A pair of come-from-behind victories over Vanier last Wednesday had Cowichan Secondary girls rugby coaches thrilled with their teams’ performances.
The Cow High seniors beat Vanier 12-5, and the development/junior team defeated Vanier 30-17.
“Vanier has been a difficult opponent for several years now,” head coach Brad Skene said. “They have a lot of talent and are well coached. The senior game was a tight physical game that was played primarily in Vanier’s half but the game could have gone either way. I was really, really proud of our effort and commitment to each other.”
Brigitte Reid and Brianna Margerison scored tries for the senior Thunderbirds, and Maddie Pirie slotted a conversion. The development/junior team got two tries from Birkley Anderson and one each from Melanie Robertson, Kaitlyn Crichton, Brooklyn Hill and Sophie Saunders.
On Friday, Cowichan managed a 24-20 win over visiting Erin High from Ontario. Reid, Megan Lewis, Mia Eagar and Alyssa Vancought scored tries and Pirie kicked a pair of conversions.
“We started with a strong line-up but decided early in the match to play most of our squad in this game so that they could experience out-of-province rugby,” Skene said. “This exposure helps us grow and learn. Our most experienced players got us out to lead in the first half but Erin High battled back and took the lead. Composure and effort at the end of the game got back into the lead and we sneaked out a win.”
The Cowichan seniors defeated Brentwood College 51-10 on Tuesday afternoon, although Skene cautioned that the score was not indicative of the game.
“Brentwood is a young, developing team that is well coached and did a number of things to disrupt our possession,” Skene said. Our experience and senior physicality was the difference in the game.”
Reid and Syan Johnson each scored twice, while Lewis, Drew Hobday, Lauren Rivera and Eve Truhn had one try apiece. Pirie and Oakes split kicking duties with two conversions each.
Earlier in the month, Cowichan finished fourth in the Island girls sevens tournament at Brentwood College School, falling to Belmont in the third-place match. Shawnigan Lake School won the tournament, while Brentwood finished seventh.