The Richmond Rugby Football Club's U19 girls team finished fourth in the elite division at the B.C. Rugby Sevens Tournament in Kamloops behind some fantastic individual performances and a tremendous team effort.
This was the first time Richmond has competed at the event — the largest of its kind in Western Canada, and the team fared well against very strong opposition.
Richmond's girls program (nicknamed the Lions because of their association with partner club the Brit-Lions of Delta) has seen a return to prominence — routinely beating their opponents in local sevens play and competing with the best in the province on a consistent basis.
After a long drive into the interior which saw the usual Friday rush-hour traffic, combined with a detour to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal and a prolonged period of bus maintenance somewhere between Merritt and Hope, the team prepared itself for its first test, against the Celtic Barbarians.
The Barbarians are an invitational representative side based in Alberta who showed their strength scoring first against an organized, but under-sized Richmond defence.
The Lions responded with a quick try by scrum-half Tjammie Ko, who weaved through defenders on her way to touching down. The Barbarians regained the lead shortly thereafter, but a quick team chat by prop and Captain Josie Anzai energized the girls who came out flying after the re-start.
Assistant captain Keelin Laing, never one to shy away from contact, was able to find a seam and touch down after a Barbarians' defensive lapse and with Ko hitting her first conversion of the day, the RRFC Lions had a lead they would not relinquish.
It was the "Ko Show" from there on out as she scored three unanswered tries and added two more conversions before the game was done to give Richmond a 29-15 victory.
Next up was defending provincial champions Abbotsford — a daunting task so early in the day.
Richmond was able to hold its opponents to just two tries in the first half, through some great defensive work and counter-rucking by tenacious utility player Madison Gillette and hard charging prop Kayla Blossom.
Sadly, the defending champs proved to be too strong for the Lions in 27-5 setback to the Fraser Valley powerhouse.
Rachel Cantor scored her first try of the weekend in the dying stages of the game, giving the team a small positive to build on in their final game of the day against provincial runners-up Castaway-Wanderers of Victoria.
The Castaway-Wanderers club has a proud tradition of rugby dating back to 1906, and boast several provincial level players on their roster. However, it was the upstart Richmond squad who came out swinging.
Ko scored two quick tries in the first half (converting one) before C-W was able to respond with a pair of their own.
An injury to key player Kate Fedoruk tested the team's depth in the contest and Castaways were able to pull ahead with less than three minutes remaining in the match.
Coaches Graham Haigh and Mackenzie Fawcett made adjustments and used their talented bench to their advantage making several changes in the second half.
These tactical maneuvers paid off. Replacement fly-half Jessica Nelson (on-loan from the Capilano club of North Vancouver) scampered 40 yards to tie the contest after a heads up play by winger Jane Vida to scoop the ball from the ground into Nelson's outstretched hands.
A defensive lapse allowed C-W to re-take the lead with seconds to play. From the kick-off, a ruck formed, and it appeared Castways would re-gain the ball until thunderous prop-forward Laura Paquet (on exchange from Quebec City) pushed three girls off of the pile, allowing centre Maxine Ellis to find a sliver of space, cutting through the C-W defensive line with some evasive running and long strides to pull away for a last second, game-tying try.
Despite the positive finish to the day, and the impressive 1-1-1 record against elite level competition, the injuries had mounted and day two became that much more daunting of a task.
Taking on Bayside of White Rock, and save for a Keelin Laing solo-effort score, the tired Lions could not compete with the high flying South Surrey squad.
The second game paired Richmond against a Kootenay regional all-star side and the task was simple: a win would get the girls into the medal round at their first ever Kamloops Sevens Tournament.
The team took the challenge to heart, scoring three converted tries before the halftime whistle — including one by a resurgent Fedoruk who battled for the score with defenders draped on her like a coat rack in the lost and found.
It was the strong play of some familiar faces that put Richmond in a winning position, as Ko added to her impressive weekend point tally with a try and three conversions, while Anzai bullied her way to a pair of tries in the contest; 26-7 was your final.
The win put the girls into the bronze-medal game against earlier opponents Bayside - but the wheels had come off, with too many injuries, and the girls were out-classed by a very talented side.
Notable performances in the final game included Vlada Shevchenko, with spin moves and side steps reminding on-lookers of 1980's football player Barry Sanders, and Zekeya Baguinon (also on-loan from the Capilano club) who tackled relentlessly in a losing cause.
Bayside won the bronze with a 22-7 victory over the Richmond Lions but the girls regrouped and recouped on the long bus ride home.
The coaches and staff were pleased with the result, but as the team now turns their attention to 15-a-side rugby for the remainder of the Fall, the club is expected to be in the hunt for a medal at the provincial finals this December in Duncan. Stay tuned.
