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The Vancouver Highlanders celebrated a memorable opening day with an impressive 44-33 win over the Canada Selects at Burnaby Lake on Friday night. A final tally of 1,023 were in attendance, according to the semi-pro outfit, with fans treated to an entertaining spectacle that also featured a 44-12 win by the Highlanders Reserves over Barbados in the second match of the double-header.
Early dominance in the scrum went to the Selects, but it was the Highlanders who found the scoreboard first. Kainoa Lloyd attacked down the right side and opted to chip ahead. Takoda McMullin was waiting and though his clearance attempt missed tough, Mark Balaski lost track of the ball and instead D’Shawn Bowen regathered and was off to the races from 50 meters out to make it 5-nil.
The Selects responded with a score to Jesse Mackail on the back of a driving maul, but the Highlanders had a response in short order. Talon McMullin fended his way through the line and trampled straight over the top of Peter Nelson to score. Twin bother Takoda McMullin rang the conversion off the right upright and through to make it a full seven.
McMullin added a pair of penalty goals on either side of a Selects try. This one went to Braden Bruce, with Mackail grabbing a double just before halftime. Both of the Canada scores came through lineout drives with Nelson sticking one conversion from wide out to give the Selects a 19-18 lead at the break.
The Highlanders began to pull away early in the second half. McMullin nudged over three points and then Melani Nanai put on a show, breaking clean through on a scorching run. The New Zealander was stopped just short but when the ball was recycled he went again and this time found the try line. Balaksi was binned for cynically going off his feet at the breakdown as the conversion attempt went wide.
Relmu Wilson-Valdes found a gap on the edge of a ruck for the next try. A snap drop-goal attempt from Josh Thiel missed but McMullin took another three moments later. Karl Hunger punched in for a fifth Highlanders try and a fifth penalty goal from McMullin left the result beyond doubt.
The Selects would score twice in the final minutes to restore soften the scoreline. James Thiel and Morgan DiNardo sparked a long breakout that ended with Jesse Kilgour under the sticks for the first. Kilgour followed it up with his own line break resulting in a penalty. Cody Nhanala opted to tap and found little resistance as he fell over the line in the 80th minute.
A dozen players who took part will now join the senior Canadian camp to prepare for the upcoming tests against Scotland and Romania. The Highlanders turn their eyes towards another international opponent as they take on Germany at the same venue in Burnaby on July 20.
| SCORING |
HIGHLANDERS 44
Tries (5) – D. Bowen (14′), Tl. McMullin (22′), M. Nanai (47′), R. Wilson-Valdes (53′), K. Hunger (67′)
Cons (2) – Tk. McMullin 2/5 (23′, 54′)
Pens (5) – Tk. McMullin 5/5 (29′, 36′, 42′, 62′, 72′)
DG (0) – Jo. Thiel 0/1
SELECTS 33
Tries (5) – J. Mackail 2 (19′, 37′), B. Bruce (31′), J. Kilgour (74′), C. Nhanala (80′)
Cons (4) – P. Nelson 2/3 (20′, 38′), M. Balaski 2/2 (75′, 80’+1′)
YC (1) – M. Balaski (47′)
| TEAMS |
VANCOUVER HIGHLANDERS
1 Griffin Phillipson, 2 Jacob Bossi, 3 Payton Teneycke, 4 Karl Hunger, 5 Caden Wilson, 6 Jake Thiel, 7 Matt Klimchuk, 8 Relmu Wilson-Valdes, 9 Reid Watkins, 10 Josh Thiel (capt.), 11 Nico Leonard, 12 Talon McMullin, 13 Melani Nanai, 14 D’Shawn Bowen, 15 Takoda McMullin
Replacements: 16 Sam Mace, 17 Conor O’Flaherty, 18 Cole Kelly, 19 Saba Shubitidze, 20 Joe Locke, 21 Ollie Nott, 22 Finlay Kennedy, 23 Nick Blain, 24 Lenny Bonduau, 25 Alastair Marshall
CANADA SELECTS
1 Sam Miller, 2 Jesse Mackail, 3 Tyler Matchem, 4 James Stockwood, 5 Kaden Duguid, 6 Zephyr Melnyk, 7 Sion Parry, 8 Siaki Vikilani (capt.), 9 Crosby Stewart, 10 Peter Nelson, 11 Rhys James, 12 Mark Balaski, 13 Kyle Tremblay, 14 Kainoa Lloyd, 15 Jamin Hodgkins
Replacements: 16 Jeffrey Young, 17 Moe Steves, 18 Bryce Worden, 19 Jordy Auger, 20 Braden Bruce, 21 Cody Nhanala, 22 Olly Wiseman, 23 Jesse Kilgour, 24 Mostyn Findlay, 25 Thomas Burton, 26 Morgan DiNardo, 27 Spencer Cotie, 28 James Thiel, 29 Matthew Bennett
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Friday, June 28
Venue: Burnaby Lake Rugby CLub
Kickoff: 16:30 local
Attendance: 1,023
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Saro Turner (Canada)
Assistants: Kristine Lovatt (Canada) & Nat Watts (Canada)
| FULL MATCH VIDEO |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4oNv8t04Hk
The Highlanders Reserves proved too much for the touring Barbados side as they scored seven tries en route to a 44-12 victory. Ireland age-grade select Conall Henchy led the way with a brace with the visitors struggling to contend with the width of the Highlanders attack.
Asfand Saeed opened the scoring when the second row drove into the corner, and the score would stay 5-nil until Barbados broke a 15-minute stalemate. A wild scramble ended with winger Jamie Anderson pulling away down the left side to make it even.
Mike Moloney’s penalty goal nudged the Highlanders ahead and then Henchy got his first from short range in the right corner. A line break from rampaging No8 Liam Kinghorn, supported by Hayden Mulgrew, ended with James Biss under the posts. Henchy then brought the crowd to their feet with a 60-meter runaway score to make it 27-5 to the home side after 40 minutes.
Two penalty attempts went begging for Barbados early in the second half, one from Liam Caddy and then D’Andre Phillips. Mulgrew instead countered for the Highlanders, regathering his own grubber to make it 32-5. Barbados would get a try soon after when Dan Martyn powered over from a meter out, with Phillips chipping over the extras.
The Highlanders ended the match in style with a pair of tries in the final minutes. Keith Graham was on the end of a flowing attack for the first, with Andrew Sherlock providing a swan dive under the sticks for the second. Moloney’s conversion brought on the final whistle.
| SCORING |
HIGHLANDERS 44
Tries (7) – A. Saeed (6′), C. Henchy 2 (30′, 38′), J. Biss (35′), H. Mulgrew (51′), K. Graham (72′) A. Sherlock (79′)
Cons (3) – M. Moloney 3/7 (36′, 39′, 80′)
Pens (1) – M. Moloney 1/1 (25′)
YC (1) – O. Nott (63′)
BARBADOS 12
Tries (2) – J. Anderson (22′), D. Martyn (57′)
Cons (1) – L. Caddy 0/1, D. Phillips 1/1 (58′)
Pens (0) – L. Caddy 0/1, D. Phillips 0/1
| TEAMS |
HIGHLANDERS RESERVES
1 Ed Wallin, 2 Josh Olver, 3 Theo Espagnol, 4 Thomas Davidson, 5 Asfand Saeed, 6 Callum Brown, 7 Conall Henchy, 8 Liam Kinghorn, 9 Keegan Neary, 10 James Biss (capt.), 11 Nathan Holm, 12 Sion Griffiths, 13 Hayden Mulgrew, 14 Demetri Patterson, 15 Mike Moloney
Replacements: Charlie Huntingford, Tom Richardson, Brian Ndirangu, Ollie Nott, Jacob Bourne, George Wallin, Keith Graham, Niko Adrianos, Andrew Sherlock
BARBADOS
1 Antonio Gibbons, 2 John-Shane Howard, 3 Simeon John, 4 Jeremy Nelson, 5 Sean Ward, 6 Jamie Lashley, 7 Enrique Oxley (capt.), 8 Dan Martyn, 9 Lucas Brathwaite, 10 Liam Caddy, 11 Simon John, 12 Adam Hakimian, 13 Jake Caddy, 14 Jamie Anderson, 15 Callum Dunne
Replacements: Rajiv Grant, Rommel Moore, Simroy John, Jaden Howell, D’Andre Phillips, Josh Rudling, Christian Preece
| MATCH INFO |
Date: Friday, June 28
Venue: Burnaby Lake Rugby Club
Kickoff: 19:00 local
| OFFICIALS |
Referee: Brad Schwalger (Canada)
| FULL MATCH VIDEO |
