The junior rugby team defeated St. George's 24-21 in double-overtime yesterday to win the Vancouver Sea-to-Sky Junior Rugby Championship.  Any win at any level in rugby over St. George's requires an incredible performance and this was one for the ages.  Here is Coach Hall's report:

In a match that will be remembered as a classic, the Collingwood Junior Rugby team secured the Sea-to-Sky Championship in a dramatic double-overtime thriller against St. George’s. Having narrowly beaten Saints earlier this season, the Cavaliers knew they were in for a battle, and the final lived up to the hype.

St. George’s struck first, looking sharp in the opening minutes to take an early lead. Collingwood responded quickly through Tommy S., who was a standout all day on both sides of the ball, leveling the score at 7-7.

The remainder of the half was a test of nerves. Collingwood camped out inside the Saints’ 22-meter line for nearly 15 minutes, but despite the pressure, they were unable to cross the line. Repeated turnovers and being held up in goal multiple times kept the score deadlocked at the break.

The second half wasn't going well for the Cavaliers, as Saints came out storming to score two unanswered tries, pushing the lead to 21-7. Adding to that were two of Collingwood's key backrow forwards Harrison S. and Jude C. both went down with injuries and were out of the game. With less than four minutes remaining, the situation looked dire.

However, the comeback began when Griffin L., who had been a threat with his hard running all game, found a gap and sliced through to score under the posts. Connor D.remained perfect from the tee, slotting the conversion to make it 21-14.

With under two minutes on the clock, Connor D. broke free down the left sideline, nearly reaching the goal line before being hauled down. After a few tense phases, captain Daniel S.—the anchor of the team all day—muscled his way over for the try. Connor D. stayed cool under immense pressure to kick the conversion, tying the game at 21-21 and forcing sudden-death overtime.

The first period of overtime was a back-and-forth affair. St. George’s had a golden opportunity to clinch the win with a penalty kick after a Collingwood infraction, but the attempt sailed wide.

In the second overtime, a Saints error proved decisive when a player picked up the ball from an offside position following a knock-on. Awarded a penalty directly in front of the posts, Connor—who went 4 for 4 on the day—calmly slotted the kick to seal the victory.

While St. George’s tough defense and quick strike offense exposed some areas for improvement, the win was a testament to the grit and resilience of this Collingwood squad. The boys showed incredible heart to fight back from a two-try deficit when the clock was against them.

The team now carries this momentum into the Provincial Championships next week. 

Connor D's clutch kicking led the Cavs to victory yesterday.

Tommy S in action in the North Shore Final against Carson.  Tommy scored the Cavs' first try yesterday and was a force all game long.

Hugo B scoring a try last week against Carson.  Hugo came off the bench yesterday to log big minutes in the win over Saints.