Saturday Prognostications

It is with sadness today that we note the passing of Castaway, Dave Loyd. 'Lobo' boasted the rare achievement of having played with two Canadian club sides that defeated International XV's!  In 1975 he was on the UVic team that defeated Uruguay under the leadership of CW's Alun Rees. In 1978 the Castaways toured the UK and Europe, defeating the Belgium National XV, again, under the tutelage of Rees.  Dave's best mate, Steve 'The Blue Ox' Thomson provides the following memory, one which will be concurred with by Lobo's many other mates and teammates over the years.

                                                             Photo Richardson Images
 

Four games take place at the House of Windsor.  I offer my prognostications of the outcomes.  Action starts with women’s Div 1 play when James Bay (4 – 2) plays the home team (3 – 4), a nine-point differential on the table.  It is just too much to go for an upset in this one, but the CW ladies will give of their best.  Men’s Divvies are next up, with the Bays set on revenge.  With CW at 5 – 4 and JBAA at 5 – 5 there will not be much in this one.  Not having seen the home team selection, I will go out on a limb and go for the home team for the W in a close fought battle.  Premier teams then take to Field #1.  Seattle (1 – 4) may find the trip to the Island too much to pinch one from the CW 3 – 3 women. Seattle, on the road, has not proven stellar, except for nipping Abby, so I go with CW in this one.  To the main game.  The Bays at 5 – 6 and CW at 1 – 10, on paper should be a ‘no brainer’.  History tells us differently.  Dare I go for an upset?  CW seems to be able to score tries and stay relatively close to all their opponents, except for a road trip’s sixty point pasting vs UBC early in the season.  The question is, can they overcome the glitches associated with getting to the post? I leave the reader to formulate their own opinion!!  Enjoy the games and cheer responsibly.

 

Some fans call these games between CW and JBAA, a continuation of the 100 Years War.  “War” might be overly stretching it but today we bring readers a rollicking good read of some history related to the contest, compliments of the Late Don Burgess Thesis on “The History of Rugby Football on Vancouver Island. 1876 – 1946".

 

“To the Editor - I watched the Rugby Football match on Saturday between the J.B.A.A. and Victoria, and as I am a new arrival I cannot help considering how the game can have degenerated into such a scrambling, chattering, bad—natured exhibition as we were treated to at Oak Bay.  If the Victoria Club wishes to attract any of the Vancouver young Englishmen, the majority of whom know something of the game, to join her banner, she must put her foot down firmly and stop all the petty, mean tricks and flow of billingsgate that were rampant on Saturday.”

 
“The only score at the Rugby game on Saturday afternoon at Oak Bay between the City team and the JBAA, was one city man carried off the field helpless, and three JBAA men clean knocked out. There were no goals scored and no tries, nor was there any science or system in the game.”

 
“It was particularly unfortunate that referee Cowan found himself in the necessity of sending Ackland off the field early in the second half "for scrapping". Such unpleasantness are, fortunately, most rare in Rugby, and the opinion was expressed on all sides after the match that it was a great pity that some of yesterdays players should have shown a poor sporting spirit and been guilty of petty meaness. Rugby is not a gentle sport, but hacking and tripping are not Rugby.”  [Ed. Note – I will not mention who Ackland played for!]