A Journey, To Alberni

Last Tuesday, the majority of the Junior Boys Rugby team hunkered down on the bus for a two and a half hour trek up and over Vancouver Island to face some northern competition in Port Alberni. To the relief of the boys (some of whom missed a science test - sorry Mrs. Olszewski) the team met at Crooks Hall at noon to eat their early lunch, and pack their bags with as much food as possible, preparing for their 150 minute hibernation on the Brentwood College School bus.  After what seemed like ages, including numerous bathroom stops, and countless Peek Freans chocolate chip cookies devoured by Olin D, the boys arrived in the rainy town of Port Alberni.  Horrified of the cold air and chilly water sprinkling down from above, the boys reluctantly suited up and took the pitch for warm up. By the time Jack NG had dropped the ball an incredible amount of times, and Nico P had learned to throw line outs, the boys were feeling good - and looking good as well. It was 3:45 when kickoff rolled around, and only five minutes in the boys were up 7-0. Some penalties and silly miscues from the team lead the boys to a slow start, but nothing could hold back this team as they powered through the rain and cold to take charge of the match.  The forward pack dominated every breakdown and every scrum, to the point where the referee asked them to tone down the pushes at scrum time. The starting back row of Luc B, Jack R and Nico P (each of whom scored at least one try) was particularly impressive, winning rucks, and making aggressive tackles to put Alberni on the back foot. The first half ended with a score of 19-0.  The second half began with tries from Luc and Jack, followed up with another 5 points added by Santino G. Brentwood was in the driver’s seat for the rest of the contest and finished the game with a 43-0 win.  On the drive home, the coaching staff decided on a pit-stop in Cathedral Grove to carry on the tradition of visiting one of the oldest and largest trees on Vancouver Island. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. The boys’ next game is today against GP Vanier; kickoff at 3:30. Some tickets are still available. See you on Gillespie. Jack NG, Ellis ‘21