By Malin Jordan
After a 78-year absence, Vancouver College's rugby program is back, and enjoying its rebirth
It was a tale of three seasons this year for the Vancouver College rugby team. The B.C. AAA high school squad started the season at a disappointing 1-4 and then surged 6-1-1 over their next eight games. They then dropped three of their last four games at the provincial championship tournament to close out their season at 8-8-1.
But the squad isn't hanging their heads. The fledgling rugby program, in only its third year, has enjoyed much success since its rebirth at the school after a 78-year absence.
The only effort not to appear in the win column during their good run of games was a slim 15-12 loss to Handsworth Secondary School and a tight 26-26 draw to California's Marin Highland club team.
Securing a spot in the provincial tournament, the Fighting Irish finished 15th overall. They defeated Rick Hansen Secondary School 36-10 in their last game.
"Our run through the provincials was not as successful as we had hoped for," said team manager Kim Findlay, "but still impressive, having made it there for the second year in a row."
Despite the close losses, Findlay knows his squad will do better next season. He said they lost some close games this year because of mental errors and a lack of game experience.
"It comes down to experience," he explained. "We train a lot of our players for the first time in their lives and we only get about two and half months to prepare them. I think they do a great job."
Findlay noted that College is getting about 10 players back next year, so they'll have a lot to build on. "Mental mistakes come from a lack of experience, and we've got a good group of players returning."
One of those returning players is Grade 10 student Reed Tucker. Playing in his rookie year, Tucker said he was happy with the way his team played. "I thought the season went pretty well. We didn't do too great towards the end of the season, but we came out pretty strong in the (provincial) finals."
Tucker, who plays eight-man for the team, said his squad dropped some close matches, but finished out strong when they topped Abbotsford's Rick Hansen to slot in at 15th overall in the provincial rankings for the season.
"That win really helped to make the season feel good. Now I'm looking forward to next year."
Senior Ben White also thought the victory over Rick Hansen was important after College's up-and-down 2010 campaign. "It was a good way to finish, but I felt we could've done better overall."
White, who plays fly half for the squad and is the team captain, was happy to be back at the provincials. "It was great, but it was a bit of a disappointment, losing our second game of the tournament."
That loss, a slender two-point defeat (10-8) to Surrey's Earl Marriott, sent College down into a lower bracket. (Marriott finished the tournament in 10th place.)
Charlie Thorpe, a Grade 11 flanker, said he had a lot of fun during the season. He was particularly happy his squad finished at .500 after a lacklustre start and a less-than-satisfying provincial run.
"We were hoping to finish better than 15th in the province, but it's still really good for a team that's only been around for three years."
Thorpe noted that he had a tremendous time playing rugby with the Irish, but he also felt disappointed with the squad's last three losses. He said he was impressed the team finished with eight wins after bookending the season with seven losses.
In their provincial finals run, College opened to a 45-5 drubbing at the hands of a stronger Oak Bay side in the first round of the four round tournament. Oak Bay finished in fourth place overall.
"The game was a lot closer than the scoreline," explained Tucker. "We dominated in the first 20 minutes and the game was close at the half." He said when the second half started, Oak Bay got an intercept try and College's game plan fell apart. "They were a strong team with some big boys and they got a couple of late tries."
In the second round, College faced off against Earl Marriott. The Fighting Irish had a last-second chance to win, but missed a penalty kick, losing 10-8.
"We should've won that game," said Thorpe. "It was a real disappointment because we thought we dominated the game. Then, in a 30-second span, they scored two tries."
Thorpe said the loss was tough, especially after being up 8-0 with about one minute left in the game.
In the third round, College lost a tight match to Cowichan by a 26-12 margin. And their last game was the 36-10 victory over Rick Hansen.
White said College finished well by winning that last match. "We controlled the game and the tempo. We played the kind of rugby that we like to play."
Findlay said the boys team should be proud of their season, but he adds that harder work will be required to improve on this effort for next year. He also said the team needs to establish more of a base in order to build some depth and grow the game at the school.
"We need more guys," Findlay explained, "but it still shows we've got great talent." He added the Fighting Irish could be one of the top squads in the province if they can manage to get more kids to play.
"It has been really rewarding, when you look at how successful the program has been with such a shoestring number of players."
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