Queen City vs Harlequins 3/28/15 - Match Report

The sun was shining and temperature was warm; a gorgeous day at Infinity Park South for a day of Rugby. "Saturday is a Game Day." The Queen City supporters were out in droves to watch the Olde Boys, the 1st Squad, and 2nd Squad do battle with arch-rival Denver Harlequins. It was Quin week for sure.

The Olde Boys set the stage as they took on the Harlequins Olde Boys/CSOBs. Two 30-minute periods were in order. The Queen City lads took the opening kick-off and let the Quins know that they meant business. The men in Orange and Black drove down the field for an immediate score. They were relentless the rest of the way. Running around, through, and over the men in Blue and Red for a well deserved and convincing win. The final was 64 - 3.

The expectations were high as the men in Orange and Black wearing their alternate White jerseys took the field to do battle in this very important D3 League match. Queen City kicked-off as the 1st Squad match got under way. The first quarter of the half was a defense battle as both sides probe at each other’s line of defense. Several mistakes on both sides thwarted the soirees as the sides punched and counter-punched at each other. Finally, a scrum infraction by the Quins gave City the opportunity to put points on the board. Flyhalf Scott Trench was true and split the uprights from 40 meters out to give City a 3 - 0 lead at the 16th minute mark of the first half. City seem to take control the match at this point. Good recycling of the ball by the forwards and tactical kicking by Flyhalf Scott Trench put the men in Blue and Red under constant pressure. A clearing kick by the Quins gave City the ball well into the Quins territory. A line-out infringement saw the Captain Dan Herr choose to place the ball deeper into Quins territory. The forwards took it upon themselves to drive the ball even deeper into the Quins territory. A turnover ball by the Quins saw a clearing kick not go very far. The forwards proceeded to have a driving maul from the lineout. The Quins stopped the attack short of the line. However, City went into their "power" game. After several attempts, Captain Dan Herr powered his way over for a 5-pointer. Conversion kick was just wide at City extended their lead to 8 - 0 at the 21st minute mark of the first half. The men in Orange and Black went right back on the attack. A huge kick by Flyhalf Trench once again drove the Quins deep into their territory. Pressure by Outside Center Scott Dishner saw the Harlequins hold onto the ball and were called for not releasing. The hard charging forwards saw a quick tap taken by Hooker Luke Porter; feeding Inside Center Hayden Kinnear; who put Winger Eric Baliruno away for the dot down. Once again the conversion just sailed wide to give City a 13 - 0 lead at the 27th minute mark. Quins came alive and their Outside Center split the defense to go up the middle for a Quins score. The conversion was not good and the men in Blue and Red cut into City's lead 13 - 5 at the 31st minute mark. The remainder of the half ended in a defense battle once again as Referee John Kenny blew for halftime with the score standing at 13 - 5.

The second half began the same as the first as City once again was putting pressure on the men in Blue and Red. A deep kick put the Quins under pressure. A lineout pursued for which the Quins were called for pulling the man down in the lineout. A penalty play was called and once again the City forwards went on the attack. Several power plays saw Prop Chris Gustafson bully his way over for a five-pointer. The conversion attempt from a tough angle once again missed its mark to put the men in Orange and Black lead to 18 -5 at the 46th minute mark. Once again the Harlequins came storming back as their Outside Center split the seam to score under the posts. The conversion was true and lead was cut to 18 - 12 at the 50th minute mark of the match. Not to be daunted, City came storming right back. Sustain pressure and good recycling of the ball saw good ball movement in the backline where Inside Center Hayden Kinnear took an inside pass and split the Quins defense to cross-over for a well deserved try. The conversion once again missed its mark. The lead was extended to 23 -12 at the 56th minute. City once again went on the attack deep into the Quins territory. However, City was called for a ruck infringement where once again the Quins fed their hard charging Outside Center who took it the distance after several missed tackles on the part of City. The conversion was missed making the score 23 -17 at the 64th minute. At this time it seems that the men in Orange and Black were back on their heels as the Quins kept on coming. Good defense and good counter-rucking kept the men in Blue and Red at bay until the 77th minute mark. A good recycle saw the ball spun wide where the Harlequin winger was able to find the corner racing to the try zone. Good pursuit by Fullback Mike Dellafiora kept the Quins from reaching the center of the posts. The conversion sailed wide right but the City lead was down to 23 - 22. The final whistle came as the Quins were whistled for a ruck infringement by Referee Kenny and Captain Dan Herr place the ball into touch. Final score 23 -22 as the win kept Queen City undefeated in league play with Glendale D3 looming as the next league match.

The 2nd Squad match started well for the men in Orange and Black. City took the opening kick-off driving hard at the Quin's line. Prop Bob Harper took a hard charge at the Quin's defense taking several defenders to bring him down. A quick recycle ball saw Inside Center Justin Shannonhouse split the defense line to score a controversy try (knock-on??). Scrumhalf Charlie Keener split the uprights to give City a 7 - 0 lead at the 3-minute mark. Quins came right back with sustain play of their own. They were able to cross the line for a converted try at the 9-minute mark to tie the score at 7 apiece. City forwards playing well continue to put pressure on the Quins at scrum time. The forwards taking one against the head where Scrumhalf Charlie Keener fed Flyhalf Mike Dellafiora who proceeded to split the uprights for a drop goal to give City back the lead at 10 - 7 at the 15th minute mark. Quins came back to score a converted try right before halftime to give the Quins a 10 -14 lead at halftime. The second 20 minutes was much a punch and counter-punch affair. City continue to probe the Quins defense to no avail as the men in Blue red kept City at bay. Finally, under sustain pressure by the City forwards saw Lock Ryan Orlowski take an inside pass and raced to pay dirt to dot down for a well deserved try by the forwards. The conversion missed its mark to give City back the lead at 15 - 14 at the 38th minute mark. The final whistle came by Referee Joe Zevin to give the men in Orange and Black their third victory on the day.

An easy win by the Olde Boys and two hard fought victories came to City on this day. Although City dominated in possession, time of possession, and territory throughout the day; certain phases of the games let them down. Poor tackling, ball handling, and fitness let the matches be a lot closer than they should have been. Perseverance did prevail leading to the victories in the 1st and 2nd Squad matches. It was great seeing all the support the Club is getting for their matches. The Olde Boys had a great showing and their support was much appreciate. Kudos to Chet Marshall for the providing the food for the after-match. Thanks to Ryan Orlowski for continuing to bring out the swag, the new white shorts, and the new orange socks; much appreciated. Thanks to President Angel McClarney for being the great Rugby Mom that she is. There is a great feeling in the club right now; however, we have a lot work to do over the next three weeks as we get ready for our toughest league match of the season against Glendale as we continue our march to the playoffs.

Next up Queen City vs CSU for a Friendly in Ft. Collins 4/4/15