D1: Old White  17 -- Renegades  20

 

D2: Old White  21 -- Renegades  13

 

Atlanta, GA -- Saturday, February 21st 2009. by Bo Marr.

 

The Division I side lost its first match against the 'gades in almost a year and a half, while the Division II side continued to look strong, winning a much needed game to further their bid for a playoff spot in the hotly contested Division II south championships. We lost as a team, we won as a team, we celebrated the Division II win as a team on Saturday night.

 

Division I Match:

 

Perhaps the game was the perfect wake up call that the Division I side needed that had obviously become overconfident in clinching the #2 seed in the south playoffs the week before and due to playing the winless (in Division I matches) Renegades side. Perhaps this will open their eyes to the work that must be done to prepare for their best chance in more than a decade at an extended Division I playoff run. Perhaps the lesson being that you can't let up, even for a split second, or you can lose on any given Saturday. Even losing half a step can cost you a try, which will cost you the game. Every run must be at full pace. Every tackle must be true. The team must never waiver from the game strategy they have been trained to execute. Every knock-on, dropped ball, bad decision, and penalty will be punished, even if it is against a lesser side.

 

The Old White A-side played their worst 40 minutes of rugby of the season in the first half. Multiple kicks were dropped and knocked-on deep in our own territory. Multiple quick taps, which should never have been taken in the first place, were knocked-on and a golden penalty opportunity was given away. Knock-ons and knock-ons. The offense was sluggish with no one having that killer drive to penetrate the defense, our first 3-phase possession of the game actually lost ground. Old White made many uncharacteristic tacticle errors, playing out of our own half instead of kicking the ball downfield. The lone bright spots in the first half might have been Texas Dave placing multiple grubbers perfectly through the holes in the Renegades defense to help our field position, Wally winning all of the front lineout ball, and the hard tackling as a team on defense allowing us to only be down 10 points after a horrific half.

 

Renegades scored their first try when they won a scrum after Old White knocked-on a ball when receiving a kick deep in our own territory. Renegades passed down the line to their outside center, where the backline and loose forwards were out of sync and not enough defensive sliding occurred, allowing the Renegade #13 to break the line for an unconverted try. The renegades got a 5m scrum late in the half due largely due to tactile kicking errors and lost scrums and drove the renegade scrum into Old White's tryzone, actually lifting our #3 completely into the air, and putting the ball down for another unconverted try. Renegades up 10-0 at the half.

 

The Renegades would score one more try in the second half off their own scrum about 30 meters out. The scrumhalf got a good jump out of the scrum, drawing our flyhalf in out of position and popping to the #7 in the gap for a converted try. Renegades up 17 - 0. Coach Riian then substituted himself out of the game changing Marty to flyhalf and bringing Lee Kornfeld in at wing and Old White fortunes started to turn. Drew Percival would also substitute in at hooker in the half.

 

Simple rugby, clearing the ball out and playing on the Renegades half of the field netted two tries for Old White almost immediately. On the first try the Renegades sent the ball out wide again where the outside center was crushed by the Old White #7, made an ill-advised pass out to the wing as he went down, which Mike Aaron intercepted and outraced all defenders, centering the ball for a converted try.

 

10 minutes later, simple, solid rugby led to an Old White lineout which Wally took down in the front, the pack mauled up 5 meters by Wagura, and set a ruck. Combo at scrummy sent the ball out to Marty at flyhalf who is always so shifty at that position, creating space where there is none. After drawing in 3 defenders, he somehow found a hole and got the ball out to luke and dave who popped the ball back inside to Marty who broke the line for another centered try. Old White down 14 - 17

 

With 4 minutes left to go in the game the Renegades were playing with the ball at their own 30 meter line, when Charlie who had been pilfering balls all game, once again got his mitts on the ball where the Renegade would not let go. Penalty to Old White. Texas Dave stepped in and with ice in his veins put the ball through the uprights to tie the game at 17-all with 1.5 minutes left. Old White sadly would make one last mistake on the day, a penalty soon after the ensuing kickoff allowing the Renegades to put the final points through the uprights. Renegades A-side wins 20 - 17.

 

This reporter had to go into work and was not present for the Division II match, which was undoubtedly the better played of the two matches for Old White. Well done, boys.

 

Next Division I match is home on March 14th against the Florida #3 seed, Fort Lauderdale or Boca Raton to start the playoffs, which is effectively the national championship round of 64. The Renegades will be home against Nashville next weekend and then away at either Naples or Miami for the playoffs depending on the outcome of remaining matrix matches. Winners of this first round of the playoffs will advance to the South Championship on April 4th in Nashville, losers will go home.

 

I'd like a Division II match report to follow if anyone is willing. Next Division II match is a critical match this weekend at home against Montgomery.

 

 

Old White D1:

1. Joe Bambinelli (c)

2. Joe Lang

3. Kyle Mayeske

4. Creighton Deasy

5. Waldemar Mlynarski

6. David Ngamau

7. Bo Marr

8. Charlie Mcfeaters

9. Chris Kombo

10. Riian Koetze

11. Eric Degree

12. Marty O'Donoghue

13. Luke Waikamakama

14. Mike Aaron

15. Dave Winiarczyk

 

16. Drew Percival

17. Lee Kornfeld