After months of no home games, this weekend saw multiple games played on both of the MacDonald Park fields as JBAA hosted Vancouver Rowing Club in senior men's action, a girls' team from Bow Valley, a youth jamboree and an Ebb Tide fixture. With a bit of luck and some sunshine we should be good to host UBC this coming weekend to make up for a postponement from Feb 1.
On Saturday, our third division team hosted Comox Kickers in a fast-paced, high scoring game of 12-aside with the home team getting the best of a 57-29 scoreline. Our Bays lent Jacob DeGoede to the visitors as we had a large contingent compared to a rather sparse line-up for the visitors. JBAA had a number of old timers to complement several young players from our youth teams, giving the Bays a perfect combination of youthful exuberance and veteran leadership.
Because a half dozen players were unavailable this weekend, in the Reserve game a number of new players had to be inserted into the line-up as several Reserve stalwarts were needed to join the Premier team. This resulted in a lack of team cohesion which turned out to spell disaster for the home team. A Bays' knock-on just seconds into the game set the stage for much of the rest of the game and although our forwards held the upper hand in the sets, the backs made too many mistakes with much of the ball they did get. Meanwhile, the Rowers kicked often and quite well, using the wind and slope to their advantage. Ten minutes into the game the Rowers convert an offside penalty into three points to jump into the lead. Shortly after one of the few successful backline movements for JBAA saw Logan Auringer scoring easily and with his convert clanging off the upright, the Bays take a 5-3 lead at the 18 minute mark. Moments later, Jordan Brown has an exciting 60 metre run from well inside his own half before being tripped up by the last man back. The next 10 minutes are scrappy with lots of knock-ons, spilled ball in mauls and thwarted overlaps as JBAA are unable to convert possession into points. Just before the half ends, the Rowers kick a second penalty to take a 6-5 lead into the half-time break.
Coming downhill the second half, the Bays did not use the boot effectively or often enough, preferring to run from everywhere in their own half....a strategy that did not work due to balls being stripped in contact, knock-ons and poor choices in crucial situations. Time and time again the home team self-destructed. This self-inflicted demise included a number of badly flubbed penalty kicks that should have been easily made. Mid-way through the half, the fly-half for the Rowers is allowed to slide through several would-be tacklers for a too-easy try which allows the visitors to open a 13-5 lead, extended to 16-5 with a penalty kick at 32 minutes. The Bays roar back and after multiple phases, Andrew DeGoede finds a gap and scores easily to tighten the game to 16 to 12 with the convert successful. This try, like the Bays' first, looked easy. Unfortunately, there was only one more try scored, and this one just before full time, and it was the Rowers who scored, making the final tally 21-12. Some standout individual performances by Hamish Pyne and Toddy Wilson of the Bays were not enough to counter the numerous turn-overs committed by JBAA on this particular day, allowing Rowers to retain the Ferguson Cup.
In the Premier match JBAA secured a 47-17 victory over the Vancouver Rowing Club on Saturday at MacDonald Park, once again claiming the Cox Cup.
Cooper Coats scored twenty of his thirty-two points in the first half, while JC Fidinde, Thomas Burton, and Nathan Tough each scored a try in the second half in what was comprehensive victory for JBAA.
The first twenty minutes of the match involved JBAA dominating territory. Cooper slots a penalty a few minutes in, and about ten minutes later, after an errant Rower lineout in JBAA territory, Cooper slides through the VRC defense to score under the posts.
For the next ten minutes, VRC press deep in JBAA territory. Their scrum continues to win penalty after penalty at the set. They keep electing the scrum, and this goes on for at least ten minutes, until they finally score. 10-7 JBAA.
The two teams trade blows for the next ten minutes. That is until a big hit from Nathan Tough allows to Aaron Evison to gather a dropped ball. He gallops a good forty meters – and makes a decent step that sees three Rowers fall down – before finding Cooper in support. Cooper scores and converts. From the kickoff JBAA wins a penalty and Cooper slots it. 20-7 JBAA at the half.
A minute into the second half, either Fischer Kooman or Kieran McAuely (or both – let’s just a say a very pasty hand), blocks an attempted clearance. Thomas Burton gathers and scores under the posts and Cooper converts. 27-7 JBAA early in half two.
Hunta Marsh goes for a jaunt a few minutes later and slips past three or four (or five) VRC defenders before being stopped just short of the VRC in-goal. Play then slows for about eight minutes. Given the slowdown, Cooper elects a kick after a VRC penalty. He nails it from about forty. 30-7 JBAA.
Shortly after the restart, after a dropped VRC pass, Thomas Burton uses his soccer skills and passes to himself forty meters ahead, in the VRC in-goal, tallying. Cooper again converts. 37-7 Bays.
The Bays impress for the next few minutes and look destined to add more points when Cooper slides through the VRC defense, but his pass just can’t find Kai Llyod’s hands – or Kai Lloyd’s hands can’t find Cooper’s pass.
The Rowers add to their point total about twenty minutes in off well timed set play from a scrum at center. They don’t convert, and Cooper almost immediately kicks a penalty in response. 40-12 JBAA. Moments later, a VRC player gathers a JBAA clearance kick, and looks destined to break the JBAA defense only to accidentally bosh his own player rather violently. A minute later, Hunta, destined to show VRC how to properly bosh, steamrolls that same Rower.
Hail begins to fall at MacDonald Park. Cooper grubbers to a speeding Nathan Tough, who scores under the posts. Cooper, perfect from the boot on the day, adds the conversion. A weird passage of play takes place from the kickoff, with a few questionable decisions from a number of players on both sides. It ends with VRC scoring one last time. They don’t convert. Final score: 47-17 JBAA.
CORRECTION - we originally had a few sentences about home games next weekend. We were wrong. It’s Vancouver 7s (no apostrophe) next weekend.