by Natalie Ramsay | Mar 20, 2019 | Game Reports
L-R: Paula Simpson, Aaron L’Arrivee, Kristianna Bouwvers, Stephen Hextall After a league-wide bye to attend the HSBC Canada Sevens tournament last week, rugby resumed this past Saturday with a double header at Cumberland Village Park. First up were the Comox Valley Kickers Women facing off against their Island rivals, the Nanaimo Hornets. The Hornets scored first which provided the Kickers with a sense of urgency to answer back right away and helped kickstart a comeback. Nanaimo’s defense was sound and very fast to advance, which made the Kickers backline use quick hands to try and get the ball out wide. The Kickers forward pack were unrelentless with crashing the ball. It was a very evenly matched game, with a lot of back and forth action. Lock Cailey Collins and Winger Kristianna Bouwers both scored twice with Outside Centre Daris Tendler scoring once. Flyhalf Paula Simpson added one try and five conversions. The final score was 40 - 24. “Our team came in ready as they knew it would be a hard and physical game. Every person on the pitch rose to the occasion, from the forwards who worked hard to produce good balls to the backs who made good use of every opportunity” said Kickers Coach J.P. Lussier. “There are still things we still need to work on, especially with our next opponent being the Meralomas, who are the defending BCRU Division 1 Champions. Next week will be another hard and physical game.” Secondly, the Comox Valley Kickers Men hosted Westshore RFC. The opposing team started off fast, putting up four unanswered tries in...
by Natalie Ramsay | Mar 4, 2019 | Game Reports, Uncategorized
After a very cold and snowy February, the rugby season resumed this past Saturday with the Comox Valley Kickers Women’s team travelling to the mainland to face off against the Brit Lions, who are based out of Delta. Travelling with only thirteen women, the Kickers knew that it would take a Herculean effort to win shorthanded, but they were up to the task. The Kickers started off strong, scoring first and then never let up. With high intensity throughout the game, the team utilized their strength and speed to score. The forward pack crashed the ball with ferocious intent and gained the hard yards, which allowed the back line to shine by running some great plays. Outside Centre Daris Tendler lead the efforts with four tries with Inside Centre Carlie Beaulieu and Scrumhalf Natalie Nguyen each scoring once. Flyhalf Paula Simpson added two tries and four conversions. The final score was 48 – 17. “We are coming back from a one-month hiatus due to the weather and I was unsure of what the team was going to look like. It was disappointing that we could not field a whole side, but I was so very proud of the ladies who made the trip. Everyone played with tremendous heart and conviction in our ability to win.” said Kickers Captain Natalie Nguyen. “Due to the fact that we were playing short, we were very strategic in our game plan. Our forwards had great set pieces and contested every scrum and lineout, stealing possession on a few! Our backs had great chemistry and ran some good lines. As a team, we were...
by Natalie Ramsay | Jan 28, 2019 | Game Reports
This past Saturday, the Comox Valley Kickers Women’s Team hosted Cow/West, a combined side from Cowichan and Westshore at Cumberland Village Park and earned a 33-10 win to start the second half of the rugby season off strong. Fittingly enough, the Kickers kicked off to start the game. It was a very competitive game with a lot of back and forth action. Comox’s first try came from Outside Centre Daris Tendler, who managed to sprint and deke her way around the several defenders. Utilizing her speed, Daris had a dominating game scoring 4 tries in total with Winger Michelle Hamilton adding 1 try to the scoreboard. Flyhalf Paula Simpson kicked four successful conversions. “We are coming back from a two-month break and we look like a different squad. There are lots of new faces on our team for this half. I wasn’t sure how the first game back would go, but all the ladies stepped up and played hard,” said Kickers Captain Natalie Nguyen. “We made a handful of errors which resulting in penalties against us, but we were able to overcome those mistakes through our physical play. Our forwards had great set pieces; the scrums and lineouts were strong. Our backs had great chemistry and we ran our plays well. I am excited to see how the team continues to improve and grow. This was a great start to the season.” The after-game festivities continued at the Cumberland Hotel, the Kickers Sponsor Bar & Clubhouse. The Women’s team have a bye next week. The Comox Valley Kickers Men’s team will host the UVic Saxons in their season...
by Natalie Ramsay | Nov 8, 2018 | Game Reports
It was a tough weekend for both rugby clubs, as both fell in their respective matches. The Comox Valley Kickers Men’s team hosted Westshore RFC at Cumberland Village Park, losing 20-10. Curtis Card and Brandon Hudson scored tries for Comox Valley. “We’ve definitely improved since our last game. Our scrums were strong, and we ran the ball well. It was very much a back and forth game filled with hard hits,” said team captain Brandon Hudson. “We had one try that was held up in the end zone and were unable to score from the resulting scrum. We missed some key tackles that allowed Westshore to score a breakaway try. Those two plays would end up being the difference maker. All in all, I am very happy with how the team performed. We have a ton of potential and look forward to playing more rugby games.” The Comox Valley Kickers Women’s team suffered their first loss of the season, losing 34-7 to the Nanaimo Hornets. Karli MacFarlane scored the lone try for the Kickers, with Paula Simpson successfully kicking the convert. “It was a cold and rainy rugby day, making it difficult to pass the ball out wide and use our speed. We were within 5 metres of scoring a few times during the game but were unable to capitalize. Those missed opportunities really hurt us, ” said team captain Natalie Nguyen. “We made too many mistakes and conceded too many penalties. At the end of the day, Nanaimo played a better game and deserved the win. The big takeaway for us is how will we respond. We have a hard schedule...
by Natalie Ramsay | Oct 29, 2018 | Game Reports
VICTORIA, B.C. – It was a hard fought contest, but the visiting Comox Valley Kickers men’s rugby team couldn’t get past the home team Uvic Saxons on Saturday. This was the Kickers second game of the season. Previous matchups were cancelled due to low numbers of opposing players. Curtis Card and Brandon Hudson scored tries for Comox Valley. The Saxons came out on top 52-10. “After a month of not being able to play rugby, it felt good to get on the pitch,” said flanker Jesse Ramsay. “We were stronger in the scrums and ran well when we had possession but at the end of the day, we got beat by their speed. They swung the ball wide quickly and we were unable to adjust our defensive line. As we get more games under our belt, we can continue to build our team chemistry and work out the kinks.” Player recruitment for the team is ongoing. Practices are held Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Cumberland Village Park. Everyone is welcome, and no experience is necessary....
by Natalie Ramsay | Oct 15, 2018 | Game Reports
The Comox Valley Kickers women’s rugby team earned a hard fought victory this weekend on home turf in Cumberland. The team hosted Westshore RFC at Village Park. Both teams were undefeated going into the game, and the Kickers came out on top with a 46-21 win! Béatrice Sylvain, Daris Tendler, Hazel Bice and Chloë Speed scored tries, with Paula Simpson successfully converting on three. “It was a beautiful day for rugby. I am so proud of how the team played…the energy on the field was electric,” said team captain Natalie Nguyen. “Our ball handling and support lines made the big difference in this game. When we did get scored on, it was because the other side was doing the exact same thing that we were doing, running hard and with purpose. I feel that we are finally starting to reap the benefits from our twice a week practices.” Nguyen continued by saying that the improvement from earlier in the season to now has been outstanding. The Kickers women’s team hosts Cowichan RFC on Saturday, October 27th at 11:15 a.m. Following the game, everyone is invited to the Cumberland Hotel, the Kickers’ sponsor bar and clubhouse. Practices are held Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Cumberland Village Park. Everyone...
