The first-ever competitive Rugby League in the province of British Columbia went down on Saturday (May 12) with the hometown Sea to Sky Eagles hosting the Kelowna Crows at Mamquam Elementary School field.
The historic day was witnessed by a bumper crowd of more than 200 in glorious sunshine - glorious for the fans but sweltering for the players. The Eagles dropped the contest by a score of 46-24 but did show signs of promise as the game progressed.
The Eagles featured a smattering of Aussies, a couple of Brits and a Kiwi, but was mainly made up of local 麻豆社国产guys - some new to either code of rugby. There were half a dozen high school players who proved the rich vein of talent available in Squamish.
Kelowna came out strong and the visitors' greater fitness and experience proved critical in the early stages. Coming off the back of a successful Division 1 union season, the Crows hit their stride early and soon clocked up a 36-6 lead - all the Eagles efforts undone by a few inexperienced lapses, and their only reward was a try from skipper Matty Upton, which he converted himself.
The second half saw a much stronger showing for the Eagles as they finally adjusted to the pace of the game and took control with strong runs and hard yards coming from both Tom Moore and Mitch Renehan.
Pack leader TerryWard ran in two 20-metre solo efforts and after having a try disallowed in the corner, winger Rueben Bennett finally squeezed in for the final try after a great long pass from player/coach Ally Mac.
And the Eagles finished well and truly on top. Upton landed a fourth stunning touchline conversion to complete the scoring and round off a fine man-of-the-match performance.
At one point in the second half, four high school players in a six-man pack looked highly effective - Brandon Lewis, Josh Watts, JakeLepine and NolanPrevost, all showing great promise.
The Eagles will next travel to Surrey to take on the Beavers on May 26. The next home game for the squad will take place on June 2 when the Bayside Sharks come to town.
For more information on Rugby League in B.C., visit www.bc.canadarugbyleague.com.
