Round 13 Review: Uni-Norths

Round 13 – Match Report – 1st Grade

After a week off, the Vikings were back to defend the Hitchcock shield against Uni-Norths on a cold and wet afternoon at Viking Park. The game would see the return of Wallaby Darcy Swain in Viking’s colours for the 1st time in a number of years.  As part of the National Naidoc Week celebrations, a special Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony proceeded the game with The Vikings proving to be too strong for the students to run out convincing winners and remain undefeated for the season.

Despite the Redmen running into a strongish breeze, they were off to a flyer with Captain Hammer Holt hammering his way over the line after only a minute of play, with JD Lealiifano adding the extras.  Both teams were settling into the game before the Owls managed a 5 pointer at the 20 minute mark to bridge the gap. Following a dominant scrum from the Redmen saw fleet footed winger Lippy Davis snipe out wide, with JD smacking over a great conversion to see the score of 14 to 5 to Vikings. The Owls struck back after some concerted build up to grab a try to narrow the gap to 4 points with 10 minutes left in the 1st half.  As has been the case all season, that man again, Slammin Sam Thomas got into the try scoring act to collect another 5 pointer with the players heading to the sheds at halftime with the Vikings ahead 19 to 12.

The Redmen started the 2nd half with a brilliant try to nimble full back Lennix Tovo who danced his way over for a converted try to further extend the lead.  Play settled down with both teams testing each other’s defense in what was becoming a very gloomy afternoon at the Park even with lights shining brightly. With the forwards taking control and smart play by the backs to see another Lennx Tovo jinking run to grab his 2nd meat pie of the afternoon.  Following a blistering break by Lippy Davis, JD would provide a pin-point kick for the evergreen Andrew Robinson to pluck the ball out of the air to dot down for a brilliant try with a little over 10 minutes to play.  JD would then add a long-range penalty goal to complete the scoring for the match with a Vikings running out convincing winners by 39 to 12.

The victory sees the Redmen remain well clear of their rivals at the top of the table with 4 games remaining before the finals. Sharp shooter and backline general JD Lealiifano collected the Player’s Player award after another polished display at fly half. He would also grab the 3 points along with Captain Colussus, Hammer Holt who put in another powerhouse performance.  The wrecking ball no 8 Titi Nofoagatatoa would grab the 2 points with wily half back Seamus Smith grabbing the final point.

The Viking’s trek out to Gungahlin land to face the 2nd placed Eagles in a highly anticipated clash.  Bring it on……

Player’s Player:  JD Lealiifano

3-2-1’s

3 Points: JD Lealiifano / Cam Holt

2 Points: Titi Nofoagatatoa

1 Point: Seamus Smith

Round 13 – Match Report – 2nd Grade

Winter has come, although the rain had paused for the 2nd Grade game the wind was still howling off the mountains promising a challenging day for the Kickers and Hookers. Twozapalooza a little slow out the gates spending the first 10 minutes in their own Red Zone, with some manful defence on the try line holding the Hoots out before a double team by the 1 & 3 giving a turnover and allowing Red to exit. 2 minutes later Pappy Douglas danced down the try line to score make teapots conversion attempt to big a challenge in the inclement conditions. Red pressure continued on with Baby-Face channelling his Sam Thomas and scoring from a well-constructed maul. 10-0.

Oscar Maleli continued his strong carries before unleashing a rampant Robbo on a hard line who soft hands a pass the put Dash Palmer over the line in the 27th Minute 15-0 with Teapot struggling to convert in the windy conditions.

Hard running from Dash Palmer through contact like a greased pig set the platform for Robbo to continue to bump hoots players off like a dodgem car his final pass putting Oscar over the line a little closure to the posts finally taking some pressure of the Conversion kicker 22-0 leading us into to oranges.

Some synchronised scrummaging creates a solid platform for the point-heads with rampaging Robbo running a hard-line to score untouched to open the scoring in the second half 3rd minute 29-0.

Part-timer and lineout leader Callum Smith’s substitution at the 43-minute mark had no impact on the Red Lineout dominance with it creating space for the backs and allowing Dash Palmer to cruise over in the corner dotting down his second with no regard for Teapot’s struggle with the wind. Although his contribution at L/O and maul D was missed minutes later with the Hoots scoring their first points from said set piece at the 47 minute mark. 29-7 followed by their second from the same process at 60th minute 29-12.

62 minutes in Coaches Ryan and Ulugia emptied the bench with Matt Wafer playing his first second grade game since the Boer War.

Free flowing counter attack rugby send Robbo over the line for his second in the 66th minute with Teapot converting his 3rd and troubling the scorer’s fort he final time this match.

Even continuous whinging from Hoots Captain Angus Whittle at EVERY stoppage of play couldn’t cast doubt on the result with the Red Men convincing Victors 41-12

Scorers:

Tries: Dash Palmer (2), Robbo Robinson (2), Pappy Douglas, “Oscar” Maleli and Baby -Face Leiper Conversions: Teapot Hargan 3/7

Players Player:  Willi Penitani

3-2-1’s

3 Points: Andrew “Robbo” Robinson

2Points:  Willi Penitani

1Point: Paddy Atkins & Jak McAlister

Round 13 – Match Report – Colts

A wise man once said you can’t put old heads on young bodies and that was evident on a cold, wet and windy day at VP last Saturday against the Students. Plays that were crisp and accurate on training nights were completely forgotten and the individual player decisions by those not in critical design making roles were the norm. Although the Students had beaten us twice this season by bare margins and hopes were high that we could reverse that but as individually talented as our squad is, until they put Team/Club before themselves then the reality is we may not be troubling too many clubs past a certain Sunday in August.

In a nutshell we were panted 22-8 by the team sitting in 3rd spot above us. Credit to the Students, they are now 3-0 against us.

As you can gather not too many positives came from the game but Tony L playing on the flanks was irrepressible, Harry D soared at lineout time and the scrum was slow to start but dominated yet again.

Onwards and upwards to Nicholls again this Saturday against Gungahlin who are nipping at our heels and no doubt will be stiff opposition.

Scorers were Matty D (try) and Taffy (pg).

PP was Samson Lawson.

3-2-1’s

3 Points: Tony L

2 Points: Grayson T

1 Point: Zac L

Round 13 – Match Report – 3rd Grade

Back to the Future… our close encounter of the third time… Like Marty McFly, ending up at his mums high school dance – our third time facing off with the students ended up feeling like kissing our sister.

Another quick start by the redmen – scoring within the first 3 mins.  An early lineout on our 10-meter gave us a good platform to launch – ball hitting centre field off the top of our high-flying jumpers.  Dan Uilelea making a strong tackle busting hard line – to move the play 30 meters up field.  Quick ball at the ruck for Aedan combining with Tommy Lachlan to show and go through he gap.  Fiji touch games at training shining through as off loads were the order of the play – Waffles on the mark to suck a few defenders in to offload again to Aedan – then a nice flat cut ball to Clayton for a few quick steps before being bundled in to touch 5 meters from the try line.  A 70-meter gain 2 phases.  The Owls lineout looking to hit the middle to get a clearance pass and kick out of danger – but were let down by their jumpers – feathers sodden in the sleet like rain… not so for our Viking George – soring high to juggle the ball on the tips of his fingers – gaining control as he landed – to dive over for the first try of the game.

Owls were had studied hard in our previous encounters – the next 10 minutes saw them controlling the ball well into our red zone – applying pressure through phases and a studious sense of owl-tipaction. There academic reward coming after Vikings ruled offside – dead centre for an easy penalty kick.  Students second pass-mark of leaning – keep in touch with points knowing we score tries more often in the first half to the second, and they had shown ability to work themselves back into the game in second half on previous encounters.   Less than 5 minutes latter off the back of a well-placed 50/22 Lineout Owls attacked the midfield, folding towards the outside, several penalty advantages stacking up as we scrambled to defend. Eventually the ball spilling after a dangerous cleanout – Owls opting again for points – score 7-6 to Vikings in the 20th minute.

Vikings struck back soon to show the students who’s the boss.   Our second try coming off some very dominate set-piece plays.  Owls Scrum on their 22-meter turned into a teaching moment as our redmen dug deep – winning the tight head scrum as the we made men look like boys, Scrum penalty to Vikings and a kick to give us a 5-meter lineout. The redmen going into battle with a well set and fast-moving maul, the students hapless to stop the onslaught as Levi cleaned up for the try. 14-6 to Vikings.

Owls with a deep mid field restart – had some quick chasers – our player unforgivably isolated on the deck in the first phase after restart – penalty to Owls for us holding on to the ball.  35 meters out centre field – again the students showing they had learnt from the past exams opting for the easy three points.  14-9 to Vikings.

The second half saw us a man down – Leo with a given a 10-minute detention at the end of the first half for some naughty play. We looked to play in the students quad. Keeping them pinned into their own half.  Tommy Lachlan with a 45-meter box kick to see us deep into Owls territory the fullback under all sorts for pressure as George and Clayton T bore down, losing his feet – isolated as George maintained his feet to pilfer the ball – penalty to Vikings. The napping students caught off guard with the quick tap – forwards dominating the phases to eventually have the ball sail to a mid-field crash ball to Levi on his double – carrying several Owls defenders over the line as easily as they carry their textbooks to class. Tommy Lachlan three from three to see us at 21-9.

Our last try again courtesy of a quick tap and go – the students more focused on the niggle to not see Swannie taking a short pass on a steaming run to swan-dive over the line for an easy 5  points.  Tommy 4 from 4 Vikings looking comfortable at 28-9.

Here the lesson starts for the Vikings – throughout the game the Owls preyed on 2 key elements to setup their last 15 minutes.  Throughout the game at any stoppage the students always had their captain or vice talking to the ref – planting doubt on our discipline throughout the game – coupled with this, on looking at the match footage nearly every phase 1 or 2 Owls were up to no good ruffling Vikings players – sucking us into some fowl and ill-tempered driven moments hoping we’d do something stupid like they were planting in the refs mind.  The feathery fiends plan came home to roost. Ill-discipline harshly punished with a sway of penalties and cards coming against us.  The cards on review were harsh – a yellow for nothing more than some words at lineout and a red for alleged striking.  However, justice prevailed at the headmaster’s office – with the judiciary ruling out the red card – game footage shown – our man had done absolutely nothing except go for the ball making no contact whatsoever with the peacock-fowling owl (who should have received a red for a dangerous late and from the side clean out on our innocent Hackett).  However, the despite the comfortable lead with 15 mins to go – the cards and penalties were going to sway the momentum away.

Owls first try of the match came at the 55-minute mark – starting with down field pressure a 5-meter lineout – text book stuff from the students as they went quickly to hands and width – fowling up in the midfield with stern and studious defence by the red men. Folding to exhaust out wide the red men infringed.  Quick-tap taken – again hands to midfield for a quick crash ball to score under the post:  28-16 to Vikings – although in clear sight of the AR and all on the sideline the ball was short of line – the ref seeing double awarded the try to stand.

Double penalties gave Owls prime front of the class seating deep into our red zone – again Vikings judged harshly with a perfect strip by George ruled to be the tackler and not releasing despite the ball carrier still on his feet.  The resulting lineout leading to phased play side to side – before a sneaky dart from the base of the ruck got the ball on the line. Conversion successful Vikings clinging to a tight lead 28-23. The final Owls try coming on the 70 minute mark:  Scrum 30 metres out – ball in hand Owls again went back to text book styled play through the hands and through 6-7 phases stretching us from side to side before the 13 Red men were found stretched- Owls tooting with an easy try on the last bell of the day:  28-28 with a kick to come:  a nervous kick against the wind and rain from the sideline – a kick to surely disappoint his loved ones – a limp effort falling away.  Final score 28-28 draw.  We know how Marty Mcfly felt being kissed in the car at the school dance.

Players-Player:  Matt Wafer

3-2-1s:

3 Points: Matt Wafer

2 Points: George Uilelea

1 Point: Maleli Gadi

Round 13 – ViQueens

The Viqueens had a big challenge this week, facing up to the only team in the competition to take competition points off them so far this year. Last encounter was a shocking defeat, so the Viqueens had to turn up with no excuses to get the win.

The game on Saturday was a thrilling nail biter which had everyone on the edge on their seat! The game was closely contested, with only a two-point difference in the final result.

Throughout the match, the Viqueens showcased their defensive prowess as they valiantly defended their try line against the relentless attack of Uni North’s number 8, who managed to break through their defence multiple times in the first half. As a result of the Viqueens’ ill discipline, the Owls were awarded a penalty kick, giving them a slim 3-0 lead early on.

Undeterred, the Viqueens relied on their strength in forward to gain momentum with powerful runs. It was our younger Gen-Red graduate Olivia Faitua who scored the first try of the game for the home side, utilizing a left-side attack to cross the try line. However, the conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 5-3 in favour of the Viqueens.

The Uni North Owls quickly countered, scoring a try through the middle. This brought the Owls back into the fight and set the stage for a thrilling second half. In the second half, the Uni North faced the challenge of containing Viqueens new fullback, Grace Tai, who consistently made impressive breaks down the sideline, pushing the Viqueens closer to their try line.

The Viqueens, led by their elders in the likes of Sharon Waihpie, seized an opportunity when they were awarded a scrum five meters out. Capitalizing on this chance, the forwards pick and go game was on show, they were able to crash over the line and after a quick check with the touchie were awarded 5 points. Due to her larger than life celebration, young star Siena Edwards emerged the owner of the try on rugby Xplorer. But it was a Gen Red try day with Olivia’s former coach being the real owner. This sealed the game with the final score at 10-8 in favour of the Viqueens, securing their well-deserved victory.

The Viqueens’ win streak remained intact, thanks to their resilient defence, dominant forward runs, and the outstanding performances of players like Olivia Faitua, Siena Edwards, new comer Grace Tai and Martha Fua. This closely fought contest showcased the passion and skill of both teams.

Round 13 – 4th Grade

Smart second half from Frozen Fourths

Vikings 4th Grade started a cold and wet day for the club, playing the Snow Owls from Uni/Nths for the third but probably not final time of 2023.

With some injury and unavailability, we managed to cobble together 20 hearty souls and in constant rain the first half was a true arm wrestle. We controlled all the possession early, but the students scored first against the run of play to take a 7-0 lead.

First half tries to Kieran May and returning Redman Ati Lalofau after great driving forward play kept it close at halftime down 12-10.

Half-time suggestions were to play for territory with an improved kick and chase game to get down the “right end” and then patience to build phases for points. The plan worked perfectly and with Ati, Skipper Nathan Hackett and Pistol Conroy making metres, the backs were able to play and tries to Robbie M, Ati for his second, Zinni from Colts squad and super-fast Beaver Hutch, Vikings ran away with a bonus point win, 36-17.

Best for the Redmen included 3 points and Players Player to Ati Lalofau, a solid running, chasing and defensive game from the wood chopper Jonathan Wilson for 2 points and the ever-reliable Jack Van Lohuizen picked up one point for a wholehearted game servicing from scrumhalf.

Big challenges await over the next fortnight, with away games against the teams sitting first and second in the comp (Gungahlin and Royals) before we return home to start Hagar’s and Helga’s day in 3 weeks’ time.