Second Half Déjà Vu Ravens 40 UBC 25
Report by Peter MacDonald
High level rugby was on full display at UBC on Saturday as five national team players returning from defeating the USA in Japan split and filtered into both teams joining strong squads, with the Ravens featuring some recent UBC grads and UBC a few former Ravens’ juniors.
UBC came out strong and were up 10-0 after 15 minutes highlighted by a line break at midfield by blind side winger Elijah Palov who then turned the ball inside to Stephen Webb as he neared the line for the try under the posts while the Ravens’ Joe Locke was serving a yellow card for an inadvertent head knock in the tackle. This was the first of seven tries (out of a total of nine) to be scored while the opposition was playing short.
Not long after, things went from bad to worse for the Ravens. Don Carson lifted a UBC ball carrier and dropped him like a hot potato. Play continued with advantage to UBC and the Ravens’ Caleb Whitelaw then obstructed James Biss professionally while Biss was pursuing his own grubber. Bingo, two yellows to the Ravens, who by this time were already being clearly outplayed by the hosts. UBC capitalized with a forwards try from close range, another line break with Cody Nhanala and inside finish to Webb and a penalty goal, bringing the score to 25-0 before the banished returned.
Hockey make up calls and power plays were coming to mind for me as I took in the proceedings and at 36 minutes UBC’s fullback Max McGavern was carded while desperately defending his line. Despite some nice runs by the Ravens’ scrum half Max Kahler the Ravens couldn’t capitalize before the half.
Probably remembering back one year to their three try late comeback against UBC, the Ravens considered at the half what worked for them that day: tighter, simpler, more direct forward ball carrying, maintaining possession, kicking for field position from penalties and winning lineouts. Then they went out and did it. At 60 minutes it was 25-21 UBC with the Ravens having scored three tries in the left corner, a maul try, then a big miss pass from Jamin Hodgkins to Locke set him up to bosh his way in and finally a heads-up angled kick from a penalty mark by Hodgkins to Josiah Morra who unconvincingly grounded it with credit to Cole Keffer for selling it to the officials.
McGavern, unsurprisingly then drew a second yellow for a deliberate knock on and was off for the duration ushering in three more Raven tries. First, a quick tap by Lucas Rumball at midfield got the ball moving straight north with Janes, Coe and McMullin on the ramble ending with a dive in by hooker Louis Kassapian. Then from a lineout and maul Brian Ndirangu stretched in under the posts. The final try was a two-man circus with Locke emptying the tank to chase down a Keffer high ball and contain his man whose pass to Palov put his winger under pressure. Morra blocked Palov’s clearing kick, recovered the ball and flung it backwards and high into Locke’s hands who then drew the last man and put Morra away in the left corner. It was only this sixth conversion that Hodgkins missed, having slotted the first five right down the middle, bringing the final score to 40-25 Ravens.
UBC’s flanker Max Birtley, Nhanala, Biss and Webb stood out for me. The Raven back row of Matt Chan, Rumball and Locke impressed as did Janes, Keffer subbing in at #9 and knitting the second half attack together and Hodgkins in his patrician manner controlling things with his foot, hands and eye.
The yellow cards were earned and did not affect the result; they only added some volatility to the game’s phases. It was the veteran, savvy effort by a strong club side that ultimately overcame the pace and energy of a quality university side, and hey, the Ravens scored two even strength tries to UBC’s none!