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ONTARIO BLUES DAY THREE RECAP
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Friday, August 9, 2013 - Submitted by Brock Smith - Rugby Ontario |
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Please visit www.nationalfestivalrugby.com for full updates throughout the tournament, including photos, video, statistics and other game information. Friday, August 9th was the third day of the 2013 National Championship Festival. Ontario teams featured in nine matches on Day Three, with the U18 Jr. Blues, the U18 East Jr. Blues, and the U18 Jr. Storm all finishing at the top of their divisions at the end of the tournament round-robin. Ontario Matches – Day Three U18 Men Ontario-2 (Jr. Blues U17) 17 vs. 29 Alberta, 10:30 AM PDT / 1:30 PM EDT Despite jumping out to an early lead, it was a tough 29-17 loss for the U17 Jr. Blues against Alberta on Friday. The Jr. Blues committed a number of small errors in the first half that the Western province was able to capitalize upon, with Ontario trailing 22-7 at halftime. Although the Ontarians were able to score two second-half tries, the gap was too large to make up. Ontario’s tries came from three brilliant runs by Brandon McLeod, Troy Matthews, and Adam Burford. Ontario will take on the 1st-placed team in the Division 1 standings – their provincial counterparts, the U18 Jr. Blues – in the Cup Semi-Final tomorrow afternoon at 2:15 PM PDT / 5:15 PM EDT. Tries: Brandon McLeod, Troy Matthews, Adam Burford Conversions: Mario Van Der Westhuizen Ontario-3 (East Jr. Blues U18) 81 vs. 12 Nova Scotia, 12:00 PM PDT / 3:00 PM EDT The East Jr. Blues ensured they would finish the National Championships round-robin atop the Division 2 standings with a perfect 3-0 record, after defeating Nova Scotia by a commanding score of 81-12. The victory was a complete effort by the Eastern Ontario boys, with the team receiving tries from nine different players. The squad finished their National Championships round-robin with 194 points scored, and a point differential of +173 – an outstanding effort by the first-year participants in the National Championships. The East Jr. Blues will take on the 6th-placed team in the Division 1 standings – Quebec – in the Plate Semi-Final tomorrow morning at 10:45 AM PDT / 1:45 PM EDT. Tries: Nick Carriere (2), Mason Dingwall (2), David Matthews (2), Christian St. Louis (2), Alex Carr, Roddy Freeman, Safwan Malik, Ryan Carroll, Jacob Denofreo Conversions: Mason Dingwall (5), Nick Carriere, (2 conversions from players TBD) Quebec 8 vs. 57 Ontario-1 (Jr. Blues U18), 1:30 PM PDT/ 4:30 PM EDT The U18 Jr. Blues completed their round-robin in perfect fashion, going 3-0 with a point differential of +102, to earn their spot atop the Division 1 standings. The Jr. Blues defeated Quebec 57-8 on Friday, rebounding comfortably after a slow start to the match. Ontario’s scoresheet was highlighted by Andrew Coe’s double-try effort – two 100-metre runs just minutes apart from one another in the second half. Ontario will take on the 4th-placed team in the Division 1 standings – their provincial counterparts, the U17 Jr. Blues – in the Cup Semi-Final tomorrow afternoon at 2:15 PM PDT / 5:15 PM EDT. Tries: Andrew Coe (2), Lucas Rumball (2), Derek Van Den Tempel, Aidan O’Brien, Michael Appiah-Kobi, Brendan Blaikie, (1 try from player TBD) Conversions: Aidan O’Brien (5), (1 conversion from player TBD) U18 Women Ontario (Jr. Storm U18) 27 vs. 0 British Columbia, 1:30 PM PDT / 4:30 PM PDT The U18 Jr. Storm completely dominated their pool throughout the round-robin stage of the National Championships. The squad went 3-0, posting 195 points in their three matches, while only giving up seven points in the process. Their latest victory saw them take down hosts British Columbia 27-0. The game had a slow start, with Ontario leading 3-0 at the halftime whistle, but the ladies came alive in the second half to seal a commanding victory. Ontario will take on the 2nd-placed team in Pool A standings – Quebec – in the Cup Semi-Final tomorrow afternoon at 12:30 PM PDT / 3:30 PM EDT. Tries: Shelby Holland, Charity Williams, Jordi Di Nardo Conversions: Charlotte Dunn (3) Penalties: Charlotte Dunn, Erin Geddes U16 Men New Brunswick 5 vs. 20 Ontario-2 (East Jr. Blues U16) – Plate Round – 9:00 AM PDT / 12:00 PM EDT The East Jr. Blues opened their Plate Round campaign with a solid win over New Brunswick, 20-5. The Eastern Ontario boys used their strength to keep the ball in New Brunswick’s end for most of the match, and coupled their ferocity with strong defence to ensure the victory. The East Jr. Blues will continue their Plate Round tomorrow against Newfoundland at 10:45 AM PDT / 1:45 PM EDT, having already defeated Newfoundland 55-0 earlier in the tournament. Tries: Tyler Alexander, Clark Hodgins, Nicholas De Lallo Conversions: Liam Kelly Penalties: Liam Kelly Alberta 10 vs. 17 Ontario-1 (Jr. Blues U15) – Cup Round – 12:00 PM PDT / 3:00 PM EDT In a back-and-forth battle between the Jr. Blues and Alberta, the Westerners came out on top after scoring a late try to break a 10-10 deadlock. It was a heated affair, with both teams putting forth wave after wave of attack. Although a few small mistakes sunk the Jr. Blues, the Ontarians displayed plenty of positives. The Jr. Blues will continue their Cup Round tomorrow against British Columbia-2 – the team they defeated 14-7 this past Thursday – at 12:30 PM PDT / 3:30 PM EDT. Tries: Daniel Cooper, Cameron Wingrove U16 Women Ontario (Jr. Storm U16) 31 vs. 3 British Columbia-2, 1:30 PM PDT / 4:30 PM PDT The U16 Jr. Storm finished their National Championships round-robin strongly, taking down British Columbia-2 31-3 to seal a 2nd-place finish in their division. The Jr. Storm had the momentum from the beginning, and used precision passing and solid defence to keep their opponents out of their try-zone. Ontario will take on the 3rd-placed team in the division standings – Alberta – in the Cup Semi-Final tomorrow afternoon at 2:15 PM PDT / 5:15 PM EDT. Tries: Harlee Bruce, Ricki-Ann Hearn, Tobi Owotomo, Acacia Frempong-Manso, Shannon Bellamy Conversions: Natasha Naismith (3) U14 Boys Ontario-1 (Jr. Blues U14 Squad #1) vs. Barbarians, 12:00 PM PDT/ 3:00 PM EDT British Columbia-1 vs. Ontario-2 (Jr. Blues U14 Squad #2), 3:00 PM PDT/ 6:00 PM EDT -30-
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