The B.C. Bears held on to edge the touring British RAF rugby union team 23-19 in an exhibition match Saturday at U.B.C.
It was the lone loss of a three-stop Canadian tour for the Brits, while the Bears earned the win through a grueling test in preparation for the Canadian Rugby championships later this summer.
B.C. built up a 17-3 lead, with tries from Fraser Hurst, Jared Douglas and captain Ollie Nott. Delivering some crucial points was kicker James Pitblado, while strong contributions were received from Burnaby Lake rugby club’s Craig McLaughlin and Burnaby native and Nanaimo club member Nik Hildebrand.
The Bears lineup includes a list of replacement players from the Burnaby club: Matthew Chan, Cole Mosychuck, Siaki and Tatusi Vikilani, Reid Watkins and Bryce Worden.
