Plymouth College Rugby Tour Canada 2019

Plymouth College Rugby Tour - Canada 2019

A big thank you to Richard Edwards and all the staff involved in organising such a brilliant tour. It was certainly a very enjoyable and memorable one, with experiences such as white water rafting, swimming at Mooney’s Bay Beach, visiting Fort Henry and Niagara Falls to name just a few. The tour also was fantastic from a rugby point of view, with three terrific results!

Match Reports (Richard Edwards, Head of Rugby):

Plymouth College 27. Central Ontario 15.

Plymouth got their first match of their Canada Tour underway at Thompson Rugby Park (home of the Oshawa Vikings) in hot dry conditions. Playing against Central Ontario Under 18s, Plymouth started strongly and enjoyed good territory and possession early on. The first score did not come until the halfway point of the first half, when Oly Dymond broke the deadlock with a well taken score in the left hand corner. Five Minutes later, Henry Burrows scored out wide in the right with a surging run from the base of a dominant scrum to extend the lead to 10-0. Despite seemingly having the upper hand, a scrum infringement allowed The Blues (Ontario) to claw back three points. Plymouth responded to finish the first half 15-3 up thanks to a try from Marcus Rayworth.

The second half saw a strong fight back from Ontario and as the tide turned and Plymouth incurred the repeated displeasure of the referee, the game became tied at 15-15 with 15 minutes to play.

Plymouth responded with composure thanks to a strong run from 25 metres out by Oly Dymond for his brace. A five-point advantage was gained, though successful conversions remained elusive. After good build up work from Isaac Day on the left wing, Marcus Rayworth joined Oly Dymond as a two try performer, though Oly ended up as top points scorer when he did the unthinkable and converted the last try to add the extra two points!

When the final whistle blew, the team were delighted as they knew they had to dig deep for this victory. They also showed good character to stay focused during a period when they were under pressure and struggling with the referee’s interpretation of the laws.

Henry Burrows was awarded player of the match by the opposition after his strong midfield carries repeatedly caused problems for the opposition defence. However, this was a strong team effort and a great foundation for the upcoming fixtures. Players have a relatively short turnaround before they play Ottawa’s Irish on Tuesday.

Plymouth College 22. Ottawa Irish 10.

Game two of Plymouth’s tour proved to be a hard fought and competitive affair.

Ottawa got on the scoreboard first with a try that resulted from a series of pick and goes and some powerful surges from their forwards. They proceeded to double their account with another try that came as a result of lethargic close defence from Plymouth.

Plymouth did not panic, realised they had a real game on their hands and worked their way back into the contest with a try before half time by Seb Tooke.

In the second half, Plymouth started to assert themselves further, and went on to score three further tries, plus a wide out conversion (via the drop goal method) by Harry Edwards.

The players have a day of rest on Wednesday as we travel back to Toronto before the final game on Thursday against West Ontario.

Plymouth College 19. Western Ontario 7.

Plymouth wrapped up the playing part of their tour with a hard fought win against a tough and committed Ontario team.

Playing with the wind at their backs in the first half, Plymouth built a 12-0 lead through tries by Oly Dymond and a touch down for Seb Tooke from a successful line-out take and drive, Harry Edwards successful with one conversion.

The second half was a much bigger struggle, as Plymouth’s indiscipline and the effects of playing the third game in five days took their toll. Ontario scored a well worked try of their own, but were assisted by some indifferent defending. As the penalty count grew against Plymouth, the referee lost patience and brandished two Yellow cards at PMC players. The remaining 13 were forced into a rear guard of heroic proportions, but held out. A try by Charlie Short in the final minutes, coupled with a conversion by Harry Edwards, saw Plymouth pull far enough ahead to make the game safe.