Senior Boys Rugby vs. Claremont

14 July 2024Ella W, Mack ‘25

On Tuesday, April 9, the First XV took to Gillespie Field in an attempt to beat Island powerhouse Claremont, an AAAA school in Victoria known for its dominance in athletics on Vancouver Island. In just their second game at home this season, and down many senior players due to injury, the remaining players had to step up to pull off this win.

The first half of the game was competitive as the teams scored back and forth. Brentwood’s Cole C, Rogers ‘25, scored the first try and Julian B, Ellis ‘25, made the conversion. Claremont immediately responded and tied the game up 7-7. Nearing the end of the first half, Brentwood capitalized on Claremont’s mistakes and turnovers, with players Sam B, Whittall ‘24 and Julian scoring a try each and making the conversions to put them ahead by 14 points. Ruby M, Allard ‘25 noted that the game was “a great reason to get outside and support our classmates and friends”.

Around five minutes into the second half, Valentin M, Privett ‘25 muscled his way through the Claremont defence and scored a try after a hustle play made by Shunsuke N, Ellis ‘25. The boys were up 28-7 and were looking confident in their skill and camaraderie, working comfortably with each other. Claremont fought back, scoring two more tries to close the point differential. Near the end of the second half, Isaac R, Whittall ‘25 had possession of the ball and didn’t look back. He sprinted from one end of the field to the other, moving past defenders with ease and scoring the try, with Julian making the conversion. Claremont scored once again, making the score 35-28. The team knew they couldn’t let their foot off the gas and Jake L, Rogers ‘24 finished the game off with a try, making the final score 40-28. Julian stated, “While there were a lot of things we could have done differently, we have a lot of our season left, and this was a good start”.

Mr Collis Handford described the effort from our team as “a testament to the character of the boys”. Look out for more information on the upcoming 7s tournament in West Vancouver next weekend, and good luck to those going to represent Brentwood!

Ella W, Mack ‘25

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