Rock finally dispels the Blues
Atlantic entry opens CRC season with road win in Ontario
Could it be the Atlantic Rock has turned the corner after suffering through lean times of late?
The St. John’s-based rugby team opened a new Canadian Rugby Championship (CRC) season with a longawaited win over the Ontario Blues Saturday, a 22-12 decision at Sherwood Forest Park in Burlington, Ont.
It was the first win for The Rock over Ontario in nine tries, dating back to the 2011 rugby season.
The Blues have been a major player in the CRC for the past number of years, winning four straight league titles from 2011-14. The Prairie Wolf Pack interrupted Ontario’s run at five in a row with a championship last season.
“This was huge,” Rock veteran Frank Walsh said of Saturday’s victory. “We haven’t won a game since 2011, and Ontario’s been one of the big guns for quite some time.
“It’s a huge confidence boost, for the young guys just coming into the program and the veterans, too.”
The 40-year-old Walsh is certainly one of players long in the tooth, a 20-year veteran of The Rock.
He was there in 2010 when The Rock won on home soil, the first year Rugby Canada went with a regional approach to national senior men’s play.
And he’s been there through the recent tough times, when the squad representing Newfoundland, P.E.I., Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec have managed only three wins in 18 starts over four years.
Saturday, The Rock carried a 10-5 lead into the half thanks to Patrick McNicholas. McNicholas was good on a penalty kick, made a 70-metre dash for a try after intercepting an Ontario pass and followed up with a conversion.
The Blues pressed early in the second half, but The Rock’s defence was up to the test. Tries by Toni Wodzicki and Aidan McMullen with a conversion by McNicholas sealed the win.
“Overall,” said Walsh, “our defensive structure was very good. We stuck to our guns, made some big hits.”
“All credit to the Rock,” Blues coach Chris Silverthorn told reporters afterwards. “They were very physical today, they really disputed our ball, and we couldn’t get in our flow.
“They took full advantage of their opportunities, and when we made mistakes, they capitalized.”
The Rock’s three remaining roundrobin games are at home at the Swilers Rugby Pitch in St. John’s. There’s a rematch with the Blues on July 2, followed by games against the B.C. Bears July 21 and the Wolf Pack July 24.