In their first match on the mainland this season, the Comox Valley Kickers men鈥檚 rugby team beat the Surrey Beavers 46-20 on Saturday. Devon Moore, Craig Whiley and Brandon Hudson each scored two tries, Raffael Tonazzi and Derek McCubbin scored one each, and Kyle Hall added three conversions.
鈥淚t was a very tough first 15 minutes,鈥� said outside centre Devon Moore. 鈥淲e found ourselves on our back foot often during this time and didn鈥檛 really have a chance to possess the ball. After that first 15 minutes, we were able to get into our groove and score a few quick tries with one right before the end of the half, which shifted the momentum of the game.
鈥淲e worked hard at the breakdowns and were able to run some plays which resulted in more scoring opportunities. Overall, we were successful at executing our game plan.鈥�
The Kickers women hosted a combined side from Cowichan/Westshore. With the visiting team travelling light, the game had to be modified to 10-a-side at Cumberland Village Park. The Kickers lost 33-10 with Kaitlyn Hazelman and Chlo毛 Speed scoring a try each.
鈥淧laying 10s is tough. There is a lot more open space on the field. One missed tackle can result in a big breakaway. The game was more fast-paced, and we were caught out of place on defence a few times which hurt us,鈥� said co-captain Natalie Nguyen. 鈥淭he end result wasn鈥檛 what we wanted but there were still good takeaways from this game. We were better at jackalling the ball and had some good runs. We continue to gel as a team. We have two more games left in the regular season with one of them at Cowichan, giving us the chance to improve from this game and get redemption.鈥�
With a 4-0 record, the men look to remain undefeated when they host the University of Victoria Saxons on Saturday, Oct. 22. Kick-off is 1 p.m at Cumberland Village Park. The women have a bye.
Both teams are continually recruiting players. No experience necessary. Practices are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Cumberland Village Park. Everyone welcome. For more information, visit comoxvalleyrugby.ca.
