Junior Boys BC Rugby 7s

Soccer is 90 minutes of pretending you're hurt; rugby is 80 minutes of pretending you're not, and the invitation to the annual BC Boys Junior Rugby 7s tournament held in Vancouver tested every ounce of energy & grit within the team. Hosted by the AAAA St. George's, a select team of 12 players from Brentwood bused and ferried to the Mainland where we slept in a hotel in Richmond. As the tournament rolled in the next day, the boys started their five game journey against the top teams in the province. Although the game of 7s is only 14 minutes long, unlike the default 60 minute game of 15 aside rugby, it is one of the most grueling and tiring sports in the world; non stop running and much contact challenges a player both physically and mentally.    As the team rolled into the morning dew of the field, many of the other teams looked much larger than our own boys. But as the Brentwood team raised up to the challenge of the first few games, the boys proved that size does not matter.  In the round robin matchups, where teams are randomly placed against others, the boys came out on top against all three schools in the rotation, winning against, in order, Robert Bateman (Abbotsford), Charles Tupper (Vancouver), and Salmon Arm Secondary (Salmon Arm).  With three straight convincing wins, the juniors earned a berth in the provincial standings to compete for medals, amidst other teams who won all the games in their day 1 pool as well. The boys played their semi-final match against rivals St. Michaels (Victoria).The two opponents were armed with talent: the teams battled it out, with grueling hit after hit. Unfortunately, Brentwood fell short by one try and was forced to battle for 3rd place against Earl Marriott. Playing an even better team, and with no fuel in the tank after four exhausting games, Brentwood placed 4th among the 16 teams in the Provincial 7s tournament. “In a game of only 14 minutes, possession plays a key role in these games. St Michaels was able to hit their rucks well in order to take those crucial possessions, and by passing the ball out to the wings open space for easy tries on us, leading them to win that game” observed Mr Smithour coach. Although one place shy from a medal, the boys put in sweat and blood to place in the rankings, and though we were some of the smaller guys in the tournament, we proved through tour grit that size doesn’t matter. Thanks to Mr Smith for taking us. We know it’s never easy for a father of three youngsters (and 60 Allard House girls) to get away. Alex Scarrow, Whittall ‘20