In Touch Newsletter Issue 10 by Phil Smith – Shawnigan and Brentwood Book Spots in Island Finals
This week, Shawnigan held off a persistent Oak Bay in their AAA semi-final, while Brentwood made light work of Mt Douglas in the AA semi. In the junior boys, Oak Bay beat Shawnigan to win the Island Championship.
Games This Week
Wednesday May 21 at UVic:
Brentwood v SMUS AA Final 1pm
Oak Bay v Claremont AAA 3v4 3pm
Shawnigan v Quw’utsun AAA Final 5pm
Power Rankings May 19
1. Quw’utsun
2. Shawnigan
3. Oak Bay
4. SMUS
5. Brentwood
Games Last Week
Oak Bay (8) at Shawnigan (19)
Three Stars:
★★★ Simroy John (Shawnigan)
★★ Mike Oughtred (Oak Bay)
★ Georges Gave (Shawnigan)
Shawnigan showed organized and courageous defence to beat the athletic Barbs on a clear but
windy day at the tony Shawnigan Lake campus. Early in the contest, Oak Bay’s (and the
competition’s) top player Robert Reid was readying himself for a characteristic boshing–he dropped his
weight inches from the ground and drove forward, only to be met head-on by the Stags’ Simroy John,
who drove him backwards. The hit set the tone for the day, and Oak Bay struggled to get front-foot
ball. John also scored his own try in the first half, and nearly had a second when he fumbled over the
line.
Oak Bay had some forays into the Shawnigan end, but struggled to convert pressure into points.
Shawnigan also struggled to put the game away, with several of their attacks dashed by various
penalties. A curious moment happened in the last quarter, when Oak Bay decided not to engage with
Shawnigan’s maul after a lineout. The Stags proceeded to walk the ball ten metres downfield,
with literally no one stopping them. Even the referee’s decision to award a scrum to Oak Bay
baffled onlookers. It was a lovely bit of confusion.
The top player for Oak Bay on the day was Mike Oughtred, who used his big boot to relieve pressure
on several occasions, and deputized admirably at scrum-half for Eli Palov, who came off injured.
Indeed, passes from rucks were zippier when Oughtred was sending them.
Shawnigan move on to play Quw’utsun in the Island Final, and they will be licking their lips to
atone for their early-season loss in March. Oak Bay will regroup and check on the health of Palov who
will be key for them at Provincials.
Mt Doug (7) at Brentwood (54)
Three Stars:
★★★ Soren Lee (Brentwood)
★★ Bennett Anderson (Mt Doug)
★ Brandon Romano (Brentwood)
Brentwood were too strong for Mt Doug, dispatching them from the playoffs in an almost
identical scoreline as their previous match last week. Strong runs from bullocking prop William Lee
kept Brentwood on the front foot, and they were able to rest some of their guns before the halftime
whistle.
Mt Doug’s Bennett Anderson, who had a Gordie Howe hat trick of sorts: attacked well, defended
courageously, and copped a yellow card. That spells the end of the line for the Rams, with
Brentwood progressing to the Island AA Final.
Junior Rugby Roundup
Oak Bay (38) at Shawnigan (22)
Oak Bay rebounded from their shock loss to Claremont last week to topple up-Island
rivals Shawnigan. Strong, physical play by the Barbs unsettled the hosts, who were
forced into some uncharacteristic errors and missed some key tackles that led to points.
Brentwood (40) at Claremont (19)
Brentwood put in a balanced performance to beat Victoria’s top seed on a hard track in bright
sunshine. Aggressive one-off runs by prop Claus Russell and scything runs by Arnie Marasek and
Tee Thamrongnawasat made for a fun afternoon for them.
Neither Claremont nor Brentwood were able to play for the Island Championship, so Oak Bay
was declared the winner. Both Oak Bay and Shawnigan will proceed to the Invitational
Provincial Championship in Abbotsford.
Island Boys First XV Stars
Competition Leaderboard
May 19
Robert Reid (OB) 10
Jasper Keast (OB) 8
Max Lang (QU) 7
Jack Driscoll (SMUS) 7
Julian Bishop (BCS) 7
Mike Oughtred (OB) 7
Simroy John (SLS) 7
Luke Prest (QU) 6
Soren Lee (BCS) 6
Ferg Jessop (Clar) 5
Short Lineout
One person’s opinion, expressed succinctly
Number 8 picks from the backs of scrums are now popular, after being unfashionable for nearly
a decade at the professional level. Some things become trendy (or untrendy) for no reason. Think
pickleball. –Phil Smith