The Prince Rupert Seamen were on the road in Chilliwack for their final tournament of the season on Aug. 18.
The Seamen competed in the Chilliwack Sasquatch Rugby Tens Tournament, going 1-2 for the day. Despite the losing record, team captain Cody Curry said the team had a successful trip with competitive games and multiple players scoring tries.
The team’s first result was a 30-15 loss in an early game against the Chilliwack Young Bucks. Curry said it took the team time to find their legs as they had arrived in Chilliwack the night before.
READ MORE: Annual Seafest rugby tournament makes big return
“We were coming off a day and a half drive with no warm up after sleeping in tents and none of us were in our best form,” he said.
The team bounced back in their second game against a team from Vernon, which they won comfortably 40-20.
“We just gelled a lot more in that second game, making more plays and using our athleticism to our advantage,” Curry said.
The team’s third and final game was a tightly contested 15-14 loss to the Hooligans, a team that travelled to the tournament from Seattle. Curry said the Hooligans were able to win on the game’s final possession thanks to a controversial call by the referee.
“It was really competitive,” he said. “The penalty at the end definitely cost us, but it was fun nonetheless.”
Curry highlighted Cody Schaeffer, Steven Drozd and Casey Lennon as players who had standout performances in the tournament. Schaeffer in particular was recruited by other teams to fill in for missing players.
READ MORE: MVP of the Week – Rugby player Drozd embraces the grind
“He was a stud out there,” Curry said. “He was probably one of the top-three players out of everyone from that tournament.”
The Chilliwack Sasquatch Tournament brings the men’s summer rugby season to a close. Curry said the team has had mixed success with good attendance at this year’s Seafest tournament and yet inconsistent attendance as something the team needs to improve for next year.
“All-in-all, it was a decent season to stay in the league and build on the good things that we have,” he said. “It’s about the sport, but at the end of the day it’s about the camaraderie as well.”
matthew.allen@thenorthernview.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
