Capilano RFC Match Reports - October 1st, 2022 and Upcoming Matches

Match reports from Pink Day on October 1, 2022 can be found below. The reports were written by Heather Muir and John Langley. Many thanks to Heather and John for putting these reports together. There are no games scheduled this coming weekend for Thanksgiving. The match schedules for the next few weeks can also be found below. Please note the schedules are subject to change, check the club email each week for updates.

Upcoming Matches

Saturday October 8, 2022

All 5 Sr. Teams - BYE (Thanksgiving)

Saturday October 15, 2022

Kelowna at Capilano 3rd Division Women (Klahanie Park)
Capilano 1st Division Women at UBC (UBC)
Capilano 2nd Division Men at Kats (Balaclava Park)
Capilano Premier Men at Seattle (Chuckanut Rugby Club)

Capilano Premier Reserve Men - no game

Saturday October 22, 2022

Capilano 3rd Division Women at Chilliwack (Yarrow)
Capilano 1st Division Women at UBC (UBC)
Capilano 2nd Division Men at Scribes (Trout Lake)

Capilano Premier Men and Capilano Premier Reserve Men - no game

Match Reports

Women’s Mainland Division 3 (Division 2) vs. Bayside

Saturday’s Pink Day matches kicked off bright and early with Capilano Women’s 2nd Division team taking on Bayside Sharks. Both sides in this match come from women’s programs with multiple teams in BCRU action this half which is great to see for the development of the women’s game!

The scoring started early with Bayside spotting an overlap out wide and sliding over the try line for the first points in the game. Sideline conversion was wide, leaving the score at 0-5. Heads and energy levels were high however as the Capilano side came back with strong runs and tackles going in from the entire team. Captains Jenni McReddie and Shelby Slay lead from the front as they marshalled their troops around the field – many of whom are playing their first season of rugby!

Possession traded back and forth for the majority of the half with great cover defense coming in from the Capilano backs and big runs from the forward pack. Bayside extended their lead late in the half however as they snatched up a lose ball and ran it around the outside for a second try under the posts. Conversion was good and with the score at 0-12 the Capilano women headed into the break with a comeback in their sights!

Caps came out firing in the second half with first-year player #3 Lizzy McKinlay jumping on any lose balls in sight to turn over possession and create opportunities for their team. A bulldozing run from #12 Hana Veysi from inside their own half broke Capilano into the opposition 22m where #4 Jenni McReddie spotted the mismatch and tore up the sideline to score the home side’s first try of the game! A tough sideline conversion went wide, and the score remained 5-12.

The try scoring was just getting started however as soon after this #13 Leonie Lartey picked up the ball at the back of a ruck on the halfway line, spotted a gap in the unsuspecting defensive line and ran through for a try under the posts – drawing Caps within two points at 10-12. #10 Shelby Slay kept the party going with the third Caps try of the day as they took the ball blind off of a Capilano scrum, burned the lone defender and touched down out wide. With time ticking down the Capilano comeback was looking strong as they took the lead 15-12.

But the Bayside women were definitely not giving up, as they came out hard and worked their way down the field towards to Capilano try line before finally creating an overlap and scoring down the ride hand sideline. Conversion was wide however, and the see-sawing score remained tight at 15-17.

The Capilano women dug deep and with only minutes left in the match, the entire team came together to maintain possession and work the ball into the Bayside half. Their perseverance paid off as the ball was swung wide into the hands of a looping #16 Abigail Gilson who streaked away from the last line of defenders and touched the ball down for the go ahead try! Score was now 20-17 to the home side with just enough time for a final kickoff.

The sidelines watched with bated breath as Bayside barreled into the Capilano end with a last attempt to take the lead. The Capilano women held strong however and with huge tackles, brave last ditch defensive moves, and gutsy try line protection, the home side held on until the final whistle to claim a hugely impressive win to start the day!

Big thank you to Bayside Sharks for making the trek down to Klahanie Park to kick off a great day of rugby in support of cancer research! Thank you also to the referee, sideline medical staff, and the Capilano women’s players who traded sides for the day to ensure that the game could happen! Capilano Women’s 2nd Division Players of the Match were #1 Maddie Arbuckle who was a relentless force on offense, defense, in open play and in set piece, and new-to-the-backs #12 Hana Veysi whose powerful runs and tackles were felt from the sidelines!

Women’s Mainland Division 1 (Premier) vs. Burnaby

The second women’s game on display on Saturday promised to be another tightly contested affair as the Premier team took on long-time rivals Burnaby Lake. It’s great to see BLRC women back in the top division again as they always provide a hard-fought, competitive game! Saturday’s encounter was no exception as both teams came out firing with plenty of big hits and changes of possession throughout the first minutes of the game.

After several phases of tight pod-work from the Capilano forwards, #4 Santina (Tina) Luti put the first points on the board with a strong push over the line to dot down in the corner for their first try in black and gold! Conversion was wide, leaving the score at 5-0 for Caps. The game continued to battle on with some strong runs on both sides before Burnaby finally capitalized on an overlap out wide and ran in their first try of the game. Conversion was good and Burnaby crept ahead 5-7.

Capilano’s kept the energy and intensity high however and continued to battle their way towards the opposition 22m. Their patience paid off late in the half when #7 Karina Christiansen took the ball at pace off a set penalty and scorched through the defense on a 20m run to the try-line! Conversion from #13 Dani Fearns was good and Capilano headed into the half time break with a well-deserved 12-7 lead.

The second half started the same way the first ended – with ferocious tackling and battering runs from both sides. Capilano extended their lead early into the half as #12 Sarah Bill broke through the Burnaby defense and carried Caps deep into the opposition 22m. Newly converted scrumhalf #9 Nicola Jones then took advantage of the scramble defense and dotted the ball down on the line in the corner for the home team’s third try of the game. Tough sideline conversion went wide, and the score remained 17-7.

Shortly after, the Capilano women were met with a huge test to their defense and game-management as #10 Genevieve Bittorf was handed a red card with still 35min left to play. The team adjusted well however as the back line pushed in to cover and veteran #14 Suhad Mardikian combined seamlessly with new Capilano #21 Charlotte (Chuck) Ketchen to cover the back field. Caps held out the relentless Burnaby offense until the 60min mark when the visitor’s slipped through some missed tackles and touched down under the posts. Conversion from Burnaby was good, bringing the score up to a tight 17-14.

The last 15min of this game showed the grit and determination of the Capilano women as they held strong on their own try-line for several minutes and managed to keep the opposition out before turning over the ball and clearing their zone. Fans were zeroed in on the field with a laser focus that matched the focus of the black and gold as the Capilano’s defensive line remained impenetrable down to the very final whistle. The relief and pride from all was palpable as the cheers rose from the field and the stands alike and the Capilano women congratulated each other on a brilliant victory with hugs, smiles, and “well done”s!

Big thank you to Burnaby Lake Women for a stellar match and for pushing the bar higher on every encounter! Thank you also to the referee, field physios, and game day organizers for all their hard work in making Pink Day such a success! Capilano Players of the Match were #12 Sarah Bill with their storming runs and solid tackles wreaking havoc on the opposition and #5 Kat (Frenchy) Josephides whose leadership both on offense and defense and speed to the breakdowns ensured essential ball-possession for the home side throughout a nail-biting contest.

Written by Heather Muir

Pink Day at Klahanie:

This is always a feature event at the Capilano RFC. The event raises money to fight cancer. Burnaby is the preferred opponent as they can always field four competitive sides and bring with them many supporters. This made for a very full and exciting day of rugby. To end off the day a Pink Party was held starting at 9PM. Thanks to all of the Capilano and Burnaby, players and supporters for making this possible. Capilano’s regular gate keeper Gord Currie was down with the flu and unable to attend. We wish him a speedy recovery. The Capilano Women subbed in to run the gate. A big shout out to Mel Robinson for organizing and “ Herding the event”. It was an excellent day with exciting rugby under brilliant sunshine. Congratulations to all that helped make this very successful event happen.

The 2nd. Division Men: Burnaby won this game by a score of 37-0

Unfortunately the game was delayed in the first half by an injury to a Capilano player who required an ambulance. Thanks to the Capilano trainers for their professional handling of this medical situation. We hope he has a speedy recovery. Burnaby has a great deal of depth in their club and a lot of veteran players along with some good young talent and numbers. Caps are young and showing improvement but we need more players, President Nick Belmar and a couple of Snow Caps over 40’s had to help field a team. The Covid break has eroded our numbers and we are still recovering. Congratulations to Burnaby on the win and thanks to the referee.

The Premier Reserve Game won by Burnaby 57-7

The Burnaby Premier Reserve team really showed how deep Burnaby Lake is with respect to players. They scored bushels of tries and some were very classy. Their ball handling was crisp and effective and their scrum provided a lot of good ball. Capilano tackled hard all game and did not give up despite the strength of their opponents. Caps did manage one try late in the game after threatening several times only to be repelled. I was impressed with the Burnaby scrum-half who had a strong game. For Capilano young number 6, Aston Fink a recent Carson Graham grad showed a lot of promise. He got away on a good run but was stopped by the Burnaby fullback. Glen McKinnon said he would have scored that in high school but this competition is much tougher. I watched him a fair bit and he looks like an excellent prospect. Young hooker Keita Dueck also played well for Caps. Thanks to Chris Lumsden for returning to the field and for his leadership along with Kes Kasha. A few more veterans would greatly help this young Capilano team. Congratulations to Burnaby and thanks to the referee.

The Premier Game: Won by Capilano 37-33

Caps led this game for most of this contest except for a brief spell in the first half when Burnaby went a point up on a penalty kick. Caps seemed to be able to score when necessary and held a commanding lead late into the game. The Capilano maul from the lineout was strong and the throw ins were usually on mark. Both teams kicked a fair bit for field advantage and Burnaby perhaps had a bit of advantage as their fullback made several 50-22 kicks to give Burnaby the throw in deep in the Capilano end. Caps defended well though and some of these lineouts were repelled either by hard Capilano play or penalties. Burnaby scored a couple of late tries to bring the score much closer than I thought it should have been. Caps brought on some fresh legs Ryan Scott and Johnny Adams. Late in the game the bench was emptied and a couple of players that had very played hard in the Reserve game came on and were no doubt tired. Perhaps the head Coach wanted to reward them, and it was an exhibition game, but I for one questioned this move. Congratulations to Capilano on the win and thanks to the referee.

Written by Jon Langley