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Scrum For Heart Charity Rugby Game
by Derek Finlayson
posted March 20 2008
Saturday March 8th marked the first ever charity rugby game held by the Surrey Beavers Rugby Club. The charity benefiting from the Beavers good will was the Heart & Stroke Foundation, BC/Yukon chapter. The Heart & Stroke Foundation partnered with the Beavers for regular season home games featuring the 3rd, 2nd and 1st division sides. Club members spent the better part of a month collecting donations which totaled over $2,500.00. Many thanks go out to all who supported the event with their time and hard earned money. We challenge other rugby clubs across Canada to get on board with a local charity and put your members to the test. Here are the match reports.
Warm and sunny weather made for a great day of rugby at Sullivan Heights Park, home of the Surrey Beavers, where the curtain raiser saw the hosts third team push past the Vancouver Rogues Rugby club in what was the first ever meeting between the two sides. A physical first half saw Blake Coss, unstoppable at this level, cross the line for a 5-0 Surrey lead. After the restart substitutes Rob Brown and Steve Hoffmann’s powerful running punished Rogue tacklers sending Blake Coss across to score for a second time. The Rogues replied with a try but never really looked go out winners, Kevin Smith finished the scoring for Surrey with a superb individual effort, Graham Hazelton and Lance Mathers were strong throughout the game as Surrey ran out 29-5 winners.
Next Surrey’s second team took to the field to take on the UBC Thunderbirds, it was a game of two styles as Surrey’s large experienced pack tried to grind down a fast paced Thunderbird side. Surrey controlled the ball early but were punished twice on turnovers giving up tries both times. Undaunted, Surrey pushed the ball down the field with strong forward play and were rewarded with a try before halftime from injury substitute Steve Hoffmann. The second half saw much of the same with UBC starved of possession but scoring twice with well organized counter attacks, Steve Friesen replied for Surrey with his first try on the second team as the Beavers went down 24-12.
The crowd swelled into the hundreds as Surrey’s first division took to the field intent on containing UBC’s outside game whilst imposing themselves physically on their guests. Refereed by one of the Surrey Beavers original founding members and heart attack survivor Erin Ferguson the game opened with some ferocious tackling and uncompromising forward play by Surrey coupled with club captain Gurvinder Kalar’s massive kicks keeping UBC pinned in their end of the field. The pressure paying off as Sean Connolly charged down a clearance kick to touch down for a try. Minutes later Kalar added a penalty and it was 8-0 Surrey after 20 minutes. As the half wore on UBC slowly took control of the play, swinging the ball from one sideline to the other, testing Surrey’s defense and twice capitalizing on breakdowns to go into the half with a 12-8 lead.
Surrey roared out in the second half keeping UBC on their hind foot with a series of brutal rucks and mauls that saw Jeff Burgunder across the line as surrey reclaimed the lead 15-12. However UBC, showing why they are consistently rated one of the finest rugby programs of any North American university, fought back and ran out two tries in the final fifteen minutes to take the contest 26-15.
UBC coach Spence Mactavish complimented the Beavers efforts after the game, “the home side played a very exciting game and were unfortunate not to come away with the win”. High praise from a former Canadian international.
Next club games see the Beavers on the road to play United with 1st, 2nd and 3rd division sides on March 22nd.
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