Mounting injuries put the Cowichan Thunderbirds in a tough spot going into their last match before the provincial AAA boys rugby championships, but the situation also provided a good opportunity for some of the less-experienced players.
The T-Birds lost 35-12 to Claremont at Brentwood College last Thursday, but coaches Ron Glass and Tom Fogarty are anticipating some improved fortunes at the provincial championships next week.
“We are elated to have qualified for the provincial tournament and look forward to gaining valuable experience playing against strong opposition,” Glass said.
John-Henry Morten and Haele Ferguson scored Cowichan’s tries, and Logan Kits slotted a conversion. Cowichan was missing two starting props, two flankers, a No. 8, a scrum-half, a fly-half, a centre and a fullback, which led to some challenges in the contest.
“An example of our lack of finish was near the end of the first half when we were awarded a scrum 20 metres from the Claremont line, which traditionally would be almost guaranteed points,” Glass related. “We not only lost our own scrum but allowed the Claremont counter-attack to break the line and run 80 metres to score. That is a 14-point change, when we could have scored and trailed by two but went into the break trailing by 16.”
The T-Birds will head to Abbotsford next week for the provincial tournament. Their first match is on Wednesday against Argyle.