Defence Wins Cavs Their First AAA Rugby Crown

David Speirs

May 31, 2026

The senior rugby team defeated Robert Bateman in the BC AA Final in both 2024 and 2025. Both teams moved up to AAA this year and for the third time in three years the teams met in a championship final yesterday.

Collingwood got off to a horrible start as they found themselves down 14-0 after 10 minutes of play. This might have broken a lesser team, but there was no panic and the Cavs began to assert themselves. In the final 20-minutes of the first half, they dominated possession and territory.

However, it was not until the final minute of the half that they actually scored. James S quick-tapped a penalty and somehow squeezed through the big Bateman forwards. With Theo Y’s conversion, it was 14-7.

With the wind at their back, the Cavs believed their superior fitness would pay off in the second half. A good passage of play set up a chance for Adrian M and he powered his way across the line and suddenly it was 14-14.

Unfortunately, Collingwood gave up a penalty on the ensuing kick-off and Bateman re-took the lead 17-14. Some solid defence kept the Timberwolves from extending their lead. This led to a penalty and then a line-out. The Cavs took advantage of this with a powerful maul that travelled 25 metres before they were awarded another penalty.

This time Bateman were more prepared and they drove the Collingwood maul out of bounds. It seemed that the golden opportunity had been wasted. But Ian Z pressured the Timberwolves’ jumper and the ball deflected right into the hands of Val D who scampered five metres for the try. Suddenly, Collingwood had their first lead of the game 19-17.

Theo extended the lead to 22-17 with a clutch penalty kick. When the Cavs were awarded a scrum deep in the Bateman half with a mere 25 seconds left in the game, it seemed the victory was assured. But a lack of support led to a penalty and suddenly Bateman was still alive.

The next six minutes was a test of the Cavs’ sheer willpower. 24 times the Timberwolves went into contact and 24 times they were stopped in a 4:30 stretch. When they were awarded a penalty, Bateman was off again and after 9 more phases, the Cavs finally forced their player into touch. And with that, the AAA gold medal was officially in Collingwood’s hands.

This will be the fourth straight year the Cavs have won a provincial rugby banner, but this time it’s AAA. This is an incredible feat since it’s the team’s first year at that level. And it did not come easy as it required big wins in the last two weeks over AAA titans St. George’s and Shawnigan Lake before finally beating Bateman in yesterday’s pulsating final.

It was truly a team effort as evidenced by the incredible defensive performance at the end of the game, which won them the championship. Congratulations to all the players for capturing the first AAA banner in Collingwood history.