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Cowichan’s U13 boys win Island title at Age-Grade Rugby Championships

U14 and U16 girls both place fourth as Cowichan Rugby Football Club plays host
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Cowichan’s Reese Hastings shakes off a tackle during the U14 girls third-place game at the Vancouver Island Age-Grade Rugby Championships on Dec. 12. (Kevin Rothbauer/Citizen)

Three home teams were in action as the Cowichan Rugby Football Club played host to the BC Rugby Vancouver Island Age-Grade Finals on Sunday, Dec. 12.

Cowichan’s U13 boys capped off their undefeated season with a win in their gold-medal match, while the U14 and U16 girls teams were defeated in their third-place games.

The U13 boys beat their rivals from Comox’s Rapids Rugby club 63-24, a well-deserved victory for the Cowichan players according to coach Peter Kis-Toth.

“The team was made up of players who have worn Cowichan green and black since they were tiny little kids and a large contingent of boys who were new to rugby this year,” the coach noted. “They learned to play well together under the leadership of the more experienced players and they improved every time they played. Every player contributed to Sunday’s win; there were tackle-breaking runs, passes to players in space and try saving tackles. Cowichan won Sunday’s game by following the rugby principles of going forward, keeping the ball, and taking it back when they didn’t have it.”

The U14 girls lost to the Rapids in their third-place game.

“Although Comox came away with the victory, Cowichan continues to show tremendous progress on learning the fundamentals of the game and the specific skill sets,” coach Steve Hall said. “The kids always have fun playing Comox as they always show great sportsmanship. Our team is on the younger side of the age group with a lot of new players to the game.

“This weekend Reese Hastings was an outstanding tackler, Lucy Healey showed great passing accuracy, Beatrix Klatt showed determination in the rucks, and the side was captained by Sedona Bond who continues to lead by example. It is very hard to identify outstanding performers as all of the players have made huge progress in their own way and I think all of the players are looking forward to returning in 2022.”

Cowichan’s U16 girls played to a close 35-22 loss to Westshore.

“The girls had a rematch against Westshore,” coach Sherry Spence said. “This was such a great showing of the talent these players have. It was a back-and-forth game, with great running by Maggie Mycroft and Bella Teasdale-Anderton. It wasn’t until the last 10 minutes that the Westshore team put back-to-back tries on, and when the final whistle blew we lost 35-22. The growth amongst this group has been tremendous. With such a young group the future is bright.”

The Junior Piggies program is now taking a break until late January, when the U15 and below age groups will resume play until late May, while older players will look toward the high school season. The CRFC is always open to new players.

“The spring is a great time to try rugby, as the focus is on skill development and the weather improves every week,” U13 boys coach Kis-Toth advised.

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Cowichan’s Bella Teasdale-Anderton breaks away from the pack during the U16 girls third-place game at the Vancouver Island Age-Grade Rugby Championships on Dec. 12. (Kevin Rothbauer/Citizen)
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Cowichan’s Landis Fulton battles through a swarm of Rapids players during the U13 boys gold-medal game at the Vancouver Island Age-Grade Rugby Championships on Dec. 12. (Kevin Rothbauer/Citizen)


Kevin Rothbauer

About the Author: Kevin Rothbauer

Kevin Rothbauer is the sports reporter for the Cowichan Valley Citizen
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