DUNCAN, B.C. – Trinity Western's men's rugby team dropped a 43-20 decision against the Pacific Pride – Rugby Canada's National Development Academy – Saturday at Cowichan Rugby Club.
Led by
Ethan Jurgeneit (Bracebridge, Ont.) who scored a try, while captaining the team and playing the full 80 minutes at both loosehead and tighthead prop, the Spartans put in a strong shift to hang with the Pride for much of the game on a warm afternoon. Beyond Jurgeneit, the Spartans also got tries from
Sam Tsoi (Hong Kong, China) and
Fynn Murphy (Surrey, B.C.), with
Matthew Willemse (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa) kicking a penalty and a conversion.
QUOTABLE
Andrew Evans – Director of Rugby
"First years
Maeson Westerlund (Richmond, B.C.) and
Kyle Finan (Red Deer, Alta.) had a great impact off the bench and
Brady Howlett (Maple Ridge, B.C.) was a spark on attack finishing the match at No. 10, when
Keegan Marengo (Johannesburg, South Africa) came off.
"It was a hot day in Cowichan and we struggled to keep our structure during such an intense encounter. The Pride were skillful today and they were able to challenge our defensive connections."
NOTABLE
• TWU's 1st XVs were playing for the first time since their two-match trip to England, when they played Cambridge University (61-19 loss) and University of Bristol (24-24 tie).
• The Spartans are 1-5 all-time against the Pacific Pride, with their win coming Sept. 17, 2022 when TWU earned a 37-26 victory at home.
NEXT UP
Trinity Western will cap their 2023-24 season with a trip to Ellensburg, Wash. to play Central Washington University Mar. 30. The Spartans 2nd XVs will play Western Washington Mar. 23 at Willoughby Community Park Stadium.
About Spartan Athletics
As official members of U SPORTS, the Spartans currently compete in 13 sports in the Canada West conference, including women's and men's soccer, volleyball, basketball, hockey, cross country and track & field, as well as women's rugby sevens. TWU also competes as an independent team in men's rugby and disc golf. Since TWU entered U SPORTS in 1999, the Spartans have won 13 U SPORTS team championships and 32 Canada West team championships.
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