BC Premier Regional Week 2: TWU Upset Pride, Vikes Blast T-Birds, Ravens Soar Past Seattle, Burnaby Sink Rowers, Caps Edge Lomas; Bays Outlast Westshore
Again a brief reminder of the regional aspect of the Premier matches, on the Island they’re playing for the Barnard Cup (CW, JBAA, Westshore) which was first awarded in 1911, the Academies/Universities are playing for the Coastal Cup (UBC, UVic, TWU, Pride), the Mainland teams are doing their thing, there was a Mainland Cup, but some teams are treating the 6 week regional as a Premier warm-up season.
It was a crazy Week 2 with upsets galore, UBC have lost 2 in a row, when’s the last time that happened? TWU took down the Pacific Pride, the Rugby Canada academy team, unheard of a year ago. The Bays have won two in a row, winning the close matches now. The one predictable constant so far this year are the Ravens, they continue to look the team to beat this season with a comprehensive win over visiting Seattle.
Trinity Western University 36 v Pacific Pride 27 @ 14:30
Referee: Benjamin Lambrick AR1: David Robinson AR2: David Williams
Venue: Willoughby Community Park
A major upset that puts the playing strength of the various University/Academy teams in question. The TWU live stream wasn’t working so we’ll have to wait for the TWU match report for the details, the Pride and Rugby Canada don’t put out match reports for their Academy team. Next week the Pride visit UVic and TWU visit UBC.
PREGAME
Pacific Pride looked good last week coming out fast and building up an insurmountable lead against last year’s champions, UBC. Will they be able to maintain that intensity against TWU this week? TWU are becoming a solid program, they just narrowly lost to UVic last week and they’re becoming one of the more professional clubs in BC in terms of promotion of games, live streaming games, and publishing postgame match reports and match stats.
The Pride have picked up a few minor injuries during the week and as a result have a new halfback combination. Taylor de Souza gets his first start at #10 and Zech Pilgrim gets his first start at #9 with the Pride. The forward pack looks the same with the usual rotation of starting and reserve front row. Lucas Schek gets his first start this season on the wing as does Ben Russell on the other wing. Seth Purdey comes into the side at centre, he was drafted by Atlanta of the MLR for the 2023 season.
TWU have Guiseppe du Toit back in the lineup at centre, a good matchup vs Purdey. They’ve mixed things up a bit as well moving Genaro Gandolfo from #6 to #9 and moving Fynn Murphy from #9 to #10. Erik Niebuhr moves from second row to #6.
Pride will go in as favourites after their showing last week against UBC but TWU have indicated by their UVic result that they’ll be very competitive this season. Prediction: Pride by 9.
Pride
1 Aaron Clark
2 Dan Cooper
3 Tyler Matchem
4 Reid Davis
5 Alastair Bruce
6 Zephyr Melnyk
7 Cody Nahalna
8 Callum Botchar
9 Zech Pilgrim
10 Taylor de Souza
11 Lucas Scheck
12 Seth Purdey
13 Noah Flesch
14 Ben Russell
15 Oliver Mackenzie
16 Austin Creighton
17 Willem den Ouden
18 Kyle Steeves
19 Jaiden John
20 Sam Miller
21 Sam Reimer
22 JC Vinnette
23 AJ Kosempel
TWU
1 Favour Olaniyan
2 Scott Bowers
3 Grayson Hardie
4 Martin Zubiri
5 David Wegert
6 Erik Niebuhr
7 Nate Schroeder
9 Genaro Gandolfo
10 Fynn Murphy
11 Tamilore Awonusi
12 Guiseppe du Toit
13 Ethan Bernardin
14 Lynden Duggan
15 Jan Lourens
16 Seth Klassen
17 Ethan Jurgeneit
18 Tim Zimmer
19 Josh Halladay
20 Caleb van Til
21 Keegan Morengo
22 Sam Wegert
23 Oliver Clarke
UBC RFC 14 v University Of Victoria 30 @ 14:30
Referee: Bradley Schwalger AR1: Jamie Dopson AR2: Brett Hay Venue: Gerald McGavin Centre
Another huge upset in the Coastal Cup competition. It brings into question who will win this year’s University Rugby Championship? UVic look early favourites in the West now after defeating UBC and last week TWU. UBC host TWU next week which should be a real test of the UBC program who are not used to losing two in a row, can they turn their program around in a week? UVic are on fire, having two talented #10s playing at first (Gabe Casey) and second receiver (Logan Martin-Feek) worked well for them. UVic will host the Pride next weekend which should be a great game.
PREGAME
UBC were surprised last week by the Pride. They’ll be aiming at a repeat of their Canadian University Championship this year, especially as hosts. So they’ll use these games to fine tune their roster and get their systems working 100%. This is a historic competition between these top 2 Canadian university rugby programs. The tight five remains the same from last week, a slight change in the loose forwards as Raymond Chou moves from reserve hooker to starting blindside flanker, Josh Downes comes off the bench to start at openside flanker, and Sol Jacques moves from blindside to #8. In the backs James Biss gets the start at #10 ahead of Max Abercrombie, and Talon McMullin gets the start at outside centre.
UVic narrowly defeated TWU last week and have made a few changes. One change in the tight five as Muridach Casey gets the start at second row. Sully Curran moves from reserve hooker to starting blindside, Merlin M’Cloud moves from blindside to openside and Taine Clague gets the start at #8. Gabe Casey, another MLR draft choice, starts at #10 with Logan Martin-Feek moving to inside centre. Ethan Smith starts at #9, Ethan Hager moves from fullback to wing.
Even though UBC lost last week, they’ll still be favourites at home, a loss to UVic with the uni championships 10 weeks away will send a shiver down the back of UBC rugby supporters. Prediction: UBC by 7.
UBC
1. Josh Tweed
2. Jacob Bossi
3. Conor OFlaherty
4. Hillyard Carson
5. Caden Wilson
6. Raymond Chou
7. Joshua Downes
8. Sol Jacques
9. Jack Carson
10. James Biss
11. Alastair Marshall
12. Ethan Berry
13. Talon McMullin
14. Forest Scarwenner
15. Matt Percillier
16. Payton Tenneycke
17. Cole Dreyer
18. Nate Goliath
19. Joe Mcnulty
20. Thomas Foote
21. Max Abercrombie
22. Jacob Bourne
23. Kieran Martin
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 Ethan Hager – Brantford Collegiate Institute
12 Logan Martin-Feek – Claremont Secondary School
13 Shane Rikley-Krindle – Westwood High School
14 Jonas Robinson – St. Michaels University School
15 Andrew Easson – Oakville Trafalger High School
16 Phoenix Moller – Robert Bateman Secondary
17 Brendan Kim – Elgin Park Secondary
18 George Piper Arroliga – Robert Bateman Secondary School
19 Liam Mitchell – Brentwood College
20 Marcus Lott – Okay Bay High School
21 Jenner Teufel – Shawnigan Lake School
22 Graeme Norris – Shawnigan Lake School
23 Angus Boyd-Porter – Gonzaga
James Bay AA 25 v Westshore 24 @ 14:30
Referee: Derek Horton AR1: Justine Blatt-Janmaat Venue: MacDonald Park
An exciting game by all accounts and the Bays again come out on the winning side of a close match. The Bays look on track to claim the Barnard Cup this year with a 2-0 record. Next week Westshore visits CW while the Bays have a bye.
PREGAME
The Bays came out strong last weekend upsetting the 2021-22 finalists CW on the road. Their new coaching team seems to have had an immediate effect. Tyler Rowland, of the Toronto Arrows, gets his first start at tighthead. Shea Wakefield returns to the starting second row. It’s a tidy tight five. The loose forward trio of Massimo, Pilz, Richardson who got the job done last week remains the same. The backline remains the same with the exception of Henry Do replacing Tom Burton.
Westshore didn’t win a match last year at the Premier level although they were competitive in most. They’ve added a few notable names for this weekend’s clash. Foster Dewitt from the MLR New England team returns to Westshore colours at loosehead, a nice battle with Rowland shaping up. Siaki Vikilani of the Toronto Arrows is starting at #8 and his brother Taitusi is in the reserves. Quinn Ngawati of the MLR New York team starts at outside centre. Taylor MacGuire returns to Westshore colours after returning from NZ, he’ll look to make an impact from the bench.
This should be a good contest, some quality players on both sides of the ball. The Bays, based on Week 1 results and last season’s results, will go in as favourites. Prediction: Bays by 3.
Westshore
1 Foster Dewitt
2 Nathan Yue
3 Nathan Groenewold
4 Adam Beaupre
5 Makz Foot
6 Aidan Holland
7 Tom Heuser
8 Siaki Vikilani
9 Rylen Waugh
10 Nicky Mouret
11 Peyton Eagar
12 Liam Clark
13 Quinn Ngawati
14 Alex Mentiply
15 Braeden Bespalko
16 Matt Evans
17 Simeon John
18 Charles Taimani
19 Matt Weir
20 Tyler Symon-Burke
21 Taitusi Vikilani
22 JB Nikkel
23 Taylor MacGuire
24 Sawyer Shmyrko
JBAA
1. Blake van Heyningen
2. Jake Slobodian
3. Tyler Rowland
4. Shea Wakefield
5. Jimmy de Goede
6. Peter Massimo
7. Wyatt Pilz
8. Tom Richardson
9. Crosby Stewart
10. Mitch Sora
11. Kainoa Loyd
12. Isaac Gonevou
13. Mostyn Findlay
14. Henry Do
15. Craig Mitchell-Hermann
UBCOB Ravens 47 v Seattle Rugby 15 @ 12:30
Referee: Shanda Assmus Venue: Jericho Beach Park
The only certainty so far in this 6 week regional Premier season is that the Ravens are maintaining their reputation as the top team in the competition. A decisive win for the Ravens.
PREGAME
Ravens are one of the early favourites this season in the BC Premier. They had a strong squad last year, just losing in the semis, then they added the Carson clan from last year’s championship UBC team. The only warning note is in playing numbers to fill two squads. It’s the second weekend in a row the Ravens haven’t played a Reserve match which would require 46 healthy bodies but have chosen one match with an extended squad, likely with rolling subs, of 31 players. They have a quality starting XV with 4 Carsons, McLelland at #10, Ball at #9 and Bain at #12.
Seattle again are late with their roster but we’ll post their roster from last week. They defeated Burnaby at home, we’ll see how they do on the road against the Ravens.
Prediction: Ravens by 11.
Ravens
1 Connor Sampson
2 Jesse Mackail
3 Tom Kaijaks
4 Frank Carson
5 James Carson
6 Don Carson
7 Matias Suez
8 David Carson
9 Alex Ball
10 Aaron McLelland
11 Mark Wandeto
12 Noah Bain
13 Sean Pyle
14 Cole Keffer
15 Marceau Bertin
16 Joe Sourisseau
17 Nato Gucake
18 Trevor Helgason
19 Sam Duggan
20 Jono Wong
21 Matt Bluck
22 Paddy O’Brien
23 Keith O’Connor
24 Henry Bibby
25 Joey Kirwan
26 Bryn Tucker
27 Matt Chan
28 John John Tolton
29 Jack Scher
30 Andrew Gucake
31 Santiago Guadarrama
Seattle (from Sept 10th)
1. Freddy Tafuna
2. Halleluiah Tiauli
3. Matthew Duncan
4. Jamie Demers
5. Chase Bates
6. Kellen Gordon
7. Matthew Potter
8. Adam Page
9. Jack Canon
10. Devereaux Ferris
11. Jacob Perkins
12. Matt Brennan
13. Joey Lincoln
14. Jeremiah Sio
15. Cecil Ala
16. Jasper Bowen Shepherd
17. Lu Alainuuese
18. Liam Noone
19. Ben Gustafson
20. Tomasi Puletu
21. Isaiah Chinen
22. Clay Markoff
23. Oida Ryuhei
Burnaby Lake 32 v Vancouver Rowing Club 21 @ 14:30
Referee: Christopher Assmus AR1: Jivan Dhaliwal Venue: Burnaby Lake Rugby Club
Burnaby came out strong and built up a 29-7 lead, the Rowers came back in a long second half that lasted over 50 minutes. Out of all 3 live streams attempted this weekend, only Burnaby were able to pull it off without technical difficulties, so kudos to them on the win and the stream.
Live Stream (starts with the Reserve match)
PREGAME
Burnaby lost to Seattle last weekend, it’s a similar set of forwards with the addition of Kimi Vunituraga at blindside flanker. A few changes in the backs with Jean Koorsten getting the start and Scott Barr moving from wing to outside centre.
The Rowers lost to Meraloma last week and again are late with posting the rosters. We’ve posted their roster from last week.
It should be a competitive match between two teams likely middle of the pack and vying for playoff spots once the Premier begins in October. Advantage to the home side. Prediction: Burnaby by 5.
Burnaby
1 Lalit Bharadwaj
2 Preston Petrovitch
3 Bryce Worden ©
4 Cooper Johnston
5 Ish Mulema
6 Kimi Vunituraga
7 Connor McCann
8 Dom Baptista
9 Dean McMahon
10 Neil MacLaine
11 Jack Gelbart
12 Connor Byron
13 Scott Barr
14 Jean Koorsten
15 Ethan Turner
16 Dylan Vermette
17 Liem Jung
18 Luka Bradley
19 Ethan Soden
20 Tom Menzies
21 Mohi Parata
22 Brian Fitzpatrick
23 Cian Keegan
Rowers (from Sept 10th)
1. Spencer Cooper
2. Liam Litchfield
3. Gregory Crowe
4. Rob McGreevy
5. Felix Grignon
6. Jack Nerraw
7. Tom Brennan
8. Ian Prendiville
9. Dominic Howard
10. Nick Wackwitz
11. Andy de Torres
12. Spencer Morgan
13. Ollie Joyce
14. Mitch Stainer
15. Jordan Wilson-Ross
16. Josh Waller
17. Will Moore
18. Callum Bulman
19. Tom O’Hare
20. Ray Bisonette
21. Martin Eriksson
22. Chris Nolan
Rowers (from Sept 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
Capilano 32 v Meraloma 22 @ 14:30
Referee: David Smortchevsky AR1: Nathaniel Hight AR2: Mark Abercrombie Venue: Klahanie Park
The Caps had a strong season last year making it to the semi-finals and they look on track to duplicate that this season. Next weekend Caps visit rivals Rowing Club while the Lomas host Seattle.
PREGAME
The Lomas defeated the Rowers last week while the Caps fell to the Ravens. The Caps won the last head to head match in March 2022 by a score of 24-21.
The Lomas have rotated their front row and also moved Mark Rickard from hooker to tighthead. Darragh Foley comes into the loose forwards at blindside. Ryan McLaghlan gets the start at #10. The rest of the backline remains the same.
The Caps have Glenn McKinnon back for another season at #8. Jeremy Simon, from France, returns from an injury last season to lead from #10. Mike Moloney, from Australia, at fullback has received a lot of plaudits, especially with his kicking skills, he looked impressive playing for the Canada West team in the Coast to Coast Cup. The talented veteran scrum-half Chris Robinson looks to make an impact from the bench.
Last year was +3 for the Caps, seems like a good place to start. Prediction: Caps by 3.
Meraloma
1 Richie Barrett
2 Scott McGinley
3 Mark Rickard
4 Nick Neubert
5 Dave Matthews
6 Darragh Foley
7 Evan Galvin
8 John Willis
9 Paddy Kirwan
10 Ryan McLaghlan
11 Dewi Williams
12 Andy Cooper
13 Jad Hamade
14 Quentin Coetsee
15 Ben Featherstone
16 Adam McLean
17 Pat Zuk
18 Brendan Brown
19 Jim Mulvany
20 Jacob Bourke
21 Ted O’Leary
22 Connor Lane
23 Tuveia Leon
24 Jake Bovington
Capilano
1 – Neil Courtney (C)
2 – James Ritzema
3 – Jesse Ryan
4 – Joe Britt
5 – Nick Pearce
6 – Reid Brookes
7 – Cori Hamill
8 – Glen McKinnon
9 – Johnny Adams
10 – Jeremy Simon
11 – Ryan Hanley
12 – Cam Waddell
13 – Dan Parkins
14 – Phil Le Lievre
15 – Mike Moloney
16 Rich Merinsky
17 Keita Dueck
18 Jack Rainer
19 Mayhar Hosseini
20 Johnny Franklin
21 Johnny Allen
22 Kevean Pashandi
23 Savion Atchison
24 Chris Robinson
25 Lucas McLennan