They battled rain and wind and still, both the local men’s and women’s teams came out on top during a Chilliwack Crusaders Rugby Club doubleheader on the weekend against the Ridge Meadows Bruins.
While the men powered to a 38-19 win, the women finished with a 34-7 final score on Saturday, Nov. 1 at their home turf Yarrow Sportsfield.
With Ridge Meadows short on numbers, the men’s match was played 12-a-side, an unusual format for senior men’s rugby where systems and strategies are built for 15-a-side play.
“Playing 12s really tests your adaptability as a team,” said Crusaders captain Richie Elliott. “Our guys showed great effort to adjust on the fly and play our brand of rugby. We lost a bit of discipline in the second half which let them back in, but the commitment and response to finish strong made the difference.”
The Crusaders men stormed to a 24-0 halftime lead through dominant forward play and quick attacking pace. The Bruins’ experience in 12s rugby, combined with a few lapses in Chilliwack’s discipline, saw them battle back to 24-12, but the Crusaders responded with two more tries before Ridge Meadows claimed a late consolation score.
The female Crusaders, who played before the men, started the scoring early with a try tallied within the first few minutes of the game, and then scored another try shortly after.
“We knew Ridge had a lot experience and talent mixed with a lot of new players and we didn’t want to take them lightly,” said head coach Mike Weisse. “(Ridge) has shown a lot of growth in the past weeks and we’ve been working to keep up with them and the rest of the league.”
The women return to Yarrow Sportsfield on Nov. 15 to play the league-leading Kelowna Crows at 11:15 a.m. Kelowna has a game at hand against the Crusaders but both remain undefeated on the season.
The men currently sit at three wins and two losses, with their next home game scheduled for Nov. 22 at 12:45 p.m. against the Vancouver-based Kats.
The women’s Nov. 15 game promises to be the “biggest game” of the Crusaders women’s short history, and the men’s Nov. 22 game is a rematch the Crusaders are “eager to avenge” after an early-season defeat, according to the club.