With a single win Saturday afternoon, the Bayside Sharks Div. 1 men’s rugby team not only secured a first-place finish in the spring league, but also punched their ticket back to the premier circuit in the fall.
In the last game of the regular season, the Sharks defeated the Velox Valhallian 34-25 – and also picked up two bonus points – to finish the season with a 7-2 record and 44 points, which ties them with the Vancouver Rowing Club atop the standings. Bayside, however, holds the tie-breaker advantage over the Rowers, which gives them first place, plus the lone spot in the fall’s B.C. Premier Rugby League, from which the Sharks were bounced after struggling last fall.
“We’re pretty pumped. It’s nice vindication, and getting back there was our goal, so it feels pretty good,” said Sharks head coach Pat Kearney.
“Only one team gets in (to the premier league) so there wasn’t a lot of cushion there, but we were able to pull it off – sometimes we just like to make it tough on ourselves though.”
On Saturday, the Sharks got tries from Spencer and Zach Thorpe, Josh Areai and Connor Dickie, but the game was far from an easy victory, Kearney said.
The Sharks led just 14-13 at halftime, until turning up the pressure in the second half.
“Velox kept it really close. It was a tough game, for sure,” Kearney said.
Peter Clifford, last fall’s premier league leading scorer, was perfect on kicks Saturday, hitting on all four of his conversion attempts, while adding a penalty kick and a drop-goal.
The Sharks were also buoyed by the return of former captain Adam Van Stavern, who has played only sporadically in recent months.
“He’s a former captain, a national team player – he was a huge boost for us. He was all over the field on Saturday, making tackles. It was awesome,” said Kearney. “He’s still a world-class player.”
The Sharks now have a first-round playoff bye this weekend, and will return to the pitch May 5 for the finals, against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
The game will be held at South Surrey Athletic Park.
Bayside’s second division men’s team, which finished second in the regular season, will be in action this weekend, however, taking on third-seed Richmond. The winner advances to the finals against the Vancouver Rowing Club on May 5.