Another wave hit the North Okanagn Junior Golds Rugby team in Kelowna as the season ended in May; this time it was a wave of large bodies from Kelowna Secondary School Grade 10 Rugby team.
Each player seemed to be taller and have 20 to 30 pounds on the Golds. KSS had crushed each team in their league handily by 30 or more points.
In the pre-game warm up, the Golds were looking at how big KSS was and already starting to worry.
Right from the kickoff, KSS came storming at the Golds, thinking they were going to score in the first five minutes as they had done to every other team, but they were wrong. Tackling left and right, grabbing legs not bodies, the Jr. Golds did not let KSS score.
The Golds were throwing themselves at the KSS players and stopping KSS dead in their tracks. KSS coaches were getting hoarse as they had never expected the Golds to stop them so easily and get the ball back and run forward, attacking the KSS goal line again.
Defending was not KSS’s strong point and SAS began to capitalize on strength and effort. Jimmy Picul stopped their 250-pound #8 going blind side as he tried to bowl Picul over.
Devin Steiner, Ryder Bland and Noah Dies hit many rucks, driving back two and three players each time.
Josh Cline and Nic Ough in the front row were easily outweighed by the behemoth KSS players and played a huge game of finesse and strength against the wall of KSS flesh.
KSS was successful in shutting down key SAS Jr. Golds players on different plays.
SAS coach Geoff Power was most pleased as the rolling maul off of a lineout gained 30 yards into the KSS end. A few penalty kicks for goal might have made a little difference in the game; however, this was the toughest physical match the Jr. Golds had ever played.
A strong season finished with the junior rugby awards being handed out to various players: level of commitment to the sport, Cameron Hansen and Jimmy Picul; most immproved were Tyson Chamberlain and Nic Ough; best backs were Cody Jordan and Eric ‘the’ Bruce; best forward was Adam Fiebelkorn, MVP was Jase Robert.
