Men's 1st Division

ABBOTSFORD 19
NANAIMO 13

Division 1 Men's Pictures vs. Nanaimo

Abby Men Win Title - Article in the News May 6, 2008

Abby Men Take Provincial Rugby Crown - Article in Abby-Mission Times, May 6, 2008

On Saturday, May 3, 2008, the Abbotsford Division 1 men and women played back to back BC Provincial Finals matches at Brocton Oval, a first in club history. The Abbotsford men, who finished 3rd in league standings, took on the Nanaimo Hornets, ranked #5 and coming in after a big upset win over #1 ranked Cowichan the previous weekend. It was a hard fought game that started off with solid tackles and fierce rucking by both teams. Abbotsford was able to score two unconverted tries early in the game by Jeremy Swaan and Scott Alexander. Abbotsford controlled the majority of the play throughout the first half, but were unable to capitalize on a number of scoring opportunities. The Abbotsford forwards were particularly effective with driving line outs and were tenacious ball stealers in the rucks. Chris Gilding added a penalty goal midway through the first half to leave the score 13-3 in favor of Abbotsford at half time.

Nanaimo played aggressive defense throughout the game and came out fired up in the second half. The loud fan support for the Hornets seemed to propel the team forward in rucks and mauls as they began to find some holes in the Abbotsford defense. Midway through the second half Nanaimo were able to score an unconverted try to make the score 13-8. Abbotsford battled back and were rewarded with two more Chris Gilding penalty kicks to make the score 19-8. With less than 10 minutes to go in the game, roaring crowd support fueled another surge from the Nanaimo side, which produced a try in the corner to bridge the gap to 19-13.

The final minutes were intense with both teams making elusive breaks and having opportunities to score. Both teams knew that the lead could be exchanged with a converted try. With no time left and a Nanaimo scrum just inside the Abbotsford half, Scott Alexander reacted quickly to steal the ball from the Hornets' scrum half as it squirted out of the scrum. He cleverly kicked the ball out of bounds to receive the final whistle and seal the victory for Abbotsford. Dan Tou was named Man of the Match in the championship game by the BCRU selectors.

Congratulations to the Abbotsford team for all of their efforts throughout the long season. Thank you to fans and sponsors who provided support throughout the season. Thank you especially to Doug Primrose who is retiring after 5 great years as the head coach of Abbotsford Rugby Club men's teams.

Women's 1st Division

ABBOTSFORD 5
COWICHAN 29