Thursday’s Fraser Valley senior boys AAA rugby title tilt between the Earl Marriott Mariners and Yale Lions will pit speed versus size in a matchup that’s expected to be nail-bitingly close.
But the Mariners – who are quicker but smaller than their Abbotsford opponents – have one thing going for them that head coach Adam Roberts hopes will tip the scales in their favour: they’re mad.
“We have redemption on our side, for sure,” Roberts said.
“It’s basically been us and Yale at the top (of the Fraser Valley) this year, but they’ve had our number over the years.”
Most members of the Mariners’ current senior squad were part of the team that lost to Yale in both Grade 8 and junior boys finals, and this year, in regular-season play, they lost to the Lions by three.
“It’s a huge rivalry, and the guys are fired up, and they’re sick of losing to those guys,” Roberts said.
The Mariners have been the class of the Surrey senior boys circuit this season, and will have to carry their momentum into Thursday’s tilt, Roberts added. As well, they’ll have to find a way to mitigate Yale’s size advantage.
“I think our pace of play and our overall speed and rugby savvy should be enough to get past them,” Roberts said. “But Yale is big, and they really use their size well.”
Regardless of the outcome of Thurday’s matchup, both sides are headed for provincials at the end of the month.
The winner Thursday will likely earn the fifth seed at provincials, while the loser would be seeded sixth.
Yale is currently the fifth-ranked team in B.C., one spot higher than the Mariners.
Thursday’s game hits the pitch at South Surrey Athletic Park at 4:15 p.m.
