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Despite a solid and sustained effort, the Rowers Prems were unable to get the result at home this past Saturday against rival Capilanos at Brockton, running into penalty trouble late, and settling for a 20-20 draw.
It was high-paced back and forth in the first ten minutes. The Capilano attack put itself in position, mauling it off a lineout near the Rowers five meter line in the third minute, but the Rowers D was able to jam the pack’s progress and end the threat, cause a turnover off of the subsequent phase play, and make space for blindside winger Maxime Crooks to begin an attack with a run up the outside. The backline looked crisp with the ball early, making guys miss and moving the it around well, but eventually lost it to a knock on.
The Caps threatened right back with their own attack up the wing, but fullback Jordan W-R and winger Mitch Stainer chased him down, turned the ball over and kicked it clear.
The Caps counter looked fast, until it was stopped abruptly by centre back Doug Fraser who FLATTENED a guy in the 12th minute.
The Rowers threatened again from set piece two minutes later, but a very fast and high motor Caps defense kept them out of the end goal. It looked to the Brockton crowd like the Rowers pressure paid off in the 17th minute, but the chance was ruled to have been held up.
After having most of the attacking momentum for the first 26 minutes, the Rowers finally made it count, pushing a maul off a lineout in the corner past the line, and making space for prop forward Ian Prendiville to peel and scoot for a try. 5-0 after 26 minutes.
The hard defense continued in the 29th minute, as the Rowers sent a high, floating kick from a set piece in their own end, and a speedy Crooks drilled the receiver.
Set up in the Caps end, it looked again as though the Rowers would be able to widen their lead in the 34th minute, but a grounding attempt was again ruled to have been held up.
The Caps kept coming, pressuring the Rowers in their own end for a good seven minutes, but the defense held strong, turned it over and ended the threat with a kick in the 38th minute. The Caps would press on, earn a penalty in range, and successfully kick for points as time expired in the half.
5-3 Rowers after 40 minutes.
The Capilanos came out strong and pressed up against the Rowers’ goal line in the 44th minute, but rookie Rower lock Liam Litchfield came up with a big steal to end the threat. Litchfield followed it up with a big carry off a pop pass that put the Rowers attack on the front foot in the 47th minute, starting a fluid, rolling attack that culminated with fly half Nick Wackawitz carrying it home, untouched for the last 15 meters. The conversion was good to make it 12-3 in the 48th minute.
The Rowing Club ran into penalty trouble after fifty minutes, conceding yards to penalties off the scrum and breakdown, until the Caps finally got close enough to kick for points off the mark in the 55th minute, and put it through. 12-6 after 55′.
Three mintues later, the Rowers responded, courtesy of a loose ball recovered by prop forward Josh Waller. A fluid counter attack eventually earned a penalty in range. A successful kick made it 15-6 in the 58th minute.
A bad Caps pass in the 63rd minute turned the ball over and gave substitute 2nd row JJ Earle a chance to break the line, draw the defense into an overlap, and send it to scrum half Dermot O’Meara who waltzed into the end goal untouched. 20-6 Rowers in the 63rd minute.
With plenty of rugby to play, the Caps weren’t ready to roll over. They applied pressure for at least five minutes, pounding on a Rowers defense that kept its shape, and looked like it wouldn’t budge. Big tackles by Earl and utility back row forward Scylar Dumas kept the Caps off the board and preserved the Rowers’ lead, until…
Repeated penalties in the final fifteen minutes kept the Caps attack in business until phases finally wore down the home defense and earned the visitors a try that made it 20-13 in the 72nd minute.
The penalties continued in the 78th minute, and a Caps offense, given chance after chance, put another one down in the corner to make it 20-18. A well executed conversion from the touch line tied it up.
With time winding down, the Rowers were again penalized off of the scrum, giving the Capilano kicker a shot at a last minute steak-in-the-heart penalty kick, that clanged off of the left upright to end the game in an un-satisfying 20-20 tie.
The result represented a great improvement over the disappointing, lop-sided loss the Rowers Prems suffered this past spring against the Caps at Klahanie (score unprintable).
The energy remains high coming into a home tilt against the visiting Seattle Saracens this coming Saturday October 1st at Brockton. Early kickoff for this Prems game: 1 pm.
With files from Robbie Spearing.
More pictures from the Sept. 24, 2022 Caps Games in the Gameday Gallery.
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