The Cowichan Rugby Club’s Under 17 Piggies are the poster boys of how teamwork wins championships.
Cowichan defeated Castaways Wanderers 14-12 in a thrilling game Nov. 27 at Oak Bay to claim the U17 Island title.
“It’s great for the boys,’’ said Jake Teufel, one of the Cowichan coaches. “Oak Bay beat us last year by damn near 50 points.
“It’s really a testament to the boys working hard every single Monday and Wednesday.’’
The stars were performing as expected, but others in lesser roles or partial duty on the 25-player roster really stepped up to the level of competition.
“I just kept putting them on,’’ said Teufel.
“Late in the game, they were attacking and we’d empty our bench. Guys were stepping up left and right making tackles, too. It was a great team effort.’’
Justin Logan and Johnny Norris scored tries for Cowichan, and Giuseppe Du Toit booted two conversions. Castaways Wanderers replied with two tries but only one convert.
One convert by Du Toit that many kickers would have had difficulty making was the difference.
“It was a long kick,’’ said Teufel. “It was blowing hard, too. Basically, it came down to that kick Giuseppe nailed near the sideline.’’
Mike Needham was a standout in the game with his bone-crunching tackles.
Cowichan heads to the Lower Mainland this weekend for the B.C. final against Capilanos. Shawnigan Lake School has provided a bus to transport the players.
“Anyone who’s been a part of it (the program) is going to come,’’ Teufel said in advance of the big game.
