A level of excellence continues for the McMath senior boys rugby program.
The Wildcats completed another productive season with a second place finish in the “AA” Tier II flight at B.C. Secondary Schools Rugby Union’s provincial championships in Abbotsford.
Seeded third, McMath came up just short in an entertaining championship game against No. 1 LV Rogers. The Nelson school rallied and converted a late kick for a 26-24 victory on a sun-drenched field at Exhibition Park on Saturday afternoon.
It marked the second straight year the Wildcats had reached the provincial showcase tournament.
Last season it was a fourth place finish in the “AA” Tier One flight — a remarkable achievement for a tier that is dominated by independent schools.
With some key players lost to graduation and seven eligible to return, Mike Charlton forecasted a return trip, except this time as a higher ranked team in tier II. The program’s head coach couldn’t have been more accurate.
To provide more balanced play, the BCSSRU recently did away with the 16-team format after years of lopsided scores in the early rounds.
The Wildcats earned their trip back to Abbotsford after placing fourth in the Lower Mainland playoffs — falling 40-14 to Rockridge in last month’s bronze medal match. Powerhouse Collingwood won the zone and the West Vancouver private school went on to capture the provincial “AA” tier one title, defeating Brentwood 45-29 in the gold medal game.
The second tier is a unique round-robin format with the six teams put into two pool groups.
The Wildcats paved their way to the title game after a big 26-24 victory over Victoria’s Glenlyon Norfolk on Wednesday. The Steveston school then rolled past Langley’s DW Poppy 51-17 on Friday — setting the stage for the final.
Caige Kehayas was named to the Commissioner’s XV Team for his outstanding tournament.
Provincial Notes…
There was a significant Richmond flavour in the South Delta Sun Devils winning their first-ever provincial title, defeating Robert Bateman 35-22 in the “AAA” Tier One championship game. The Sun Devils are guided by McRoberts grad and Richmond Rugby FC product Spencer Baines.
His brother Matt is also teaching at South Delta and the pair have done a terrific job building the school’s program the last few years, leading to Saturday’s breakthrough win.
The turning point was convincing a number of the school’s top football players to come onboard.
The Baines brothers played under longtime former coach Gary Hirayama during an outstanding run for McRoberts at the "AA" level.
