Ravens Lose a Close Encounter to Mexico National XV 20-19: Tour Recap and Rise of The Canadian Ambassadors – Report by Aaron McLelland
The Ravens narrowly fell to Mexico National XV in a hotly contested match on a scorching Vallarta day. The squad came together at Vancouver International on Thursday May 17 and boarded the short direct flight to Puerto Vallarta. Full of excitement and with five players from other BC clubs joining the tour, the introductions were out of the way and it was full steam ahead.
The squad appeared to be pleasantly surprised by the 4-star all inclusive resort located nearby to the Vallarta Marina. After a few settling Cervezas on night one, the team acclimated with a team training session on the resort football paddock the following morning. Some last minute players dropping out had left the team short a few players, particularly in the pack. Not to worry, centre pairing Christian Tasi (UBCOB) and Isaac Gonevou (James Bay) volunteered to man the flanks.
Fast forward to Saturday, the team eagerly awaited the 4pm kickoff. After an interesting commute to nearby Buccerias, it was sunny with field conditions dry and fast under foot. After a quick warm-up the small but vocal crowd was ready to enjoy some quality rugby. Early on possession was evenly shared, with both teams giving away the ball more easily than what they would have liked. The hosts threatened to break the line on several occasions and after a clean line break in the centres, they were hard done by as the last Ravens defender gambled to anticipate an intercept and ran 60-metres in the opposite direction to open the scoring.
The significance of winning was on display early, with both team opting to take shots at goal when on offer. After a bit more back and forth, the Ravens didn’t take long to notch another few tries and dampen the hopes of the home crowd. One was an excellent show of individual brilliance from winger David Thompson to chip, chase and regather in the far right corner. Veteran Old Boy, Sean Ferguson showed well in the first 15 minute, unfortunately blowing a tire on a dart down the right hand touchline. Sean is recovering from a torn achilles and we wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the field in the future. To his credit, he made the most of the remaining by being chaperoned in a wheelchair by his teammates.
The Ravens took time in finding their sets in the first half and made the most of the ability to use rolling subs. The substitutions were closely resembling hockey, with quick in and out shifts. Half-time saw the visiting Ravens with a 19-3 lead but quickly running out of gas.
The second half was a different story for the visitors as they failed to score any more points. Ex-Raven, now playing rugby for the Lobos in Mexico City, Leo Luna, did an excellent job of winning several restarts with his sevens style slap backs. Unfortunately, with possession the Ravens made several unforced errors and turned the ball over all too easily to a rampaging Mexico pack. Mexico rummaged the ball forward through their large pack and made several gainline carries between their centre pairing. They finally unlocked the Ravens defence and opened the floodgates with a couple of second half tries and a well timed penalty conversion.
The play of the day came as time wound down to less than two minutes remaining. Ravens Premier Reserve captain Santiago Guadarrama, known by his team mates in Vancouver as SantiFreeze, iced a penalty kick from 40 metres out to push the home team ahead 20-19, for what would be the final score. Santi is Mexican eligible and opted to play for his home nation vs his touring club.
On the day, scrum superiority, big energetic forwards and strong carries in the backs laid the platform for Mexico’s success. Mexico were missing their full national sevens team who were away in Munich competing at the World Rugby Challenger Series, vying for promotion to the HSBC 7’s series. With their return, Mexico would go on to beat the Cayman Islands 20 – 10 in what would be Santiago Guadarrama’s first international cap. We would like to congratulate Santi on a fantastic showing vs his own club in which must have been a conflicting feeling. Further, congratulations on winning the game from his boot and making his international test debut.
We would like to thank referee, Fernando Garcia, a long serving MLR and Mexican national. He managed the game well and elevated the experience for both teams. His calm manner, easy movement and knowledge of the game ensured both teams were able to play fast-flowing and open rugby. Additional kudos to the Mexico team for hosting a fantastic after match, enjoyed thoroughly by all. Congratulations to Mexico XV on the win, they were the better team on the day and by all accounts we look forward to repeating the fixture in May next year, in what may become an annual fixture.
In the meantime, the Ravens 50th anniversary year will be capped off with a Gala dinner at the Terminal Club in Downtown Vancouver on November 9. We must also acknowledge the five non-Ravens players that joined us on tour, Alipate Yagomate (Nanaimo), Henry Brown (Langley), Drew Belbin (Nanaimo), Isaac Gonevou (James Bay) and Gavin Kilpatrick (Westshore). A notable milestone was achieved by Langley scrumhalf Henry Brown in playing alongside Ravens veteran Eugene Soga. Soga had played alongside Henry’s grandfather, his father and has now played alongside three generations in the Brown family, a fantastic example of grassroots nostalgia.
The success and enjoyment from all involved in the tour to Mexico has given rise to the Canadian Ambassadors program. The Canadian Ambassadors will bring together a group of Canadian-based club rugby players in true barbarian fashion. They will tour to developing rugby countries in Central and South America to play against their international teams, promote rugby and do community work, like provide coaching clinics for youth and train alongside club and national players. As the program gets started we are seeking sponsorship and looking to fill provincial ambassador roles across the country. Those interested or intending to learn more about the Canadian Ambassadors program are invited to follow us on instagram @canadianambassadorsXV or email canadaxvrugby@gmail.com
Tour Photos
Ravens player Santiago Guadarrama kicking the winning penalty for Mexico National XV
