Division III
Matches
Sat 19 Sep 2015
Queen City RFC - Denver
Division III
L
W
CSU
QC vs CSU 9.19.15 - Match Report

QC vs CSU 9.19.15 - Match Report

Charles Keener21 Sep 2015 - 16:35
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QC vs CSU 9.19.15 - Match Report

Recap from QCRFC vs. CSU 09-19-2015

The day started out as a crisp and cool fall day. The pitch at Cook Park was in a various state; one end was wet, soggy, and muddy and the other end was dry and hard. Interesting state of affair. The day was sunny and bright. Good conditions for a game of footy.

The men in Orange and Black kicked-off and went immediately to work. CSU misplayed the opening kick-off into a knock-on. City alertly retrieved the pill and Referee Paul Johnston played advantage. After a good recycle, the ball was spun wide where Flanker Hayden Kinnear took it on the burst. Mr. Kinnear beat the cover defense which was not very well organized and dotted down for the 5-pointer. The conversion sailed wide and City had a 5 – 0 lead at the 1-minute mark. City continued the pressure from the ensuing kick-off. Working the game plan and using the exit kick to place the ball deep into CSU territory. Good defense pressure saw the ball being turned over to City where they went onto attack. The continued pressure saw Referee Johnston cite the men in Green and White for a ruck infringement. Scrumhalf Charlie Keener split the uprights for a 8 – 0 City lead at the 7-minute mark of the match. After this point, the wheels seemed to come off the City wagon. The scrums were high and loose, tackles were missed, and the boys reverted to poor defense bunching up around the ruck. We got out of our defensive scheme, chasing players, and leaving gaps for the CSU backs to run through. CSU scored unconverted tries at the 17th, 25th, and 39th minute to take a 8 – 15 lead into half-time.

After a stern half-time talk, the play from the men in Orange and Black became better. Using exit and box kicks to keep territorial pressure on CSU. Several attempts at the CSU line did not bear any fruit on the scoreboard; but, the ball was kept within the CSU half. Finally, a scrum was awarded. A beautiful scrum play off the back resulted in No. 8 Ryan Orlowski off-loading to Scrumhalf Charlie Keener who took the pill to the line to dot down under the post. Charlie converted his own try to knot the score at 15 apiece at the 51st minute. The defensive pressure continued as CSU tried to clear their zone. A box kick from Scrumhalf Keener bounced into touch. The men in Orange and Black stole the line-out and hit a raging pod. The ball was recycled and passed to the weak side. A hard charging Hooker Steve O’Malley barreled his way over the line for the 5-pointer. The conversion sailed wide and City had the lead at 20 -15 at the 56th minute mark of the match. However, CSU came right back to score an unconverted try of their own to tie the score once again at 20 at the 61st minute. After a turnover ball, City went back on the attack. The men in Orange and Black made several attempts at the line to no avail. However, the men in Green and White were called for an offside infringement in front of the post. Scrumhalf Charlie Keener made CSU pay for their indiscretion and split the uprights to give City the 23 – 20 lead at the 68th minute mark. From here the match belong to CSU as City once again lost their way. CSU scored two converted tries much in the same manner as in the first half to seal the victory, 23 – 34.

City was bound and determine to recover and gain some sense of accomplishment as they ventured into the third half. The match saw CSU get on the board first as they scored an unconverted try at the 8-minute mark. However, City kept pounding their way back. At the 17th minute mark, Referee Johnston called CSU for a ruck infringement. Alertly, No. 8 Ryan Orlowski spotted holes in the CSU defense, took the quick tap, and ran for pay dirt. The conversion was missed and the score was tied 5 – 5. CSU scored another unconverted try to take a 5 – 10 lead at the 22nd minute mark. As time was winding down, City was keeping the pressure on the men in Green and White. Attacking hard at the CSU line to once again to no avail. Finally, a scrum was called with City rolling in the ball. No. 8 Bryan Gustafson picked from the base of the scrum, bob and weave making players miss, and took the pill to the house to tie the score. The conversion would win the half as time ran out on the referee’s watch. Inside Center Matt Williams split the uprights and Referee Johnston blew the final whistle to give the victory to the men in Orange and Black at 12 – 10.

Next up – Denver Harlequins 9/26, Infinity Park at 10am.

Match details

Match date

Sat 19 Sep 2015

Kickoff

11:00

Meet time

10:00
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