The inaugural Under-19 Canadian Rugby Championship concluded with a bang as one team continued to exert its dominance while the new kids on the block proved they belong on the big stage.
The early game on the afternoon saw the Ontario Blues come out hard, fast and strong to shatter the Atlantic Rock 81-3.
The Blues's Cam Stone scored a try at the two-minute mark to set the tone for the bout. The No. 8 showed off his speed and skill in notching the first of his three tries on the day.
At the half, the Ontarians were having their way with the Atlantic side, sporting a commanding 31-0 lead. The Rock were able to break the shutout in the 38th minute with James Mitchell making good on a penalty kick.
From there, the Blues returned to their scoring ways with a barrage of tries and big plays. Andrew Ferguson concluded his strong tournament by adding a try and a whopping seven conversions in the match.
In the final minute of play, wing Rob Finch came through with his third try of the day to give his side 50 points in the second half.
The concluding match of the U-19 CRC, featuring the Lower Canada Voyageurs and the Prairie Wolf Pack, began in very much the same way as centre Nik Chyzenski scored in the 2nd minute to put the Voyageurs ahead.
It was then the Wolf Pack who bounced back with tries from wing Josh Hart and fullback Dave Evans. A Pack penalty kick from Evans was followed by Chyzenski's second try to bring Lower Canada to within 7 points at the halfway mark.
The Voyageurs came out with a determined and concerted effort to start the second half. A quick try from hooker Billy Shaw and a penalty from Thomas Hindle propelled the Quebec and Eastern Ontario side to an 18-17 lead.
The final 10 minutes demonstrated that the hard work put in by coaches John Lavery, Andy Plimer and Greg Thaggard was paying off for the Voyageurs squad as their team put together an impressive display to secure the victory.
Three tries, including two from Broeghan Carrol, blew the game wide open and the Voyageurs came away with a win that, for the majority of the match, was much closer than the 37-17 final score would indicate.
The tournament's three days of competition saw the Blues go a perfect 3-0 to further their strong reputation, but it also brought about the emergence of a tenacious Voyageurs squad that finished 2-1.
A tough Wolf Pack squad ended with a 1-2 record, while the Rock finished without a victory, despite three hotly-contested battles.
The first U-19 CRC tournament saw some thrilling matches and big performances from some of the country's best young rugby players. National U-20 Men/Academy Coach Mike Shelley will have plenty to think about as he continues to envision his 2012 national U-20 team.
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