You can now call the Capilano Rugby Club’s women’s team the best in the country.
The Caps own a neat new piece of history following a win in the inaugural Canadian Rugby Club Championship tournament for women.
Capilano claimed the national title after scoring a pair of wins in the championship tournament held Aug. 2-4 at Fletcher’s Field in Markham, Ont. The Caps first beat the Maritime champions from Charlottetown 39-14 Aug. 2 before topping Club de Rugby de Québec (CRQ) 34-19 two days later to claim the title.
Capilano made it to the Canadian championships by winning the BC Rugby premier women’s title with a thrilling 20-19 victory over Victoria’s Westshore Valkyries in the provincial final in May.
“What an honour it has been for Capilano RFC women’s program to not only win the B.C. Premiership title but to be a part of and win the inaugural Canadian National Women’s Club Championship,” said Capilano head coach An Hoang in a BC Rugby release. “It’s the culmination of hard work, dedication and commitment from each and every single player on this squad as well as the coaching and support staff.”
The Caps withstood some early pressure from Charlottetown early in the national semifinal before pushing back to take the lead. Former national team player Andrea Burk got the scoring started with a try for Capilano. Burk’s presence in the lineup was the result of some good fortune, as the longtime Capilano player was living in Toronto and joined her old teammates at the championships. Macy Munson kicked the convert and then added a penalty near the end of the first half to give Capilano a 10-0 lead at the break. Munson then took over in the second half, scoring three tries. Ashley Robinson and Gillian Boag added tries to give Capilano a comfortable lead, with Charlottetown scoring once early and once late in the second half to make the final 39-14.
In the final against the Quebec champions, Capilano jumped out to an early lead with Ella Marwick setting up Heather Muir for the opening try, converted by Munson. CRQ responded quickly with a try but Capilano came right back with a Munson knocking in a penalty kick. The Caps scored two more tries near the end of the first half, the first on a team move and the second coming on a strong solo run from Munson to give Capilano a 17-point lead at halftime.
CRQ came out fast in the second half, quickly cutting the lead to 10 points, but Capilano continued to push back, getting two quick tries from Demi Stamatakis and Marwick to break the game open again at 34-12. CRQ scored one final try but it wasn’t nearly enough to catch Capilano, as the North Shore squad celebrated their national championship title.
“None of this would have been possible without all the support from everyone back home and within the rugby community, who really championed us to be our best,” said Hoang. “On behalf of the Capilano Women’s program, thank you all so much for your support.”
The Canadian Rugby Club Championship debuted last year with a men’s tournament, hosted by Capilano Rugby Club. This was the inaugural women’s tournament, and the event is scheduled to alternate between men’s and women’s tournaments each season.
