The Collingwood Cavaliers senior boys rugby team starts every season with a built-in goal: the triple crown.
Every year they are gunning for wins in the Hatch Shield game – an annual grudge match against the neighbours/rivals from Rockridge – the New Zealand Shield Lower Mainland AA title game, and the provincial AA championship final.
“That’s always our aim,” said head coach Dave Speirs. “We always talk about winning the Hatch Shield, the Lower Mainland and the B.C.s. That’s awesome. … We haven’t done that since 2013, but that’s what we’re hoping for. The problem is that standing in the way in a lot of those games is Rockridge.”
Phase 1 this year was completed April 28 when the Cavaliers won a hard-fought game against Rockridge 26-15 to win the Hatch Shield. The next step was taken May 18 when Collingwood knocked off Richmond’s R.A. McMath 41-12 in the Lower Mainland final to claim the historic New Zealand Shield.
The scoring was lopsided but the Wildcats were no pushovers.
“They’ve had some good wins. They beat Rockridge twice, which is always impressive,” Speirs said of McMath. “They’re a big, powerful group of athletes, that’s for sure.”
The Wildcats were no match, however, for the speedy display put on by Collingwood’s backs.
“We had our wide attacking game going really well in that game,” said Speirs. “We spun the ball wide and had our fast guys in our backline, we basically got outside them a few times and scored some pretty impressive tries just using our handling and our speed.”
With two of the three legs of the triple crown knocked off, the Cavaliers are now focused on the third, which is by far the biggest and toughest to grab. Provincials will be held May 31 to June 3 in Abbotsford, with second-ranked Collingwood opening play with a quarterfinal matchup against No. 7 G.W. Graham from Chilliwack. A win over Graham would likely set the Cavaliers up for a one-two punch of Vancouver Island foes waiting in the semifinals and finals.
No. 3 Brentwood is the likely semifinal opponent, a team that Collingwood beat 8-5 in a tough Stadium Series contest April 7. If Collingwood survives that semifinal, top-ranked St. Michaels University School will likely be waiting in the final. Collingwood and SMUS met in last year’s title game with the Island team grabbing the prize.
“We’ve done well in our league but I know that SMUS and Brentwood are out there and they’re very good,” said Speirs. “We think it’s really close between the top three teams. … It’s going to be tight. If we have anything less than our A game, it’s not going to be enough. That’s a certainty. If we get everything running smoothly, then we could have a chance.”
The Cavaliers will be led in their charge by a small group of Grade 12 players, including standouts Carter Proc, Jaxson Vickerstaff and Cam Bird. Forward Matt Frost has also played a huge part in their success so far this season, said Speirs.
The whole team will need to step up, however, if the Cavaliers are to reach their ultimate goal.
“To win the Hatch Shield and then the Lower Mainland, that’s a really good season in itself,” he said. “The ultimate goal, however, is provincials. If we walk away with anything other than gold at the provincials, we’re disappointed. … We feel that if we’re on our game we can play with anybody.”
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North Shore teams will be all over the pitch at the provincial championships. Rockridge comes in as the sixth-ranked AA Tier 1 team while Sutherland and Seycove will take part in the AA Tier 2 competition, coming in as the fourth and sixth-ranked teams, respectively.
At the AAA level Carson Graham leads the charge, coming in as the No. 1 seed in the Tier 1 competition. Handsworth also makes the grade in Tier 1 as the third-ranked team. Argyle and West Vancouver will take part in the AAA Tier 2 competition, ranked third and seventh. For updated schedules and results visit bcssru.com.
