Canadian_Rugger
Bench Player
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2004
- Messages
- 505
- Country Flag
- Club or Nation
http://blogs.theprovince.com/2012/0...gby-stags-upset-new-zealand-schoolboy-champs/
Biggest win in Canadian High School rugby period... they didn't advance to the semis due to aggregate from their first game (pity the jetlag) but they went 2 and 1 and made everyone proud.
[URL="http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=newssearch&cd=2&ved=0CC4QqQIwAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.theprovince.com%2F2012%2F05%2F02%2Fshawnigan-lakes-rugby-stags-upset-new-zealand-schoolboy-champs%2F&ei=HRurT72tLJCi8QSHnqga&usg=AFQjCNH_Ul1ZjloLNPNV0oD_VJCMQPDlqA&sig2=_xYN1i1NFn-jIJmrSRF9eA"]Guiseppe du Toit’s drop-kick goal in the final minute of play on Tuesday set the celebration for the biggest win in the history of the stories Shawnigan Lake boys rugby program.
[/URL]The late score lifted the Stags to a thrilling 17-14 win over New Zealand’s Kelston Boys, the rugby-mad country’s 2011 National Top Four reigning champions.
“This was an historic win for our school and a tremendously important achievement for Canadian high cchool rugby,†said Shawnigan head master David Robertson after the victory, the biggest upset of the Sanix World Rugby Youth Invitational, staged each year for the best teams in the world in Fukuoka, Japan.
“Canadian teams have traditionally not done well at this tournament in the past,†continued Robertson, “so it was a delight for everyone involved and for the tournament organizers to have a Canadian team deliver such a strong performance.â€
Kelston, which has sent a number of its alums to the famed All-Blacks, jumped out to an early 5-0 lead as Shawnigan found itself defending the goal line in the early stages of the match.
But after forcing an error deep in Kelston territory, the Stags used a solid scrum and great back-up play to give Cody Milne enough space to force his way over the try line to knot the score.
A du Toit penalty kick put Shawnigan Lake on top 8-5, and that score stood to the half.
In the second, Shawnigan’s committment to defence took running space away from the New Zealanders, and the Island team carried that over into the Kelston side of the pitch.
A penalty kick and a drop goal were the reward for great perserverance, and a 14-5 lead was the result.
However Kelston scored two quick tries to go ahead by one, 15-14, in the dying stages of the contest.
However du Toit’s penalty kick just outside the 10-metre line secured the upset.
Shawnigan officials said it was the first time that a Canadian side has won more than two games at Sanix. The Stags, however, finished third in their very competitive pool and were ready to resume play looking for a ranking in the 9-16 slots.
Biggest win in Canadian High School rugby period... they didn't advance to the semis due to aggregate from their first game (pity the jetlag) but they went 2 and 1 and made everyone proud.