The Bayside Sharks U23 men’s elite team is still looking for its first victory of the fall rugby season, but considering the strides being made by the club’s young players, having a zero in the win column isn’t worrying them much.

“It’s a winless season so far but it’s far from demoralizing,” said Sharks co-coach Tom Wilson. “Every game, we’re getting stronger and stronger.”

Bayside is 0-6 on the season, with the most recent loss coming last Saturday, a 34-25 loss to the UBC Old Boys Ravens – a team chock full of premier league veterans.

Bayside played without the services of three young premier league-calibre starters, Taylor Stogryn (injured), fullback Murray Brookes (illness) and Kirk Wyss (out of town).

“We have an average age of about 21, and we’re going up every week against other team’s top players, and the Old Boys were no different,” said Wilson.

“But I don’t imagine they took too much from that victory – they aren’t holding back, and we played them to within nine with just our young guys.”

After six regular-season tilts, Wilson and the rest of the Sharks’ coaching staff have had enough time to get a good feel for the team, and Wilson was especially complimentary of scrumhalf Jesse Train, a former Semiahmoo Totem.

“He’s been really good lately, and last weekend he was especially good – all of sudden, he just started making some huge runs – some real big plays,” Wilson said.

In addition to giving the Shark’s usual premier-league vets a chance to rest, another bonus of fielding a U23 team this fall has been the opportunity to scout new talent. In addition to a handful of young players who already had experience on the club’s top team – players like Zach and Spencer Thorpe, Wyss, and Eric Sugawara – Wilson figures at least another five or six have shown themselves capable of playing at the premier level.

“It’s worked out very well – for the purposes of resting some older guys, and also to get a look at the younger players,” he said.

The Sharks have a bye week this weekend, and then prepare for playoffs, for which every team qualifies.

And as luck would have it, Wilson said there’s a very strong possibility his Sharks may find themselves matched up again against the Old Boys.

“We played them close (last weekend) while we were short a few players, so now that we’ll have those three guys back, it could be a whole lot closer,” Wilson said.

Sidelines

Nine of the Peninsula’s top young rugby players earned invitations to try out for Canada’s age-group national sides.

Trying out for Canada’s U20 men’s team are Earl Marriott grads Keaton Styles, Cole Coventry and Kyler Parkes as well as Semiahmoo alum Pete Johnston.

EMS students Mike and Connor Bouchard, Semi’s Liam Murphy-Burke and Elgin Park’s Kieran Bjornson are trying to crack Canada’s U17 roster.

Another Peninsula player, Riley Locker – who attended Ferndale High School just across the border – is also vying for a spot on the U17 side.