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Coaches corner:
This weekend showed me a few firsts for the Irish in this summer's 7s 2007 season. First, The Green came back from two huge deficits at half. They were able to come back getting the tie and win respectively. Second, White showed 'how to have fun' no matter how much adversity they faced. The infusion of the old boys gave a boost the Whites too (You can teach an old dog new tricks!). The oldies showed you don't need speed to score, but being in the right position is key. The Green played well without their big guns and a came together to show we are a true team of players. On the down side, we need to continue to support our mates on offense and not help in tackles. Once the tackler is tied up, mark the man in front of you. We did get a little mouthy too- your coach was no exception. I have already apologized and will keep it positive in the future.
Irish- Congratulations on the Bowl Championship.
Cheers,
Duma
Cheers,
Duma
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Irish Green Win Bowl
Bowie, MD- June 23, 2007
Irish v Severn River
Poor defense defined Irish Green's opening match against Severn River. Almost immediately Severn swung the ball to their swift winger who found space around the end and started the scoring streak that would put Severn up 3 tries before the end of the half. The Irish tried to rally in the second half with a couple of break-aways by Sev Schneibe with JB in support. However, the Irish were unable to close and Severn again managed to break the Irish defense and score their 4th try. The Irish put fresh legs into the pack with Anthony Rodgers who quickly faked a pass wide to Jon “Head” Hansen before taking the run himself to score in the last minute, saving Green the embarrassment of a shut out.
Final 26-7 Severn.
Irish Green v Exiles
It looked as though the Exiles game would be a repeat of the Severn match when the Exiles opened with a quick run around the end. But Green answered almost immediately with JB swinging a pass to Weis who showed his speed and touched the ball down between the posts. The Exiles came right back and managed to increase their lead to 21-7 before the end of the half. Schneibe came on for scrum half at the break and showed some shut down defense on ruggers twice his size. After tackling the Exile prop inside the their own 10 meter line, Schneibe poached the ball and jumped across the try line between the posts. Hansen converted and closed the gap on the Exiles. The Green defense finally came together and the pressure began to mount on the Exiles. Hansen showed some shifty moves around mid-field and broke through the Exile line for a long run to the posts. He converted his try to tie the game. With time running out, Pete McGrath broke free around the end and tore off down the pitch with Dan O'Connor in support. Overtaken by the Exile sweeper, McGrath dumped O'Connor, who pushed the ball within 5 meters of the try line. He was foiled by the Exile defense and a knock was called. Green overpowered the scrum and tackled the Exile defender inside his own try zone as time ran out on Irish Green and saved the Exiles from a loss.
Final 21-21
Irish Green v Washington
Irish Green then faced Washington, their old nemesis from last summer, for the last shot at the Plate Semi Finals. Washington got a quick break on the Irish that put them up early in the 1st half. The Irish tried to answer immediately with a break by JB and O'Connor in support. Washington managed to tie the ball up in the ruck, poach it, and swing around the weak side for a long break for their second try. Green came out hard in the 2nd half and pushed the ball out to Weis on the wing. Weis crossed the try line under pressure and the Washington player kicked the ball after Weis touched it down. The ref saw it as a knock on and denied the Irish a try. Washington escaped from the 5-meter scrum and got back to mid-field before the Irish defense forced an error and got the ball back. Some loose play opened up the Washington defense and James Thompson dummied a pass to Brandenburg on the wing before dashing into the try zone from the 22. Green dominated the rest of the second half, but without scoring. In the last minute, Washington got a lucky break and sealed their win at 7-19.
Washington 7-19 over Irish
Irish Green v Kenyan Exiles II
Irish Green finished at the bottom of their pool and now faced Kenyan Exiles for a shot at third place known as the Bowl Championship. Though the Kenyan's showed a lot of speed and shiftyness, they were unable to put together an attack that could break the Irish defense. Good scrums and excellent loose play defined the Irish game. McGrath showed awesome teamwork by assisting tries to both JB and Weis before the end of the 1st half. In the 2nd half, Kenya threatened with a chip kick, but Thompson found some speed and foiled the try, kicking it out the back of try zone and drawing a penalty from the frustrated Kenyan winger. JB walked down another break away try shutting down the Kenyan speed and allowing Irish Green their first win of the day and a shot a taking 3rd in the Open.
Irish Green over Kenyan Exiles II
Irish Green v MD Exiles (Bowl Championship Final)
Irish Green faced Maryland for the Bowl Championship allowing both teams the opportunity of settling the tie from earlier in the day. The Green defense was finally coming together, but it was not tight enough to prevent the Exiles from going up 2 tries to none before the end of the 1st half. Finding themselves in the same position as their early match against Exiles, Green came out to the 2nd half with focused determination. Hansen's kick-offs defined the second half as he continuously hung them high and short, just over the 10-meter requirement. Loose play pushed the ball into Thompson's hands who chipped it up for JB to run on. JB chased the chip under pressure and soccer-kicked further down the pitch to the try line. A lucky bounce at the end popped up and JB snagged it and put the Irish on the board. Another great kick-off by Head allowed Green to regain possession immediately. More loose play at mid-field and Thompson drew a tackler near the outside and dumped at the last second to Brandenburg. Brandenburg broke three tackles and ran over the final Exile defender to tie the game. Hansen again delivered a beautiful kick-off and the Irish, now tied and smelling a win, rushed on to the Exiles and regained possession inside the 22. Thompson again caught a quick pass off of Chris Bayhe and drew the second to last defender 10 meters out. The Exile Prop fully committed and knocked Thomson to the ground, but not before he again dumped to Bradenburg in support. The Exile winger was no match for Brandenburg's guns that he used to stiff-arm the surprised winger. Green took the lead with Brandenburg’s try. There was now less than a minute left in the match. Hansen once again hung the kick-off long enough to allow Rodgers to time his arrival at the Exile prop at the same time as the ball. Rodgers utterly destroyed the Exile player as he caught the ball with his back to the Green onslaught. The ref claimed the Exile player was not on the ground when the hit came and, after a minute to allow the Exile player to recover, awarded a penalty to the Exiles. They managed to push the ball up to mid-field before knocking it on. The ball came out of the scrum and Thompson and Hansen got caught in a maul. With Hansen keeping his feet, they drove the three Exile players and the ball into touch ending the match 21-14 Irish Green.
Irish Green over Exiles for Bowl Championship
Man of the tournament, the Quiet Storm, Justin Brandenburg
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Hard Fought Day For Irish White
Bowie, MD- June 23, 2007
Irish White v Kenyan Exiles II
An early start saw Irish White face off against an
athletic Kenyan Exiles II side. The Irish took first
possession but managed to do little with it, as an
ill-advised pass was intercepted by a Kenyan player
and a certain try avoided only when Chris Weis gave a
great chase and forced a knock-on in the try zone. The
Irish could not build on Weis' great defensive effort,
however, giving up a pair of tries and struggling
against a loose Kenyan defense that took advantage of
poor passing by Irish White. The Irish woke up a bit
in the second half, however, and got their first points
of the morning after Jake Decoto found space out wide,
turned the corner and ran in for a long try. Kenyan
Exiles rebounded though, and broke through the Irish
defense for another pair of tries before the final
whistle. Although the Irish struggled both on offense
and defense in the match, several players put in solid
individual efforts, with Chris Weis making fine
defensive plays at fly-half and Jason "Smiley" Marley
making good breaks through the line and off-loading
well in the tackle.
Kenyan Exiles over Irish
White.
Irish White v Team Zippy
A slightly reconfigured Irish White side took the
field against Team Zippy, a group of PAC old boys.
Irish White started well, kicking off and fronting a
strong defense that stifled Team Zippy's attempts to
find a gap, and Irish territory was only breached on a
long kick by Team Zippy; Nick Macan gave great chase
and avoided an immediate try by Team Zippy by kicking
the ball into touch. Dave Beard managed to disrupt the
ensuing line-out and chasing the ball, but Team Zippy
were ultimately able to get the ball wide enough to
hit a gap and go through for a try. Irish White got on
back with the kickoff, as the ball came out wide and
into the able hands of Chuck Goldstein, who spotted
a gap, eluded a pair of defenders and turned up the
pace to take it in for a try from over 60m, giving the
Irish a 7-5 halftime lead. The Irish began the second
half with a solid momentum that saw them hold Team
Zippy's attacks, but a dubious high-tackle call sent
Nick Macan to the sin-bin. Team Zippy exploited the
man advantage to score a pair of tries as the clock
wound down, and though Nick and the Irish gave a
strong final push upon his return to the game it was
to no avail. The Irish were unlucky to lose Nick for
those last few minutes, as his effort throughout was
superb. Dave Beard also gave a standout performance,
tackling well and making great offloads, while Chuck
stepped up and played well at fly-half, distributing
the ball well and running with speed and vision.
Team Zippy over Irish Green
Irish White v Rocky Gorge
The Irish made further changes to the line up for
their third match of the day, fielding a line up of
three true forwards and four backs for the first time
this 7s season. They kicked off and contained the
Rocky Gorge defense well, reclaiming possession and
maintaining it for a good stretch, moving the ball
back and forth across the field with patience. Their
discipline was not rewarded, however, as Gorge
exploited a turnover for a quick score. Irish White
struck back quickly though, as Evan took the ball at
midfield and moved it wide towards Nick, who surged
forwards with Jeremy Borrell and Evan following in
support. Some fine passing saw all three get the ball
and gain ground, with Nick taking the final pass and
covering the final 20m for a fine try. Gorge were
able to add another try before the half, but a few
changes to the line-up put Irish White in strong
position to contest the second half with vigor. The
Irish fought well in a scrappy second half that
featured multiple scrums and lineouts, which the Irish
generally dominated and used to put Rocky Gorge on the
backfoot. Chris "Putty" Putnam gave great, clean ball
to the backs from the scrums and Evan played a solid
game at fly-half, shifting the ball out and giving
Jake the opportunity to make several promising runs at
the Gorge flank. The Irish couldn't break through,
however, and Gorge added a final try when they got the
ball out wide from a scrum. Overall, however, Irish
White played their best game of the day, with
particularly fine performances from their half-backs.
Rocky Gorge over Irish White
Vs. MD Exiles
At the end of a long day the Irish White took the
field one last time for a consolation match against a
Maryland Exiles team that had already fought Irish
Green in to a draw that morning. Although the Irish
White team was hungry for a victory it was not to be
that afternoon, as the Exiles displayed their 7s
prowess early in the game, as an Exile kicked a
dropped pass through to for a try shortly after the
opening kickoff. The Exiles used good passing,
communication and pace to put further points on the
board before the half, and the Irish struggled to
account for the speed with which they were faced,
consistently leaving defensive gaps to be exploited.
There was no let-up in the Irish effort, however, as
they began the second half with a few fresh legs in
the scrum and the backs and a renewed determination to
score. This resolve produced some good play, as the
Irish hung onto the ball through several break-downs,
resisted the urge to pile into the rucks, and got the
ball up and out quickly. Despite this effort they did
not manage to cross the Exiles try line before the end
of the match, and a pair of further scores by the
Exiles put the match beyond the reach of the Irish.
While the final result did not flatter the Irish there
was no question regarding their effort in the game,
which saw another fine personal effort from Putty, who
motored all over the park making great tackles,
dominating the rucks and delivering clean passes to
his teammates.
Exiles over Irish White
It was another learning experience for the Irish
White, who were unfortunate to be placed in the Open
division when they had registered for the Social
division. The team never lost confidence despite
losses the hands of experienced and capable 7s teams,
and benefited from the veteran leadership of players
such as Chris "Putty" Putnam and Eric "Casper"
O'Neill. The team has taken great strides in the last
few weeks, gaining a better grasp of 7s fundamentals
and building familiarity in playing together through
some continuity in personnel, and will surely put on
an ever-improving display of rugby as the 7s season
continues.
There were co-Man of the Tournament honors this weekend. Nick, who was all over the place making standout
plays, and Casper, who was perhaps less noticable but
no less involved and got one hell of a bloody nose for
his efforts will share the award this week. They both played multiple positions and
led the team well.
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