The Earl Marriott Mariners have a date with the big dogs of the B.C. high-school rugby scene after reclaiming the Fraser Valley championship that had recently eluded them.
On Thursday at Abbotsford’s Exhibition Park, the South Surrey senior boys rugby side defeated the Yale Lions 21-7, adding another banner to the program’s collection while also boosting them into the quad-A provincial tournament, alongside three of B.C.’s powerhouse programs.
Marriott won Fraser Valley senior boys rugby titles from 2009 until 2014.
“It was nice – a little bit of vindication for our Grade 12s after the two losses at the end of last season,” said Earl Marriott coach Adam Roberts, referring to his squad’s Fraser Valley and provincial losses to Yale last year, the latter of which came in a tiebreaker after a 22-22 score.
The newly formed quad-A tournament will feature four regional champions – EMS, representing the Fraser Valley; St. George’s, representing the Lower Mainland; Oak Bay, from the Vancouver Island South zone; and the Shawnigan Lake Stags, from Vancouver Island North.
The new tier was created this year as a way to separate the AAA field from the top teams – namely St. George’s and Shawnigan, which have combined to win every AAA provincial title since 2002.
Now, the Mariners, who are the No. 4 seed in the newly-created playoff, will have to face Shawnigan Lake, who handily defeated EMS twice this year already.
Nevertheless, Roberts said it was always his team’s goal to win the Valley tournament and earn their way into the “prestigious” quad-A division.
“This was our goal all year, we wanted to win the Fraser Valley,” he said.
“This will be (Marriott’s) fifth time playing Shawnigan Lake in a provincial semifinal, and we know they are on a whole different level than anyone else, but our goal is still to get a medal, and finish in the top three.”
After their semifinal date with the Stags Thursday, 4:30 p.m. at Abbotsford’s Rotary Stadium, the Mariners will play Saturday in their final game of the season, either for third place or – if they pull off the upset – in the championship game.
“Maybe we’ve got a little bit of David in us,” said Roberts, referring to the classic underdog tale of taking on Goliath.
Against Yale Thursday, Roberts heaped praise upon his team’s defence, which kept the high-powered Lions at bay.
“Our tackling was unbelievable, that was definitely the key,” he said.
“They just couldn’t crack us, and even the one try they got was a bit of a fluke – nobody was even sure at first it was a good try, even the guy who scored it… the ball popped out during a scrum, and sometimes they blow that play dead.”
Max Radcliffe led the EMS offence with three penalty kicks and one convert, while John Jubenville and Erik Jensen scored tries.
Roberts was especially enthused by Radcliffe’s production.
“That kid can kick better than almost any player I’ve ever coached. He can kick with both feet – he’s just unbelievable.”
