The Nanaimo Hornets will play for a provincial championship and a triple crown.
The city’s Div. 1 men’s rugby team will vie for a B.C. title this Saturday (May 6) in Abbotsford in the final match of a remarkable 2016-17 season.
The Hornets won the Times Cup in February and then the Cowichan Cup in April. And the double Island champions didn’t stop there.
“I know we discussed at the start of the season, ‘oh yeah, we’re going to go all the way to B.C.s,’ but it was a pipe dream at that point,” said Sam Fowler, Hornets player. “But now it’s come, it’s the real thing.”
Drew Fisher, team captain, said he’s proud of the guys and proud to be a Hornet.
“We’re not used to playing into May and you can’t get there without having a lot of guys committed…” he said. “It’s not just one small group of guys that’s carried us the whole way, it’s been a whole club, whole team thing all the way through.”
The Hornets will take on the Surrey Beavers in the provincial final. Nanaimo got past the Bayside Sharks in the semifinals, 26-7, and Fisher said his team is confident and feels like it’s playing its best rugby.
“Especially with the kind of structure we’re working on right now, the boys are enjoying it, it seems to be clicking and the way we’ve played the last couple games, we’re definitely starting to peak at the right time,” he said.
Fisher said the team’s depth is its greatest asset and Fowler said all facets are strong right now. The Hornets are playing with hunger on the defensive side and frustrating opposing offences. As for the attack, the hard-running backs are capable of making breaks and guys are playing with such confidence that all the passes seem to stick.
Nanaimo doesn’t really know what to expect from Surrey.
“We think they’ve got a big pack and they’ll be tough up front…” Fowler said. “I think we’ll look to work them around the field, kind of tire their pack out.”
And of course the unknown factor works both ways.
“When you get to play somebody new, it’s fun and you get to try out what you’ve been practising all year on somebody that may not be ready for it,” said Fisher.
There will be a lot of other factors at play on Saturday. B.C. Rugby is holding nine division finals that day, utilizing three pitches, so there will be a frenetic game-day atmosphere. The Hornets have already filled up a fan bus and are excited at the prospect of an “overseas trip,” Fisher said.
“It’s going to be fun,” he said. “We’re just happy to be in the big dance.”
GAME ON … The Nanaimo Hornets and Surrey Beavers play Saturday at 12:45 p.m. at Abbotsford Exhibition Park.
sports@nanaimobulletin.com
Just got back from covering Nanaimo Hornets #rugby practice. Div. 1 men will play for a B.C. title. Look for an article later this week… pic.twitter.com/2v5UBiUsu0
— Greg Sakaki (@BulletinSports) May 3, 2017