They came, they saw, they conquered and they did the Haka.
The New Zealand Police rugby league club took home the International Cup at the first ever B.C. Rugby League 9's Championship in 麻豆社国产on Saturday (May 11).
The Kiwi team defeated the Sea to Sky Exiles 8-0 in the final game and New Zealand head coach Bryan Laumatia said it was a memorable tournament. That came after the Kiwis did the Haka a Maori war dance traditionally performed by New Zealand teams before big matches.
It was a really good week for us, he said. All the teams in this tournament brought a lot of quality.
Laumatia's squad only lost one game all day a 14-10 decision to the Exiles in an earlier match. He said the loss helped wake up his team.
We beat them the first time we played them, but in the second game we just kind of lost focus, he said. We improved our attitude in the final and it was a nice win for us the Exiles were a very talented side.
The Sea to Sky Exiles were made up of mostly Whistler residents who hail from Australia. The other team competing in the International division was the Fiji Force.
Laumatia said one of the highlights of the trip was getting to participate in a practice with the Howe Sound Sounders rugby team on May 9.
It was great, he said. I think it was good for us and good for them. We always try to pass on skills to some of the local teams and it was a lot of fun for us. The players on the Sounders were just awesome. I was particularly impressed with some of the girls on the team. They were just as skilful as some of the guys.
He explained that the team is made up of real police officers from Christchurch and Auckland and will be travelling to Philadelphia to take part in a tournament there next week.
The domestic side of the tournament was won by the Kelowna Crows and also featured the Richmond Bears, Vancouver Dragons, Bayside Sharks and the hometown Sea to Sky Eagles.
The Eagles kicked off the tournament with a 14-10 loss to the Bears, but bounced back with a 16-10 win over the Dragons. The Eagles also suffered losses to the Crows and Sharks and a victory over the Fiji Force.
Ally Mac of the Sea to Sky Eagles said it was a thrill to see such skill on display in Squamish.
This was a very high standard of rugby being played, he said. The all-around level of play and skill on the field was phenomenal.
Mac said he and other tournament organizers received a lot of positive feedback and he said that the experience should be good for the Eagles as a team.
I think we grew in potential and more and more people are getting involved, he said. It's great to see all the local kids we have on our team and just the interest in the sport growing in Squamish.
He said the tournament will likely become an annual event and that teams from Papau New Guinea and South Africa have already expressed interest in participating in next year's event.
Paul O'Keefe from the Canadian Rugby League said he was pleased with the tournament.
Big thanks to the Sea to Sky Eagles, Ally Mac and Keith Reeves for helping to organize this event, he said. It was a great day for Rugby League and we look forward to the upcoming Rugby League season.
The Eagles season kicks off later this month with the full schedule still to be determined. The team will play home games at Howe Sound field and in North Vancouver. For more details, visit www.bcrl.ca.
