Ellerslie Rugby Park – The fantastic firsts kicked off the season with a bang.
An explosive 63-point performance by the defending Labatt’s Cup provincial champions left the Strathcona Druids seeing stars on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
“We had the firepower out wide and that was the difference,” said Chad Monai-Brophy, a 19-year-old standoff who shone bright in the 63-14 Alberta Cup blowout.
Two of Monai-Brophy's three tries were daggers to the right corner in the first half and in the 59th minute converted his hat-trick marker to make it 56-14. He finished with 19 points, equalling the scoring total of scrumhalf Antony Fitch.
Overall, seven players crossed the try line against the dazed and confused Druids.
“Our offence is really a key success to our game. We really spread them out and get the one on ones,” said Monai-Brophy. “It was a real good solid effort today and it’s good to get that one under our belt.”
Coach Simon Hill was popping buttons in the post-match huddle over the team’s domination of the Druids.
“Immense effort. We just didn’t quit, which is great,” Hill said with pride. “You clearly had your game in the backs there and in the loose forwards you played brilliant so that was really the case for the victory.”
Fitch’s penalty kick from the 22-metre line in the third minute opened the scoring and three minutes later the Druids replied with a converted try.
The firsts charged back to regain the lead in the eighth minute as Monai-Brophy finished a multiple passing sequence deep in enemy territory.
Power running by Mitch Millett for the team’s second try was converted by Fitch in the 14th minute.
Adam Bontus tore up the pitch with a ferocious run from around the halfway line in the 23rd minute to pad the lead to 20-7.
The Tyler Seguin look-alike, who marched the firsts onto the pitch with an air of confidence as team captain, was the playmaker on Monai-Brophy’s second try. After a gut-busting defensive stand turned the ball over to the firsts, a thunderous romp down the middle of the pitch by Bontus paved the way for Monai-Brophy to grind out the last several yards to crack the try line in the 35th minute.
“That was a good one,” said Monai-Brophy, last year’s rookie of the year for the firsts and co-recipient of the Fort McMurray RFC Shield as the U18/19 player of the year in the Edmonton Rugby Union.
The first half ended with Fitch’s penalty kick from outside the 22 and the firsts in total control at 28-7.
The rout was on after Fitch legged out a try and kicked the conversion in the 45th minute. The talented 21-year-old recently returned for his fourth year at SARFC after spending the past winter back home in England playing National League 3 rugby with Bournemouth while splitting time at wing at fullback.
The Druids lucked out with a converted try in the 51st minute and the firsts kept rolling with scores by newcomer James Mitchell, a fullback from Toronto with strong ties with the Castaway Wanderers in the British Columbia premier circuit, and Australian import Khaleb Whitehurst at flanker.
Aggressive, hard-nosed running by Millet set-up Mitchell’s short burst under the post and three minutes later Whitehurst and Lucas Albornoz, a lean and mean eight-man from the Wanderers with dual Canada-Argentina citizenship, exchanged the ball en route to the try area.
Fitch’s fourth and last conversion after Whitehurst’s try widen the gap to 49-14.
“We’ve got some new guys and with our new coach, Clayton (Panga, who played for the Castaways this season), we’re working on some new things and new structure from last year but today was still a pretty good result to get things going,” said Monai-Brophy, one of 11 players in Saturday’s match on the premier roster in the 2014 provincial final.
“Last year I was 18 and the support of these guys really helped me out a lot,” said Monai-Brophy, who benefitted from a gallant burst for yardage by Brett Kelly to seal the deal under the posts for his third try.
Monai-Brophy was also among several firsts that played the previous weekend in the third-division opener against the Druids in Sherwood Park and scored two of the team’s six tries in the 34-7 decision.
Rookie sensation Nathan Yue made the first 15 at hooker after an impressive showing with the thirds against the Druids.
“We knew if we stuck to the basics and played hard, strong rugby we would get the W today,” said Yue.
The youngest player in the lineup at age 18 was mobbed by teammates after plowing through the last line of Druids for a try under the posts with seven minutes remaining and Monai-Brophy’s conversion closed out the scoring.
“To be honest it was a little bit of a rush. I knew I could probably get around that last guy and I just drove the ball forward. I didn’t try and pull anything fancy,” said Yue with a massive grin.
The little ball of hate approached his premier debut like a blind date – excitement with uncertainty.
“I had a lot of butterflies in my stomach,” Yue said. “To get the start is an unreal feeling. I was a little overwhelmed when I got the email and the player list the other day but I’ve really got to hand it down to all of my teammates. They’re always out here for me. I don’t have much experience, I’m just out of high school, but these guys are here to help lead the way for me.”
Last year in May he was scrumming with the Paul Kane Blues in high school rugby before rejoining the SARFC juniors for the U19 season so his debut with the thirds was a major breakthrough.
“It was definitely a confidence booster just because it was my first men’s game and I didn’t really know what to expect but once again I’ve just got to hand it off to my teammates. They’ve been so supportive,” Yue said.
There are still some wrinkles for Yue to iron out while training for his next assignment with the firsts or thirds.
“I felt really good about our scrums. I was definitely really confident about those. It was a really nice big push from everyone. We were playing as a cohesive unit instead of individuals, which is really nice in the scrum,” said Yue, who was flanked by hard-core veterans’ Angus MacDonald and Aaron Millard in the front row. “In other areas I was a little more shaky, especially on our D line, just knowing where to be with the numbers and the spacing but practice makes perfect so that’s what we’re going to be working on for myself in the next couple of weeks.”
Hill also addressed some areas the firsts need to improve before their next match on May 23 against the Irish in Calgary.
“We’ve got a few little issues at the breakdown. We’re a little bit rusty there, tackling as well, but we had lots of standing there and not committing to the ruck early enough, hence they’re blowing us out when the ball was in tight,” said Hill, the SARFC vice-president who guided the firsts with Panga running the show for the thirds in Saturday’s 19-15 loss to the Riggers in Drayton Valley.
