Coaches can be a bit strange sometimes.
If they did something before a big game - ate a particular type of burrito or something - and the result turned out well, they'll likely go back for that same bean-filled goodness before their next big game. The inverse is also true - if something happened before a game and the results were poor, the coach may think twice about following those same footsteps before the next big game.
Last season the Handsworth senior boys rugby team got off to a fast start, knocking off the traditionally strong Carson Graham Eagles early on in the Lower Mainland AAA league. The North Shore News came calling, asking head coach Curry Hitchborn about new parity in the league and how the Royals became a team on the rise.
Handsworth, however, promptly went out and lost their next game, 22-7 against Argyle. In fact, they lost their next five games, falling so far that they missed making the provincial championships entirely.
Fast forward one year and the Royals are off to another fast start with wins over Carson Graham, Kitsilano and West Vancouver. They're once again on their way to face Argyle in an important game and the North Shore News is once again sniffing around, looking for some news on the Royals.
When a reporter placed a call to Hitchborn this week, however, the coach had some unpleasant flashbacks to the season past.
"The last time I had this conversation with you it was right before an Argyle game which we lost," said Hitchborn. "I'm such a superstitious weirdo I almost didn't answer the phone."
Hitchborn thankfully did take the call from the North Shore News and explained what a big game this is. With the regular season already winding down, a win over Argyle would lock up second place for Handsworth behind provincial powerhouse St. George's. A loss for the Royals would bounce them all the way to fourth, setting up an early-round playoff matchup against that same St. George's squad. An Argyle win would push the Pipers from fourth to third, getting them out of the way of St. George's in the playoff semifinals.
Hitchborn also talked a little bit about what he expects from the Pipers team that derailed his season last year.
"I'm expecting Argyle to do the two things that they've always done really well, which is run the ball really hard at you and tackle you really hard," he said. "Our guys are in for a fight. It's going to be tough, it is every year. It's shaping up to be a pretty good rivalry. They took the last two off of us.. .. They're skilled, they're hard, they're tough. Our guys are hungry for another shot at them."
The fact that Handsworth and Argyle are playing such an important game is a testament to how much the league has changed from the decades of dominance from Carson Graham with some St. George's wins thrown in there from time to time. Hitchborn played for Handsworth in the early 2000s and came back to coach in 2007.
"From 2007 to now the landscape is completely different," he said, adding that all of the North Shore teams are now lumped together into a big, even pack with a few other teams from around the province, although everyone now is trying to catch up to private school powerhouses Shawnigan Lake and St. George's.
"No. 3 to 10 could beat each other on any given day," said Hitchborn. "We have to stay healthy, obviously, and you've got to take the opportunity when it comes. We can't afford to have any off days in this league."
The Royals have scored their strong results so far despite a lineup that is devoid of any real superstars, said Hitchborn.
"They're an amazing team," he said. "They work really, really hard for one another. It can be the wettest, coldest day of the year and those guys are out there and they're pushing each other. We're not big by any stretch of the imagination, we're not hyper athletic by any stretch, but we're organized, we're persistent and those guys out there who show up every day, No. 1 through No. 32, are trying to make each other better.. .. There's no special formula, we're not reinventing the wheel. We practise the basics and the guys do them really, really well."
Hitchborn also credited some recent Handsworth grads such as junior team coach Alex Bodnaruk and national U20 team member Neil Courtenay with helping to create a rugby culture at the school by coming back to help the younger kids.
"You're never too good to come back and help your high school," said Hitchborn.
"You get a 20-year-old guy out there donating his time to make sure that other kids have the same opportunities he did, that speaks really, really well of the sport itself."
Handsworth and Argyle will clash Wednesday, April 30 starting at 4 p.m. at Handsworth secondary.
