Friday, July 16, 2010

The Battle of the Hill Looms

On the eve of the Big Battle to win the Hill at Burnaby Mountain, the Lighthouse Teams are quietly confident that they will take the Highland 7's

Practice has been going well, though at times a bit frustrating as we get closer to the big climb up Burnaby Mountain. Frustrating mainly because we want to do well and maybe we're overdoing it.
But all will be forgiven when the Hill is conquered and the Trophy comes down to the Shores of Burnaby Lake.
Three teams will be vying for the different honors: Elite Men, Elite Women & Social Men, all itching to prove and show off what the Coaching Staff have been coaching them. As in all tournaments, changes due to injuries or personal commitments are inevitable. On the Elite Men's side, injuries to Scott Plummer and Doug Breadon being away opens the door for Alex Roberts and Brandon Fairs to get back in. Also joining them is Steve Battie who played really well at the Vancouver 7's. The usual suspects are there still, and it should be a good battle on the Highland.
The Women's Division will also see some new faces as a few Canada Reps will try to prove that they can also do 7's. Julia Sugawara, Dr. Maria Gallo and Anna Schnell joins the team this weekend. It should be interesting as the two finalists fromn the CAN AM 7's want to meet again to settle the score in the Finals. But the Lighthouse Women's Captain, Melissa Miyazaki has other plans for them. Velox is also there to change some plans as well as hosts SFU.
But Captain Mel is saying to her Platoon, "Let's paint that Hill Blue & White"
KAUKAUWA!!!

Friday, June 25, 2010

BLRC LIGHTHOUSE 7's Prepares for Second Leg of Series

The Burnaby Lake Lighthouse 7's Program enters the weekend with a series of games at the Vancouver 7's tournament.

Kicking this weekend of 7's Rugby off are the BLRC Lighthouse U16 boys. They are playing at the Vancouver seven a side tournament. Their game kicks off Friday afternoon at 4pm at the Brockton Oval in Stanley Park.
Coach Sanaila Dawai has been running the Boys hard at Burnaby Lake twice a week and the combination is coming along well. It should be an exciting tournament for everyone as we start to see the preparation for the 2016 Olympics take root with these kids. They will be in their prime and be experienced and '7's smart' by the time the Olympics rolls around.
This should be an afternoon not to be missed as we see our upcoming 7's players strut their stuff.

Saturday morning will see the seniors at the same venue. Defending Champions BLRC Lighthouse men's, led by captain Bruce Rauqe, will once again try to fend off challengers like Valley High, a Team stacked with national 7's Reps. They lost to this team at the Buccaneers 7's two weeks ago and will be looking for some redemption.
The Youngbucks Team tried so hard last year to win at least one tournament against BLRC Lighthouse, but to no avail. They too are in this tournament and will be looking for their own redemption. Other Teams to watch will be the South Sea Wanderers, Bayside Amabassadors, Meralomas, Abbotsford and of course hosts Vancouver Rowing Club. If you're a fan of Rugby's abbreviated code, you should be salivating by now!!!
The Women's draw looked very promising earlier on but it has taken a left turn as two teams have pulled out. BLRC Lighthouse Women is not worried about this at all as they have been preparing well for this one too. Having collected 21 points from the James Bay tournament, Mel Miyazaki and her crew look forward to adding more by the end of the day, to put some distance between them and Velox, who are sitting at 17 points.
BLRC's second Men's Team sees their first tournament this weekend, with a game on Saturday and the rest on Sunday. It should be worth the price of the ticket alone to come and watch Angus Fisher, Brandon Fairs and the ever-exciting Allan Tang light up the field with their blazing speed!!!
Come........it's time to cheer on the BLRC Lighthouse Teams at Brockton this weekend!!!

KAUKAUWA

Sunday, June 13, 2010

BLRC Lighthouse 7's With Mixed Result on the Weekend

The BLRC Lighthouse Women's 7's wins first Summer Tournament while Men bows out in the Finals

The Ladies were crowned Champions by President of James Bay 7's Tom Woods and presented with $1000 worth of Jerseys, a plaque and will have their Team name engraved on the Huge trophy donated by Morgan Williams the National Men's Caoch of the Rugby Canada 7's program.
The men's Team bowed out in the Finals to a Star-studded Team Valli High, a team filled with National Team members and carded Canadian players on the verge of joining the National Team.
The efforts put in by both the men and the women's teams clearly sends a message to the Clubs and Teams participating in this year's BC sanctioned 7's series that Burnaby Lake Rugby Club is serious about the 7's program at the Lake.
Before the women played their first game of the day, Coach Bruce Rauqe and Assistan Roko Kapaiwai inisisted that they play hard, fair and have lots of fun during the tournament. Obviously, due to the lack of 7's experience and performance at practice the previous two weeks, coaches and Manager Mike Devlin just wanted the ladies to enjoy the experience and to witness and soak in the competitive environment of the 7's circuit.
But after the first game against Cowichan, it was evident that the ladies were not just here to learn the game, they were here to win it.
Led by Captain Melissa Miyazaki, who scored a tonne of tries in the tournament, the ladies sent a very clear message to the oppositions that they were serious about this thing. They piled on points in every game. However, Velox showed them how it is supposed to be done in the last game of Pool Play, and when the final whistle was blown at 4.23pm, they were at the short end of the stick with their first loss. Spirits were quickly lifted when they were informed, they are in the Finals and will be playing against Velox again.
Tough decisions had to be made by Coaches and Manager on the best personnel to put on the field to go against a Team obviously stacked with Women with good 7's experience.
The Finals was won in a tough battle with BLRC Lighthouse crowned champion at the end of it, but the process of getting was a thing of beauty. Nerves of steel were displayed in the last 5 minutes of the game and it was an exhiralating feeling to feel, especially when only in the previous two weeks, the first practice was an excercise in total chaos and confusion!!
We can all exhale now and not worry anymore.......the girls are good to go the rest of the Summer with high expectations.
The boys also had their good share of wins and losses - two of them to the same team, the star-studded Valli High, led by National 7's Rep Phil Mack who led his Team with confidence and by example. Mack's Team beat our Men's Lighthouse team convincingly in Pool Play, but were lucky that time was on their side in the Finals winning the Finals 31-26.
Captain Bruce Rauqe led by example, and was targetted by all the opposing teams during the day. He clearly showed that even at 37 years old, he still got it. In the end, it was not enough as Valli High took the Trophy home. Now it is time to regroup as both the Men and Women's program attempt to take the Oval at Stanley Park June 26th in the 2nd leg of the series - the Vancouver 7's

Thursday, June 10, 2010

2010 BC Summer 7's Season Starts at James Bay

The 2010 BC Summer 7's season starts June 12th on the Island as James Bay kicks off what promises to be an exciting Summer of 7's Rugby in BC.
With the Sport now included in the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro,it is starting to take on a life of its own as Clubs, Provinces and Country develop programs for kids to learn the finer details of 7's Rugby. BC Rugby is no different as some Clubs participating in the Summer Series are featuring Youth 7's.
At the shores of Burnaby Lake, preparation has been going well as we try to get our share of wins. We are also getting really serious about our Women's 7's program and will be entering all the tournaments this year. Training has been fun not only to run, but more importantly, to watch. It had started with total confusion, as very few girls had played organised 7's before, but is slowly getting there. Girls are starting to recognise the difference between 15's rugby and 7's rugby and the mentality is starting to switch. We're introducing a few plays we think should help in getting some momentum as we enter the first tournament at James Bay. We hope to do well and learn from this experience.
They are definitely in the right place as they are learning from some of the best players in the abbreviated code. They practice with the BLRC Lighthouse Elite Men's Team, led by Head Coach Lesi Korobasaga and assisted by Dual 7's International Bruce Rauqe. Helping as well is Joe Nakaira Dolesau, who has decided to take a stab at wearing the Canadian National Colors instead of the Fiji jersey. Joe had been in the Fiji 7's training squad this year, but has decided to come up to Canada and share his talent and knowledge with us at the Lake. He is also hoping to do the same with Canada 7's should they need his service. He is here for good.

To keep our minds refreshed, the Teams went Bowling Monday night, just to get everyone to get to know each other better and to share some laughs as we get ready for the first tourney.



Bruce Rauqe and Melissa Miyazaki have been named Captains of the two teams playing this weekend and the 2nd Men's Team will be playing in the next tournament, which will be at Brockton Oval June 26th........more to come on that later. First we take the Island, then we take the Oval!!!



KAUKAUWA

Saturday, May 15, 2010

2010 BC Summer 7's Series about to Start

As we enter the Final weekend of the BC Rugby Union 2009 - 2010 Rugby season, we are also approaching the begining of the 2010 BC Summer 7's Series.
Teams are aready gearing up for what is looking to be a very busy and competitive 7's season.
The first BC sanctioned tournament is the James Bay one on June 12th and the last tournament will be in Cowichan on the weekend of Sept 4 - 5th. Inside these two Bookends will be Vancouver 7's at Brockton Oval,CAN AM 7's, SFU Highland,the International 7's in Abbotsford,Lighthouse 7's at Burnaby Lake,Capilano, Bayside7's to name a few. There are Social 7's events as well.
This year promises to be very competitive, as all tournament hosts try to attract good teams. Those that are serious about their 7's will want to participate in these tournaments. The format is different this year as well, as BC Rugby has decided to awards points, much like the irb World 7's series.
The other major attraction this year is the inclusion of the Women's series. Any tournament that wants to be counted as a BC 7's stop, must include both Elite Men's and Elite Women's games in their draws. Any team that wants to qualify for points must enter at least four of these tournaments.A very good move indeed since 7's Rugby is now an Olympic sport.
We at the shores of Burnaby Lake are also getting ready. The Men have already started their practice and the Women will start May 25th. There is a lot of interest due to the success of the Burnaby Lake Lighthouse 7's program last year. More players have committed to playing this year and the inclusion of a few seasoned 7's players will only boost the preparation and confidence of those already in the Lighthouse program. We're already 3 months into our U14 and Junior 7's program so the message is being delivered and heard loud and clear.
Our Women's 7's is being revamped in a major way and we're adding resourses and expertice to it to boost its development and progress.
Practice is at the Lake Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7.30pm. It immediately follows the Juniors practice, which starts at 6.30pm

Friday, March 26, 2010

Premier Women's Team against United Announced

Roko Kapaiwai

The BLRC Women's Rugby Coaching Staff have announced a Strong Line Up to tackle United RFC at home this weekend

The Coaching Staff of the Burnaby Lake Women's Rugby Program have announced a strong line up to match up against United RFC on the shores of Burnaby Lake Saturday morning.
Kick Off is 11.30 in what should be an exciting encounter. The last time these two met, it was a lopsided 53 - 7 win to Burnaby, with Stevie Schnoor crossing for United's solitary try. They will be looking for some redemption on Saturday.
The line up sees a few changes from the Team that beat VELOX last week, some due to injuries in the backline, but a notable one is in the backrow. It is a positional change that promises to wreak havok on United
Romping stomping Marie-Eve Brindamour, nicknamed Bruce(no relation to the Towering Bruce on the Men's Premier side but a Tower nonetheless) is at Openside Flanker!!! This position is usually filled by Laura Harmse who is always a pest to the opposition, making a nuisance of herself without any regard for her safety. Kinda like Richie McCaw in some ways.
Front Row sees the usual suspects tormenting the opposition. I've called them Roses &Thorns before, Kim Donaldson the rose between thorns Brenna Glover and Corrine Jacobsen. They had their way against Velox last week and should be a good platform again on Saturday.
Behind them are literally four locks in Marley Harris at 6, Jody Dobush at 4, Emma Hadfield at 5 and Towering Marie-Eve at 7. Anchoring this powerful pack is Ms. Harmse

The Backline sees a few changes due to some injuries. The eveready Kary Steele slots in at inside Centre due to the broken finger injury to Dr. Maria Gallo. Deb Capps takes over from Daamiann Skelton who terrorised the VELOX backline with her blazing speed last week. She has a tweaked back, but is on the bench. The backs is again being anchored by Julia at 9 who distributes to Captain Schnell, they work very well together, these two. Tanya Hamilton is on the other wing and Devon Luca guards the backfield.
Be at the field on Saturday at 11.30 to witness some entertaining Rugby!!!

The full line Up is:
1. Brenna Glover
2. Kim Donaldson (vice-captain)
3. Corrine Jacobsen
4. Jody Dobush
5. Emma Hadfield
6. Marley Harris
7. Marie-Eve Brindamour
8. Laura Harmse
9. Julia Sugawara
10. Anna Schnell (captain)
11. Deb Capps
12. Kary Steele
13. Mel Miyazaki
14. Tanya Hamilton
15. Devon Luca

Shannon Fedewa
Dammian Skelton
Erin Clement
Allice Schandler
Sue-Lyn Wirth
Becky Querido
Krystal Steele

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Another Hard Fought Encounter Between the Valkyries and Burnaby Lake

By Ian Trevor


March 20, 2010 saw Burnaby Lake hosting the always tough Velox Valkyries in Premier Women’s action.

The two clubs have a rich tradition of hard fought games, scoreline notwithstanding, and with Burnaby having had their match vs. the Lomas postponed the prior week due to a late field closure and the unavailability of a backup field, there was an added air of anticipation to the match.

Velox achieved dominance on the island in the first half, and Burnaby was relishing the challenge that Velox would present.

Indeed, from the first opening kick off, defence was the order of the day. Velox hammered hard in the centres, and openside flanker Shannon Kane made her marauding presence felt early and often. Burnaby captain Anna Schnell responded. Field position became the order of the day, and between Anna and Inside Centre Maria Gallo, Burnaby was able to kick to open space behind the Velox backline giving the forwards an opportunity to contest lineout ball in the Velox half.

Burnaby opened the scoring when a set piece within sight of the 22 gave Anna Schnell space for a well weigthed chip kick over the defensive backline that right wing Daamiann Skelton was only too happy to run onto and collect for a try in the corner, converted by Anna Schnell. Velox roared back with furious work at the breakdown. Burnaby attempted to match Velox’s ferocity, but were unable to do that, and comply with the views of match day referee Leon Britz. This would start a pattern where Burnaby were doing well when going forward and retaining ball, but when the turnovers occurred the penalties would come.

Burnaby was able to string together enough continuity to work it’s way down to the Velox 22 and with a ball being spun wide to the right Kim Donaldson found herself on the wing with Daamiann Skelton supporting on the outside. Daamo was surplus to requirements on this one, as Kim dotted down for the second Burnaby try.

Velox again started to work their way back in, but a combination of good defensive pressure by Burnaby and an errant pass in the Velox centres saw Mel Miyazaki pick up an interception and sprint nearly half the field to touch down by the posts for the games third try. Anna Schnell converted. Again Velox stormed back, this time pressure was turned into points as repeated penalties inside the Burnaby 22 for hands in, offside and not releasing yielded a converted try for the visitors.
Burnaby and Velox also exchanged penalty kicks during the half leaving the halftime score at 22 – 10 for Burnaby Lake

The first half also saw the unfortunate departure of Maria Gallo with a broken finger. Maria has national team duty beckoning in the summer and we all wish her a speedy recovery in time for the Women’s World Cup.
As with the match vs Capilanos two weeks prior, halftime was about adjustment and re-focus. The challenge was to reset on defence, and ensure that Burnaby was compliant with the laws at the breakdown. With Kary Steele already on for the injured Maria Gallo, Lindsay Bernrot was welcomed back to the premier fold at fullback. Tanya Hamilton took a well earned rest after deputizing on the left wing in the first half. Devon Luca moved over to the left wing in Tanya’s place.

Burnaby came out flying in the second half. The intensity levels were cranked up and peace was made with the man in the middle. Sterling effort up front and at the breakdown from Kim Donaldson and Emma Hadfield made life difficult for the Valkyries, while the extra injection of pace and creativity from Lindsay Bernrot provided an added dimension to the Burnaby backline attack.
Five more tries would be added to the score sheet as the Burnaby forwards consistently secured quality possession for Julia Sugawara to provide Anna Schnell with a steady diet of quality ball for the midfield and outside backs.

As befits a club of Velox’s character their effort and commitment never waned. However the closest they would manage to a second try was a Jess Dovane scamper from midfield that just failed short of the Burnaby line. Marley Harris was able to track the Velox centre down from behind for a try saving tackle. This was the icing on the cake for Marley as she had a very strong game, both in attack and in defence.

Final Score: Burnaby 47 – Velox 10

Scorers


BLRC

Tries:

Kim Donaldson

Marie-Eve Brindamour

Anna Schnell

Melissa Miyazaki (2)

Daamiann Skelton (2)

Devon Luca

Converts
Anna Schnell (2)

Penalty
Anna Schnell



VELOX

Tries
Marlene Donaldson



Converts
Amanda Campbell



Penalty

Amanda Campbell

Monday, March 22, 2010

Burnaby Lake 2nd Division Women's Team Opens up BLOBS Day with a Win over the Lomas

By Katie Larson

The Burnaby Lake 2nd Division Women’s team fielded an eager and talented side against the Merelomas 2nd Division side on Saturday morning earning the first of two wins for the women’s program on the day.
The game was opened with a strong showing by Burnaby’s side retaining possession for multiple phases of play. Eventually the forward drives were able to suck in enough Lomas players to open up some space in the backline for outside center Deb Capps sprint in from the 22 for the first try of the day.
The Lomas responded with some solid cycling of the ball which caught the Burnaby defence off guard and led to a break by the Lomas scrum half. The Lomas speedster sprinted up the side line, but Capps was able to cut her off and make the try saving tackle.
Burnaby got right back on track with scrum half Lauren Tagg picking off the back of the breakdown and darting her way through the Lomas defence to cross the try line.
The scoring gates really opened up in the second half when fly half Lindsay Bernrot switched positions with inside center Heather Weldon. Weldon’s consistent movement of the ball sprung Bernrot through gaps multiple times allowing her to score three times. Shannon Fedewa also chipped in a try, while Erin Clement finished off an excellent forward charge up the field to touch down. Clement, new to Burnaby from Ottawa, has been an excellent addition to the Burnaby women’s program with her solid scrumming work and ability to adapt in any position. She also surprised everyone on Saturday with her kicking of 4 conversions.

The Lomas were able to sneak one try past Burnaby as Amy Grath received a penalty try for taking a high tackle making the final score 43- 7.

Burnaby Scorers

Lauren Tagg

Lindsay Bernrot (3)

Deb Capps

Shannon Fedewa

Erin Clement (1 try, 4 conversions)


Merelomas Scorers

Amy Grath