by Natalie Ramsay | Oct 1, 2018 | Game Reports
The Comox Valley Kickers Women’s Rugby Club were on the road again this past weekend travelling to Nanaimo to face off against the Hornets. Daris Tendler, Natalie Nguyen, Karli MacFarlane, Kristianna Bouwers and Tanya Timmons all scored tries with Paula Simpson making six out of nine conversions for a 57 -31 win. “We were slow to start and had some gaps in our defence that allowed points to be scored against us but we were quick to answer back. Once we got into our rhythm, everything started to flow. Our ball handling was crisp, our scrums were strong and we were quick to the rucks. This game was one of the more physical and hard hitting. There was a lot of back and forth action but we maintained our momentum to finish the game,” said team captain Natalie Nguyen. The Comox Valley Kickers Women’s team will host Westshore RFC at Cumberland Village Park on Saturday, October 13th. Kickoff at 11:15am. Both teams are currently undefeated and it should be a great game to watch. Player recruitment is ongoing. No experience needed. Practices are held on Mondays and Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Cumberland Village...
by Natalie Ramsay | Sep 17, 2018 | Game Reports, News
This past Saturday saw a rare rugby doubleheader where both the Comox Valley Kickers Women’s and Men’s teams travelled to the Cowichan Valley to face off against the Cowichan Piggies. The Comox Valley Women’s team harnessed the momentum from last week’s victory and put up points early and often. Paula Simpson (2), Natalie Nguyen (2), Daris Tendler (2), Karli MacFarlane and Keely Orrick scored tries with Paula making 6 out of 8 conversions for a 52 -27 win. “It was a very physical, hard hitting game. Cowichan scored the first points and we knew we had to answer back right away. We scored our points from our back line utilizing the field and running hard lines while our forward pack dominated the scrums and crashed the ball well,” said loosehead prop Jenn Lund. In their first game of the season, the Comox Valley Men’s team found themselves playing defense more often then attacking downfield. “We have many players who are new to rugby or who are returning to rugby after an extended absence. When we had the ball, we were able to progress down the field and challenge the goal line but at the end of the day, the opposing team was quicker and more experienced. With more practices under our belt, I believe that we will improve steadily and put more points on the board,” said team captain, Jesse Ramsay. Devon Moore, Number 8, scored the only try for the Kickers which is most fitting as he was celebrating his 22nd birthday at the game. The try was followed by a successful conversion. The final score was 39-...
by Natalie Ramsay | Sep 11, 2018 | Game Reports
CUMBERLAND, B.C. – The Comox Valley Kickers women’s rugby team started the season off with a bang this weekend. On Saturday, the squad hosted Victoria’s Castaway Wanderers at Cumberland Village Park. It was a competitive game with lots of back and forth action. Natalie Nguyen, Paula Simpson, Kristianna Bouwers and Tyra Schaad each scored a try. Karli MacFarlane, Taya Gagnon and Keely Orrick added points on the board. The Kickers came away with the 39-21 victory. “We have new coaches this year, JP Lussier and Thyssen de Goede and lots of new faces on our squad. I wasn’t sure how the first game would go, but all the ladies stepped up and played hard. The practices have been paying off. Our passing was on point and we kept the pressure on the opposing side. I am excited to see how the team continues to improve and grow. This is a great start to the season,” said team captain Natalie Nguyen. Both the senior women’s and senior men’s teams travel to Cowichan next Saturday. The men will play in their first game of the season. Both teams are also recruiting new players. Practices are held on Mondays and Thursdays at Cumberland Village Park from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00...
by Natalie Ramsay | Oct 3, 2017 | Game Reports
The home opener for the senior teams of the Comox Valley Kickers Rugby Club was a mixed affair on Saturday. The ladies team started the day with a decisive win over an over-matched and under-prepared Cowichan team. The women had already chalked up the match with a win, as the opposing team arrived with a short roster. Comox loaned five players to Cowichan and played an impressive match, coming out on top 55-10. Natalie Nguyen had an impressive game at scrum half, and the always solid Paula Moore, Kristianna Bouwers, Dana Beirnes and Karlie MacFarlane put some points on the board. Player/coach Aimee Burley and prop Jenn Lund gained some hard yards throughout the game in their signature ruck and roll style. “We have been on the receiving end of these types of games so many times that it’s awesome to see the growth and we are excited to see how we match up against some of the solid mainland teams,” Burley said. The men on the other hand were the ones on the back foot. The first 10 minutes of the game was a frantic hard scrabble of a game with Cowichan pressing the attack and Comox standing firm on defence. When Comox did get the ball in hand they were able to relieve the pressure well and advance the ball across midfield only to spill the ball forward and be under pressure again from the hard-charging Cowichan side. Cowichan was eventually able to capitalize on their opportunity, putting two quick tries across the line. After those two tries Comox was able to regroup and again mount some...
by Natalie Ramsay | Oct 3, 2017 | Game Reports
The Comox Valley Kickers opened the season on the weekend with a trio of games. The men’s side, coached by Jesse Ramsey, Aaron L`Arrivee and Brandon Hudson, were in tough against an experienced Westshore side in Nanaimo. The first 20 minutes saw a pitched battle between the 22’s with neither side establishing dominance. In the 25th minute after a penalty advantage and six phases of hard defence, Westshore broke the line for the opening score of the match. On the ensuing kick Westshore knocked it on after three phases of possession. Recognizing an opportunity, Comox went to work putting in eight hard phases before getting a penalty which was taken quickly by Hudson, who passed out of the tackle to a hard running Curtis Card, who crossed the line just right of the posts making an easy kick for Alex Parsons. The game continued mostly in that manner with Westshore getting some lucky breaks on penalties and backing the Kickers right to the goal line, making for a second try for Westshore. In the second half down by a score, Andrew Hextall received a nice inside pass from flyhalf Curtis Card, broke two tackles and put the ball down for Comox’s second of the day. Unfortunately that would prove the end of the Kickers’ scores as they gave some more penalties, allowing Westshore to escape from May Bennett Park with a 24-12 victory. The Kickers women moved up to division 1 this season, and had their first game against the Hornets in Nanaimo. The game was back and forth for the first 10 minutes. A yellow card early in...
by aimee | Nov 26, 2013 | BCRU / VIRU News, Game Reports, Rugby Competitions
On Sunday the Kickers U18 Mens rugby team won the British Columbia Rugby Union U18 Provincial Championship played at Oak Bays’ Windsor Park Field. The game pitted the two best junior rugby teams on the Island – Oak Bay’s Castaway-Wanderers and the Comox Valley/Campbell River Kickers. The game did not start off the way that the visiting team had hoped as they gave up two tries in the first 10 minutes of play and found themselves behind 12-0. The Kickers fought back and narrowed the gap to 17-12 at the half time whistle. The Kickers’ game plan was to use their superior size and wear down the smaller, yet very skilled Castaways team. “Our plan was to eventually wear them down and then capitalize with our bigger players controlling the ball and game.” said head coach Darren Munro, who was assisted by Jim Ebert. “The lads did an excellent job of sticking to the game plan and executing what we as coaches had set out for them.” The plan was working as the score was tied at 24-apiece with about 10 minutes to go and the Campbell River/Comox players controlling the ball and moving down the field. Even the best laid plans can go awry, however, and the ball squirted out the side of a ruck and the Castaways were away and running. The players defended valiantly but the Castaways were able to score and take a 29 -24 lead. “It seemed that the supporters and coaches were more nervous than the players were, because when the boys came to center to kick they had a very determined look on their faces...
