Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Marty Hastings

Men's Rugby

Provincial men’s rugby final Saturday pits underdog Kamloops Raiders against undefeated Squamish

May 2, 2024 | 6:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Greg Thomson booted a late penalty goal to lift his Kamloops Raiders to a 28-27 victory over Vancouver Rowing Club in the men’s Division 2 B.C. Rugby Union final on May 5, 2018, in Abbotsford.

The victory marks the most recent men’s B.C. championship victory for the Raiders, who are aiming to end the six-year drought this Saturday in Burnaby.

“It would be momentous for the club,” Raiders’ captain Tyler Wood said.

And it would be an upset.

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Kamloops (11-3) will square off against undefeated Axemen Rugby Club (13-0) of Squamish in the final, which features the top two teams in regular-season standings.

Kickoff is scheduled for noon on Saturday at Burnaby Lake Rugby Club.

The Axemen swept the season series, cleaving the Raiders 59-22 on April 6 in Squamish and felling hometown Kamloops 17-13 on Oct. 28 at Exhibition Park.

Wood and scrum half Ryan Lan said lessons learned in defeat stand to help the Raiders this weekend, with a focus on the Squamish backs and Blake Mahovic, in particular.

“They base their whole attack around him,” Wood said. “The key to the game will be stopping him.”

Added Lan: “They’re really good in the backs. Last game, they scored like five or six tries on us just swinging it out wide and we couldn’t cover. We’ve been working on defence and tackling.”

The division is comprised of six teams from the Coast and the Raiders, the Interior outlier.

“We travel about nine weeks a year,” said Ben Littlechild, who is part of the team’s coaching committee. “That means bus rides, getting up at six in the morning, going down to Vancouver, playing in the rain and snow sometimes and travelling all the way back the same day.

“You think of the pool of players they have on the Lower Mainland compared to the Interior and it’s pretty special to have a group from Kamloops make it to the finals.

“If we could win, it would be huge for Kamloops.”

For some grizzled club veterans, there is no guarantee of another shot at provincial glory.

They want to sip from the cup again, and they want younger club members who have not yet partaken to get their fill.

“It’s like a brotherhood, with guys that you remember for years down the road, that you won that championship with,” said Erik Rissanen, who is among the club’s old guard.

“You stay close to those boys for a very long time.”

A quiet, focused group is slated to leave Kamloops at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, the final early wake-up call of the campaign.

The ride home will likely have a different feel.

“Not to give away too many secrets, but let’s just say there won’t be a lot of clothes on that trip,” Littlechild said with a laugh.

“Regardless of the result on Saturday, I’m so proud of the team.”