South Island Win

The inaugural BC Rugby U14 Boys Elite Youth Sevens title was clinched by South Island-1 on Saturday afternoon, when they downed Vancouver North in their final round-robin match by a score of 52-14.

The South Island-1 squad went undefeated in the tournament, positing 182 points in five games, with their staunch defending allowing just 19 points against.

Vancouver North wrapped up the tournament in second after going 3-2, narrowly edging out Vancouver Central in the standings. Fourth place went to Delta (2-3), Vancouver East (1-4) finished fifth and South Island-2 finished up in sixth place.

The tournament was the first Under-14 provincial sevens competition to be held in the province of British Columbia, a key step in preparing younger athletes for seven-a-side rugby at the senior level.

Over 60 players participated in the 2011 competition, with the BC Elite Youth Sevens program planning on expanding the number of regional teams next year.

Head coach of the provincial champions Spencer Robinson was pleased with how his athletes performed in their first competitive sevens environment and spoke highly of the status of youth rugby in southern Vancouver Island.

“This rep program is only as good as the foundation from which the players come from,” said Robinson. “There is some great rugby being played locally in the school system.

There is a lot of emphasis on supporting mini rugby as well right now, in particular with local clubs Castaway Wanderers and Velox.

These young guys have been exposed to strong rugby and because of that they are able to handle the pressure and play at the rep level.”.

The BC Rugby Boys U14 Youth Elite Sevens is supported in part by a grant provided by Hosting BC and the Province of British Columbia.

“The Hosting BC program is helping B.C. sport event organizers stay at the top of their game by boosting support for local events,” said Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Ida Chong. “

B.C. sport events provide significant economic benefits to communities, build volunteer capacity, and give athletes a chance to compete at home.

These investments will build on our unique hosting experience from the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”