Irish Green Finish Day Undefeated;
Win Second Straight Qualifier
Irish Green vs. James River
In what was there easiest match of the day as well as a welcome reprieve, James River failed to answer the bell for the first round granting Irish Green a victory by forfeit.
Irish Green over James River by forfeit
Irish Green vs. Washington II
In addition to getting a later start and being able to have fresh legs Irish Green was also able to get a good scouting report on Washington II, mainly comprised of lightening quick students from Hyde High School and a few cagey veterans rounding out the side. Washington got a free kick at midfield after the Irish failed to kick it the requisite 10 meters off the kickoff. Green's defense was solid, as it was the entire day, and although the Washington team spun, cut, and juked every which way, all they would find was an Irish defender. Patience and experience from the Irish outweighed the athleticism of the Washington in the end. The first try came when Nate Kusner had a deep penetrating run into Washington territory and a knock on by Washington awarded a scrum to Irish Green. Brad "Box" Burns took the ball of a scrum found Anthony Caron streaking at his side. Caron hit the hole hard and found Baker tearing up on the outside. The second try again saw some great Irish patience as the ball saw four different sets of hands before Chris Weis straightened up the play and finished it. Jon Hansen with the conversion. Washington would counter with one of their lads stepping out of a tackle in the middle of the field and there was no catching the youngster. Green finished the half by disrupting a young scrum half and Hansen pounced on the ball and trotted in. Green would add one more when Burns was given very clean ball from the front row and was able to get a clean pass to Caron. Caron, who has been sorely missed on both the 15s and 7s field, found his own hole and just took it himself.
On a side note, in the past few years Irish have always had great matches versus Washington and the lads from Hyde. You always want to play these boys early in the day as you know by day's end they will have learned more about rugby with each game they play. They bowed out in the semis but not without giving Richmond a good scare. Here's to hoping they stay with the game through college.
Irish Green over Washington II
Irish Green vs. Chambersburg
Chambersburg was a spirited bunch that was perhaps a bit over matched on this occasion. The scoring came early and often started by Weis kicking a ball on and Kusner scooping it up and finishing it. The next was off a scrum as Burns peeled right and hit Baker sprinting on the outside. In one of the weirder moments of the day he twice tried to center the ball only to be tackled twice in the try zone. Still counts for five points though. The next try saw Anthony Rodgers come off Burns's hip as he was being held up in contact and finish for another try. Next Chris Putnam followed Rodgers's lead by coming off Burns's inside after he took a dirty ball off the scrum and was being brought down. Burns popped the ball to the mass of four Irish Green attackers and Putty beat the rest to it and touched it down. Half ended with the Irish up a few tries. Green turned it back on immediately as Putnam took an inside pass from Hansen and took off for awhile deep into Chambersburg territory and Rodgers cleaned it up for another try. Next James McIntyre, making his debut in a Green qualifier, showed some excellent athleticism fielding a kick and found Caron who sliced the Chambersburg defense for another fin for Green. Chambersburg got one back as an errant pass and some touch line high wire hijinks got them into the try zone. Green would get it back in the end as Baker pulled out of contact, went to James Thomson over to McIntyre to Hansen hitting a huge hole to finish.
Irish Green over Chambersburg
Irish Green vs. NOVA II
NOVA II also has been a tough opponent this summer but Irish Green has seemingly had their number all season. After some down right irritating defense by Green, NOVA kicked the ball away only to have Baker field it cleanly and then turn it back over. Aggressive defense by Kusner allowed Hansen to intercept a pass from NOVA. He found Kusner who moved it to Rodgers out to Caron and back into Kusner following well on the play for the try. On the kickoff Rodgers picked a ball off a bounce and found Burns trailing the play and he went untouched for the try. Off the kickoff NOVA found space and managed to take it 70 meters on the Irish defense. A short let down from the otherwise solid Irish defense. Off the kickoff the Irish were not about to let this slip away. The kick was taken cleanly and Green found Kusner who went about 50m before being brought to ground. A tactical ruck allowed Burns to play it out to Thomson who selflessly gave it up to Baker in the corner. Halftime. Off the kickoff NOVA methodically if not effectively moved the ball down field finding all kinds of contact. After green managed to get it back they found touch off the foot giving NOVA a lineout. It was seemingly taken cleanly but as they went to dump it to the scrumhalf Thomson picked it off and took it untouched for about 60m and five points. Off the Irish Green kickoff an over aggressive Burns conceded a penalty for having his hands in a ruck. NOVA kicked to touch and had another line out. This was plainly stolen by Rodgers, who found Box who took it inside the 22 and then found Thomson who finished under the posts. Green poached a ball off of a NOVA attack and Caron drilled a ball into an empty NOVA half and the chase was on. Caron was going shoulder to shoulder for about 70m with the NOVA chaser and in the last 5m appeared to pull up only to slide kick the ball from under the NOVA player and touch it down. Maybe the most entertaining try of the day. Full time.
Irish Green over NOVA II
Irish Green vs. Rocky Gorge (Semifinals)
One of the many advantages of having two teams out for almost every tournament this summer is the opportunity to avenge losses. It is nice to know that although you may get one over on one of our teams there are another ten to twelve Irish players lurking in the shadows ready to settle the score… in a big way. Rocky Gorge had a good run at the lads on White earlier but their fate was soon to change in the penultimate game. Right off the kickoff Gorge conceded a penalty that was taken quick by Kusner. Kusner found Thomson who then found Kusner again for a try under the posts. A knock on by Gorge gave a scrum to Irish Green. Burns again was given great ball by his front row and hit a hole finding Caron who found Baker who made quick work of the rest of the field. Off the kickoff Kusner tapped the ball back to Burns. He spun wide through Thomson, Hansen and out to Baker. In a move that would impressed some of the NOVA I squad, Baker juked the Gorge defender off the field and finished for five more. The ensuing kickoff bounced out and a bit deep. Gorge won the lineout but was held up in contact giving Green another scrum. The ball came out going right and Burns kept going with it and evaded defenders into the try zone. Green again recovered the kickoff courtesy of Rodgers. The ball went back and forth twice before Rodgers swung the ball wide to Kusner who let Caron do the dirty work for another try. Great run by Caron. That ended what might have been the best half the Irish played all summer. A clinic. Unfortunately Green had a small let down after the half and allowed two tries in the second half while not hanging anymore points on Rocky Gorge. Credit Gorge with not staying down and playing with pride. The Irish should expect nothing less from them in the upcoming 15s season.
Irish Green over Gorge
Irish Green vs. Richmond (Finals)
The conclusion of a long hard fought day would be a rematch between the Lions of Richmond and the Washington Irish Green side. The opening kickoff was taken cleanly by Kusner who dragged the defense with him and then found Caron who had no problem handling the rest of Richmond's defense to score under posts. After some scrappy play Burns and Kusner found themselves playing a 3 on 2. As the ball carrier dished Kusner picked the ball clean out of the air and took it the distance. 12-0 Irish. A small let down in the communication allowed one of Richmond's many standouts to scoot through a hole and outrun the rest of the Irish defense. Just minutes later an errant clearing kick found the Irish defense disheveled and Richmond evened the score just before half. After halftime the Irish were playing more staunch defense that eventually resulted in a poor pass that Baker scooped up and touched down to put the Irish up by five. Shortly there after Richmond found space on the outside and scampered for over 50m for a try. They converted to put them up 17-19 with under 4 minutes to play. That is about the point that Irish Green decided that a first place trophy was not in the cards for Richmond that day. Green took the kickoff and played relentless flawless patient offense. After pulling out for a third time, Kusner was on the receiving end of a pass at his feet. Rather than make a tough attempt at the catch he wisely let it go. Burns short hopped it up and broke through an unsuspecting and frustrated Richmond defense to tip the score back to Irish Green. Shortly later, Richmond knocked the ball on and allowed Burns to get a foot on it and put it into space. He dribbled it two more times past the last Richmond defender who made an attempt to fall on the ball. It squirted out and Burns finished the play for a try. Minutes later with blood in the water the Irish got the ball to Hansen with some space. In an incredibly cagey move Hansen waved on Kusner and actually pointed to where he wanted him only to throw a vicious dummy pass that left the Richmond defender cursing and throwing his mouthpiece. Hansen with the score. Respect should be given to Richmond as they had lost at least 2 players to injury just that day. A speedy recovery to both of them as they are an up and coming team and should give headaches to any MARFU team that takes them lightly.
Irish Green 31-19 over Richmond to win the Open Division.
Where to start with standout performances? James McIntrye stepped into a first side role cool as the other side of the pillow. The guy did not know what a rugby ball was 10 months ago and was throwing dummies, running great angles and spinning the ball across the field on Saturday. Anthony Caron reminded us all how dangerous he can be with his speed, athleticism, and on-field vision. Any hole on the field, whether by kick, run or pass is not safe with him on the field. John Baker covered the field sideline to sideline while also finishing whenever there was a sniff of a try zone. Chris Putnam was dropping jaws all day showing off his athleticism- fielding kicks, using pop kicks, great hands and passing, finding holes and flat our running folks. Chris Weis was also having a great day finding holes in defenses and playing shut down defense wherever he was put until he rolled his ankle late in the day during the semis. If we can keep this kid healthy he is going to do some serious damage to the opposition this season. A special shout out should go to Jon Hansen, James Thomson and John Baker who did and outstanding job managing personnel and making selections while Coach Steve Johnson was away. Managing injuries and different personnel as a player can be extremely difficult and they did it in such a fashion that Irish Green stole the show.
But Man of The Tournament Honors will go to the entire Irish Green squad. They played as a team very well today,
scored over 150 points and did the little things needed to win. For starters, when other teams made a mistake the Irish made them pay for it, something that has been lacking in their 15s game. Every loose ball, every knock on, every bad pass Irish Green made the opposition pay for. Another bullet point is when Green found themselves down 2 points with under four minutes to go, there was no panic. They knew what they had to do and knew that playing their game there was zero chance that they could be stopped. They also adapted well. When teams were fatigued or desperate Green knew kicks were coming and everybody from the front row out to the wing took turns covering the inevitable kick and chase. Finally they kept their mouths shut. While that is very easy to do while winning, they were on the receiving end of some marginal calls. Green kept silent and found 10m and were ready to play defense. These are all lessons and skills that they will need to build on in order to get the Irish back to Nationals.
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Hard Luck But
Good Showing For Irish White
Irish White vs. Richmond (L, 10-19)
Irish White began the game with a quick score, as Richmond knocked-on
the opening kickoff, giving a scrum to the Irish. Scrumhalf John
Muldoon took the ball straight from the scrum, around the blind-side
and eluded several defenders over a 20m dash before diving over the
try line. The restart saw Richmond attempt an imitation of Muldoon, as
their scrumhalf took off around the blindside from a scrum, but he
was stopped short of the try line by a great chase and tackle from
Chuck Goldstein. Although Irish White mounted a strong defensive effort
from the breakdown, Richmond persisted in their attack and took the
lead with a score and conversion. Irish White regained the lead before
the half, however, on a great play from a center-field scrum. Muldoon
got the ball out quickly and into the hands of Eric 'Casper' O'Neill,
who distributed to Goldstein, who in turn found a flying Jake Decoto on
the wing. Decoto turned the corner and outran the Richmond defense to
give Irish White a 10-7 lead going into the half. Richmond revised
their tactics in the second-half, as they got the ball out wide
quickly and scored a pair of quick tries. Despite finding themselves
down, Irish White kept their heads up and fought back. Muldoon probed
the Richmond defensive line ceaselessly and received strong support
play from his teammates, but ultimately the Irish did not manage to
score again in the game. It was a promising start to the day, however,
as Irish White performed well against a strong Richmond side that had
beaten them soundly at the NOVA 7s in June.
Irish White vs. Rocky Gorge (L, 7-40)
After a long lay off between games, a reconfigured Irish White took
the field against Rocky Gorge. The Irish found themselves down
quickly, as Rocky Gorge got the ball out wide and stretched the Irish
defense, and scored two quick tries as the Irish struggled to get
their defensive line and communication sorted. They did not lose their
composure, however, and improved both of these shortcomings, but poor
tackling remained an issue, and Gorge added another pair of tries
before the half. Field captain O'Neill rallied the team at the break,
and Tim Donovan and Andrew McClure came on in the front-row and Seth
Gazes filled in at center. Irish White made solid use of their first
possession of the second half, as they held onto the ball and moved it
wide and back again with patience. An injury to Goldstein brought in
Tom Rege, and though Gorge added another try shortly thereafter, the
Irish continued to push the Gorge defense, searching for a gap in the
line. Gazes found that gap as the game wound down, as he ran forward
with support from several teammates. The ball came out wide to Decoto,
who then cut back in and offloaded to Muldoon. Donovan then took the
ball from Muldoon, and dragged several Gorge defenders as he charged
for the try line. Muldoon recovered the ball from the ruck and found
Cameron Scott waiting on the wing, and Scott crossed over and touched
down to give the Irish well-deserved points on which to finish the
game.
Irish White vs. Washington III (L, 20-24)
Irish White's third game of the day pitted the age and experience of
the Irish against the youth and speed of Washington III. Experience
appeared to be the decisive factor in the opening minutes, as Irish
White contained Washington well and recovered quickly when their
defensive line was eventually breached. Irish White took possession of
the ball from a breakdown and brought it back up the field with pace,
and solid passing got the ball out wide to Decoto, who turned the
corner and gave the Irish an early try. Washington got a try of their own
shortly thereafter and took the lead with a conversion, but this lead
did not last long. Solid, smart play saw the Irish position themselves
well on the field, and a pass from Tom Rege found Dave Beard running
from depth with pace. Beard broke the Washington line, thwarted
several would-be tacklers and took the ball across the line to give
the Irish a 10-7 lead at the half. Although Washington retook the lead
with another converted try after the break, the Irish continued to
display savvy skills with the ball in hand. Andrew McClure took the
ball up field from a quick lineout, and offloaded to Rege, who in turn
passed to O'Neill. O'Neill then offloaded to Muldoon, who used his pace
and vision to find a path to the try-line and give the Irish their
third score of the game. Another try for the Irish came a Goldstein
pass to a speeding Decoto, but Washington pulled out a pair of tries
in the dying moments of the game, giving them victory as time expired.
It was a tough loss for the Irish, who thoroughly dominated the game
and played quality rugby throughout.
Irish White vs. Maryland Exiles III (L)
The final game of the day for Irish White came against a Maryland
Exiles III team that featured a number of forwards and a very physical
style of play that the Irish struggled to compensate for. The Exiles
managed to score a pair of quick tries, giving one another solid
support and running with a pace that belied their size. The Irish
played on with no thought to the score and continued to give their all
at the end of a hard-fought day. This effort was rewarded in the
second half. A scrum to the Exiles in Irish territory looked to give
the Exiles another solid shot at scoring, but tenacious defense from
the Irish turned the ball over, and Jeremy Borell took full advantage
of the gap in front of him to charge 70m for a try that brought a loud
cheer from the Irish sideline. Irish White continued to play hard, but
ultimately they were unable to pull out another try or a win in their
final game.
Summary:
Although wins have been hard to come by for Irish White this season,
their performance at the Exiles tournament was a display of grit and
determination under circumstances that may have seen lesser teams give
a half-hearted effort. Irish White have not enjoyed great continuity
over the course of the season, but the mix of cagey veterans and young
newcomers put on a performance that belied their inexperience in
playing alongside one another. Their effort was also good enough to
earn them an invitation to the MARFU Championships next weekend, where
they will surely turn out another display that does the jersey proud.
Men of the Day: John Muldoon and Tom Rege.
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