 | | Beijing 2007 |
Going into Saturday's game against the Devils - most didn't give the Survivors a chance. Beijing is notorious for having the largest, meanest pack in the Yellow Sea Cup and they were expected to use their size and verocity to push us for meters and yards all day long.
It didn't happen.
As we walked through the stadium entrance, jaws dropped. The Survivors saw something they hadn't seen in a lifetime - grass. Not patchy or sandy - It didn't look like hay or have that dead yellow/brown color. It was grass - soft, green, wonderful. I almost cried.
Breaking into forwards and backs - the feeling among the forwards was - we can take these guys. We can hold the line. If we can't outpush them - then we'll out hustle them. We were determined not to be the scapegoat for the loss. We wanted to smash them. What the backs were thinking - I can only guess. I'd like to think they had as much confidence in us as we had in them - and ourselves.
We kicked off. Roddy's kick went about 20 and as they received - Martin put the first big hit in. And it was big. More importantly - it set the tone and let the Beijing team know - we've arrived and we brought the boom.
For the first 20 or 30. Their forwards did exactly what they were expected to do. But we dug in. So much so - the newly laid sod was coming up in waves. The rucks and mauls saw two of our guys - forwards and backs alike - for every one of theirs. We had them dominated. We did exactly what WE were expected to do. And it showed - nobody on their team even stepped up to crash the line. So - after 20 or 30 we held them to two penalty kicks. Survivors 0 - Beijing 6
The next 10 or 20 saw the Survivors start to break away. Long runs up the sideline by Adam and Dan saw us gain many a meter. And what would have been a great, game breaking try by Brandon - was interrupted by a clumsy unnamed forward. Despite not scoring - our confidence was building - we knew we could. It was just a matter of time. At halftime - everybody thought we were going to win. Sorry, we knew it.
After the break - the backs continued to get long gains up the sideline. Roddy, Darren and Simon Walsh were takin' it up the guts and taken 3 guys with them - things would open up wide and we'd see Adam, Happy Simon and Dan run it up the side. Eventually - it paid off. Happy Simon put it in to the left of the post. Missed the conversion Down by one.
Now, this is Tuesday - the game was on Saturday - plus, I was exhausted - but I think I'm right when I say that I don't think they were in our half much during the second half - and if they were - I don't remember being too worried about it. Their huge pack - now tired and ineffective. Their backs - to far away to kick for points and too exhausted to chase. Their one penalty all game...Adam converted. Survivors 8 Beijing 6.
This email is long enough - but just to prologue - When we got to dinner - we were all in good spirits - didn't see one injury, one limp or one bandage on our team. But when you looked around the room (in which there were 4 or 5 Rugby team) you could see who played us. They had the scars. They were limping, bandaged and bruised. Faces looked smashed, unpresentable for work on Monday. WE SMASHED 'EM. WE WERE DOGS.
WELL DONE LADS
ROIDS - nobody makes me bleed my own blood
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