle Steeves
19 Reid Davis
20 Zephyr Melnyk
21 Sam Reimer
22 Noah Flesch
23 Lucas Scheck
TWU
1. Ben Graci
2. Scott Bowers
3. Grayson Hardie
4. Josh Halladay
5. David Wegert
6. Erik Niebuhr (C)
7. Leo Chen
8. Nate Schroeder
9. Jan Lourens
10. Guiseppe du Toit
11. Tam Awonusi
12. Fynn Murphy
13. Ethan Bernardin
14. Oliver Clarke
15. Tapiwa Marufu
16. Seth Klassen
17. Ethan Jurgeneit
18. Favour Olaniyan
19. Martin Zubiri
20. Caleb Gerth
21. Tim Zimmer
22. Kenny Paul
23. Connor Bernardin
Capilano 37 v Burnaby Lake 33 @ 14:30
Referee: Shanda Assmus AR1: Miriam Sobrino AR2: Brittany Blackford
Venue: Klahanie Park
We had Caps +2 and it was +4. Caps led 22-13 at the half. Caps (2-1-1) now have two wins, a loss and a draw. Burnaby are at 1-3. Next weekend (October 15th) Burnaby travel to the Lomas and Caps visit Seattle.
PREGAME
Two teams with a great rivalry. Caps (1-1-1) drew with the Rowers last weekend, while Burnaby (1-2) lost to the Ravens.
Caps tried an experiment last week switching their #10 and #15, by all accounts not a successful experiment. This week Jeremy Simon is back at #10 and Mike Moloney at #15. Jordan Harvey is back in the starting XV at #8 with Glenn McKinnon moving to blindside. Johnny Franklin is also back in the starting XV at #12. It looks to be a strong starting XV.
Burnaby have a similar roster to last week, same front row and halfback pairing. David Dinbandhu who had a strong game at #8 last week is in the reserves and replaced by Dom Baptista. Connor McCann replaces Tom Menzies at openside flanker. There’s a new centre pairing with Scott Barr and Ethan Turner.
Caps won the last head to head in April in the 2021-22 quarter-finals. That’s enough to put them in as favourites this week. Prediction: Caps by 2.
Capilano
1 – Neil Courtney (C)
2 – James Ritzema
3 – Jesse Ryan
4 – Joe Britt
5 – Jack Rainer
6 – Glen McKinnon
7 – Cori Hamill
8 – Jordan Harvey
9 – Chris Robinson
10 – Jeremy Simon
11 – Kevean Pashandi
12 – Johnny Franklin
13 – Eligh Papin
14 – Cam Waddell
15 – Mike Moloney
Burnaby
1. Lalit Bharadwaj
2. Preston Petrovitch
3. Bryce Worden
4. Ethan Soden
5. Cooper Johnston
6. Kimi Vunituraga
7. Connor McCann
8. Dom Baptista
9. Dean McMahon
10. Neil MacLaine
11. Jack Gelbart
12. Scott Barr
13. Ethan Turner
14. Jean Koorsten
15. Brian Fitzpatrick
16. Chase McCrum
17. Evan Mackey
18. Luka Bradley
19. Tom Menzies
20. David Dinbandhu
21. Justin Coen
22. Nolan Shelley
23. Ezequiel Rossetti
James Bay AA 79 v Castaway Wanderers 7 @ 14:30
Referee: Bradley Schwalger AR1: Tim Stokes AR2: Malcolm Klaver
Venue: MacDonald Park
We thought the Bays would win but not by +72, we said +7, just insert a zero and move the decimal point to the right. That’s a shellacking. We said the Bays team looked loaded and they fired a cannon. It’s a shame Phil Meyer isn’t still writing the match reports for the Bays, he would have enjoyed writing this one. Next weekend (October 15th) the Bays visit Westshore and CW have a bye to recover. The Bays go to 3-0 in the Barnard Cup and CW are 0-1-2. Even though there are 2 weeks of Barnard Cup action left, the Bays have mathematically clinched the title and the Cup this year.
PREGAME
The Bays (2-0) look favourites to claim the Barnard Cup this year. They defeated CW (1-1) at CW by +1 in Week 1.
The Bays look loaded in the starting XV and on the bench with Tyler Rowland starting at tighthead, Luke Campbell at #8, Kainoa Lloyd on the wing. In the reserves they have 7s/XVs players Nick Allen, Cooper Coats and Josh Thiel looking to make an impact.
CW are missing Grady Bowd again, an important figure at #10. Jordan Tait moves from centre to start at #10. Riley Ilnicki is missing from last week and Gord Kehoe takes his place in the second row. Matt Sutherland moves from blindside flanker to inside centre.
The Bays look to have too much firepower in this one, they won by +1 on the road, should be by more at home. Prediction: Bays by 7.
CW
1 Gavin Kratz
2 Alex Clark
3 Jack Sponarski
4 Gord Kehoe
5 Nat Dring
6 Jace Peters
7 Steve Pyke
8 Mike Finnemore
9 Ian Hickman
10 Jordan Tait
11 Pavlos Silvestros
12 Matt Sutherland
13 Seamus McDougall
14 Gabriel Smith
15 Harry Elliot
16 Antonio Corbin
17 John Braddock
18 Cam Smith
19 Liam Chisolm
20 John Humphries
21 Logan Dring
22 Ray Robinson
23 TBD
JBAA
1. Blake van Heyningen
2. Jake Slobodian
3. Tyler Rowland
4. Jimmy de Goede
5. Andrew Montgrand
6. Alex Jordan
7. Tom Richardson
8. Luke Campbell
9. Crosby Stewart
10. Mitch Sora
11. Kainoa Loyd
12. Tom Burton
13. Mostyn Findlay
14. Isaac Gonevou
15. Craig Mitchell-Hermann
16 Andrew McPherson
17 Pete Reyes
18 Wyatt Pilz
19 Shea Wakefield
20 Pete Massimo
21 Nick Allen
22 Cooper Coates
23 Josh Thiel
Meraloma 17 v UBCOB Ravens 35 @ 14:30
Referee: David Smortchevsky AR1: Kevin Heieis
Venue: Connaught Park
We had Ravens +8 and it was +18. Ravens remain undefeated at 4-0, Lomas go to 1-3. Next weekend (October 15th) the Lomas host Burnaby and the Ravens host the Rowers.
PREGAME
The Ravens (3-0) are the only undefeated team on the mainland, the Lomas (1-2) are coming off a loss to Seattle.
The Ravens have 4 Carsons in the forwards, shades of UBC last year. They have a top halfback pairing of Alex Ball and Aaron McLelland. Their Welsh prop, Tom Kaijaks, is back in the roster. Noah Bain in the centres and Cole Keffer on the wing. It’s a strong looking starting XV.
The Lomas have Tom Dunne in at tighthead replacing Mark Rickard. Jalan Farris starts at blindside flanker with Darragh Foley moving to the bench. Tommy Viljoen starts at #10 with Ryan McLaghlan moving to #9.
The Ravens look to be one of the form teams this year, their only weakness so far is a lack of numbers for the Reserve squad. Prediction: Ravens by 8.
Meraloma
1 Pat Zuk
2 Scott McGinley
3 Tom Dunne
4 Jacob Bourke
5 Jim Mulvany
6 Jalan Farris
7 Evan Galvin
8 John Willis
9 Ryan McLaghlan
10 Tommy Viljoen
11 Dewi Williams
12 Connor Lane
13 Jad Hamade
14 Tuveia Leon
15 Louis Whelan
16 Dan Aplin
17 Richie Barrett
18 Brendan Brown
19 Darragh Foley
20 Dave Matthews
21 Paddy Kirwan
22 Ted O’Leary
23 Quentin Coetsee
Ravens
1 Joe Sourisseau
2 Connor Sampson
3 Tom Kaijaks
4 James Carson
5 Don Carson
6 Frank Carson
7 Jake Ikeda
8 David Carson
9 Alex Ball
10 Aaron McLelland
11 Marceau Bertin
12 Noah Bain
13 Sean Pyle
14 Cole Keffer
15 Henry Bibby
16 Jono Wong
17 Billy Hornaday
18 Nato Gucake
19 Sam Duggan
20 Blain Meek
21 Matt Chan
22 Paddy O’Brien
23 Santiago Guadarrama
24 Kol Henrikson
25 Andrew Gucake
26 John John Tolton
Vancouver Rowing Club 38 v Seattle 24 @ 13:00
Referee: Brett Hay Venue: Brockton Oval
We had Seattle +4 but it was Rowers +14. Seattle go to 2-2- and Rowers are 1-1-2. After Thanksgiving weekend, it’s Seattle hosting Capilano and Rowers visiting the Ravens.
PREGAME
Seattle (2-1) took down the Lomas last weekend, the Rowers (0-1-2) drew with the Caps last weekend.
Seattle have 10 starters returning from last week with changes at loosehead prop, one change at second row and one change in the loose forwards. The centre pairing of Sio and Ferris is new this week.
The Rowers again don’t have a roster published so we’ve gone with one of their earlier ones. Doug Fraser, from Old Glory DC of the MLR, originally from Ladysmith on the Island is one of their marquee domestic players.
Seattle defeated the Lomas, the Lomas defeated Rowers, it makes Seattle favourites going in. Prediction: Seattle by 4.
Seattle
1 Liam Noone
2 Alex Glover
3 Jakob Mathisen
4 Jamie Demers
5 Adam Page
6 Halleluiah Tiauli
7 Aidan Carlisle
8 Kellen Gordon
9 Jack Canon
10 Jonny Reid
11 Jacob Perkins
12 Jeremiah Sio
13 Devereau Ferris
14 Joey Lincoln
15 Oida Ryuhei
16 Joe Evans
17 Matt Duncan
18 Isaiah Lotawa
19 Hiro Nakajima
Rowers (October 1st)
1 Josh Waller
2 Jason Carton
3 Eddy Quinn
4 Jack Nerraw
5 Spencer Cooper
6 Jack Canty
7 Ray Bisonette
8 Scyler David Dumas
9 Dermot O’Meara
10 Nick Wackwitz
11 Ryan Williams
12 Ollie Joyce
13 Spencer Morgan
14 Mitch Stainer
15 Jordan Wilson-Ross
16 Gregory Crowe
17 Rob McGreevy
18 Felix Grignon
19 Rory Sanderson
20 Michael Cooke
21 Aaron Applegate
22 Will Moore
Rowers (from September 17th)
1. Spencer Cooper
2. Liam Litchfield
3. Gregory Crowe
4. Rob McGreevy
5. Felix Grignon
6. Rory Sanderson
7. Ray Bisonette
8. Ian Prendiville
9. Dominic Howard
10. Will Moore
11. Andy de Torres
12. Doug Fraser
13. Ollie Joyce
14. Mitch Stainer
15. Nick Wackwitz
16. Jason Carton
17. Josh Waller
18. Eoin Keenan
19. Callum Bulman
20. Tom Brennan
21. Spencer Morgan
22. Colin O’Brian