The G.P. Vanier Towhees were among the top finishers at the 2012 BC Rugby High School Girls Provincial Sevens tournament, held April 13-14 at UBC Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver.
The Towhees went undefeated (3-0) on Friday to finish first in their pool, defeating Cowichan 'B' 32-0, Walnut Grove 20-5 and Robert Bateman 'A' 29-0. On Saturday they lost 30-0 to Abbotsford Collegiate in the Cup semifinals then fell 15-0 to Cowichan 'A' in the Cup consolation final.
Abbotsford Collegiate went undefeated to win the championship. They played six games during the two-day tournament, conceding just one try and racking up a total of 218 points in offence.
The tournament champs went 3-0 in pool play defeating Lord Byng 45-5, Kwantlen Park 44-0 and Semiahmoo 30-0. Carrying their form into day two, Abbotsford downed Lord Tweedsmuir 32-0 in the Cup quarter-final and defeated GP Vanier 30-0 in the Cup semifinals. The Panthers blanked Carson Graham 37-0 in the Cup final.
Similar to a 16-team tournament in the International Rugby Board World Sevens Series, trophies were also awarded for 13th, ninth and fifth place. The Shield (13th overall) went to Mt. Boucherie of the Okanagan Valley. The Bowl (ninth overall) was lifted by Elgin Park of Surrey and the Plate (fifth overall) went to Abbotsford's Robert Bateman. In the consolation playoff for third place, 2011 provincial sevens champions Cowichan Thunderbirds defeated Vancouver Island rivals Vanier 15-0.
The 2012 edition of the BC Rugby High School Girls Provincial Sevens featured 16 teams from across the province, up from the five-team field that battled for a provincial title in 2011. The tournament was officiated by certified members of the BC Rugby Referees' Society, including one of Canada's most accomplished international referees, Sherry Trumbull.