New Capilano Rugby Club head coach Keith Reeves may still be getting accustomed to his charges but he knows enough to realize that they’ll be fired up for their home match against Burnaby Lake Rugby Club this Saturday.
In recent years the two clubs separated by the Burrard Inlet have waged several fierce battles, often with playoff positions or even the provincial championship on the line. The stakes won’t be quite so high for this weekend’s early season tilt but with Burnaby in first place and Capilano in second after two weeks of play, Reeves is expecting another tough game.
“My job is to try to keep the emotions in check,” he said. “You do get sucked into that kind of conflict and end up losing your shape and patterns. It’s great that we have a local rivalry with Burnaby … but at the same time I want to make sure we win the game.”
It’ll be a nice early test for Reeves who has been helping coach the Capilano elite team since January and inherited the head coaching job from Tom Larisch this summer.
A retired special education teacher from the U.K., Reeves moved to Squamish three years ago and now his main job title is grandfather/chauffeur. He also brought a wealth of rugby experience with him from his home in Keighley, Yorkshire, where he coached at the pro and semi-pro level.
“I’ve coached for donkey’s years,” Reeves said with a laugh. Over those years he has developed some contacts within the Capilano club and last year they came calling. “They were nagging me to come back and get involved. I eventually succumbed.”
Capilano opened regular season play with a 24-7 home win over UBCOB Ravens played in sloppy conditions Sept. 19 before losing 43-24 on the road the next weekend against the defending champion UBC Thunderbirds. Through those two games it’s been tough to get a good read on what kind of team Capilano will be this year, said Reeves.
“The first game was played in monsoon-like conditions. The game plan went out the window as soon as we saw what the weather was like. We won that game just on talent alone, really. And then Saturday’s game at UBC was a disappointment, although when you look back on it it was probably just two missed tackles and two handling errors handed them four tries. That kind of took the game away from us.”
Reeves was impressed, however, with the way his team kept battling against UBC, scoring two late tries to close the gap a little.
“The potential is there - that’s for all to see,” he said, adding that he’s excited about the challenge of harnessing that potential throughout his first season as Capilano’s head coach.
“It’s a big challenge in that they have a great bunch of players, there’s a lot of talent, there’s a lot of young talent. Some of the more established players like Glen McKinnon and Mike McDonald are, I would say, some of the best players in B.C. It’s a case of harnessing the experience and the youth and putting it together to make a championship-winning team.”
Reeves also listed club captain Chris Robinson and Luke Cudmore, national team member Jamie Cudmore’s younger brother, as veteran players he’ll be counting on for leadership. The youngsters they’ll be fighting beside include Clement Vernezoul, a 23-year-old who has suited up for France’s junior national team and came to the Lower Mainland to join Capilano this fall, slated to replace the injured Charlie Jones at fly-half.
“He’s going to be an outstanding player at Capilano,” said Reeves. “He’s enjoying himself so much that he’s persuaded his cousin to come and join us in about three weeks. He’s a centre who has played at a high level in France too.”
Another area of strength for the club is in young centres Nathan Yanagiya and Cody Pitman, two players not very far removed from strong football and rugby careers at Carson Graham secondary.
“I honestly think that they’re probably, if not already the two best centres in B.C., then they will become the two best centres in B.C.,” said Reeves. The club should also get a boost this weekend with the return of Adam Zaruba who has been in Victoria training in the Rugby Canada national team program.
Capilano’s biggest hole, said Reeves, is up front where the team lacks experience. The lineup was all set this summer but two props were injured in the preseason.
“That’s why you coach,” said Reeves with a laugh. “It’s not like you can wish for somebody to give us two props out of thin air. We’ve got to get lads in there who are capable and improve their skill levels.”
This year there’s a new wrinkle to the setup of the B.C. Rugby league fall season with the introduction of relegation. Seven West Coast mainland teams, including a new entrant from Seattle, will be competing for six CDI Premier League spots for the spring season, while four Vancouver Island teams will be competing for three spots. The two teams that finish at the bottom during the fall relegation round will drop down to Div. 1 for the spring season.
That adds a little drama to early season competition but Reeves said he’s focused on the other side of the standings.
“I’ll be completely honest, I haven’t even considered the potential to be relegated,” he said, adding that with the results they’ve already posted they’re already close to qualification. “My concerns are how we get to the top, not how we avoid going to the bottom. I’d be mortified if we got relegated, because we’ve got such a talented group of players.”
There will be five games on the slate on Saturday, including three senior men’s games, a U20 men’s game and a premier women’s game, all against Burnaby Lake. The women kick things off at 11:30 a.m. with the premier men set to take the field at 2:45 p.m. Reeves has already had a taste of what Capilano is like on a busy Saturday and is expecting a big crowd this weekend.
“It’s undoubtedly a great place to be when the stands are packed and there’s a great atmosphere – and there will be this Saturday,” he said. “It is a high standard (of play). We’ve got former internationals, provincial players, former youth internationals on both sides playing. It is the best ticket in town.”
Saturday will also be the club’s fourth annual Capilano Breast Cancer Awareness Day with all players on both sides wearing pink socks and some players outfitted in pink jerseys purchased through $100 donations from club patrons. Half of all ticket sales will go to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
Reeves will even get in on the action, digging out an old pink jersey to wear on the sidelines.
“It will be a pretty sight,” he said.
