The Island final was worth the wait.
The Nanaimo Hornets defeated the Port Alberni Black Sheep by a 38-36 score to win the Vancouver Island Div. 1 men’s rugby Times Cup championship Saturday at May Richards Bennett Pioneer Park. The matchup had been postponed three times due to weather, so anticipation had been building for a long time.
The final ended up being a classic after a dramatic final 10 minutes. The Hornets had a couple of guys sent off and saw a 17-point margin slip away, but the Black Sheep missed a potential game-tying conversion and the final whistles sounded.
“It was back and forth the whole way, true north Island, hard-nosed rugby…” said Drew Fisher, Hornets captain. “We really came together, forwards and backs, both definitely played as much to our strengths as we could, but those guys have a heavy forward pack and they definitely smashed it down our throats quite a bit. They made a hell of a game of it.”
Jared Stephens scored four tries for Nanaimo, Rocky Coussens had one and Brad Marshall had a try and three conversions.
Marshall said his team had to dig deep to hang on at the end.
“That’s what rugby’s all about – it’s about hearts and guts,” he said.
It was the first championship in nearly 25 years for the Hornets men and Marshall said the difference this year was that the team had a mix of talent, depth and commitment.
“We built a big core group,” he said. “Our bench was just as good as the guys in the starting lineup, so when we would make subs, those guys would make a big impact, as well.”
Fisher said it was “absolute elation” when the final whistles sounded and the Hornets were champions.
“It feels good to bring it back home for these guys…” he said. “I’m really happy and proud that we could finally put it together.”
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