Under a light drizzle at Rotary Stadium on Thursday afternoon, the Rick Hansen Hurricanes' provincial title hopes were washed away.
But there was absolutely no shame in the No. 4-seeded Hurricanes' 29-7 loss to Collingwood, the top-ranked powerhouse from West Vancouver, in the B.C. AA high school boys rugby semifinal.
"Like I told the guys, we have nothing to hang our heads about," Hansen coach Bo Sidhu said afterward. "29-7 is a respectable score against Collingwood. They haven't lost all year, and we knew we were in tough.
"Having said that, I think we played a little bit tentatively today, knowing we were playing the top team in the province. I think we gave them a little too much respect."
Collingwood's skill ultimately prevailed, but it was a credit to the Hurricanes that they managed to hang within shouting distance for much of the game.
Arsh Gill accounted for all the Hansen points, scoring a try and kicking the subsequent convert.
"I'm proud of our guys," Sidhu said, noting that Hansen had never been as far as the semifinals before at rugby provincials.
"Collingwood's been ranked No. 1 this year right from the opening whistle, and it's excellent to see that we were able to compete against them. A lot of people thought it would be a 40, 50, 60-point difference."
The Hurricanes meet the loser of Thursday's second semifinal between Brentwood College and Rockridge in the AA bronze medal game (Saturday, 11:30 a.m., Rotary Stadium).
The provincial finals also run on Saturday at Rotary Stadium. The AA game is at 2:30 p.m., followed by the AAA title tilt at 4 p.m.
For a full schedule, visit bcssru.com.