Brentwood College School - Brentonian Yearbook (Mill Bay, British Columbia Canada)

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glimpses of anything like a co-ordinated effort. This game requires a great deal of heart and ' fire ' , both of which were sadly lacking. Each individual player should be prepared to support his team- mates under the most difficult circumstances, this rarely happened. As a result, when the side got behind in a game, despondancy swept through the players like a fever. The front five had a hard time, being beaten for possession most of the time. The back row had too much to do and their game suffered. The half-backs were never settled and the three-quarters rarely received the ball. Unfortunately, to make matters worse, the tackling was at time appalling. My opening comments offer little praise, but there were occasions when things went reasonably well. The games against St. George ' s (beaten both times — 9-3 and 12-4) the team operated at its best. The tackling was sound and the forwards won a fair share of the ball. In a number of other games we were let down by some rather clumsy defensive errors — people taking too much time in clearing or hesitancy in deciding to go for a ball. The team picture is indeed bleak, but individ- ually there was some skill. Chuck Wills captained the team and playing at fly half or centre was always creative with little to work with. We were all delighted to see him make the 1st XV before the end of the season and perform well in the games he played. Mike De Long, a first year player, has flair and I am sure that with experienced players around him, he can have some impact on the game. John Willings was the hooker and if ail the other forwards displayed his desire, we would have had little trouble in winning possession. Esmond French has a future in the game, he is a good line-out forward, and if he acquires more ' devil ' he will be pushing for a 1st XV place next year. Lewis Gelfand is a skillful No. 8 in attack, but he must be prepared to do some hard work. Three junior colts played on the colts team for much of the year. Keith Hutton has the makings of a fine back row forward, Derek Sharpe has yet to settle into a position, but has more than average ability and Gordon Alex added a little drive to the pack. In spite of the poor season, a few players may yet make the grade. C.D.Y. Rugby Report — Junior Colts: Colts ' B ' P W L D FOR AGAINST 9 3 5 0 65 91 The junior colts did not have sufficient numbers to operate as a viable group and were therefore amalgamated with the Colts ' B ' for playing purposes. This curious collection of differ- ent sized people developed a unique spirit which is reflected in their record; to paraphrase Churchill, they were amazed in victory and expectant of defeat. The group contained some boys of con- siderable talent and many with none at all but to a man, they exhibited an enthusiasm for the game which made the term enjoyable for players and coaches alike. CM. Ross Junior Junior Colts P W L D FOR AGAINST 5 0 5 0 47 131 This was not the Junior Junior Colts year. However this was no fault of the team as a whole. The Junior Juniors proved as determined cind enthusiastic as any previous Junior Junior team which I have coached. The boys who had no previous knowledge of the game, were most eager to learn, and worked extremely hard during the workouts. They were quick to learn their basic skills and soon showed signs of playing basic rugby. Unfortunately we lacked both natural talent and depth, which was soon to show in the following games. This did not deter the boys in the least when they played against St. George ' s and St. Michael ' s University Schools who fielded teams which contained much heavier and more experienced players. A most important factor at this level of rugby. Our first defeat to University School 87-0 was quite a blow to the morale of the team. However, with typical Brentonian fashion the boys continued to work all the harder, and when we were to meet the same team six weeks later after intensive work on basic skills the boys put on a fine display of rugby to lose only in score and not morale by 3-0. My thanks to Richard Model who as captain was a fine example to the boys, and a special mention for Charles Proctor who proved the outstanding player of the group, and who I am sure will enjoy an outstanding career at Brentwood. J.E.D. 31

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2nd XV Record P VV L D FOR AGAINST 8 6 2 0 177 23 The 2nd XV won the Independent Schools Cup for 2nd XV competition, and on several occasions played most attractive football. As I have said before, there was little difference between the 1st XV and 2nd XV, so that many of the players had 1st XV experience. All four second rows — Henniger, John Thompson, Stuckleburger and Stewart Campbell, had 1st XV experience and provided a good core. Webster and Lindsay and sometimes Moran completed a good front row and Duncan McLean was a powerful number eight, though rather inclined to play in spurts. Tyler Smith, Sites, and David Stanley all had lively games in the back row, and only once in the Second Shawnigan game, was this pack outplayed. In the backs David Ellis proved an excellent ' general ' . He kicked well, showed a grasp of tactics and gave his all. Only a lack of basic speed prevented his playing for the 1st XV and much of the credit for the success of the team must be his. He was well-served at scrum half by Ross Morrison and later the versatile Scott Sites. His centres, David Hawksworth and David Levell showed dash, and the wings Harry Williams, John Bradford, Randy Fennings and Rob Hugo all ran very hard. At fuU-back Ron Friedli was steady and kicked an impressive number of points. This was a good 2nd XV and thoroughly deserving of the 2nd XV Independent Schools Championship. LR.F 3rd XV Team Report and Critique P W L D FOR AGAINST 10 10 0 0 276 17 From the record it is clear that this was a most successful season for the third XV but truly it is a reflection upon the consistency of rugby throughout the senior schools. This enabled move- ment of personnel from team to team with the minimum of confusion. The team began with a fine combination of experience and new robust talent. Receiving the best of leadership from Jim Russell, the group soon developed a great cohesiveness of intent. This was finally cemented in the second game of the season against St. George ' s school. The team overcame a 0-10 deficit to win 13-10 and this I feci confirmed a belief in their own abilities and the rugby techniques they had worked upon. The best game was without doubt the second St. George ' s fixture when every facet of the game ' came together ' leading to a 48-0 win. In the style of play the team showed fine balance most of the season although the forwards did carry more than their share through the early games. Scoring was well distributed throughout the backs, and all forwards scored at least once during the season. The forwards always beat their opponents supplying a regular supply of ' good ball ' from set, lineout and particularly loose scrum. The back play was essentially simple which involved good passing, hard running and a defiant defense. Overall a most satisfying seasons effort which will supply a goodly number of competent players to help form a nucleus for ' A ' group next season, which is our function. W.J. Burrows 4th XV P W L D FOR AGAINST 8 5 3 0 205 45 The 4th XV enjoyed a most successful season this year, winning most of their matches with some ease, and losing the others very narrowly. This may have reflected on the opposition occasionally, but it is often difficult to find suitable teams to play against when the standard varies so much from year to year. The task of producing a formidable team at the beginning of the term seemed insurmountable, since so many players were inexperienced, but with hard work and the sense of team spirit which developed, we were able to make rapid progress. This was often marred by 3rd XV calls, but then the 4th XV fully recognises its responsibilities in this direction. There were many tries scored — 46 in all — Peter McClean and Keiron Gray being the leading try scorers. Both showed their attacking flare and were a great asset to the side. The forwards became well-drilled and began to show understanding of each other towards the end of the term, while the backs, often harrassed by injuries, showed their abiUty to score tries when given the ball. Mention must be made of Ted Schinbein who was certainly the greatest prospect to emerge, and his aggressive tackling and hard running in attack, were often the springboard for our scores. Jim Ansell also made his mark, coming up from the 5th XV, with his very fine running and ball-playing ability. Unfor- tunately we lacked a kicker (only 9 conversions and 1 penalty!) which would soon have altered many score lines if we had had one. I congratulate the squad on their success and would hope they utilise their experience in future seasons. J.G. Hunter Colts ' A ' XV P W L D FOR AGAINST 12 1 11 0 76 178 The Colts ' A ' XV had a very poor season as the above record indicates. The team never played really well and only occasionally were there I

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Visit of Campbell College, Belfast. March 1972 At the end of the Easter Term we had the pleasure of entertaining the 1st XV of Campbell College, Belfast. They were on a three week tour of British Columbia, and we thoroughly enjoyed their company during the week that they were with us. On the rugby field, much to our discomfort they were less friendly and gave us a real lesson in the art of constructive, flowing rugby to the tune of a 3-42 trouncing! Campbell College, long a power house of Northern Ireland rugby, were well known to us even before they got to B.C. and their handsome victory over St. Georges in Vancouver in their first match only confirmed what we knew already — that we were in for a very tough game indeed. Even so we hardly did ourselves justice and the result was very disappointing though hardly surprising in view of our lack of preparation for the game. Our rugby season had officially finished at Christmas and it proved to be almost impossible to get the 1st XV together without seriously inter- fering with other Easter Term activities and sports. We chose not to interfere and paid the penalty for putting on to the field an under-practised, half-fit team which lacked experience in at least two vital positions because of the unavailability of several key players. Campbell College won the ball at will from tight, loose and lincout and their backs ran amok, scoring a number of delightful tries through quick passing and excellent backing up. Murray Bayles at No. 8 and Tyler Smith at openside played coura- geously in a lost cause and never gave up; the rest is best forgotten. I only hope it does not take us too long to live down this disaster to our rugby playing image. We know we can play on level terms with the best in Britain if we prepare ourselves properly. Only three years ago we were battling the best team in Britain to the last whistle. It will be up to next years XV to put matters right, against Whitgift School from London, England who will be here on tour in the spring. However, in summary, justice where justice is due, Campbell College was a well drilled team who played open, adventurous rugby, and they made many friends in this part of the world with their exciting style of play. N.R.B.P.