Vancouver Highlanders Win Opening Double Header: Defeat Canada Selects 44-33 and Barbados 44-12
It was everything the Highlanders would have wanted from their opening weekend, a double header win over Canada Selects (44-33) and Barbados (44-12). They reported the attendance at 1,023 and the YouTube stream shows 2,160 views, so you could say it reached over 3,000 people. It’s a positive start.
We’ve put our match notes for the Highlanders v Canada Selects and Reserves v Barbados games below.
Overall thoughts, Highlanders put in a strong defensive effort for 75 minutes, when the backline subs came on the game swung in favour of the Canada Selects for the last 5 minutes and they subsequently scored two late tries. Reid Watkins is an essential part of the Highlanders attack, and deserves to be on the Canada list. The Highlanders don’t really have a backup of his quality, although Jacob Bourne did a credible job running the Reserves team at #9 in their win over Barbados. At the #10 spot Josh Thiel put up his hand for Canada selection, he certainly out played Peter Nelson who has been the national team incumbent for years. The fact he keeps getting selected is another clue that head coach Kingsley Jones is living in the past with his selections. The McMullin brothers are gold, Talon kicking that 50/22 from his inside centre position gives a hint of the field awareness he’s developing, in terms of power he ran right over Nelson as the last defender for a try. Takoda looked solid and confident at fullback. Karl Hunger stood out in the forwards for the Highlanders among the Canadian contingent, he was chosen by the commentators as the Highlanders forward of the match. Josh Thiel got the nod from the commentators as Highlanders back of the match, although Reid Watkins could have been a choice, and Talon McMullin, Takoda McMullin, Melani Nanai, D’Shawn Bowen and Nico Leonard all had strong games.
For the Canada Selects Jesse Kilgour stood out when he subbed in at scrum half, he was an easy choice for Selects back of the match and was chosen as such by the commentary team. The Selects forwards of the match was Kaden Duguid, chosen by the commentators for his work in the lineouts. Tyler Matchem made a name for himself early on winning those scrum penalties, Siaki Vikilani had some strong runs and Jesse Mackail scored two tries off the maul.
The live stream production wasn’t too bad, they needed a play by play commentator to keep viewers informed on what was happening on the field, especially when the camera failed to zoom in on the far side of the field, which was often. We got two witty colour commentators which was OK but they often failed to follow the match. Bryan Kelly would be a good choice if he’s available. The Barbados game didn’t have any commentary which was unfortunate.
The Canadian men’s XVs program needs these type of matches, the equivalent of the Canada A matches in the past. Good work to the Highlanders crew for making it happen.
Match Notes Highlanders v Canada Selects
10:00 The early scrum battle is going for the Canada Selects, Tyler Matchem at tighthead is picking up the credit and the Highlanders are penalized twice in the first 10 minutes.
14:00 D’Shawn Bowen scores the first try for the Highlanders off a chance bounce of the ball but he has the pace to beat the fullback and #10 to touch it down. It started with Kainoa Lloyd putting in a chip and chase that Highlanders’ fullback Takoda McMullin coralled, his clearing kick wasn’t the best but it worked out beautifully when the ball bounced fortuitously to Bowen who legged it in. Good work by McMullin on evading the defence and Bowen for putting in the effort to be at the right place at the right time in chasing the kick. 5-0 Highlanders
20:00 A third scrum penalty against the Highlanders leads to a lineout and maul that Jesse Mackail takes over the line, 7-5 Selects
22:00 A storming run by Talon McMullin #12 for Highlanders and he just runs right over Peter Nelson who is the last defender, 12-7 Highlanders
29:00 Highlanders kick a penalty after several phases of attack catches the Selects offside, 15-7 Highlanders
31:00 Highlanders aren’t able to clear the ball off the kickoff and are penalized, Selects again go lineout and maul, Braden Bruce crossing the line. 15-12 Highlanders
36:00 Highlanders win a scrum penalty due to a bind issue, they take the points, 18-12 Highlanders
39:00 Highlanders again aren’t able clear the ball on the kickoff, Selects take control inside the 22, win a penalty, linout and maul, Jesse Mackail gets his second try, 19-18 Selects
40:00 HT 19-18 for Selects. Impressing for Highlanders, the McMullin brothers, Josh Thiel, Karl Hunger, D’Shawn Bowen, Melani Nanai. Strong performances for the Selects from Kaden Duguid, Tyler Matchem, Jesse Mackail, Kainoa Lloyd, Siaki Vikilani.
42:00 A storming run by Takoda McMullin sets up a Highlanders attack inside the 22, a penalty for offside, they take the points, 21-19 for Highlanders.
47:00 A try by Melani Nanai, it was a nice backline move off the lineout that involved Nico Leonard coming off his wing, he delayed his pass a fraction and set Nanai through the gap, he was tackled short of the line but a couple of phases later dove over for the try. 26-19 Highlanders
53:00 A nice set of phases by the Highlanders which started from a short arm penalty from a scrum infraction. The ball was tapped and spread from side to side with good yardage picked up by the outside backs, it was finished off by #8 Relmu Wilson-Valdes who made a clever pick and go from the ruck when he realized there was no defender in front of him. 33-19 Highlanders
62:00 Highlanders controlling play, lots of territory inside the Selects 22, penalty called and the Highlanders take the points. 36-19 Highlanders
66:00 Talon McMullin kicks a 50/22, that’s impressive from the inside centre, it sets up a lineout and maul, Karl Hunger goes over. 41-19 Highlanders
72:00 More possession for the Highlanders inside the Selects 22, another penalty, and they take the points, 44-19 Highlanders
75:00 With the Highlanders subbing off most of the their starting backline, Selects start to find space out wide. A nice linking play involving James Thiel, di Nardo and Kilgour, sees Kilgour under the posts. 44-26 Highlanders
80:00 A break through the Highlanders backline defence involving Kilgour and #23 (unknown) takes the ball to the goal line, a couple of phases later Cody Nhanala dives over to end the match, 44-33 Highlanders.
Match Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4oNv8t04Hk
Highlanders Reserves v Barbados
6:00 Second row Asfand Saeed finishes off some prolonged pressure inside the Barbados 5 metre line, 5-0 Highlanders
21:00 The match has been fairly even, the Reserves aren’t controlling the game as expected, it gets frenetic and Barbados takes advantage of the chaos with a kick and bounce that goes awry and finds the winger #14 who outpaces the defence. It’s 5-5, a quarter of the match gone and it looks to be anyone’s match.
25:00 The Reserves settle down a bit and take points when available, adding 3 for an offside penalty. The openside for the Reserves, Conall Henchy, is starting to put his mark on the game and his run set up the penalty opportunity. 8-5 Highlanders.
30:00 Theo Espagnol, the Highlanders tighthead, is also putting his mark on the match. He jackals a ball at the breakdown, the Reserves kick to the corner, lineout, maul and Conall Henchy eventually gets over the line. 13-5 Highlanders.
36:00 A nice series that will make the Highlanders coaches happy. Barbados were attacking inside the 22, the runner was held up and Ed Wallin, the loosehead prop ripped it. Then Espagnol, to Olver, to Kinghorn, to Mulgrew and finished off by Biss. It was a top level counter attack, good support throughout and that broke the game open. 20-5 Highlanders.
39:00 A few minutes later and the Reserves are playing with confidence, gaps are opening. A solo run by openside Conall Henchy sees him go 60 metres for the score. He’s one of several Reserve players putting their hand up for the 1st XV. 27-5 Highlanders.
HT: It took the Reserves about 30 minutes to settle down and take control of the match. There were some good performances in the first 40 Henchy, Mulgrew, Espagnol a few names that come to mind.
50:00 Jacob Bourne playing #9 links up nicely with #13 Hayden Mulgrew who puts down a grubber and chases it, touching it down in goal for a try. There’s not a lot of room in the 1st XV starting roster for backline players, 9 to 15, but these two are making a case to be called in as impact subs. 32-5 Highlanders
58:00 The Reserves are running up a high penalty count as they’re inaccurate at the breakdown and getting pinged for being offside. Barbados take advantage of the field position and eventually crash over with their big bodies for a try, 32-12 Highlanders
63:00 The Highlanders continue to rack up the infringements, the lack of discipline is allowing Barbados to get back in the match, the ref says enough and gives a yellow card to one of the Highlanders forwards. It looks like Connall Henchy is moved to the hooker role and Jacob Bourne is moved to fullback.
72:00 Brian Ndirangu gets over the ball at the breakdown and wins a penalty for the Highlanders. They kick to the corner, lineout and maul which gets taken down short of the line. The ball is passed to big winger Keith Graham who jinks his way over the line. 37-12 Highlanders
80:00 Final try of the match to the player with no number who took over the scrum half position. 44-12 Highlanders
Match Video
Vancouver Highlanders vs Canada Selects; Reserves vs Barbados; Predictions & Rosters
The Highlanders kick off their inaugural season with a double header at Burnaby Rugby Club on Friday evening. The 1st team will face a Canada Selects team (4:30 pm) while the Reserves will take on Barbados (7 pm). Games will be live streamed here.
HIGHLANDERS V CANADA SELECTS
There are 13 players in the match that are part of the Canada roster announced for the summer matches against Scotland and Romania. There are 10 on the Canada Selects side and 3 on the Highlanders side. This should be a competitive match. On one hand you have 3 times the Canada selections on the Selects, on the other hand you have a Highlanders team that have been practicing together for almost a month.
The front row battle should be good, Pacific Pride, UBC, Ravens players and alumni battling it out. The second row is a chance to see Kaden Duguid in action since he moved to France and how he matches up against domestic-based players. In the loose forwards a matchup of Canada hopefuls, 5 of them on the Canada list either in the 34 players named or standby players. Only Highlanders #8, Relmu Wilson-Valdes, is not on the Canada list so he’ll have something to prove.
In the halfbacks Reid Watson, MLR level experience but not on the Canada list vs Crosby Stewart who had a trial with MLR in Houston. The #10s, interesting matchup, Peter Nelson the long time Canada choice by Kingsley Jones against Josh Thiel, MLR level experience. The Selects have both #10 hopefuls Mark Balaski and Jamin Hodgkins in the starting XV but playing centre and fullback. Will one of those players be switched to #10 during the match?
Out wide the Highlanders look formidable with D’Shawn Bowen, Nico Leonard and Takoda McMullin. The Selects have Kainoa Lloyd who is a starter at the Canada level, Rhys James and Jamin Hodgkins. In the centres the Highlanders have former Super Rugby player, Melani Nanai, along with Talon McMullin, against them for the Selects are Mark Balaski and Kyle Tremblay.
The bench will play a big part since the Highlanders list 25 players and the Selects 29 players. So the Selects have the advantage here in this development game, in case of fresh legs at the end.
It will be interesting to see who wins the set piece battle, I don’t have a prediction on that based on rosters. Curry Hitchborn, the Highlanders Co-Founder, has a lot of pride in that aspect of the game and coach Tom Larisch fits that style of play with the Capilano teams he led. The Selects having the incumbent national team flyhalf would, on paper, have the advantage in terms of experience and game management. The Highlanders, I think, have more attacking weapons outside. So it should be interesting.
The Highlanders will want to win their opening match, it will mean a lot to them, and they’ve been focused on this event for a while. Each team looks to have an edge in certain areas of the game based on rosters but how the packs match up in the set piece is the wild card. Based on the motivation factor, I’m predicting a Highlanders win. Prediction: Highlanders by 5.
Highlanders
1 Griffin Philllipson
2 Jacob Bossi
3 Payton Teneycke
4 Karl Hunger
5 Caden Wilson
6 Jake Thiel
7 Matt Klimchuk
8 Relmu Wilson-Valdes
9 Reid Watkins
10 Josh Thiel
11 Nico Leonard
12 Talon McMullin
13 Melani Nanai
14 D’Shawn Bowen
15 Takoda McMullin
16 Sam Mace
17 Conor O’Flaherty
18 Cole Kelly
19 Saba Shubitidze
20 Joseph Locke
21 Ollie Nott
22 Finlay Kennedy
23 Nick Blain
24 Lenny Bonduau
25 Alastair Marshall
Canada Selects
1 Sam Miller
2 Jesse Mackail
3 Tyler Matchem
4 James Stockwood
5 Kaden Duguid
6 Zephyr Melnyk
7 Sion Parry
8 Siaki Vikilani
9 Crosby Stewart
10 Peter Nelson
11 Rhys James
12 Mark Balaski
13 Kyle Tremblay
14 Kainoa Lloyd
15 Jamin Hodgkins
16 Jeffrey Young
17 Moe Steves
18 Bryce Worden
19 Jordy Auger
20 Braden Bruce
21 Cody Nhanala
22 Olly Wiseman
23 Jesse Kilgour
24 Mostyn Findlay
25 Thomas Burton
26 Morgan di Nardo
27 Spencer Cotie
28 James Thiel
29 Matt Bennett
HIGHLANDER RESERVES V BARBADOS
The Highlander Reserves have a couple of players who were originally named to the 1st XV, Thomas Davidson lock and James Biss #10. Also one of their props, Simeon John, is playing with Barbados in this match. Taine Clague is not in the roster.
Barbados are a bit of an unknown, their coach Joe Whipple stated their goal is to win the Rugby Americas tournament. The top teams in that tournament, that Barbados would hope to defeat, would be Mexico, Jamaica, Bermuda, Cayman Islands. Barbados defeated some of the lesser teams in the region by large scores recently, 80-0 over Saint Vincent & The Grenadines in May and 93-7 over Saint Lucia in June. This match should be a step up for them in terms of competition.
We only know one of the Barbados players, Simeon John, who played for Westshore in the BC Premier and Premier Reserve competition. We would expect a physical team with good outside speed but perhaps lacking game time in XVs.
The Highlander Reserves have some familiar names, James Biss the UBC #10, Sion Griffiths the #12 from CW, Theo Espagnol from the Pacific Pride, Asfand Saeed from James Bay, Mike Moloney from Capilano. It will be a chance to see how these players have bonded together as a team during their time with the Highlanders.
It’s difficult to make a prediction with teams coming from different backgrounds, putting 90 points on Saint Lucia isn’t a good reference point. It will be a learning experience for both sides. I’ll go with the home team and call a double header victory and the perfect opening day for the Highlanders. Prediction: Highlander Reserves by 12.
from Barbados Rugby
The Bajan men have been preparing for the past week at Shawnigan Lake School on Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada for their match against the semi-pro team, Vancouver Highlanders. The team has added forwards coach Cole Racine to complement Joe Whipple’s coaching staff. The team is currently training two sessions per day with skills in the morning and team runs in the afternoon. Head Coach, Joe Whipple, commented “We have had some good sessions. The scrum has seen some significant improvements and the backs look sharp. The players have really come with a good attitude and putting in a significant effort. The goal of the tour is continue to improve our playing with the ultimate goal to win the Rugby America’s Tournament. This camp has increased our fifteens squad to 33 players and our sevens squad to 20 players. We very much appreciate the opportunity that has been afforded to us by Ralph Mcrae and the Vancouver Highlanders.”
Highlander Reserves
1 Ed Wallin
2 Josh Olver
3 Theo Espagnol
4 Thomas Davidson
5 Asfand Saeed
6 Callum Brown
7 Conall Henchy
8 Liam Kinghorn
9 Keegan Neary
10 James Biss
11 Nathan Holm
12 Sion Griffiths
13 Hayden Mulgrew
14 Demetri Patterson
15 Mike Moloney
16 Brian Ndirangu
17 Charlie Huntingford
18 Tom Richardson
19 Jacob Bourne
20 George Wallin
21 Keith Graham
22 Niko Andrianos
Barbados
1. ANTONIO GIBBONS
2. JOHN SHANE HOWARD
3. SIMEON JOHN
4. JEREMY NELSON
5. SEAN WARD (VC)
6. JAMIE LASHLEY
7. ENRIQUE OXLEY ©
8. DAN MARTYN
9. LUCAS BRATHWAITE
10. LIAM CADDY
11. SIMON JOHN
12. ADAM HAKIMIAN
13. JAKE CADDY
14. JAMIE ANDERSON
15. CALLUM DUNNE
16. RAJIV GRANT
18. ROMMEL MOORE
19. SIMROY JOHN
21. JADEN HOWELL
22. DANDRE PHILLIPS
23. JOSH RUDLING
26. CHRISTIAN PREECE
