Day 8

The idyllic setting of Jericho Park near UBC in Vancouver was the venue for two very hard rugby matches. The bravery on show from both the 2nd and 1st XVs will live long in the memory of all those who witnessed these epic encounters. The 2nd XV played first and demonstrated great belief in and ability to apply the game shape that we have been working on in training since before we arrived in Canada. The skills on show in the contact situations were excellent and allowed the 2nds to put a good string of phases together and retain possession well in the face of some very aggressive defence. In the end the 2nds ran out 12-0 victors - M.O.M. was Finn Thomson with a brace of tries. 

The 1st XV set a very high standard for the season with a heroic performance against a hugely physical Ravens XV. After going behind to an early try the XV played some sublime attacking rugby, coupled with ferocious work at the breakdown to take the lead with a super try from Kelvin Chen, converted by Blair Kinghorn. The remainder of the 30 minutes was played out in a familiar fashion with the XV attacking with courage and skill and the opposition defending with ferocity. Eventually a turnover led to the winning try for the Ravens, however, huge positives were taken out of the game and the XV can move on to the next game in really good spirits - M.O.M. was Scott McGinley with a huge performance, not far behind were Tokumbo Lawal and Blair Kinghorn.

Both hockey teams had an excellent experience playing against Club India from the Surrey district of Vancouver. Travelling on our iconic yellow-school bus all on board were thrilled to see a 'Commonwealth Games-esque' water-based hockey pitch, along with a stand and video tower. The girls were excited to play first but got off to a slow start. Superior stick skills from the opposition and individual errors from the EA girls led to us going in 3-0 down at half-time. Ms. McWilliam's half-time team talk focused on getting back to basics and inspired the team to a much improved second half performance. A solid core of J. Smith, I. Bryce and J.Banks led from the front as we upped the tempo significantly. The opponents couldn't match our drive and a few very well worked goals got us back into the game. A much improved second half performance was not quite enough for a victory but three second half goals resulted in a 4-3 defeat. Lots of things to work on but also many positives - exactly what we like from a pre-season match.

WOTM - J. Smith

Having warmed up during the girls 2nd half, the boys missed their inspired come-back. The game started at a great pace and there were multiple chances at both ends. J. Carrie didn't put a foot wrong at the back and we earnt a number of short-corners through skilled work in the circle through P. Tremmel and A. Devine, although we struggled too make the most of them. Somehow the match was still 0-0 at half-time. The second half opened up a bit and our superior experience and fitness showed as gaps started to open up. As usual P. Christie dictated the tempo from centre-back and S. Drennan showcased the intensity that has been demanded of the team. Goals from P. Christine, A. Power and B. Jourdan led to a brilliant second half performance and a 3-1 victory.

MOTM - S. Drennan

A huge thank you to the opposition and for their organisation. There was a healthy representation from the local community who turned up in numbers and 30 pizzas were joyously received by the EA squads and staff!