Potomac Athletic Club (PAC) 30 � Boston RFC 7

Date: April 9, 2005

Venue: National Mall, Washington D.C.

Referee: Jem McDowall

On what can only be described as a perfect rugby day, the boys from PAC Rugby defeated Boston RFU 30 to 7 in front of thousands of fans and tourists. With the cherry blossoms in full bloom, the National Mall was packed with tourists and rugby enthusiasts under sunny skies and 70-degree weather.

PAC set the tone for the day early after a slight delay to the start of the game due to the large amounts of traffic around the field. In the first minute of play winger Brandyn Hardnett caught a Boston clearing kick close to midfield. Hardnett ran toward the center of the field and quickly passed the ball to fullback Roberto Infante. Infante moved the ball to outside center Josh Stallings who ran the ball up about 20 meters, before passing the ball to winger Danzel Van Zyl. Van Zyl ran up the sideline and the surprised the defense with a quick grubber kick. Van Zyl beat his counterpart to the ball and touched the ball down for the first try of the day and the early PAC 7-0 advantage.

Boston�s defense settled down a bit after the first score and action moved back and forth in the middle of the field, with neither side giving much ground. At the 12^th minute, Boston was called for an intentional knock-on about 40 meters out from their try zone. Infante split the uprights to expand PAC�s lead.

The next fifteen minutes featured more back and forth play with both teams making breaks through the defensive lines, but unable to put points on the board. At the 30^th minute, PAC won the ball back at midfield and put together several phases driving down the field until Hardnett made the final dive over the try line to give back the 17 point advantage.

After the half PAC was again the first to strike, when inside center Ivan Hardnett crashed through the Boston defense and broke down the field. Boston fullback James Coyle was able to cut Hardnett off but not before he dished the ball off to Infante who was running in support. Infante placed the ball down in the 44^th minute. Infante kick missed the conversion but expanded the PAC lead to 22.

Ten minutes later, PAC once again drove down the field and after a Boston penalty, kicked the ball out of bounds for a 5-meter lineout. Flanker Mark Crick threw the ball in and then got the ball from the back jumper. Crick then turned up field and with two Boston defenders on his back touched the ball down for PAC�s fourth try of the game.

PAC completed their scoring for the day in the 65^th minute after Boston was called for offsides 30 meters out. Infante drove home the kick to give PAC the 30 point lead heading into the final fifteen minutes of the match.

Continuing their hard effort for the entire match, Boston was able to points on the board in the 70^th minutes when Boston inside center Mike Sebastian made a good break through the PAC defense in the centers near PAC�s 20-meter line. The ball made it out wide to wing Nino Balduzzi who beat his man on the outside, and ran for the corner try.  Scrumhalf Jason Trenouth converted the try to bring the final score PAC 30 � Boston 7.

Some bright spots for Boston included the aggressive play of under-sized hooker Iain Sharp-Paul who earned his first RSL start due to the season ending injury to Boston captain Andy McLean. Throughout the match, Sharp-Paul stuffed several much bigger PAC forwards to the ground, and showed he belongs on the starting side.

Next week, PAC (3-1) travels to face a winless KC Blues side, while Boston (0-3) seeks their first win on the season when they host Washington.

SCORING SUMMARY

Rosters

PAC: 1.  Dair DiRemigio 2.  Lane Dixon 3.  Joe Kennedy 4. Greg Hildebrand

5.  Greg Seward  6.  Brian Olmes 7. Mark Crick  8. Daniel Baikie  9. Tom Kenney

10. Mike Fabling 11. Bradyn Hardnett 12. Ivan Hardnett  13. Josh Stallings

14. Danzel Van Zyl 15. Ronerto Infante SUBSTITUTIONS: 16. Pete Walton (Seward 40) 17. Mike Gooley (DiRemingio 50) 18. T.J. Carlin (Van Zyl 50)

19. Stephen Clearly (Kennedy 65) 20. Nicholas Gauthier (Dixon 70)
 

Boston: 1. Ross Denton 2. Iain Sharp-Paul 3. Dan Spengler 4. Tom Kelleher

5. Dave Prell 6. Brendan Ridge 7. Mike Kelleher 8. Paul Mahoney 9. Jason Trenouth

10. Huw Williams 11. Nino Balduzzi 12. Mike Sebastian 13. Jeremy Picard

14. Dennis Gaffney 15. James Coyle SUBSTITUTIONS: 16. Craig Burns (Mahoney 45) 17. Tom Armington (Ridge 50) 18. Dean Hoeger (Spengler 60)

19. Dan Christie (Williams 70)

Chicago Lions 22 � New York AC 22

Chicago Lions 22 � New York AC 22

Date: April 9, 2005

Venue: Traver�s Island, New York

Referee: Dave Peters

The Lions traveled to sunny New York City for a top of the table match with the New York Athletic Club.  At the start of the match, visiting Chicago didn�t seem their road legs under them as NYAC took advantage of the opening and struck hard and fast. 

New York was playing a quick recycling game and effectively changing fields and creating gaps to run through. At the 8-minute mark, NYAC flyhalf Aidan Mara took the ball from a 35 yard scrum, sidestepped the Chicago fullback and darted through a seam, past the Lion�s defense for the opening score.  After the successful conversion by the shore footed Jackson Wagener, NYAC took the opening 7-0 advantage.  

NYAC managed to take the kick off and build multiple phases back and forth across the field.  The NYAC flyhalf Mara recognized that the Lion�s defense was disjointed and this time reversed the flow of the ball and used his speed to race by a couple of forwards to score again.  After the successful conversion, the score stood at 14-0 NYAC at only 12 minutes into the game. 

Before the NYAC conversion, a quick word from Lions assistant coach Grant Houldsworth seemed to settle Chicago down and let them regroup.  Down 14-0, they knew they had dug themselves a big hole and needed to redouble their efforts just to stay in the game.  The good defense the Lions had been showing all season showed its form again as the Mara found little room to maneuver the rest of the half.  The NYAC flyhalf was constantly under pressure and was on the wrong end of several big hits the rest of the day.

The Lions, intent on spreading the ball wide, was unable to break through the NYAC defensive pursuit. NYAC soon found themselves having the ball deep in Chicago's territory again, the AC dropped a ball near the Chicago line and from the ensuing scrum, the Lions cleared out of their territory.

In the 26th minute, Lions flanker Paul McCarthy managed to steal a NYAC line out in their end and the resulting drive brought the ball to the NYAC 5 meter line.  A quick ball to the short side saw flyhalf Duncan Blowers put the diving flanker, Joe Chesak, into the corner for the first Lion�s points of the day.  David Williams was unable to hit the difficult conversion and that left the score 14-5 NYAC. 

NYAC put the ensuing kickoff out of bounds and the Lions were able to capitalize on the fortunate field position. After a few minutes and several well executed Chicago mauls, the Lions found themselves with a line out ball in the NYAC end. Once again the Lions were able to use good line out ball to build up to a nice backline play that saw winger Eddie Bluemel race in under the posts untouched for the try.  After Williams hit the easy conversion, the score stood at 14-12 NYAC, 30 minutes into the game. 

NYAC answered six minutes later as a Lions offsides penalty allowed fullback Jackson Wagener to convert a 20 meter penalty goal making the score 17-12 NYAC, at the conclusion of the first half.  

Unfortunately for the Lions, the second half started much like the first.  The Lions were sited for three penalties right off the bat to help the NYAC cause. Fortunately for Chicago, NYAC was unable to convert on any of the penalty goals. NYAC finally took advantage of the Lion's mistakes at the 60 minute mark when flanker Matt Crick scored off of a NYAC lineout from the 5 meter line.  After the failed conversion, the score was 22-12 NYAC. 

Much like the first half, the Lions were able to get into the flow of the game and settle down as the half proceeded.  At the 24 minute mark of the second half, the Lions put together several nice phases and the Lions center pairing of Scott Peterson and Scott Jones were able to hook up and put Jones into the corner.  After Williams hit the difficult kick, the game stood at 22-19 NYAC. 

This score seemed to energize the Lions and they found themselves with multiple opportunities with the ball in space.  Unfortunately for Chicago, the Lions were unable to capitalize on these opportunities as they dropped several passes, knock ons, balls thrown forward and penalties for holding onto the ball seemed to plague every opportunity.  A NYAC offsides in the 33rd minute of the second half allowed Williams to split the posts a tie up the game at 22 and the Lions' players could feel the momentum swing further their way.

Two minutes later, another Lions penalty for holding onto the ball in tackle gave NYAC a shot at going up again.  However the kick was wide and the game stayed knotted at 22.  The Lions again found themselves with several opportunities to break the tie, but once again kept shooting themselves in the foot by dropping passes, throwing the ball forward, knocking on balls and losing the ball in tackle.  All of the chances failed to yield any success and NYAC took the opportunity on a late Lions knock on to kick the ball out of play and end the game in a draw. 

The Lions players realized that they had let a golden opportunity get away on the road, but Lions team president, Bob Bloomfield, who was in attendance commented, "While we had our chances and it would have been nice to win, we'll take the draw on the road to a very good NYAC club."

At the end of the afternoon both clubs remained tied for the Eastern Conference lead with 16 points. Next week, NYAC (3-0-1) travels to Avalon, New Jersey to face a tough Philadelphia-Whitemarsh side, while Chicago (3-0-1) returns home to battle a surging Old Blue team.

SCORING SUMMARY

Rosters

NYAC: 1. Bob Cullem 2. Tony Nash 3. Troy Bartley 4. Andrew Jackson 5. Matt Frank

6. Andy Ryland 7. Frank Sharpe 8. Matt Rader 9. Chris Mayo 10. Aidan Mara

11. Nick Brucella 12. John Cronin 13. Ali Greer 14. Dave Kennedy 15. Jackson Wagener SUBSTITUTIONS: 16. Mike Lugano (Mara 67) 17. Jeff Heidleberg (Cullem 70)

18. Sean Byrne (Brucella 72) 19. Lou Ferrari (Sharpe 76)

Chicago: 1. Jon Vitale 2. Chris Brankin 3. Chad Slaby 4. John Shelbourne 5. Jon Bakst 6. Paul McCarthy 7. Joe Chesak  8. MC Laubscher 9. David Williams

10. Duncan Blowers 11. Arno Hugo 12. Scott Jones 13. Scott Peterson

14. Eddie Bluemel 15. Jeremy Nash SUBSTITUTIONS: 16. Ryan Finnan (Brankin 40) 17. Dustin Hugen (Bakst 51) 18. Miguel Camacho (Slaby 36)

19. Chris McClellen (Laubscher 68) 20. Theunis Von Biljon (Jones 80)

21. Josh Cocking (Nash 40)   

Washington RFC 40 - Kansas City Blues 35

Washington RFC 40 - Kansas City Blues 35

Date: April 9, 2005

Venue: National Mall, Washington D.C.

Referee: Graham Bullen

Washington hosted the Kansas City Blues during the fourth week of the 2005 Rugby Super League competition next to the Reflecting Pond on the National Mall between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument. This match served as the center piece for the 39^th Annual Cherry Blossom Tournament hosted by Washington. The weather was simply spectacular with high 60 degree temperatures, cloudless skies, and virtually no wind.  Added to these conditions was the presence of literally thousands of visitors down on the Mall for the Nation�s Capital�s biggest annual festival. 

Washington recovered their own kick-off to start the match and quickly established themselves in the rucks, where they would continue to give Kansas City trouble all match. Capitalizing on their fast start, Washington won an early 5 meter lineout with 8-man TJ Iak taking the front peal tap, powering in for the unconverted try.

At the 17^th minute, KC took advantage of a Washington penalty kick that didn�t get touch.  The Blues took the counter attack through two phases and then swung the ball wide beating the cover defense Kansas City struck back with a try of their own when countering fullback Oliver Parkinson created enough space to put center Marno Nel away in the 18th minute. Cody Weigman�s conversion gave KC the early 7-5 lead.

Continuing with the back and forth scoring that marked the afternoon, Washington

took its lineout at the KC 35 meter line and mauled ahead for 15 meters before taking the attack through three phases.  Lock Campbell Mackenzie picked up and drove through three defenders over the final 7 meters for an unconverted try, putting Washington back into the lead. 

At the 32^nd minute, Washington extended the gap when the moved up field after a quick tap 5 meter penalty. After two well-executed phases, flanker Owen Lentz crashed in for the try. A Viljoen conversion gave the home side a 19-7 advantage. 

Off of the ensuing kickoff, the Blues quickly moved into the Washington end and took a scrum at 20 meters. KC�s driving forwards attacked a short side overlap and executed a pick-and-go off the base of a ruck where flanker Simon Langhorn dotted down the unconverted try just before the halftime break.  At the half, the score showed Washington up by 17-12.

Opening the second half, Kansas City fired out from halftime putting tremendous pressure on Washington.  After 4 minutes, missing touch on a clearing punt, the Washington defense faced a furious Blues counter attack through four phases. The Blues scored on a well-orchestrated give-and-go move between wing Cody Weigman and center Marno Nel.  Nel finished the run with his second try of the day. The successful conversion by Weigman gave the Blue�s their first lead of the day.

Down by two, Washington worked the ball into the Blues end, where KC was penalized for a hands-in near their 22-meter line. Washington�s Francois Viljoen slotted a 24 meter penalty goal see sawing his team back into the lead. 

At the 58^th minute, Washington had a very promising attack going.  KC charged down a grubber kick attempt at its own 25 meter line where Nel gathered the ball and out-sprinted the defense for a long 75 meter try run, his third of the match, giving his team a four point advantage. 

Again, Washington got into its attack mode and worked the ball deep into the KC end.  From a 15 meter quick tap penalty, the ball was taken through two quick phases where TJ Iak drove into the end goal for his second try on the day and giving Washington a three point advantage. 

Four minutes later, KC was again threatening the Washington end.  Cody Weigman nailed a 38 meter penalty goal to tie the match at 27.  Ten minutes later, Weigman put his team back into the lead with another 38 meter penalty goal. 

The day�s pattern held with Washington driving back into the KC end. At the 78^th minute Viljoen connected on a 15m penalty goal to tie things back up at 30.  Washington again worked the ball deep into the Blues end where KC 8-man Fraser Leavasa was yellow carded, giving Viljoen the opportunity to kick a 24 meter penalty goal putting Washington up by three.

Entering injury time, Washington was ready to kick in the door. From a 10 meter scrum the ball was taken ahead for two phases when flyhalf Jade Tito passed inside to shortside wing Ben Fowle who crashed in for the deciding try and subsequent conversion by Viljoen.

Despite being down ten, KC wasn�t about to give in. The Blues pressured Washington deep in its end.  After a charged down clearing attempt, Washington was penalized for an obstruction at its 5 meter line.  KC took the quick tap penalty wide where Cody Weigman scored the unconverted try at the final whistle.  Final result, Washington 40, Kansas City 35.

Washington (1-3) earned their first win of the season and received an extra bonus try point for four scores on the afternoon. Next week, they travel to Boston, while Kansas City (0-4) seeks to earn their first win of the season when they host a tough PAC side.

SCORING SUMMARY

Rosters

Washington: 1. Joseph Boswell 2. Matthew Pickett 3. James Campbell

4. Campbell Mackenzie 5. Daniel Giacomangeli 6. Kevin Gilligan 7. Owen Lentz

8. TJ Iak 9. Daniel Bair 10. Jade Tito 11. Iosia Luka 12. Eric Dortone 13. Va�a Pula

14. Ben Fowle 15. Francois Viljoen SUBSTITUTIONS: 16.Deron McElroy (Pula 27)

Kansas City: 1. Mike Lyons 2. Tim Russo 3. Tim Kluempers 4. Derek Mannell

5. Chris Lawler 6. Fouche Du Toit 7. Simon Langhorn 8. Fraser Leavasa

9. Vince Pastorino 10. Keith Engle 11. Cody Weigman 12. Marno Nel

13. Kitone Saukuru 14. Thomas Sicola 15. Oliver Parkinson

Old Blue 23 � Philadelphia-Whitemarsh 14

Old Blue 23 � Philadelphia-Whitemarsh 14

Date: April 9, 2005

Venue: Van Cortlandt Park, New York

Referee: Bob Toomey

On a breezy day in New York City, Old Blue and Philadelphia �Whitemarsh gave fans in attendance what they have come to expect - blue collar, smash mouth rugby for 80 minutes of bone jarring action.

To the delight of the Old Blue crowd, flyhalf Rocky Matatumua opened the scoring with a 20 meter penalty goal conversion after a Philadelphia hands in penalty was called.

The following fifteen minutes featured a mid-field forwards battle that included a Philadelphia late hit call and a 30 meter run by Philly prop George Sucher. Sucher�s run was abruptly ended by the hustling effort of Old Blue fullback Dan Kennedy at Old Blue�s 10 meter line. Off of the Kennedy tackle, Old Blue was able to quickly obtain possession and worked their way deep into Philly territory during a 7-minute drive of well executed mauls and lineouts. At the Philly 22 meter line, Old Blue spun the ball wide to wing Matt Pritchard who then executed a give-and-go with Kennedy. As Pritchard was being hauled down at the Philly 5 meter mark he popped a blind pass to Kennedy who ran it in the rest of the way for Old Blue�s second try of the half. 

After a scoreless fifteen minutes, Old Blue�s flanker Ben Sadgrove galloped 20 meters to the Philly�s 5 minute line after a stolen lineout. Desperately trying to break in for their second try of the half, Old Blue regrouped and was able to get the ball out wide to wing Ryan Rogers who then slipped through two tacklers to score.

As the half-time whistle neared, Philly was penalized with a 5 meter scrum after another hands in penalty. Old Blue took the scrum and was able to quickly convert the Philly mistake into their third try of the half. The first half continued into injury time where Philadelphia-Whitemarsh was able to lessen Old Blue�s lead when they mounted a multiple phase mauling and rucking attack that lead them to the Old Blue 15 meter line. An Old Blue infraction resulted in a set penalty play from the 10 meter line by Philly 8-man Turei Maraki. Maraki�s deceptive speed took Old Blue off guard and he traveled the 10 meters in quick time to score Philly�s first points on the day. The converted try made the half-time score 20-7 Old Blue.

In the second half, a rejuvenated Philly side dominated territory and possession. Eliminating many of the mistakes that buried them in the first half, Philly ground and pounded  through multiple phases with Marcus Respes scoring the half's only try in capping the forwards' efforts with an explosive burst from in tight.

Old Blue was ultimately up to the task, they faltered at times under the constant pressure particularly from the Philly forwards, but managed to maintain a number of gutsy, hard fought defensive sequences  and kept Philly out of reach and out of bonus point achievement with a penalty kick that was to be the knife in Philly's heart.

Next week Old Blue (3-0) travels to face conference co-leader Chicago in a match that has huge implications for conference supremacy, while Philadelphia (1-3) looks to regroup as they host the conference leader � NYAC.

SCORING SUMMARY

Rosters

P-W: 1. Justin Zadnik 2. Matt Wyatt 3. George Sucher 4. Fred Koneicki 5. Matt Winters 6. Andrey Biryukov 7. Marshall Wells 8. Turei Maraki 9. Roger Tuamoheloa

10. Jason Forrest 11. Marcus Respes 12. Derek Tully 13. Anasa Koroitamana

14. Wayne DeMarco 15. Louis Tuilio SUBSTITUTIONS: 16.  Sal Renniello (DeMarco 50) 17. Chris Bailey (Koroitamana 60) 18. Shawn Strauss (Maraki 65)

Old Blue: Not submitted

Dallas 39 - Olympic Club 25

Dallas 39 - Olympic Club 25

Date: April 9, 2005

Venue: Glencoe Park, Dallas

Referee: Paul Bretz

Fast, dry, windy conditions prevailed for the game between the Dallas Harlequins and the Olympic Club Blues.  The OC won the toss and decided to run with the breeze. A deep kick off from Dallas saw the OC take advantage of the wind, thumping a return downfield. The kick did not make touch, and Dallas wing Mike Harvey was able to turn the corner and tiptoe up the sideline before kicking ahead. The ball was covered by the Olympic defense, but from the ensuing scrum, Quin�s center Johan van Rensburg found a gap to put the home side up 7-0 with the conversion from Vaughn Crowe.

Shortly thereafter, OC got into the game from the restart with sustained pressure inside the Quin�s 22 meter line. A hands in penalty on Dallas resulted in a five meter scrum won by Olympic. Taking quick advantage, Olympic 8-man Alex Walterspiel eluded two tacklers for and dotted down in the corner for Olympic�s first points on the day. Continued Olympic pressure inside the Quins 22 resulted in a hands in penalty, slotted for three points by fly half John Kennard, as the home side trailed for the only time on the day, 8-7.

The Quins were next to tally, from a quick tap of a penalty in the Olympic 22. Scrumhalf Dirk Lochner fed fly half Vaughn Crowe, who slipped through the defense for the converted try. A long break by the Olympic backs set up the next tally, with a scrambling Quins defense able to poach the ball from a ruck just short of the Quins line. The clearing kick was charged down however, with Olympic scrumhalf Nathan Rundel covering for the try in the corner.

As halftime neared, the Quins used an Olympic penalty to set up another try. A midfield kick into touch was sent out just 10 meters from the Olympic line, with the lineout resulting in a try. The ball was sent in by hooker Scott Schmidt to lock Corne Cronje, who sent it back to Schmidt to storm up the touchline and dot down just inside the flag.

As referee Paul Bretz signaled for the half, the hometown Quins held a 19-13 advantage.

In the second half, the  home side opened with a foray into the Olympic 22, with Crowe slotting a penalty within three minutes off of a hands in penalty during a ruck. Just five minutes later, the OC side had space with their backs, but wing Andy Tamayo was bundled up by the Quins defense just short of the line, losing the ball in the tackle. The Quins turned this around after the resulting scrum, with Crowe putting his stamp on the next fifteen minutes of play.

From a Quins scrum at the Olympic 22, center van Rensburg was able to breach the line, with the resulting ruck being moved to Crowe who split the defense for his second try. Three minutes later, from a Quins lineout at the 22, multiphase ball again ended with Crowe dotting down. And just four minutes after Crowe�s third try, the Dallas fly half  touched down for his fourth on the day, with a Quins lineout being raced to the line by Lochner, who passed from the tackle with Crowe grabbing from his shoelaces to touch down. A heavy hit as he scored forced wing Brendan Cruz to convert, with the extras putting the score at 39-13.

With the big advantage, the hosts were content to bottle up Olympic with territorial kicking, as the wind advantage aided Dallas� attempt to slow the match. However, in the late stages, some loose defense and crafty open field running gave space to the OC room to operate, with two concession tries earned in the last five minutes. Center Will Phillips and reserve Tony Pacheco were the scorers, with one conversion from Kennard, as the Olympic Club side were able to earn a four-try bonus at the last whistle, 39-25.

In week 5, Dallas (1-3) hosts the surging Barbo�s, while Olympic Club (1-3) travels to Seattle to face a tough Old Puget Sound Beach side.

SCORING SUMMARY

Rosters

Dallas: 1. Matt Amonte 2. Scott Schmidt 3. Andrew Titie 4. Corne Cronje

5. Jason Rogers 6. Tim McNeeley 7. Jesse Marshall 8. Brett Pedersen 9. Dirk Lochner 10. Vaughan Crowe 11. Brendan Cruz 12. Petrus Van Rensburg 13. Shane Erskine

14. Michael Harvey 15. Al Christian SUBSTITUTIONS: 16. Paul Calce (Amonte 60)

17. Tim Robinson (Christian 60) 18. Brian Driscoll (Marshall 65)

19. Dave Goss (Crowe 70)

Olympic: 1. Josh Bautista 2. Kirk Khasigian 3. Jacob Hays 4. Andrew Armstrong

5. Carl Hansen 6. Chris Fleming 7. Dan Fleming 8. Alex Walterspeil 9. Nathan Rundel 10. John Kennard 11. Kamal Mokeddem 12. Gordon Reid 13. Will Phillips

14. Andy Tomayo 15. John Bucholz SUBSTITUTIONS: 16. Steve Witt (Bautista 75)

17. Tony Pacheco (Khasigian 65) 18. Marc Vera (Tomayo 60) 19.Nick Polsky (Reid 75)  20. Caleb Adams (Hansen 65) 21. Sean Roy (Fleming 60) 22. Doug Regner (Rundel 78)

Belmont Shore 25 � San Francisco GG 22

Belmont Shore 25 � San Francisco GG 22

Date: April 9, 2005

Venue: Balboa Park, San Francisco

Referee: Al Klemp

In the long awaited rematch from last years RSL Championship it was Belmont Shore and SFGG doing battle again for bragging rights as the Best in the West. With some late rain in the week it looked as if again SFGG would be denied running out on to it�s home pitch however, early on Saturday morning the sun shined and the predicted rain never materialized making it a beautiful day for rugby.

Visiting Belmont received the opening kick and came out firing. After some great lead up work from Belmont, they eventually wore down SFGG and scrum half Lee Peina produced a penalty goal from the 15 meter line. From the restart, SFGG battled hard on defense and through their powerful scrum managed to turn over possession, a great break by SFGG fly half Matt Sherman resulted in the US Eagle offloading to his outside support as the ball quickly made its way to SFGG outside center Andrew Flint who scored his first for SFGG and the first score of the day for the Gates.

At the 30 minute mark, another penalty by Peina brought the score to 7 - 6 in favor of the host Gates. An excellent try by Belmont at the 35 min mark resulted from quick passing thru the backs to put winger James Harrison over in the corner. 11 - 7 to Belmont at the half.

SFGG came out blazing and after about 5 minutes of sustained pressure the Belmont defense finally opened up and big lock Sean Dermody scored his first for the day, driving low and hard toward the line from in close. Sherman added the extras narrowing the score to 14-11. This game was quickly turning into a classic SFGG/Belmont battle.

Five minutes later, Belmont replied with another try scored out wide when fullback Peter Galicz came into the backline insde of the winger to take the pas and score in the corner at 50 minutes. Peina nailed the conversion to allow Belmont to temporarily reclaim the lead, 18-14.

Eager to reclaim their lead, SFGG�s scrum powered and pushed Belmont over three phases that advanced the Gates to within the Belmont 10 meter line. US Eagle Mike MacDonald was awarded his second try in as many games for his effort in the scrum, after barging his way over after a few phases. The try put SFGG narrowly in front to a 19-18 lead. Just three minutes later, fellow US Eagle Matt Sherman slotted a great kick from about 40 meters out to push SFGG into a more commanding lead at 22-18.

Feeling time slipping away, Belmont moved the ball at every opportunity forcing the bigger Golden Gate forwards to gasp for breath. Intense pressure from Belmont was finally rewarded in the 78th minute when player of the day Lee Peina sold the biggest dummy of the day to the GG defense to nip through and score the winning try, which he converted.

With the road win, Belmont Shore (4-0) takes a commanding 6 point lead over second place SF Golden Gate (3-1). Next week Belmont will rest due to the forfeited game by Aspen, while the Gate�s travel to the Little Q to take on division rival OMBAC.

SCORING SUMMARY

Roster:

Belmont Shore: 1. Chris Osentowski 2. Semisi Telefoni 3.Mark Kernen 4.Greg Alley

5. Mike Kennedy 6. Anthony Monte 7. Dustin Snow 8. Pom Simona 9. Leigh Peina

10. Steelie Koro 11.Gary Golding 12. Al Lakomskis 13. Tony Fratangelo

14. James Harrison 15. Peter Galicz

SFGG: 1. Mike MacDonald 2. Robbie Flynn 3. Jeff Kemper 4. Michael Gibbs

5. Sean Dermody 6. Aaron Satchwell 7. Aaron Smith 8. Redmond Collins 9. Britt Howard 10. Matt Sherman 11. Shaun Paga 12. Karl Thomson 13. Andrew Flint 14. Toshi Palamo 15. Karl Halbert SUBSTITUTIONS: 16. Neil Kern (Gibbs 60)

Denver 23 - OMBAC 17

Denver 23 - OMBAC 17

Date: April 9, 2005

Venue: Observatory Park, Denver

Referee: Tom Coburn

In the sunny, mile-high wonderland of Denver,the host Barbos and OMBAC both sought their third wins at the season�s mid-way point. OMBAC entered the match with something to prove after their 41-point loss to Belmont Shore the previous week, while Denver was trying to get back on the winning track coming off of a tough home loss to SF Golden Gate.

From the opening kick, the Barbos controlled the ball from the opening kick and didn�t relinquish possession until flyhalf Link Wilfley converted a 20-meter penalty. Leading the way for the Barbo�s score was flanker Kevin Whitcher�s 30-meter dash down the far sideline deep into OMBAC territory. 

After some territorial kicking to test the defenses and the winds, OMBAC found a seam in the Denver defense and advanced for a 30 meter run but as they reached the end zone the ball was knocked on nullifying a chance to take the lead.

For the next 20 minutes the Barbos pressure kept the action inside OMBAC�s 22. Seeking a hole in the OMBAC defense, flyhalf Link Wilfley chipped ahead 20 meters, the ball was scooped up and passed through several phases and eventually to flanker Laef Fox who eluded two tackles before passing to 8-man Fernando Alvarez for the try. The failed conversion but Denver up 8- 0.

The next eight minutes turned into a forward�s battle with several scrum downs and lineouts near mid-field. Off of a stolen scrum down, Denver quickly got the ball out to its backs who then advanced the ball into the OMBAC 22 before being tackled. Denver, hustling on the play, overloaded the ensuing ruck where wing Matt Nockles picked up the ball from the base and snuck in on the weak side for the try and the 13-0 Denver advantage.

Just three minutes before the half, Wilfley scooped up a short pass 25 meters from goal, broke through the gain line, dished off to outside center Mason Bizzell, who then put inside center Guy Mumford away for the try. The half ended with the Barbos in complete control and a 20-0 lead.

After a slow second half start by both teams OMBAC all of a sudden morphed into a different team. After 20 minutes of play into the half, OMBAC pushed their tight-head prop, Dan Dorsey, into the end zone from a 15-meter attacking lineout. Gonzales, OMBAC's fly half, missed the conversion. Ten minutes later OMBAC fullback, Dave Burt, took a brilliant pass from outside center, Chris Frara, and Burt sailed 40 meters into the end zone. Gonzales converted for two more, making it 12 - 20, still in favor of Denver.

Then, from an OMBAC driving maul, halfback Ghian Snyman dove into the Denver defenders, standing in the end-zone, and touched the ball down. Referee Coulson ran around the scrum and signaled off the apparent try score.

Shortly thereafter, OMBAC relentlessly attacked the backpedaling Barbos, when they were awarded an attacking scrum on Denver's 5-meter line. As the forwards locked up, Denver�s scrum started to slide backwards referee Coulson looked to his touch judge for help. The call was that OMBAC collapsed the scrum resulting in a penalty kick to Denver.

Undeterred, OMBAC regrouped and started another counter attack, featuring their talented back-line. OMBAC fullback David Burt quickly passed out to center Chris Frara, who then dished back inside to Riann Hamilton, who was charging hard on the reverse angle. Hamilton took the pass and headed straight for the end-zone. As the referee whistled OMBAC for a forward pass.

Trying desperately to put some points on the board, at 77 minutes, OMBAC once again counter attacked with replacement wing, Tim Omi, who sailed into the corner of the end-zone for five points. The second missed conversion in the half proved to be costly for OMBAC.

The Barbos, seeking full-time, tried to regroup and stop the surging OMBAC offense.  With only three minutes to go, OMBAC broke through for a long run from their 22 through several missed Denver tackles. With a full head of steam and a 4-on-2 man advantage, OMBAC turned the ball over at the Denver 15 meter line when flanker Kevin Whitcher intercepted the ball. The Barbos played defense for the nearly the rest of the game, with big hits from Kevin Whitcher and hooker Patrick Doyle, who in a last minute series of OMBAC advances made six attacking tackles in a row.

With less than a minute in the match, the Barbos worked the ball down the field and OMBAC was called for yet another penalty, this time directly in front of their goal posts. Denver converted the penalty with a sure kick by Wilfely to end the game 23-17.

.

  �We got lucky,� stated Denver coach Rob Lumkong, �We played a very good first half, OMBAC showed a lot of poise coming back in the second half. They were the better team in the second half. Defense was solid on both sides but neither team took care of the ball.�

�It was a disappointing first half,� stated Eddie Pollack, OMBAC coach, �We made too many errors from good pressure by the Barbos, and we played in our half for most of the half. We played much better in the second half and dominated, but ran out of time.�

SCORING SUMMARY

Rosters

OMBAC: 1. Mike French 2. Walker Sullivan 3. Dan Dorsey 4. Damian Coonan

5. Mike Underhill 6. Henry Schaaf 7. Mika McLeod 8. Taualupe Saile 9. Ghian Snyman 10. Sammy Gonzales 11. Jason Harper 12. Marty O'Rourke 13. Chris Frara

14. Mark Crovelli 15. David Burt SUBSTITUTIONS: 16. Jason Wood (French  55)

17. Ryan ReBell (McLeod 50) 19. Joe Forehand (Taualupe  70) 20. Riann Hamiltin (Harper @ 65) 21. Tim Omi (Crovelli 60).

Denver: 1. Jade Opfer 2. Patrick Doyle 3. Michael Landau 4. Justin Clark 5. Jeff Colson 6. Laef Fox 7. Kevin Whitcher 8. Fernando Alvarez 9. Douglas Rowe 10. Link Wilfley

11. Jody Kramer 12. Guy Mumford 13. Mason Bizzell 14. Matt Nockels 15. Jason Kelly SUBSTITUTIONS: 16. Mata McGrath (Colson 65) 17. Ryan Nagle (Rowe 79)

18. Michael McCarron (Kelly 79)

Date: April 9, 2005

The results of this match are null and void after Aspen was cited for using illegal players. OPSB earns five points on the day (4 for the win and 1 for the bonus try).

After this match, Aspen notified the RSL that they will be forfeiting their remaining regular season games due to their inability to field a legal team.