(CALGARY, AB) On Tuesday August 15, round one of age grade action kicked off at this year’s 2017 Canadian Rugby Championships at Calgary Rugby Park. The Ontario Junior Blues High-Performance department sent a total of four teams to compete at this year’s competition in Calgary. Age grade Junior Blues teams competing at this years CRC include: Under-15 Men, Under-17 Men, Under-16 Women and Under-18 Women.
Ontario boarded their planes and arrived in Calgary on Monday morning for this year’s Canadian Rugby Championships – a day before the competition to give teams some time to get settled out West. The Blues have been steadily preparing for this tournament since the official provincial roster announcements were made in early July. The Blues Men seem to be the under dogs of the tournament as the U15 Men are competing in the U16 Men’s division, while the U17 Men are competing in the U18 Men’s division. The tournament will be a great test for all athletes as the competition will be showcasing Canada’s elite rugby talent at the junior age-grade level.
Day 1 – Round 1
Game 1: U15 Men v. U16 BC 2
Score: Ontario – 19 BC – 47
Tries: Liam Bowman, Ben Shaw, Sean Snyman
Conversions: Sean Snyman x2.
The Under-15 Men came out strong in the first half of game one against the Under-16 BC 2 squad, piecing together some great phases of rugby ultimately leading to the Blues putting up 14 of their 19 points in the opening half. Blues fullback, Sean Snyman scored a try of his own and converted on two tries to keep the game close in the opening 30 minutes. The second half was all BC as a struggling Blues offense only managed to add five points on the board – handing this contest over to the Bears.
Game 2: U15 Men v. BC 1
Score: Ontario – 14 BC – 63
Much like game one, the Under-15 Men came out hot in the first half scoring all 14 of their points in the opening minutes. At half time, BC led Ontario by a score of 21-14. Much like game one, the Blues offense couldn’t get the ball rolling in the second half as an explosive BC squad was hungry to score. A dynamic BC offense was too much for Ontario’s defense to handle as this contest became out of arms reach for the Blues shortly after kicking off the second half.
Game 1: U17 Men v. U18 Alberta
Score: Ontario – 21 Alberta – 41
Tries: Ian Mclean, EJ Rerri, Carson Young.
Conversions: Will Abbott x2, Nick Holmes
The Under-17 Men took the pitch against the host Under-18 Alberta Wolfpack squad in game one of CRC competition action. Ontario’s defense was put to the test early as an itching Alberta team attacked with pace, support and structure. Trailing 29-0 to the Wolfpack, Blues Captain, Carson Young punched in his first try of the campaign to give Alberta a 29-7 lead going into the second half. The second half was much of the same story as the Wolfpack didn’t let up on the Blues defense. Ontario didn’t give up, as the Blues backline managed to put up two more tries courtesy of outside centre, Ian Mclean and winger, Ej Rerri. Alberta took game one in what was a hard-fought game from both sides.
Game 1: U16 Women v. BC
Score: Ontario – 27 BC – 38
Tries: Regan Casey x2, Kennedy Feasby, Claire File, Addison Walker
Conversions: Danielle Michaud
The Under-16 Women suited up against a fierce British Columbia lineup in their first game of this year’s CRC tournament. This contest started out with both teams evenly trading possessions, line breaks and structured defensive phases. This contest was close as the Blues led by a score of 10-5 going into halftime. Ontario’s Regan Casey started off the second half by scoring two tries, adding to Ontario’s momentum in the second half. The Blues maintained a lead for most of the game until a determined British Columbia squad decided enough was enough. The Blues defense began to crumble as British Columbia’s reserve players made a significant impact coming off the bench – giving the Bears energy late in the game. BC went on to steal this contest from the Ontario women in what seemed to be an even matchup.
Game 1: U18 Women 'A' v. BC
Score: Ontario – 17 BC – 32
Tries: Leeza James, Selena McCuaig, Alexis Pataky
Conversions: Zoe Spronk
The Under-18 Women’s 'A' squad matched up against the Under-18 British Columbia Women’s squad in game one of this years CRC competition. Within the opening two minutes, Ontario winger, Leeza James got the Ontario offense rolling early on – stepping, fending and sprinting her way through the British Columbia defense and in for the score. Blues hooker, Selena McCuaig also punched in a try of her own to give Ontario a 12-5 lead after 30 minutes. The Blues offense slowed down in the second half after James was forced to leave the game with an undisclosed injury. Ontario prop, Alexis Pataky showcased her hard-nosed style of play by trucking through several BC players before scoring a well deserved try early in the second half. The Blues offense didn’t see much action following the Pataky try – as BC turned up the intensity, running through the Ontario defense to put this one away.
ABOUT THE ONTARIO BLUES
The Ontario Blues program is the high performance representative program for male and female rugby players in Ontario. Rugby Ontario is represented at the provincial level by the Ontario Blues High Performance program. The program includes representative teams from Under-15 to Senior in both Women’s and Men’s Fifteens. Specifically, the program is designed to develop and showcase rugby players for Canadian representative national teams.
ABOUT RUGBY ONTARIO
Rugby Ontario is the provincial sports governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to establish a stronger identity for rugby in Ontario by promoting the sport’s core values and by fostering a culture of inclusiveness and excellence on and off the field of play.
To learn more, visit https://www.rugbyontario.com/
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Dylan Meredith
High Performance and Communications Intern
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