by Natalie Ramsay | Sep 12, 2022 | Game Reports, Men's News, Women's News
A new rugby season kicked off this past weekend! The Comox Valley Kickers Men play in the BCRU Division III League and traveled to Victoria to face off against the Castaway Wanderers RFC (“CW”), winning 51-35. Jesse Ramsay, Kyle Hall, Nick Gilmour, Craig Whiley (2), Devon Moore (2), Derek McCubbin (2) scored for the Kickers, with Hall adding 3 conversions. “It was truly a team effort in our victory this weekend. Our field coverage and support lines were the difference maker in this game,” says Scrumhalf Kyle Hall. “We maintained possession for most of the first half, though CW was trying to mount comeback early in the second half which we nipped by being quick to the breakdowns. Our rucking was sound and when a player had a breakaway, there was great support. With so many options provided, it is very tough to defend.” The Comox Valley Kickers Women play in the BCRU Island League this fall and started off the rugby season with a mini tournament held at the Cowichan Rugby Club. Teams in attendance included James Bay Athletic Association, Nanaimo RFC, Cowichan RFC, and Castaway Wanderers I and II. “There was some rust in the first game, and it took a bit to get going. Our defense was not as tight as it could be, and we were beat out wide in the first game we played. A highlight was that we were strong in the breakdowns and continued building momentum going into our other three games. We were able to execute more attacking plays which resulted in some big gains. We improve greatly from our first...
by Natalie Ramsay | Apr 10, 2022 | Game Reports, Men's News, Women's News
Both Comox Valley Kickers Rugby Teams were on the road to face off against the Nanaimo Hornets at May Bennett Pioneer Park this past Saturday. The Comox Valley Kickers Women’s team beat Nanaimo, 37-19. Tyra Schaad (2). Karli MacFarlane (2), Lauren Sargent, Yui Okada and Maddie Yule scored tries for the Kickers with Christina Green-Speck adding one conversion. “It was a very back and forth game with a lot of physicality. The tone was set early on that this would be a hard-hitting game. Both teams played hard and wanted to win, and it came down to who wanted it more” said team captain Natalie Nguyen. “I’m proud of how the team played. Everyone has improved so much from the first practice and things that we have been working on all season were being executed.” The Comox Valley Kickers Men’s team narrowly lost to Nanaimo, 26-30. Devon Moore, Joe Barker, Trevor McGuire and Brandon Hudson scored for the Kickers, with Kyle Hall adding three conversions. “It was a hard fought and physical game, that was well played on both sides. The tides turned against us when the scrums went uncontested due to Nanaimo not having a replacement front row player,” said team captain Kyle Hall. “We were quite dominant in the scrums and going uncontested did not allow for us to utilize our strength.” There is a league-wide bye for Easter, with playoffs beginning April 23. Both the women’s and men’s teams are continually recruiting players. No experience necessary. For more information, please visit...
by Natalie Ramsay | Apr 3, 2022 | Game Reports, Men's News, Women's News
Both Comox Valley Kickers Rugby Teams welcomed the Chilliwack Crusaders to Cumberland Village Park this past Saturday. The Comox Valley Kickers Women’s team beat Chilliwack, 102-0. Karli MacFarlane (6), Lauren Sargent (3), Natalie Nguyen (2), Maddie Yule, Chloë Speed and Béatrice Sylvain scored tries with 9 successful converts by Christina Green-Speck and 2 by Jessica Leck. “Our team played well today, with an increased focus on rucking and tackling as that was our main takeaway from our previous game. This is Chilliwack’s first season in the league and that inexperience led to the lopsided score,” said team captain Natalie Nguyen. “This is a confidence booster leading up to our last game of the regular season when we travel to Nanaimo. We need a win to secure home field advantage during playoffs.” The Comox Valley Kickers Men’s team lost to Chilliwack, 7-48. Justin Thomson scored the lone try for the Kickers and Kyle Hall successfully made the convert. “It was a very tough and physical game that was close in the first half, but we had some tries called back due to penalties. That kind of undiscipline, along with Chilliwack’s well-execution of their mauls and offloads, lead to us not being able to stop their momentum,” said team captain Kyle Hall. Both the Comox Valley Kickers Men and Women travel to Nanaimo next week to face off against the Hornets at May Richards Bennett Pioneer Park. Both the women’s and men’s teams are continually recruiting players. No experience necessary. Practices are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Cumberland Village Park. Everyone welcome. For more...
by Natalie Ramsay | Mar 20, 2022 | Game Reports, Men's News, Women's News
This past weekend saw both Comox Valley Kickers teams travel to the mainland with a doubleheader against the Langley Rugby Club. The Comox Valley Kickers Men’s team beat Langley, 24-21. Levi Friis, Kyle Christensen, Nick Gilmour, and Justin Thomson scored tries with 2 successful conversions by Kyle Hall. “It was a gritty back and forth game, and well-contested from both sides. Our team defended the goal line for several phases during the last 10 minutes and did not allow Langley to score. That drive and determination resulted in a hard-fought victory, and I am very proud of how the team played,” said Coach Dan Mills. The Comox Valley Kickers Women’s team lost to Langley, 31-44. Lauren Sargent (2), Liz Adams, Chloë Speed and Dara DeMarce scored for the Kickers, with Christina Green-Speck adding 3 conversions. “There was an accident on the highway on the way to Langley which unfortunately ate away at our warmup time. Because of that, we were slow to get going and Langley took advantage,” said team captain Natalie Nguyen. “We were then able to score in quick succession and had the lead but were ultimately unable to maintain that momentum and allowed Langley to claw back in the final minutes. We had good moments and can be proud of how we played, despite the final score. We have two more games left in the regular season and hope to close out the season on a high note.” Comox Valley Kickers Men host the Castaway Wanderers at Cumberland Village Park next week; the Comox Valley Kickers Women have a bye. Both the women’s and men’s teams...
by Natalie Ramsay | Feb 28, 2022 | Game Reports, Men's News, Women's News
Saturday’s a rugby day…even in snow! It was a cold yet picturesque day at Cumberland Village Park, with a doubleheader for both Comox Valley Kickers teams. The Comox Valley Kickers Men’s team won their first game of the season, 39-5 against Nanaimo. Levi Friis (2), Ben Bekk, Brandon Hudson, Craig Wiley, Devon Moore and Dom Cantwell all scored tries with Kyle Hall successfully making one conversion. “We have been building our chemistry these past few games and it is nice to see the hard work finally pay off with a win. We followed our game plan and players made great individual efforts.” said team captain Brandon Hudson. The Comox Valley Kickers Women’s team were handed their first loss of the season, losing 20-54 to a strong Capilano side. Lauren Sargent (2), Natalie Nguyen and Kasey Munro-Johnson scored for the Kickers. “We were tied at half-time but then Capilano scored a few tries in quick succession, building up momentum that we could not stop,” said team captain Natalie Nguyen. “We were playing in adverse weather conditions and made some bad decisions. Capilano with their depth and skill took advantage and ran away with the game at the end of it. We have to learn from this game and keep building our skills.” The Comox Valley Kickers Women are away to the Vancouver Rowers next week; Comox Valley Kickers Men have a bye. Both the women’s and men’s teams are continually recruiting players. No experience necessary. Practices are held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Cumberland Village Park. Everyone welcome. For more information, please visit...
by Natalie Ramsay | Feb 7, 2022 | Game Reports, Men's News, Women's News
A new rugby season kicked off this past Saturday which saw both Comox Valley Kickers Rugby Teams active at Cumberland Village Park. The Comox Valley Kickers Women play in the BCRU Division II League and hosted James Bay Athletic Associate (JBAA), winning 60-30. Lauren Sargent (4), Natalie Nguyen (3), Chloë Speed (2), Erin Rautenberg, Danelle Campbell and Jenn Lund scored for the Kickers. “With gym closures and the unusual amount of snow we’ve had in the past few weeks, there has not been a lot of opportunity to practice. Even still, we were able to continue where we left off from the fall season. On offense, we were able to spread the ball out wide and utilize the space. On defence, we matched up well and made our tackles,” said team captain Natalie Nguyen. “It felt really good to be back on the pitch. It was a great first game, especially as we have team members who are still very new to rugby. I’m excited to see what this season brings. We have a great foundation to build upon when we host a combined side from Brit Lions and Richmond next Saturday.” The Comox Valley Kickers Men play in the BCRU Division III League and hosted the UVic Saxons. In a hard-fought game, they fell 47-22. Ben Julien (2), Brandon Hudson and Kyle Christensen scored for the Kickers with a successful conversion from Kyle Hall. “Our set pieces were very strong, but we were unable to capitalize on that mismatch. We made some unforced errors in the open field and they beat us with their speed on the outside,”...
