After an absurdly long lay-off from rugby of some ten weeks, it was perhaps unrealistic to expect the skill level and team cohesiveness to be spilling over in joyous bundles, but nevertheless, starved players and coaches wanted to impress, club supporters and particularly card carrying members had expectations that at last we would see some competitive rugby, and sponsors were hopeful that their investments would bear some fruit. Unfortunately, none of the above left the park satisfied; in spite some very honest endeavour on the part of all the players on the field.
It seemed that the gratifying results from as far back as Nov 7, when CW beat Cowichan and JBAA quite comprehensively, and stole a barn burner from Velox, was rugby from another era. The hiatus was that long.
Capilano on the other hand, had finished in November with losses to UBC (tragically no longer with us) and Rowers, and they were looking for a fresh start to what is now considered a new season.
This was a cold, but fresh backdrop, to rugby at Windsor Park this last Saturday, Feb 2, 2008, as we witnessed the opening game of the BC Premier League.
Both clubs were missing key individuals, but the early intensity of the engagements suggested that there was obviously depth in the ranks of both clubs. It flattered to deceive, as the competition became fraught with frustrating errors as genuine approach work was squandered as a result of poor skills under pressure—particularly in the ‘red zone’.
The echo of the word “lay off” was whispered around the ground and then openly debated, as both officials and players were paying the price for administrative folly that had denied them rugby for such an incredibly long period, when arguable the weather in BC would have allowed games every single weekend through the months of December and January.
The dye had been cast, and to the credit of all concerned a fresh face confronted such adversity. The opening exchanges saw an early Capilano try by Tony Weller and a convert by Kevin Guidi, and a response from John Graf with a penalty goal.
Larger than usual chunks of valuable real estate were consumed by CW as the rolling maul technique and some judicious tactical kicking began to pay dividends. In one very impressive sixteen phase attack, they camped within yards of the Caps line, only to have a “non advantage” call made, when they had ball in hand and the line at their mercy. The negative aspects of the lay off were not exclusive to players.
The pattern of play became endemic, as CW in particular, failed to capitalize on ten more occasions when they had earned the right to be entrenched in the Caps red zone. The disease was not exclusive to CW, as Caps also frittered away good chances and the ragged edges were now becoming evident.
Capilano, as always, were collectively strong on defense, but they also looked a little sharper when opportunities presented themselves. A missed tackle in midfield was exploited and Bob Bowman crossed for the second try of the game. The convert was wide.
The gain line became the Maginot line, as both clubs fought fiercely for small but valuable yards at rucks and mauls, and at this stage, Caps appeared to be the more aggressive. CW played defense on the back foot and “took” tackles rather than “made” tackles going forward on the front foot. The Caps try came as a direct result of this static posture at the breakdown. Glen Mckinnon was the epitome of aggressive play in these areas and eventually he paid the price with a visit to the austere sin bin somewhere to the northern wilderness in Windsor Park. Jebb Sinclair and Chauncey O’Toole were perhaps the pick of the local forwards at this stage.
The CW pressure paid off with a John Graf penalty, and they were denied further points as he hit the upright with another attempt at goal. The half arrived with a scoreline of 12-6 in favour of the Caps.
The second half was in its infancy, when Dame Fortune turned ugly. CW had engineered a glorious scoring opportunity, after another ten phase approach, which saw them five meters from the line with a three on one situation. To the credit of Kevin Guidi he had no choice but to gamble. And he went for the interception. It was a bullish investment of his time, as he disappeared somewhere into the bowels of the Tweed curtain, only to emerge 9 meters later in an exhausted heap over the try line.
It was to prove a massive turning point in the game, as CW never recovered enough to claim a victory. There were relatively easy goal kicking opportunities presented to both clubs, but there was not a marksman in the ranks who could capitalize on the scoring chances.
It was during the final quarter of the game that CW created many of their real chances, only to see the final pass go to ground or a ball turned over within metres of the line. There was a temporary hiccup to this frustration, when Kevin Larsen was released by Roger Robinson, and he scored wide left. The phases were getting more continuous, but the clock was running out. With minutes to go, and the score at 17-11, one would not have bet on the outcome.
Congratulations to the Caps for their away victory, and commiserations to a frustrated CW who had done enough for a victory themselves, but in the final analysis you have to convert pressure into points. On this day, their finishing skills let them down, and they paid the price of four valuable points.
It is encouraging to see so many new faces in their line up, as many from the last two season have gone on to fresh and more lucrative playing fields. They will enjoy better days, and they can justifiably be reasonably satisfied with their approach work and ball winning capabilities—it was the finishing that became their nemesis.
From the sideline, one can only wonder at the future of rugby in the BC Premier league. Over the last three seasons we have witnessed a dramatic decline in the quality of the football, as the ravages of poor administration in denying development of our younger players, the calls of National teams and the professional world, and the mystifying RC decision to cancel the Pacific Pride program have lowered the playing bar to unrecognizable proportions.
Not only does the BC Premier League need a shot of adrenalin, but the Canadian senior representative teams are in need of some serious help.
Perhaps the Mckechnie Cup is the panacea to our ailments provincially and nationally.
It would fit very nicely into the current ten week lay off!!!!!