International Cross Border Series, Presented by the University of Guelph
July 25th, 2019
(GUELPH, ON) - The Junior Blues International Cross Border Series, presented by the University of Guelph, took place from July 17th - 20th. All 11 of our Jr. Blues teams participated in the showcase, competing against teams from the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Eagle Impact Rugby Academy (EIRA) made the trip north of the border once again, bringing with them U15, U16 and U17 Boys teams. The camp also saw three touring teams from the UK make a stop at Guelph University; Stewart Melville School, Cheltenham Bournside School, and Latymer Upper School all competed against our Jr. Blues sides.
Competition kicked off on Thursday, July 18th with a jam packed competition schedule! The tournament opened with the U16 West Boys taking on U16 EIRA. The Jr. Blues put forth a strong effort, but the American side were too much, coming away with a 34-7 victory.
Next up, the U17 Boys Central and West teams played the U17 EIRA side. In order to get all players a game, the two U17 Jr. Blues teams each played the U17 EIRA team for a portion of the 90-minute match. The U17 West Boys were defeated by EIRA 34-0 in a 60-minute fixture. The U17 Central Boys team played the final 30 minutes of the match, winning the shortened fixture by a score of 7-0.
The U16 Girls Central and West teams competed in a triangular fixture against a combined Fergus RFC and Guelph Redcoats team. The teams played each other in three, 30-minute fixtures. In the battle of the Jr. Blues, the U16 Central Girls came away with a 20-0 victory. The Central Girls also defeated the combined Fergus RFC and Guelph side 40-0. The West Girls earned a victory over the combined club side by a score of 20-0 to close out the triangular fixtures.
The U15 West Boys and the U16 Central Boys took on the Ontario Southwest Barbarians in two 30-minute fixtures. The U15 West Boys played the Barbarians to a 19-19 draw, while the U16 Central Boys came away with a 28-21 victory.
In the final match of the day, our U15 Central Boys took on a tough U15 EIRA squad. After allowing three early tries, the U15 Central Boys held strong, giving EIRA all that they could handle in the second half. However, EIRA eventually walked away with the victory, winning by a score of 26-0 to close out the first day of competition.
Full Results From Thursday, July 18th & Friday, Jul19th
The final day of the series opened with a match between U15 EIRA and the U15 West Boys. Playing their third match in three days, the U15 West Boys put forth a valiant effort, giving EIRA a very tough test. When the final whistle blew, U15 EIRA emerged victorious by a score of 36-19.
At the same time, the U17 West Boys took on U17 Stewart Melville on Varsity Field. Stewart Melville is a top level school in Scotland, with a number of their players having represented Scotland at the junior level. Stewart Melville won the match 26-10 in a game played during the hottest part of the day!
Next up, the U18 Boys took on the U18 Stewart Melville side. The Jr. Blues pack was dominant in the game, overpowering the Scottish sides forwards for most of the match. It was back and forth affair with Stewart Melville eventually pulling away in the closing minutes. The final score was 39-22 for the touring side.
The next two matches saw the U16 & U17 Central Boys teams take on U16 and U17 EIRA. The U16’s were up first and the Jr. Blues controlled the match from the opening kick-off. The U16 Central side put on a fantastic performance, winning the match by a score of 22-12, holding the lead the entire time.
The U17 Central Boys and U17 EIRA Boys squared in a rematch of a day one matchup . The Jr. Blues side jumped out an early lead and went into halftime ahead 19-12. In the second half, EIRA stormed back, scoring a couple of quick tries to open the second frame. That proved to be the difference in the match as U17 EIRA took home the win by a score of 36-19.
Our U16 Girls Central & West teams competed in an exhibition triangular fixture against Barrie RFC. Our U15/U16 West Boys also played an exhibition match against Latymer Upper School.
In the final match of the showcase, the U18 Central Girls and U18 West Girls squared off in a battle of the Blues. In what was the most physical and tightly contested match of the entire series, the two sides were tied 0-0 heading into the second half. Eventually, the U18 Central side broke through and managed to hang on for a 5-0 victory.
Full Results From Saturday, July 20th
It was another fantastic Cross Border Series in 2019! Thank you to the University of Guelph for hosting once again. Thank you also to SportSide Medical Services top level medical care. Thank you to Elite Training systems for leading recovery sessions and working with our athletes throughout the series. All South Field Matches can be found on our Youtube Channel .
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. The program includes representative teams from Under-15 to Senior in both Women’s and Men’s Fifteens and Under-18 Men's and Women's Sevens. 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/
WANT MORE INFORMATION?
Dalton Finkbeiner
Communications and Marketing Coordinator - Rugby Ontario
647-560-4790 x 1006
dfinkbeiner@rugbyontario.com
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