Academy Withstands Late BC Surge to Win Coast to Coast Cup Thriller

It came down to the final play of the eight-try thriller, but staunch Arrows Academy defence held firm to secure an exhilarating 32-27 win over the British Columbia Bears in the Coast to Coast Cup on Wednesday evening.

AJ Kosempel paced the Academy with a pair of tries at Wanderers Grounds, with Adam Doyle and Alexandre Laurendeau adding singles. Thibaut Trape, Thibault Le Coz and Tiarnan Neville each slotted a conversion, while Trape and Neville notched a penalty goal apiece.

The Bears, coming off a 38-14 defeat to host side Atlantic Selects over the weekend, were quickest out of the gate in the mid-week clash, as No. 8 Zephyr Melnyk scored a pair of tries in the opening 10 minutes to put British Columbia ahead 10-0.

Trape’s penalty goal reduced the Academy’s deficit to seven, but Melnyk completed his first-half hat trick at the 35-minute mark.

The Young Arrows responded at the stroke of halftime, when centre Steven Commerford sent a perfectly-weighted over-the-top pass to a streaking Kosempel on the touchline; the winger dashed around the final defender to score the Academy’s first try of the match, starting a spell of 29 unanswered Arrows Academy points. Trape’s conversion sent the Academy into the break trailing 17-10.

Coming out of the interval and with the wind now at their backs, the travelling Ontarians began to find their groove. Kosempel had his brace just minutes after the restart, shortly before Doyle sent the Young Arrows ahead for good at the hour mark.

Neville’s 45-metre bomb from the tee extended the lead to 25-17 just prior to the Academy’s fourth tally: a bursting run following show-and-go from Laurendeau, who was sprung via a deft Ethan Voskamp offload.

With an Arrows Academy player in the bin, a late surge from the Bears in the final 10 minutes was kicked off by a try from Theo Espagnol. Michael Moloney converted and soon added a 79th-minute penalty to make it a five-point game.

With the clock in the red, a final driving maul led to a second yellow card, with the referee adjudging the Arrows Academy to have pulled down the maul. The ensuing quick-tap drive from the Bears saw the ball cross the line, but was held up in the carnage; the jubilant, shorthanded Academy players on the field threw up their hands in triumph as the referee blew the final whistle.

Kosempel was awarded Player of the Match honours following his two-try performance.

The Young Arrows will now set their sights on a weekend winner-take-all clash with the Atlantic Selects.

Saturday’s match — a de facto championship final — will kick off at 6 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. AT from Wanderers Grounds, and will be streamed live, for free, on The Rugby Network.

Toronto Arrows Senior Academy Score Report:

Tries: AJ Kosempel (2), Adam Doyle, Alexandre Laurendeau
Conversions: Thibaut Trape, Thibault Le Coz, Tiarnan Neville
Penalty Goals: Thibaut Trape, Tiarnan Neville

Toronto Arrows Senior Academy Lineup vs. BC Bears:

1. Aidan Vachon | University of Guelph / Brantford Harlequins
2. David Scollon | University of Guelph / Oakville Crusaders
3. Evan Roy | University of Ottawa / Ottawa Beavers
4. Ben James | Wilfrid Laurier University / Guelph Redcoats
5. James Stockwood | Durham College / Oshawa Vikings
6. Gelel Rezig | Ecole de Technologie Superieur / Town of Mount Royal
7. Max Goodwin (C) | University of Guelph / Guelph Redcoats
8. Tom Artmann | Concordia University / Town of Mount Royal
9. Devon Ollson | Brock University / London St. George’s
10. Tiarnan Neville | Balmy Beach
11. Stan Blazkowski | Concordia University / Town of Mount Royal
12. Steven Commerford | Brock University / Peterborough Pagans
13. Thibault Le Coz | Universite de Montreal / Town of Mount Royal
14. AJ Kosempel | Wilfrid Laurier University / Guelph Redcoats
15. Thibaut Trape | Club de Rugby de Quebec
16. Neil Trainor | Queen’s University / Stratford Blackswans
17. Gregory McDowell | Bishop’s University / Beaconsfield
18. Sam Mace | University of Ottawa / Bytown Blues
19. Zach Zorbas | Brock University / Oakville Crusaders
20. Grant Meadows | Brock University / Aurora Barbarians
22. Adam Doyle | Queen’s University / Kingston Panthers
23. Jacob Ince | University of Guelph / Oakville Crusaders
24. Alexandre Laurendeau | McGill University / Beaconsfield
25. Ethan Voskamp | Wilfrid Laurier University / Kingston Panthers

Coast to Coast Cup Schedule:

Game 1: Atlantic Selects 38 vs. British Columbia Bears 14
Graves-Oakley Park
June 17, 2023 // 6:15 p.m. AT / 5:15 p.m. ET

Game 2: British Columbia Bears 27 vs. Toronto Arrows Senior Academy 32
Wanderers Grounds
June 21, 2023 // 7 p.m. AT / 6 p.m. ET

Game 3: Atlantic Selects Bears vs. Toronto Arrows Senior Academy
Wanderers Grounds
June 24, 2023 // 7 p.m. AT / 6 p.m. ET

Header Photo Credit: Juan Alchourron / Siuxy Sports