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The VRC Premier side turned out a dominating performance at Brockton Saturday, scoring six tries and allowing no points in a 32-0 victory against visiting Westshore RFC.
Winger Ryan “Drago” Williams scored his first of two tries to put the Rowers on the board in the 12th minute, making himself hard to tackle, outrunning his oposite number, and putting it down in the corner. 5-0 Rowers.
The Rowers next created a chance int he 23rd minute, working their pattern off phase play to press at Westshore’s goal line defense and gain the line, only to have fly half Nick Wackawitz’ grounding attempt held up.
Westshore held up another grounding attempt in the 27th minute, turning a Rowers maul from line out into a Westshore dropout from their own goal line. The Rowers attack responded quickly, center Mitch Stainer running a hard line through a seam and past the defense to ground it in the corner and extend the lead to 10-0 in the 31st minute.
A Rowers attack that featured in-contact offloads continued to push as the half wound down, another Willimas carry into space setting up a try for new Rowing Club prop Spencer Cooper, his first with the club. 15-0 at half time.
The back line continued to put on a clinic in the second half, ruinning intelligent lines into space, punishing tacklers with hard contact, and putting themselves in position to take offloads at pace.
Phase play in the Westshore end was able to draw the defense far enough to one side for winger Tom Rowland to use his speed to create an overlap on a looping lateral run, straighten up, and carry though the gap to make it 20-0 Rowers in the 42nd minute.
The Rowing Club attack pattern continued to overwhelm Westshore in the second half, leading to a second Williams try in the 54th minute, and a 25-0 Rowers lead. The exciting, wide open rugby featured excellent decision making, and intelligent adjustments to blunders and headwinds. It delighted the home crowd.
The pack would add a try in the 63rd minute off a rolling maul, veteran hooker Jason Carton with the grounding. Fullback Jordan W-R added a conversion to make it 32-0.
In the 70th minute, Westshore finally earned a line break to spring a quick runner into space for a breakaway run that may well have been the visiting side’s first try had it not been for a high-motor Jordan W-R cover tackle ending the threat.
The win and the bonus point for having scored four tries puts the VRC in second position in the BC Premier League with 7 points, ahead of the Pacific Pride (6 points), and behind the UBCOB Ravens (10 points ).
The Rowers Prems and Reserves travel to Victoria next week to take on Canada’s second oldest rugby club, James Bay.
All photos by Victor Samyn
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