It was silver and bronze for West Vancouver’s two powerhouse AA rugby squads as both Rockridge and Collingwood fell in last week’s provincial championships to a super athletic squad from St. Michaels University School.
“Still licking my wounds — still in a bit of a dark place,” Rockridge head coach Perino Zambon said with a chuckle when contacted a few days after his Ravens lost 27-3 in the AA championship final held May 30 in Abbotsford. “They were good. They were full value for the win. They were quite talented — a good team. We kind of knew we had to play the perfect game to beat them, and we didn’t.”
The win completed an incredible year for SMUS as the school won the boys AA soccer, basketball and rugby titles, with several players suiting up for all three teams. Rockridge was attempting to win the AA crown for the second straight year, having beaten Collingwood in the final last season. Neither West Van squad could keep up with the Vancouver Island team this year, however, as SMUS knocked off Collingwood 30-12 in the semifinals before breaking open a close final by outscoring Rockridge 24-3 in the second half.
“Once you have a few days to think about it you recognize that that St. Mikes team was a pretty special group,” said Zambon. “Winning basketball and soccer and rugby provincials points out that they are a very athletic group. . . . They played a very expansive style in the final which was pretty impressive. They threw the ball around really well.”
Rockridge made the final by ringing up three straight shutouts, including a 29-0 win over South Kamloops in the semifinals.
“Defensively I thought we played pretty well throughout the whole tournament,” said Zambon. “I guess it would have been nice to get a zero in the final. That would have helped.”
Grade 12s Sean Cameron and Chase Taylor-Robbins led the way for the Ravens with Cameron earning the team’s spot on the Commissioner’s 15 tournament all-star squad.
Collingwood bounced back from their semifinal loss to top South Kamloops 28-0 in the bronze medal game.
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At the AAA level three North Shore teams took part in the provincial finals with Handsworth scoring the top finish, placing eighth. The Royals won their opener 22-17 over Cowichan but then dropped their final three matches, including 36-22 against Lord Tweedsmuir in the 7th/8th-place game.
Carson Graham took the inverse path on the way to a ninth-place finish, losing their opener 15-10 against Earl Marriott before ripping off three straight wins on the consolation side. The Eagles ended their tournament with a 21-19 win over Lord Byng in the 9th/10th-place game.
West Vancouver also took part in the tournament, losing their first two matches before rebounding to win their last two, including a 29-0 win over Terry Fox in the 13th/14th-place game.
