It’s a hard knock life

ae

 

 

Dave Tam Photo

 

Weathering

efeat

Hamish Knox

 

The rainswept plain of UBC's
Wolfson Field was the setting
for an Under-20 rugby
quarterfinal match last
weekend, which was domi-
nated more by the weather
than either team.

Torrential rains and
bitterly cold winds were the
staples of the match last
Saturday between the under-
20 squads of Douglas and
UBC. The Thunderbirds got
the match off to a quick
start, scoring a try in the 7®
minute and converting a
penalty in the 12. Although
they were down 10-0 in the
first 12 minutes, the Royals
kept playing hard, stopping
numerous charges by UBC
inside the DC 10-yard line. In
fact, without the sure tack-
ling that Douglas displayed in
the first 40 minutes, the
Thunderbirds could have
turned the game into a
blowout very early.

Douglas wasn't without
offense in the first half
either; they just couldn't get
over the UBC line. Twice they
were inside the T-birds’ 10,
yet the more experienced
university side turned away
the attacks. UBC converted
another penalty in the 25"
minute to lead 13-0 at the
half.

The Royals came out of
the locker room with a surge
of adrenaline, taking the
match to the Thunderbirds
instead of letting UBC dictate
the pace. Unlike the first 40
minutes, where the lineouts
and scrums were fairly even,
DC was dominant in the
second half, often pushing
the T-birds’ scrum back
several feet. However, because
the game is scored in tries
and penalties and not by who
has the better scrum, Douglas

 

the Other Press February 10 1999

continued to lose ground as
the Thunderbirds went over
the line in the 45" and 55"
minute, with a beautiful run
through the Royals’ defense,
the only defensive mistake
they made all day. UBC also
converted another penalty in
the 60“ minute, giving them
a 24-0 lead. The seemingly
overwhelming T-birds lead
started to wear on the Royals
as several pushing matches
broke out during the later
portions of the half, at one
point resulting in a full scale
brawl between all the players
on the field. No cards were
issued by the referee, but she
did pull both captains aside
and instructed them to keep
control of their players.
Despite both teams being
involved in the fight, and it
having no clear instigator;
UBC was awarded a penalty,
which raised the ire of Coach
Michael Collins. “There were
some critical calls made by
the referee at crucial times,
like the 20 man dustup out
here and somehow it ends up
to be our penalty.”

The Royals finally got
on the score sheet in the 63”
minute when the Douglas
scrum half crossed the line,
with his entire back row
pushing him forward. DC
missed the convert, but still
managed to get some points
against a more experienced
team. “UBC is a very strong
team. They're powerful and
well-trained; they're a four
year program and they recruit
from across the province,”
said Coach Collins after the
game. “For us to come out
here and be a two-year
college and put on an effort
like that—we thought it was
a very good game. Clearly
we're the most improved team
in the province.”