Vancouver, BC: The 2011 BC Rugby Provincial Regional Championships wrapped up on Sunday afternoon with Fraser Valley rep teams claiming both the Under 18 Men's and Women's titles. The Men's Under-16 provincial title was captured by the Vancouver Island Tide.
Over 400 age grade players participated in this year's PRCs, with 51 games taking place over the course of the three days. Provincial selectors were on site using the tournament as a selection tool for the upcoming National Festival held in Calgary from August 17-21.
For full standings and results click here.
U18 Men
The top-seeded Fraser Valley U18 men's squad went into the final with a perfect 5-0 record, and saved the best performance for last, downing the Vancouver Island Tide by a score of 31-8 to be crowned provincial champs.
Boasting a number of Junior National Team and BC Elite Youth Sevens standouts, the Valley's tenacious attacking style of rugby over ran the Island defence.
"We had a game plan and it was to attack wide," said Fraser Valley Captain Jorden Best. "On the field it was a break but not bend defence that kept them out."
Best scored the opening try of the match, sidestepping through the tide defence before sprinting half the field to dot down. Valley winger Liam Murphy-Burke scored the next two tries, one being a well-timed intercept try that saw him dash three quarters of the field to score. The final try was notched by Ryan March, who barrelled through a line of defenders. Connor Hunter made every attempt at goal, kicking four conversions and one penalty for a game-high 11 points.
In the bronze medal game, Vancouver downed Thompson-Okanagan Kelwona 24-12 to wrap up the tournament. Thompson-Okanagan Kamloops finished in fifth after edging the Vancouver Island North squad 15-7.
Results - Sunday July 10th
Gold Medal Game: Fraser Valley 31- 8 Vancouver Island South
Bronze Medal Game: Vancouver 24 - 12 Thompson-Okanagan Kelowna
5th/6th playoff: Thompson-Okangan Kamloops 15 - 7 Vancouver Island North
U18 Women
The Fraser Valley women's U18 team wrapped up the round robin competition with a 15-7 victory over Vancouver, enough to see them finish five points clear of their Lower Mainland rivals in the standings.
In a tightly contested final, Erika Van Ginkel, Mackenzie Fowler and Jordan Pallesch each went over for the Valley squad. Their staunch defending held Vancouver to just seven points, a team that had been averaging 44.5 points per game heading in.
Jess Neilson recorded Vancouver's only points against the Valley, scoring and then converting her own try.
"We were down to 14 players at the end and our girls just dug deep," said Fraser Valley head coach Jen Ross. "Our defence refused to give any ground and we were able to shut them out. These two teams were very evenly matched. We knew going in that they would go out wide so we put the pressure on early and it paid off in the end."
Results - Sunday, July 10th
Fraser Valley 15 - 7 Vancouver
Vancouver Island 53(+1) - 0 Cariboo
U16 Men
With a narrow 12-5 win over Vancouver North in the final round robin match, the Vancouver Island Tide finished on top of the nine-team competition with 27 points, three more than Vancouver North in the standings.
The Island squad's tries were recorded by Ollie Nott and Brody Penn, with a conversion courtesy of Giuseppe Du Toit. Despite holding much of the possession in the second half, Vancouver North's only try was scored by scrum half Cole Keffer.
"That was one of the best games I've seen at this level in a long time," said Vancouver Island coach Clayton Daum. "I was blown away by our defensive effort. They had a lot of ball and we held them for a few defensive stands. Our defence was definitely the difference today."
Fraser Valley West were awarded third place in the competition, narrowly edging Fraser Valley East in the standings by a head-to-head tie breaker. Vancouver West placed fifth overall, with Vancouver Island North placing sixth and Fraser Valley Central seventh. Thompson Okanagan placed eighth with Vancouver East going winless to finish in ninth.
Results - Sunday, July 10th
Vancouver North 10 - 0 Fraser Valley West
Fraser Valley East 52(+1) - 0 Vancouver Island North
Fraser Valley Central 24(+1) - 0 Vancouver East
Vancouver Island South 19 - 10 Fraser Valley West
Vancouver West 10 - 7(+1) Vancouver Island North
Fraser Valley Central 13 - 5 Thompson Okanagan
Vancouver Island South 12 - 5(+1) Vancouver North
Fraser Valley East 22 - 17(+1) Vancouver West
Thompson Okanagan 20 (+1) - 5 Vancouver East
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