They call them the Barbs. It should be as in barbed wire.
The St. Michaels University School Blue Jags got hung up all over it Tuesday evening as Oak Bay recorded a 46-7 victory in the 24th Rees Boot game.
The Barbs now lead 12-11-1 in the annual high school fixture, in which the prize is a bronzed rugby boot once worn by former SMUS great Gareth Rees, who captained sa国际传媒 and played in four World Cups.
In fact, numerous players have come out of both SMUS and Oak Bay to represent sa国际传媒.
The latest generation was on display at Wallace Field, with the Barbs the superior team, after losing the 2017 Boot game 17-7 to the Blue Jags.
SMUS is ranked No. 1 in double-A in sa国际传媒 and Oak Bay No. 2 in quad-A behind the rugby factory known as the Shawnigan Lake School Stags, who have won eight of the last nine quad-A provincial championships.
鈥淸Oak Bay] has a crack at breaking Shawnigan Lake鈥檚 monopoly this year,鈥� said SMUS coach Ian Hyde-Lay.
鈥淭hey just wear you out. Oak Bay is a top side, with size, speed and experience in key positions.鈥�
While it was the Blue Jags who were the immediate concern on the night for Oak Bay, everybody knows it鈥檚 the other Island rival, the Stags, who are the long-term goal to topple.
鈥淲e will give them [Stags] a run for their money. It is time for the dynasty to end,鈥� said Barbs captain Tom Abercrombie.
Scrum-half John Boehme and inside-centre Lachlan Kratz scored two tries each for Oak Bay.
鈥淚t was team work and good structure . . . and we kept calm,鈥� said Boehme.
Kratz touched on the history of the series.
鈥淚 grew since Grade 6 up looking up to Connor Braid,鈥� he said, referring to the versatile Oak Bay grad, who has played for sa国际传媒 in both sevens and XVs.
As an indication of the inter-generational feel of this series, Oak Bay captain Abercrombie follows his father, Lance, who also played for the Barbs.
鈥淥ne-third of our players had dads who played at Oak Bay,鈥� said the younger Abercrombie, who is headed in the fall to the UBC Thunderbirds.
Everybody pointed to the Barbs鈥� size and depth.
鈥淲e鈥檙e a big team and we slowed down the game and hunkered down,鈥� said Kratz, headed to the UVic Vikes next season.
The Blue Jags are still well positioned for the sa国际传媒 double-A crown.
鈥淚 thought we were gutsy and I'm really proud of our players,鈥� said Hyde-Lay. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 hard to win without possession and Oak Bay took that away from us.鈥�
So the Boot moves across town, at least for a year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 an honour to bring the Boot back to Oak Bay,鈥� said Abercrombie.
