Rugby Ontario – The Ontario Under-19 Blues finished off a tremendous Canadian Rugby Championship with a tough defeat at the hands of the British Columbia Bears. The Bears got on the board early in the Gold Medal match, as the Blues found themselves digging themselves out of a 12-0 hole. The Blues did come back within one converted try, but the British Columbia took the match 29-17.

In Game 1 of the CRCs, the Blues kicked off their tournament with a decisive 36-14 win over the Voyageurs. A team with many Quebec and Eastern Ontario players, the Voyageurs had an early lead on the Blues, but the Ontario side dominated in set pieces. As a result, the Ontario U19 Blues defeated the Voyageurs by a score of 36-14.

In their second game, the Blues met the Wolf Pack from Alberta and found themselves in a close contest vs. their Prairie opponents. The Blues did not let the Wolf Pack’s early offense phase them and continued to dominate in scrums and lineouts. They went on to defeat the Pack in a close match by a score of 26-19.

The semifinals saw the Blues match up with a tough Atlantic Rock side. Ontario was down early in this one, as the Rock took a 7-0 lead in the first ten minutes. In typical Ontario fashion, the Blues did not allow the margin to get them down, as they climbed back into the game and triumphed offensively. The teams traded scores for most of the match, but the Blues added insurance points in the second half to win the match 38-26.

In the finals, the Blues ran into some troubles early against a strong British Columbia side. The BC Bears used their fast-paced offense to their advantage, scoring points early and often. In the Blues’ only try of the first half, Josh Engelbrecht had a strong run into the right corner, followed by a late offload to Aidan Foley for the score. At half, the Blues were down 19-5. Ontario came out flying in the second half, scoring ten minutes in with a beautiful team try finished by captain Jack McRogers, but BC’s momentum also continued, as they added another try. In a last-ditch effort to tie the game up, Gabe Casey made a tremendous play at the touch line, just saving the ball from going out of bounds. He corralled the ball and passed it right into the hands of a streaking James Hammond who completed the play. Unfortunately, it was not enough to win the game and the Ontario U19 Blues would have to settle for a Silver medal win after a tough 29-17 loss to British Columbia.

Rugby Ontario would like to congratulate all of our U19 players and coaching staff on a great tournament and a well-deserved Silver medal.

Congratulations are also in order for British Columbia who won Gold, Atlantic Rock on their Bronze medal and the Voyageurs, Alberta Wolf Pack and Prairie Blizzard on a great tournament.

ABOUT THE ONTARIO BLUES

The Ontario Blues program is the high performance representative program for male and female rugby players in Ontario. Rugby Ontario is represented at the provincial level by the Ontario Blues High Performance program. The program includes representative teams from Under-15 to Senior in both Women’s and Men’s Fifteens. Specifically, the program is designed to develop and showcase rugby players for Canadian representative national teams.

ABOUT RUGBY ONTARIO

Rugby Ontario is the provincial sports governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to establish a stronger identity for rugby in Ontario by promoting the sport’s core values and by fostering a culture of inclusiveness and excellence on and off the field of play.

To learn more, visit http://www.rugbyontario.com/

Blues Sr. Men: Ontario victorious in Game 1 of CRCs

The Ontario Blues Senior Men’s side took the pitch on Saturday at the Truro Saints Rugby Club for their first game of the 2017 Canadian Rugby Championship campaign. They defeated a local Atlantic Rock team 24-17.

The first half was all Blues, as the Ontario men scored early and often. Kainoa Lloyd opened up the scoring after picking off an errant Atlantic Rock pass yards from the Rock try line.

The next Ontario athlete to get in on the scoring was Rory Mcdonell who streaked down the wing to get past the Atlantic Rock defense.

Lucas Rumball scored next, as scrumhalf Andrew Ferguson quickly restarted and offloaded to Rumball who put five more points on the board.

The Blues added one more try in the first half. The Atlantic Rock added a late try and a conversion. On top of the four tries from the Blues, Andrew Ferguson kicked two conversions for Ontario. The Ontario Blues had a 24-7 lead going into halftime.

In the second half, the Atlantic Rock came out flying, building off their momentum from their late first half try. In the first ten minutes, the Rock capitalized on a Blues penalty, adding three points for the home side.

The Rock recorded a converted try late in the match, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the Blues, as Ontario went on to win the match 24-17.

Some key takeaways from the match include Ontario’s strength in the kicking game, the defensive strength of the Blues in the second half and getting solid support from the bench late in the game. Canadian Rugby Championship debutants included Will Kelly, Alex Colborne, Mario Van der Westhuizen, Pat Lynott and Kolby Francis. Coming off the bench, Francis had his first cap with the Blues.

The next Canadian Rugby Championship match for the Ontario Blues Senior Men is August 13, 2017 against the Prairie Wolf Pack from Calgary Rugby Park. Kickoff for the match is 3:00pm ET. Match stream information is yet to released.

Ontario Blues Sr. Men vs. Atlantic Rock – July 22, 2017

1. Rob Brouwer, Lindsay RFC (Captain)

2. Eric Howard, Brantford Harlequins

3. Tom Dolezel, London St. Georges

4. Hank McQueen, Balmy Beach

5. Mike Sheppard, Stoney Creek Camels

6. Lucas Rumball, Balmy Beach

7. Peter Milazzo, Toronto Saracens

8. Jeremy Wright, Lindsay RFC

9. Andrew Ferguson, Crusaders

10. Shawn Windsor, Stoney Creek Camels

11. Kainoa Lloyd, Mississauga Blues

12. Alex Colborne, Toronto Scottish

13. Josh Campbell, London St. Georges

14. Dan Moor, Balmy Beach

15. Rory McDonnell, Brantford Harlequins

16. Andrew Quattrin, Aurora Barbarians

17. Pat Lynott, Bytown Blues

18. Ryan Surgenor, Bytown Blues

19. Kolby Francis, Brantford Harlequins

20. Andrew Wilson, Crusaders

21. John Sheridan, Markham Irish

22. Will Kelly, Brantford Harlequins

23. Mario Van Der Westhuizen, Guelph Redcoats

STAFF

Coach Chris Silverthorn

Asst Coach Cory Hector

Manager Mark Winokur

Analyst Rodin Lozada

Athletic Therapist Chris Kelly

ONTARIO BLUES – CANADIAN RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE

July 22, 2017 Blues 24 vs. 17 Atlantic Rock – KO 4pm ET

August 13, 2017 vs. Prairie Wolf Pack – KO 3pm ET

August 16, 2017 vs. BC Bears – KO 7pm ET

August 19, 2017 vs. TBD – KO 7pm ET/9pm ET

CANADIAN RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP – PAST CHAMPIONS

2016 – Ontario Blues

2015 – Prairie Wolf Pack

2014 – Ontario Blues

2013 – Ontario Blues

2012 – Ontario Blues

2011 – Ontario Blues

2010 – Atlantic Rock

2009 – BC Bears

ABOUT THE ONTARIO BLUES

The Ontario Blues program is the high performance representative program for male and female rugby players in Ontario. Rugby Ontario is represented at the provincial level by the Ontario Blues High Performance program. The program includes representative teams from Under-15 to Senior in both Women’s and Men’s Fifteens. Specifically, the program is designed to develop and showcase rugby players for Canadian representative national teams.

ABOUT RUGBY ONTARIO

Rugby Ontario is the provincial sports governing body responsible for the organization of rugby in Ontario. Our mission is to establish a stronger identity for rugby in Ontario by promoting the sport’s core values and by fostering a culture of inclusiveness and excellence on and off the field of play.

To learn more, visit http://www.rugbyontario.com/

Kevin Baxter | Communications Coordinator | Rugby Ontario | (647) 560-4790 x 1006
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