BC was well represented as Canada’s U18 Girls claimed Rugby 7s silver at the 2023 Trinbago Commonwealth Youth Games, while the U18 Boys finished in fourth place.
With both rosters featuring a plethora of BC athletes and athletes from BC Clubs, both the U18 Girls and U18 Boys showcased some fantastic Rugby 7s over the three-day tournament.
Under the stewardship of Head Coach Darcy Patterson, Canada’s U18 Girls Roster featured BC’s Adia Pye (Victoria – Castaway Wanderers RFC), Anya Prokopich (White Rock – Bayside Sharks RFC), Ava Ference (Shawnigan Lake – Cowichan RFC), Brooke Roddham (Langley – Langley RFC), Lana Dueck (Abbotsford – Abbotsford RFC) and Skye Farish (Victoria – Castaway Wanderers), alongside Olivia Newsome (Calgary – UVIC Vikes) and Elle Douglas (Saskatoon – Cowichan RFC).
Meanwhile, BC’s Aiden Jones (Mill Bay – Salish Sea Warriors), Hudson Poppitt (Victoria – Westshore RFC), Max Ross (Langley – Earl Marriott Secondary School), Sebastian Lambert (Denman Island – Comox Valley Kickers RFC), Spencer Cotie (Victoria – Castaway Wanderers RFC) and Ty Driscoll (Victoria – Castaway Wanderers RFC) were called up to Canada’s U18 Boys squad.
2023 COMMONWEALTH YOUTH GAMES RECAP
DAY 1 – August 6
Kicking off on August 6, Canada’s U18 Girls began their Commonwealth campaign with a 21-7 win over Wales with tries from Lana Dueck, Adia Pye and Ava Ference and three conversions from Ference, before falling to Australia 33-0 in the second game.
The Boys started with a 22-14 defeat to Scotland with tries from Morgan Di Nardo and Briar Barron, before Spencer Cotie scored the solitary try in their 40-5 loss to Fiji to wrap up Day 1’s action.
DAY 2 – August 7
Canada’s U18 Boys kicked off Day 2 with a 38-0 defeat to South Africa, before the U18 Girls edged a tight 19-17 win over Fiji with tries from Adia Pye (2) and Olivia Newson and two successful kicks from Ava Ference.
Both teams wrapped up Day 2 action with big shutout wins over the hosts Trinidad and Tobago. The U18 Boys racked up nine tries (Di Nardo, Sebastian Lambert, Stephen Webb x 3, Briar Barron x 2, Reece Thompson) as did the U18 Girls (Adia Pye, Kiki Idowu, Charlotte Hilton x 3, Brooklyn Roddham, Elle Douglas, Zina Umeh, and Kennedi Stevenson) to finish the second day on a high.
DAY 3 – August 8
Day 3 saw the U18 Boys and U18 Girls win both of their final Group Matches with impressive shutouts.
Canada’s U18 Boys advanced to the Men’s Bronze Medal Match with a 60- win over Jamaica, with tries from Stephen Webb, Spencer Cotie, Morgan Di Nardo, Reece Thompson, Tyge Harvey, Charles Squires, Max Ross, and Ty Driscoll (2).
The U18 Girls closed out the Group stage with a 17-0 win over Kenya to advance to the Gold Medal Match, with tries from Adia Pye (2) and Brooklyn Roddham.
South Africa proved too strong in the Men’s Bronze Medal Match as Canada’s U18 Boys settled for fourth place following a 52-0 defeat, while Canada’s U18 Girls came home with silver after Australia produced a scintillating final performance to win 50-0 in the Women’s Gold Medal Match.
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