On Feb. 23rd, Langley made the long road trip to Port Alberni only to arrive heavily short handed and the result was evident with a pair of losses 15 – 8 for the firsts and 21 – 10 for the seconds.

This past Saturday, Langley hosted the Nanaimo Hornets for the first time. Nanaimo had placed second in the Island First Division championship loosing a heart breaker to James Bay of Victoria in January, and so far had gone undefeated in the spring league. Langley’s Firsts are a disappointing 0 – 3, the poorest start in several years.

Saturday’s game saw the return of the clubs co-captains back row forward Taylor Crowley and standoff Gary Ewasiuk. While flanker Rich Pearce would be missing from the forwards with an injury and outside centre Colby Brezden is sitting out due to suspension. Coach Jim Ryan had to again make several adjustments however on this day they were the correct ones and the lads came out to play.

Div. 1 game Flanker Dwayne Peters caught a partially blocked Nanaimo clearing kick and sprinted 15 metres for the try.

Div 1 flanker Jason Warnick going into contact score two trys on the day.

Field conditions were perfect with a breeze testing the kickers. Langley scored first in the 16th minute when Jason Warnick scored off a set scrum 8 metres out. The convert was wide and the score 5 to nil. After a prolonged attack inside of the Hornets 22, Langley had several close attempts to score. Nanaimo defenders made some poor clearing kicks that kept the ball close to the goal line. Finally, after a lineout, and 7 phases of play, second row Jon Bright went over for the try. The score now 10 to nil it seemed that Langley had the game in hand but a large Island team gave the message quickly to Langley they would not give up easily. Recovering the ball on the restart kick Nanaimo showed they had speed on the wings with some great passing which paid off with a try 4 minutes later to cut Langley’s lead in half. Langley did have one attempt at goal but the wind pushed Sean Messenger’s kick just wide of the post and the half ended 10 to 5.

Div. 1 Flanker Jason Warnick scored his second try of the game from a 5 metre set scrum.

The second half was exciting and tense with both teams scoring. Jason Warnick scored his second try in the 55th minute from a set scrum 5 metres from Nanaimo’s goal. With the Messenger convert, the score now 17 to 5 Langley seemed comfortable with their lead and continued to control the ball when a Nanaimo back intercepted a Langley pass with a clear 40 metre sprint to Langley’s goal line with the convert cutting Langley’s lead to 5. The score was a confidence booster for Nanaimo nad the attacked Langley finally scoring a try to tie the game at 17. Both teams played hard defense and stopped any incursions into their zones until Frank Cole playing up in Brazens place intercepted a Nanaimo pass and sprinted 60 metres for the try under the posts. Messenger made the easy convert to regain the lead 24 to 17. The final whistle by referee Norm Upton was a relief for the Langley players and fans and Langley firsts had finally won their first game of the schedule.

Langley’s seconds have had a great start to the spring schedule. After finishing at the bottom of the standings in the winter schedule, the lads had run off their first two victories then loosing to Port Alberni are sitting in the middle of the pack. Nanaimo were in second place undefeated.

Div 2 game, centre Kevin Molenaar tops off 30 metre run scoring Langley’s second of three trys on the day.

From the start of the game, Langley controlled ball possession and field possession inside of Nanaimo’s half. Patrick Vaydo had the first effort to score with a penalty kick going wide of the posts, then a few minutes later Flanker Dwayne Peters picked up a blocked clearing kick and sprinted the short distance for a try. Vaydo was good on the convert for a 7 to nil lead. In the 20th minute, centre Kevin Molenaar caught a poor clearing kick 30 metres from Nanaimo’s goal and cut his way past Hornet Defenders for a diving try. Vaydo was again good on the convert for a 14 to nil lead. With one minute remaining in the half, veteran Prop Mike Berg taking the ball on a penalty tap from scrum half Mike Roberts covered the 5 metres and stretched out and touched the ball over the goal line before he could be stopped for the team’s third try of the half.

Starting the second half up 19 to nil, it appeared Langley had the game in the bag however Nanaimo came out with a vengeance and scored two successive try’s cutting the lead to 9 points. With 7 minutes remaining in the match, Langley was able to defend their lead and won their third of four games.

Next week, Langley will host Cowichan Piggies from Duncan. Both games will be at Crush Crescent, kickoffs at 1 and 2:30 pm.

Week 2 of the Provincial league had Langley traveling to Abbotsford Saturday. Coming off a split decision with Seattle, the First Division team was hoping for a miracle as they lost another key player to injury their journeyman front rower Ryan Brown, already missing their other starting prop Robbie Hayes, the depth chart is getting a bit thin on crucial positions. Good news Andy Maher rejoined the team and several players returned to the second division team from injuries. Coach Jim Ryan again had to shuffle the lads to fill holes and this has resulted in less than a smooth flowing offensive effort. Unfamiliarity in Langley’s backs and players shuffling to fill gaps has had a negative impact. In Saturdays match, Langley fought valiantly for the first 20 minutes and had their chances to score. Abby with a full healthy squad and 3 former internationals on their roster finally managed to crack Langley’s tough defense. Scoring 17 points before Andy Maher split Abby’s defense then outmaneuvered others to ramble 45 metres for a try under the posts. Sean Messenger converted and the lads felt good about the game going to the half down by 10. The second half rally did not happen as Abby managed to counter attack Langley’s offensive thrusts with long runs and setting up eventual scores with 26 second half points for a 41 to 7 final.

Div 1 – Centre Andy Maher broke the tackle and rambled 45 metres for Langley only try of the game.

The Second Division team won their second straight game Saturday. Returning from injury Patrick Vaydo slotted back at his number 10 positions and Kyle Romogioli playing his second game for Langley at number 8 had a huge impact in the forwards and in loose play. The first half Langley controlled most of the ball possession and field position. Abby was only able to get over their half once and were stuffed at the goal line only to have the ball go the length of the field for a Langley score. Flanker Joe Parsons had a strong game scoring the opening points and the final try of the game. As did Romogioli who made some thundering tackles and scored one try from a 5-metre set. Doug Morrison scored the third try of the first half with a convert from Andrew Vaydo for a 17 to nil half time lead.

Div 2 – Kyle Romogioli goes into contact and bulls his way over the goal line for a try.

Perhaps the dominating score and play got to the heads of the youthful side as they let Abby back into the game at the 57th minute of the half. Scoring two quick trys, Abby now trailed by only 5 points. With 8 minutes remaining in the game. Vaydo converted a penalty kick that was followed by two trys, one a penalty try awarded after Sean Messenger was taken out chasing his kick to goal, and the other Joe Parsons second of the afternoon to cap off a well-deserved 30 to 12 win. Next week Langley completes their road trips with an outing to Port Alberni before returning home for 3 home matches starting with Nanaimo, then Cowichan and Surrey.

The Langley Rugby Clubs senior men's rugby teams kicked off the spring edition of the BC Mens First Division League this past Saturday hosting the Seattle Rugby Club. The matches are the first of 10 games against opponents from the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island the US and the BC Interior. First up, Seattle in a rematch from November where the clubs split the games. Conditions at Langley were brutal with cold temperatures and a steady mist falling over the pitch. The wet weather did cause some problems during the first half of the second division game that kicked off at 1 pm. Both teams had problems holding onto the ball and neither side were able to penetrate more than a couple of times inside the 22 metre lines. Seattle did manage to break the deadlock with only 1 minute remaining in the half with a try and convert. Langley had an opportunity to kick a penalty kick, in the 20th minute but the ball went off Andrew Vaydos boot like a rock wide and low of the uprights.

Div 2 MIke Robets at scrum half trying to find space scored the final points in the victory.

Going into the second half, Langley seemed to pick up thier game scoring two trys in two minutes by back Frank Cole. The first try was a great effort over 40 metres breaking tackles and going under the posts. The 10 to 7 lead however was short lived when Seattle replied with two trys of their own to push their total to 19. Langley stormed back with two trys, one by Stu Morrison and another by Mike Roberts catching Seattle napping on a pena;ty call 5 metres from goal. quick tapped the ball and weaved through defenders scoring the final points. The final whistle gave the seconds a victory 27 to 19.

Frank Cole

Langley Prop Mike McRoberts going in to support a langley back in close match that went to Seattle.

The firsts missing 5 starters but had injured players returning from the first half and welcomed verteran back Wayne Bremner back. Coach Jim Ryan put together the best squad possible despite the shortages and the game was very close but the local lads came up short. Seattle deserved full credit for their 10 to 6 victory defending well and using their forwards to control most of their play. Seattle opened the scoring with a try and convert in the 18th minute. Sean Messenger converted a pehjalty attempt in the 21s t mknuter and the half ended 5 to 3 for Seattle. The second half, Seattle scored a try in the 24th minute and Langley scored a penalty in the 31st by Messenger. Both sides had a penalty attempt each but were unable to convert. Langley had their chances but Seattle suffed the backs and forwards on their goal line. The defeat was a huge disappointment and games will not be getting any easier with a road trip next week to Abbotsford then Port Alberni the week after.

Langley's Mini Rugby program is getting off to a huge start with over 60 boys and girls from K to Grade 7. The Mini's meet every Sunday at noon at the Club. Newcomers are always welcome.

A tired and battered Langley team took to the pitch on November 24th to complete their 10th and final game hosting the Kelowna Crows. After completing a brutal 3-week road trip that took the club from Seattle to Kamloops then back to Vancouver, with only 1 victory and two defeats had a toll on numbers. Many players had to step up to the plate and put in two games each week. This is not healthy and resulted in more injuries and missing players.

Andy Maher trying to jump over two Kelowna tacklers could not hold on to the ball

Sean Messenger slipped his mark and scored a try down the wing.

The final whistle last Saturday was more a sigh of relief than a celebration of the victory to finally end the struggle and a 5th place finish, the poorest in several years.

The game against Kelowna was not a classic event and both teams were tentative at the start. Trading penalty kick attempts Kelowna finally opened the scoring mid half with a try and convert holding a 7 to nil lead into the half time break.

Frank Cole ran through the opposition and rambled untouched 30 metres for a try.

Andy Maher making a tackle a bit early resulted in a penalty to Kelowna.

Langley rebounded in the second half and took control of the match controlling the final 40 minutes of the game. Scoring for Langley were Kolby Brezden on a 40 metre romp, Sean Messenger breaking free on the wing, Frank Cole for a burst up the middle for 30 metres and Dwayne Peters in support off a hard Andy Maher run stopped on the goal line. Patrick Vaydo was good on 3 of 4 conversions for a 26 to 7 victory. The score could have been higher were not for a strong Kelowna defensive effort.

Kelowna could not form a seconds team, however Langley would have also been hard pressed to field a side on the final day. The seconds did manage a victory over the Scribes Club from Vancouver two week ago dominating 15 – 0 but finished near the bottom of the charts.

The BC Men’s First Division League will start on February 2nd;will have up to 16 teams including those teams who were relegated from the CDI Premier league qualification leagues. Those teams are not happy with relegation and will be aiming at dominating the competition.

The club will continue to train at Milner Park every Tuesday and Thursday evening at 6:30 pm. over the break.

Both Langley senior men’s teams traveled to Emerald City Saturday to take on the Seattle Rugby Club. Under clear skies and a mild wind, the first division team started off first. Traveling to Seattle short players, in fact only 25 players for two teams required the firsts to do double duty. Seattle, usually a tough home team started the game dominating using their forwards. They were really a grinding team on the day. Their first possession from the start resulted in a try, using their forwards to chip away at yardage, and keeping possession finally resulted in the try and convert for a 7 to nil lead. Langley finally responded with some good defense though Seattle was stuffing our backs on most plays. Finally, Kolby Brezden split Seattle’s centers 15 metres from goal and went in for the major. Patrick Vaydo converted for the tie. Seattle scored two more trys using their forwards in similar fashion. Langley had their opportunities but could not convert. Vaydo had two easy penalty kick attempts in front of the posts but misjudged the strong breeze blowing into his face and pushed the ball wide of the posts. Seattle held a 19 to 7 lead at the break.

Kolby Brezden splits backs to score first try of game for Langley.

Andy Maher going into contact supported by Brezden.

After a serious half time discussion, the side came out with a different attitude that resulted in complete domination of the game. Brezden scored his second try followed by Taylor Crowley, Stu Morrison, Sean Thompson, Robbie Hayes on a 70 metre sprint and Jason Warnick. Vaydo was good on 4 of 6 converts for a 45 to 19 final.

The second division side with 5 very tired firsts took the pitch and quickly found themselves under pressure from a fresh Seattle team. Seattle opened the scoring for a 5 to nil lead and continued to pressure. Sean Messenger starting his second game intercepted a Seattle pass and went 60 metres the other way for Langley’s first point’s tying the game at 5. Seattle was the dominant team of the day and ran off 22 points before Langley scored their final points by Robbie Hayes subbing in late in the game. The final was 27 to 12 for Seattle.

Sean Messenger at 18 years old starting another firsts game for the club on wing scored a 70 metre try in the second division game.

Taylor Crowley back at his usual flanker spot dives for a try had an outstanding game.

The firsts currently hold 4th place behind Richmond. Abbotsford and the Brit-Lions. The early defeated have really cost this team dearly and will have to rely on impossible odds to capture a first half playoff spot. With three games remaining, Langley travel to Kamloops next Saturday then to Vancouver to play the Kats/Scribes conmbined clubs before closing the season at Crush Crescent on Nov. 24th hosting Kelowna.

For the first time this season, Langley rugby teams have swept their opponents. The SFU Mountain Old Boys were sent packing back to Burnaby Mountain after being schooled in Milner Saturday. Langley teams outscored the SFU squad 98 to 15 and the second division team had their best game of the year with a 51 to 7 drubbing.

DIV. 2 GAME, ALUMNI ROBBIE KANAZAWA STRAPPED ON THE BOOTS AND SCORED A TRY.

DIV. 1 GAME RYAN BROWN SCORES ON A NICE EFFORT WAS ALL OVER THE FIELD IN SUPPORT.

The seconds exploded after an even start to the game. Most of the play was between the 22’s before Langley scored in the 19th minute with a try by Frank Cole. SFU responded several minutes later with a converted try to even the score at 7. Langley started to dominate play in the final 15 minutes of the half, Robbie Hayes and Brandon Kiloh both went in for touchdowns with converts by Andrew Vaydo for a 19 to 7 half time lead. The second half, Langley continued to dominate and 95% of the play was inside of SFU half. Trys by Robbie Kanazawa, Frank Cole for his second and Brad Madu for 2. Colin Scott finished off scoring for a 51 to 7 victory.

FIRST DIVISION GAME
The firsts were a different looking side on this day due to some untimely injuries after last weeks game in Surrey. Several players had to play different positions and despite the victory, it was an undisciplined affair. SFU opened the days scoring with a try in the 19th minute with a long run down the sidelines from mid field.. Langley was guilty of giving up penalties allowing SFU to drive the ball downfield. Langley responded with a try 2 minutes later by second rower Jon Bright and went ahead with Patrick Vaydo’s convert. Vaydo had an outstanding kicking game on the day, making 7 of 9 attempts. Two penalty kicks by Vaydo before the half and one for SFU rounded out the scoring for a 13 to 8 lead for Langley.

DIV 1 GAME – JASON WARNICK GOING FOR ONE OF HIS TWO TRYS.

DIV. 1 GAME JON BRIGHT SECONDS BEFORE SCORING OPENING TRY OF THE GAME.

Langley continued to dominate the game in the second half with further scoring by Vaydo in the 48th minute with a penalty kick, then trys by Jason Warnick and Rich Pearce. Warnick then scored his second try before Ryan Brown who has a strong game is support sent over for a try. Brendon Kiloh finished off the scoring for a 47 to 8 victory. Langley is on the road to Seattle next Saturday. The next scheduled home game is not until November 24th.

Division 1 Game
A vastly improved Surrey squad gave Langley a game Saturday at Sullivan Park. Langley has had their way with Surry the past few seasons almost scoring at will found themselves having to scramble at times to stop Surrey from scoring on counter attacks. Langley went into the half time break down 3 to nil despite controlling 95% of the play. Surrey defended well and disrupted Langley’s backs. This play caused frustration and Langley’s discipline broke down to individual play. At the break, senior members spoke of the task at hand and refocused their efforts on consolidating the ball and good support for the backs.

Kolby Brezden making a move had a strong effort in the centres.

Patrick Vaydo scored first try for Langley.

In the second half, Langley continued to press and finally turned into points when winger Patrick Vaydo went over in the corner to take the lead 5 to 3. Fullback Andy Maher then went in for a try, followed by a Vaydo penalty kick. Prop Robbie Hayes completed the days scoring with a try towards the end of the game for an 18 to 3 victory. Several players had outstanding games, Rich Pearce and Taylor Crowley on the loose play and Patrick Vaydo and Stu Morrison in the backs.

Stu Morrison had an outstanding game in the backs was man of the match.

Div. 2 game Jason Warnick scores try to get Langley close at the end of the game.

Division 2 Game
Unfortunately, not all details were available at press time. The seconds have dropped their 5th straight game but this effort was much better. The downfall to this game was two ball-handling errors that gave Surrey two trys and a 10-point advantage going into the last 10 minutes of the game. Langley did fight back and came close with a late Jason Warnick try but fell short by 5 points. The final score was 22 to 17 for Surrey.

Next weekend, both Langley senior men’s teams will host SFU Mountain Old Boys at Crush Crescent. Kickoffs will be at 1 pm for the seconds and 2:30 p.m. for the firsts.

Langley hosted the Brit-Lions club, their toughest challenger over the past two seasons at Crush Crescent on Saturday. Langley last played the Lions at the Provincial final losing the game by 1 point after defeating the same club the previous season for the BC title by 2 points. To say the least, both of these teams are very evenly matched. But after the summer break, some key players from both sides have left, and both clubs have stumbled early in the season.

Kolby Brezden - Div 1 strong effort, set up Crowley Trys. Good defensive game.

Messenger - Scored final try of match down the wing.

The team is missing some key players this season, and a couple of prospects have moved on as well leaving a big gap to fill for the firsts and leaving the club short handed with a couple of players having to play both games. Two lads who have stepped up to the plate are Patrick Vaydo and Sean Messenger. Vaydo has been asked to play out of his position as a centre has done well, and added place kicking to his duties. Messenger is only a year out of junior a big jump for his age and size is also playing large.

Morrison try – Scored only try of game on this play but played a tremendous game making several electrifying runs and giving the team good field position.

Under ideal conditions, Langley started the game strongly controlling the ball early and forcing the Brit-Lions into a defensive mode for most of the first half. Langley took advantage of penalties early and went for the easy scores. Patrick Vaydo was good on 2 of 2 kicks while the Brit-Lions made good a 45-metre attempt on their only first half scoring opportunity. Vaydo had to leave the game with injury, replaced by Taylor Crowley usually a loose forward, and went on scoring the first two try’s of the game. After 40 minutes, the score now 18 to 3 for Langley the lads were full of confidence for the second 40 minutes.

The second half started like the first ended, and Langley continued to control the ball. Stu Morrison scored the next major then a penalty kick by Gary Ewasiuk. The Brit-Lions then scored a try only to have Langley come back with two quick trys, one by Flanker Rich Pearce and the final score by young Sean Messenger at wing. The final score was 38 to 10 for Langley.

Langley lineout won by Dustin Dickson

Second Division.
This was a day this team would prefer to forget. Not that they played so awful, but the defending provincial second division team champions made this side pay for every mistake they made on the field. The first half, the Brit-Lions was relentless and ran off 36 straight points before the break. Some of Langley’s starters were taken out of the game to rest for the firsts match, and it was expected the opponents would have their way, but surprisingly the lads picked up their game and held the Brit-Lions off the scoreboard for the first 22 minutes, and had several close chances to score trys only to cough up the ball and allow their opponents to clear the ball down field. Langley’s only points came from a penalty and a kick by Andrew Vaydo from 28 metres out. Finally, the Brit-Lions wore down Langley and ran off 22 points in the final 18 minutes for a 60 to 3 victory, a score that was not indicative of the on field action.

Next week, Langley will travel to Surrey to face off against a hugely improved Beavers side. Games will be played at Johnson Heights Park at 64th Ave and 164th street. Oct. 27th, Langley will host SFU at Crush Crescent.

The Langley Rugby Club hosted the United Rugby Club from New Westminster Saturday in the clubs second test of the early season. Coming off an early first week loss to Abbotsford, the first division team responded with a solid effort and dominated the United Club with quick ball for their backs and a solid effort by the forwards.

First Division captain was outstanding at 8th man scoring a try and stealing the ball in several rucks giving his team ball possession.

Scoring the first try of the first division match also converted 5 of 6 trys for 15 points on the day after playing the full second division game previously.

In the second half, United regrouped and scored the first points in the 47th minute but Langley then started to dominate and ran off 19 points with trys by inside centre Kolby Brezden, Prop Robbie Hayes and centre Andy Maher. Patrick Vaydo converted two of the three attempts. United scored their final points on a mishandled Langley ball for their 13th point of the game before Langley capped off their scoring with Andy Maher’s second try of the day. Vaydo added the convert for a 40 to 13 victory.

Seconds Stumble
The second division team coming off a solid effort against Abbotsford did not fare so well on this fine day. Despite playing well for three quarters of the match, United finally broke out with a series of scores and the lads spirit was broke. Kerry Dyson scored the first points of the game giving Langley the early 5 to nil lead. United tied the game and took the lead with the convert 15 minutes later. The first half ended 7 to 5. United scored their second try 5 minute into the second half and Langley defended well until the dam broke with 10 minutes remaining in the match. United scored at will running off 22 points for a 34 to 5 victory.

Langley will be away next weekend, helping the Richmond club celebrate their 50th anniversary. The next home game will be after the Thanksgiving weekend when they host the Brit-Lions in a BC finals rematch.

Aldergrove’s Kerry Dyson scored Langley’s only points in second division action.

Veteran front rower Ryan Brown going for a ramble with the ball.

The Langley Rugby Club kicked off its 39th season Saturday at their field on Crush Crescent by hosting their old rivalries Abbotsford. The Abby club has been playing in another league the past few years in order to qualify for the BC Premier League. This season, they felt it was wise top drop back to their roots to help rebuild their club.

Langley coming off another great season dropped the league final by one point to the Brit-Lions club is looking forward to challenging once again for the provincial silverware. This year, winning the championship will be even more difficult with Abby rejoining the mix. As well, two old Vancouver clubs that have fallen into tough times the past few years have amalgamated to form a strong club that will also challenge for the cup.

Kerry Dyson going for a Try Div. 2 game.

Sean Messenger Div 2 game high scorer.

Sean Messanger has a strong game opening the scoring with a penalty kick then converting a Kerry Dyson try for a 10 to nil lead. Dyson’s try was a spectacular sprint 70 metres cutting through Abby defenders and going under the posts for the touchdown. Abbotsford managed to score prior to the half ending with the convert cut Langley’s lead to 3 points for a 10 to 7 half lead.

Sean Messenger scores chase down try on kick from Patrick Vaydo, Div. 2 game.

Abbotsford responded off the restart and scored a try with the convert good to make it a 1-point game. Much of the second half, both sides moved the ball up and down the pitch Abby was able to convert their possession into points with a try off a set scrum 20 metres from Langley’s goal line. With the convert, the score was 21 to 15 for Abbotsford. Never letting up. Langley came back with only 2 minutes remaining in the match; club President and the oldest player on the pitch Daryl Hart took pass 3 metres out blasting his way into goal for the try. The convert attempt was wide of the posts and Abby held on to the win by 1 point, 21 to 20.

The first division game was also an exciting affair in the first half until Abbotsford got their legs in the second half and ran off several trys. Abby opened the scoring with a try and convert 10 minutes into the half to take a 7 to nil lead. This did not deter the Langley side that kept up the pressure and scored their first points of the year by a run from Kolby Brezden off loading to Andy Maher in support. The convert was missed. Langley added to their points with a try from Gary Ewasiuk and the convert good for a 12 to 7 lead.

Try by Andy Maher Div. 1 game.

Lock John Bright taking the ball in a lineout. Div. 1 game.

In the post mortem, fitness was the evident culprit this day. Still missing several players from last year’s side, the team will have to make adjustments. Traveling to Kamloops next weekend will always be a tough game, and hosting the Brit-Lions the week after will require the side to train hard and hopefully avoid any early season injuries.

Langley’s Age grade teams will be starting their season on two weeks. The club is still looking for player for the U-19 and U-16 men’s teams. In addition we welcome any senior ages players regardless of experience who wish to play rugby.