The Cowichan Rugby Football Club boasts that its field never closes, no matter the weather.
Last Saturday, they might have wished they didn’t adhere so closely to that policy as the rainy, sloppy conditions prevented the First Division Piggies from playing their best game in a 36-0 loss at home to the Port Alberni Black Sheep.
Alberni showed up with a big size, both in terms of numbers and sheer physicality, further making things difficult for Cowichan.
“The weather didn’t help us with our speed and quick ball movement,” Cowichan coach Andrew Wright said. “And Port Alberni out-sized us. Their forward pack probably outweighed us by five or six hundred pounds. They were a big, well-drilled team.”
The Piggies had just 16 players available on the day, meaning they had just one spare on the bench. Alberni led 17-0 at halftime and just kept pouring it on in the second half.
“Guys were working or had other commitments,” Wright said. “You can’t compete at the First Division level without a bench. Guys had to play through some tough times, for sure.”
The Piggies hope to put the devastating defeat behind them as they head to Nanaimo this Saturday to face the Hornets. The Hornets beat the Piggies 46-10 in the season opener, and the Cowichan boys would like nothing better than to avenge that loss.
“We have a score to settle,” Wright said. “We have lots of new guys they haven’t seen yet. Hopefully the weather is better and we can play the fast, wide, quick game we want to.”