The Ontario Blues stretched a 19-12 halftime lead into a 33-12 victory over the Atlantic Rock Thursday evening that left the defending champions with a 3-0 record at the Canadian under-19 men's rugby championship in St. John's.
The loss, the first of the week for the Rock (2-1), came in the final game of the round-robin in the four-team tourney being contested at the Swilers Complex. But the host side will get a chance for payback. As the top two finishers, the Blues and Rock will meet again 3 p.m. Saturday in the tournament final at Swilers.
It will also be a replay of the 2018 national U19 championship game in Saskatoon, won by Ontario.
The other two teams in this year's event played earlier iThursday, with Quebec (1-2) holding on for a 22-19 win over the Prairie Blizzard (0-3).