Travelling in such style to a game is something you could get used to, even if coming back stuck on bus with the same people after a few drinks is something you can do with out. But more on that later...
The Portland team (and friends) arrived in Boston just as the rains stopped to reveal the finely manicured and lavishly appointed Harvard Sports facilities. Hopes of finding an equally manicured and appointed rugby pitch were soon dashed, because after all, those B-school students need somewhere to graze their cows.
Clearly the damp pitch conditions seeped in to the spirits of the Portland fifteen, who came out flatter than last night's beer. In the sloppy conditions both sides made their share of mistakes, although Portland did take an early lead through an Andy Nelson penalty. That was about the high point of the first half, as both sides huffed and puffed with little effect.
Half time arrived with the hope that a few inspirational words would open things up. Well, I'll be darned if something that was said didn't register deep in the cortex of our players as they came out in the second half with a new found purpose. In the 46th minute they found themselves with a lineout five yards out from the Harvard line, and they didn't need to be reminded about what to do in such circumstances. A clean take, a drive and Hannes touches down. 8-nil Portland.
The next twenty minutes passed uneventfully, other than another penalty attempt by Andy that increased the score to 11-0. In the 66th minute however, a clearance kick by Jerry McQueeny was charged down inside the Portland 22, and some Harvard dude scooped up the ball and ran in uncontested. The ensuing covnersion was good, bringing the score to 11-7 and all of a sudden Portland looked as though they had another squeaker on their hands.
With their new found composure however, Portland shut things down for the remainder of the game, other than to take the score to 14-7 with another Andy Nelson penalty, who finished with 3 out of 5 for the day. All in all a solid, workmanlike performance by the Portland team, but not one that'll be winning any beauty pageants.
The B Game was less of a contest, with Portland rolling out 25-0 winners. They opened their account with a replay of their A game try that saw a couple of guys claiming to have their hand on the ball when it hit the deck. The next two tries were a little more fluid, and also great team efforts. Francis dumped off to Matt who hit Freddy for the first score, and Jimmy Hendricks begat Matt (again) who begat Jerry McQ for the second. The last try went to Scotty Derrig, who capped a fine solo effort with a completely unecessary dive in to the try zone. Nelly converted 2 of the 4 conversions, giving his right leg a good workout throughout the day.
Thanks go to Harvard for their lavish hospitality, which included three slices of pizza and a few pitchers. Clearly they are truely "the man" in training, and already trying to keep good folks like us down. Well, we stuck it to the man, so keep your pizza.
Not that a few pitchers of beer didn't do the trick in stripping away any pretence of decency amongst the Portland players and their entourage. Like New Orleans after a hurricane the thin veneer of civilty was soon stripped away, and as far as a I can tell, the only winner was the gene pool. Charles Darwin would have been proud.
