Throwing a rope around the Williams Lake Rustlers wasn't easy.
In a Central Interior Rugby Union game played Saturday afternoon at Kelly Road secondary school, the Rustlers used their superior speed in the backfield to gallop to a 33-12 win against the Prince George Gnats. The victory was a big one for Williams Lake because it gave the club the lone regional berth into the provincial championship tournament in September.
Offensively, the Rustlers were led by 22-year-old Sky Freeman. The fleet-footed winger scored three tries in the contest, all of them on sprints through a defence that couldn't drag him down.
"We're glad to have done so well," said Freeman, whose club beat the Gnats 20-19 on May 27 in Williams Lake. "The last game that we played was a lot closer and this is just how this one played out. It could have been a lot different just with different bounces. It never felt like we could let off because these guys can come back pretty hard."
Trevor Jensen and Nathan Stewart also had tries for the Rustlers. Troy McKenzie and James Hope replied with major scores for the home side.
"We managed to hang in there," said the 41-year-old McKenzie, who was lined up at fly half. "They had a little more fitness, a little more youth on their side and they seemed to be able to take advantage of it over time. They had some speed outside, for sure, that we couldn't contain. I think they got three around the outside on us."
Hope, a 32-year-old prop, was a monster for the Gnats in the second half. Along with his try, he laid out a couple of the Rustlers with crushing shoulder-to-chest hits. Hope cranked his play up a few notches after he was sent off earlier in the half for his part in an on-field scrap.
"I had to make up for that," he said.
"I was just trying to play regular, hard rugby. I'm a lot fitter this year from practice and was just running hard -- trying to make big hits."
McKenzie tipped his hat to Hope for the game he had.
"He's one of the leaders on the team and has been working very hard at getting fit and it showed," McKenzie said. "He's a big man and he was running exceptionally well."
The Rustlers qualified for provincials based on their 2-0 record against the Gnats. Had the Gnats won on Saturday, a third and deciding contest would have been necessary.
Even though they won't be going to the B.C. tournament, the Gnats aren't done with their season yet. They'll take a break this coming weekend but will be in Williams Lake on the July long weekend for the annual Stampede tournament. Then, on July 7, they'll welcome teams from Terrace, Prince Rupert and Vernon to town.
"Those are teams that we would compete against at provincials so it's a good test for us and a good way to develop the young guys," McKenzie said. "That's the skill set that we have to compete against so it's good to get as many games against those guys as possible."
