‘Breathless’ rugby stuns league leaders
Bermudian fly-half Jamin Hodgkins and his UBCOB Ravens suffered their first defeat of the season as a rampant Westshore side tore up the form book to claim a stunning 52-33 bonus-point victory at the Juan de Fuca Ground.
Arriving on Vancouver Island boasting an unblemished record, the high-flying league leaders were brought crashing down to earth by a relentless opening-half blitz from the hosts.
Westshore came charging out of the blocks, playing an expansive, breathless brand of rugby that left the visitors shell-shocked. With Kyle Tremblay, Jesse Kilgour, and Rhys James finding gaps at will and running from deep, the hosts blew the contest wide open to build a commanding 38-14 lead by the interval.
The platform was laid upfront, where props Emerson Prior and Kane Perrett anchored a dominant Westshore scrum that had the upper hand all afternoon. At the breakdown, Canadian international Matt Oworu proved a relentless thorn in the Ravens’ side, chopping down ball-carriers and snaffling vital turnovers to stifle any rhythm the visitors tried to generate.
To their credit, Hodgkins and the Ravens rallied after the break, clawing their way back to salvage a bonus point by crossing for four tries in the defeat.
However, Westshore’s earlier eight-try onslaught proved insurmountable, sealing maximum points in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
Both sides quickly turn their attention to next weekend’s fixtures, with Westshore travelling to face Castaway Wanderers, while the Ravens return home to host the Vancouver Rowers.
