Victoria Rugby Champs Crowned as Teams Ready for BCs
The 2009 South Island High School Rugby Playoffs concluded last Thursday, as the AA and AAA finals took place.
In the Colonel Hodgkins Cup for the AA title, the regular season champions Esquimalt Dockers were put to the test against a solid Reynolds squad. In the end, Esquimalt escaped with a 15-14 victory to claim the championship.
Both Reynolds and Esquimalt have advanced to the AA Boys BC Rugby Championships in Burnaby later this month. First round matchup have been set, as Reynolds has drawn the tournament's 12th seed and will take on Island rival Ladysmith, while Esquimalt has claimed 9th and will take on Surrey's Clayton Heights.
In the AAA finals for the Howard Russell Cup, provincial powerhouses and major rivals St. Michael's University and Oak Bay battled for the title once again. The defending champions Oak Bay were ousted this year, as SMU pulled off a 31-10 victory. Many saw their victory as an upset, as Oak Bay slaughtered Belmont 53-0 in their semi, while SMU narrowly escaped with a 17-12 victory over Claremont in theirs. With their victory, St. Michael's hope this is the first step to taking back the provincial title, which they last won in 2007.
Heading into the BCs, SMU is ranked 3rd and will first take on Kitsilano, while Oak Bay comes in at 7th and will face Vancouver College. Mill Bay school Shawnigan Lake is the 1st seed in the AAA tournament and will take on Terry Fox in the first round.
The 2009 AA and AAA Boys finals will begin May 23 at various locations around the province, with the second, third and final rounds taking place in Burnaby at UBC from May 27-30.
For more info on the 2009 BC High School Rugby Provincials visit www.bcssru.com
