The UCC Blues Year 12 Team lose to Medway in Final

The first opponent of the day was Frontenac from Kingston.  The early exchanges were marred by handling errors, but it was obvious that the Blues were the more aggressive team.  With big hits coming in from Connor McKinney, Jack Tucker and Samar Carmack coupled with good line speed, Frontenac had difficulty building any momentum.  It was also evident right away that the Blues pack had the edge in the scrum as well.  The first score came on the back of a scrum deep in UCC Territory.  Quick hands put Man of the match Daniel Tesfay through a gap. Big runs from Darius Mani and Tucker put the Blues on the try line where a beautiful offload from Tucker to McKinney was rewarded with five points.  The game remained close until the final 10 minutes, where constant pressure in the Frontenac half forced a number of errors and Pier-Olivier Lefebvre was able to overpower the defence for two tries.  Tucker would add another on the penultimate play of the game – a wonderful solo effort from deep – to secure a 28-0 score line.

 

Next up for the Blues was reigning OFSAA A/AA Champions Coburg St. Mary’s.  The boys did not disappoint in the early stages.  Ferocious line speed right off the opening kickoff saw the Blues earn an attacking scrum deep in the Coburg end.  A great rumble from Carmack followed by wonderful handling from Ryan Defoa, Alex Hickman and Tucker put Finn McDermott over in the corner after only two minutes of play for the first try of the match.  St. Mary’s came back with their tails up after the score, but great defending by the UCC backs stifled any pressure that they could build – with Tucker and Hickman being particularly powerful.  Tesfay and Sebastian Argamasilla linked up for some good runs before Killian Fortier put Jack Tucker away for the Blues second try of the game. Fly-Half Defoa would provide the third try of the game, breaking the line before finding Man of the Match Lefebvre on a lovely support line to make it 21-0 at half time.  The Blues coasted in the second half, but can be proud of their first half performance – running out 21-7 victors. 

 

Much like the Thursday tournament, the Blues faced a long period off between the semi-final and the final.  Waiting for them at the end of a four-hour break was OFSAA AAA/AAAA champions Medway.  Despite excellent play in phases – in particular from Lefebvre and Tucker – the Blues were simply outmuscled – losing 35-7.  The lone try came from Theo Heintzman, who quietly had a great day in supporting the backs and deserved the reward.

 

Overall, the coaching staff is very happy with the development of the team over the course of the first two games. Squad players Jack May, Cameron Homer, Jesse Zhao and Cole Huszti really underlined the depth of the UCC bench and Sebastian Tattersall provided some excellent support play throughout.  The boys are eager to have another crack at Medway next week.