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Scrumfest leads to more success for Kelsey rugby

A strong showing at Scrumfest two weekends ago propelled Frances Kelsey's senior boys rubgy team toward a 22-0 win over Nanaimo District Secondary in league play last Thursday.

Kelsey earned wins over Stelly's and Grand Forks at Scrumfest, with their lone defeat coming against G.W. Graham.

"Despite having a tough time due to multiple injuries, the boys held their own against some very talented teams from around B.C.," Kelsey coach Tom Fogarty said. "In our single loss, we had a difficult time initially stopping the strong runners that G.W. Graham had in abundance, but as usual we didn't back down and the boys were able to begin to play some nice rugby and finished the game on a strong note."

No. 8 Karl Mattison scored two tries in the first half of last Thursday's victory as the windy and rainy conditions turned the match into a battle between forward packs. The weather eased off in the second half, and the Kelsey backs were able to display their skills, with Saxon Ashbee and Landon Conville going over the line.

Prop Dallas (Moose) McLaughlin was named Kelsey's Man of the Match.

"Dallas was immense during this game," Fogarty said "He hit the rucks like a freight train, made a ton of tackles, and was relentless in hammering the NDSS front row at scrum time. He has definitely been one of the most improved players so far this season; all of his dedication to training and improving as a player is paying off big time."

The Breakers will play their final league game this Thursday at Cowichan Secondary School against the T-Birds' second XV, kicking off at 3:45 p.m. "As coaches, it has been very rewarding to see the boys implementing more regularly the stuff we are working on during training," Fogarty said. "We have a very talented young squad - with no less than seven juniors starting against NDSS - and believe that they can only get better as they mature both physically and mentally. It will definitely be interesting to see how they continue to fair as the season progresses into playoff action in a couple of weeks."



Kevin Rothbauer

About the Author: Kevin Rothbauer

Kevin Rothbauer is the sports reporter for the Cowichan Valley Citizen
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