The Kalamalka Lakers found out why the Collingwood Cavaliers are the No. 1-ranked side in B.C. senior AA boys rugby Friday afternoon.
The Lakers put up a fight but were outmatched in a 41-17 exhibition loss at Kal Secondary.
Collingwood showed their abilities after Kal converted an early penalty.
“The Kal players could not secure enough possession to mount a sustained attack as the Cavaliers were dominant in the tight five at the breakdown, which allowed their back row to combine with their backs to create numerous overlaps,” said Laker head coach Ian Busfield.
“The Kal players did not back down and gave a very strong effort throughout the match.”
The Lakers, who had five junior call-ups in the lineup, had trouble matching Collingwood’s outside speed as the Cavaliers ran in three tries in 10 minutes to seize control before halftime.
The Lakers were rewarded for their persistence with a try from Tom Hettrich, who chased down a long kick to beat a Collingwood defender in the try zone.
Greg Filipenko scored off a five-metre scrum and was driven over the line by the support play of Callum Busfield. Patrick Schindler booted the penalty kick and two conversions.
Laker fullback Spencer Bradbury and fly half Keenan Jespersen were fearless in making tackles and attacking at every opportunity.
The Lakers visit Kelowna Christian Knights on Tuesday.
In other senior boys exhibition play Friday, the Fulton Maroons brushed back the Charles Tupper Tigers of Vancouver 38-6.
Brad Sarazin opened the scoring with a steal in the Tupper backfield and sprinted to the try zone. Dalton Anderson added a try on a penalty tap to push Fulton to an early 14-0 lead.
The Tigers, who got up at 5 a.m. to make the trip, got on the board when their fly-half scampered to one side of the field, and then reversed across the full field to touch down in the opposite corner.
“It’s not very often you get to see that kind of speed from an athlete. This kid could move. He did not have to decelerate to change direction,” marvelled Fulton head coach Rick Smith.
The Maroons controlled possession with great forward play lead by Cody Hownslow, Clayton Coles and Jesse Griffin. Defensively, junior call-up Lucas Hofer was a tackling machine all over the field.
Similar exhibition games were held across the province and were meant to give teams a good read on provincial playoff positions.
