Another five minutes, and things might have been different.
Cowichan’s women’s rugby team exploded for three late tries, and might have been able to add one more for a victory, but when the final whistle blew in their Premiership match last Saturday, the score was 38-34 for Castaways.
The teams battled hard in the first half, and Cowichan trailed 31-17 at the break, getting two tries from Natasha Smith and one from Carolyn Gudmundseth, with a conversion by Avi Sharabi.
The turning point came in the second half when Gudmundseth chased down the Castaways centre through her own end zone, tackling her for a knock-on that led to a push-over for try. Smith added two more tries in the last minute of the match, getting Cowichan within four points.
Rebecca Saari and Rebecca Kerswell were named Cowichan’s players of the game.
The women’s team is done for the winter, sitting fourth in the Premiership standings, just one point out of third.