I'm sorry, I just can't write about the rain any more. After so many shitty, freezing, rain soaked Saturdays, I'm just flat out of adjectives. So, let me just point out that it rained again this weekend. And then it rained some more. Go figure.
So, now that's out of the way, on to something almost as reliable as rain on Saturdays - an ill tempered encounter with Old Gold. Well, to be fair, in comparison with some of the games of yore, this was a pretty tame affair, but just like Ali vs. Frazier, no Portland - Old Gold game goes off without its fair share of trash talk, yelling and finger wagging. "Thrilla in Manila"? Perhaps not. "Hissy Fit in the Hay Field" more like.
Anyway, if you really wanted a blow-by-blow account of the game by now you probably would have gone and read Old Gold's match report. Even though it's at best incoherent, you probably would have been able to glean that Portland squeaked out a narrow 18-17 victory, and despite some questionable tries scored by both sides, the dodgy reffing seemed to even itself out in the end, and the result seemed like a fair one. It's funny how OG only whines about the knock-ons, but is conspicuously silent when the ref turns a blind eye to a touch judge's flag and lets them poach a late score. Ah, how absence makes the heart grow fonder.
So that's about it on the game. Hannes snagged another man-of-the-match, so it's time to introduce some kind of handicapping system. Thanks to Portland Pie for the great pizza, and Gritty's for the beer.
Oh, and one more thing...
It turns out that NERFU has gone back on their decision to kick anyone out of D2 for the Fall, so the league expands to 9 teams, which is of course an odd number, and now means a bye week, a longer season for all, and an extra road trip for some. Fantastic - big oil wrings it's hands with delight. Of course, it was deemed that Newport had done a good rebuilding job in the off season and would have been too strong for D3. K. I bear no ill will to Newport, who are a decent bunch of lads with a good team, but am I the only one seeing the inconsistency here? I don't remember NERFU handing out such concessions when it was our turn to go down. And what about the Wolfhounds? No offence to Newport, but having been cuffed around by the 'hounds once already this year on their inexorable march to the D3 National Championship, I hardly think Newport (or any demotee from D2) is going to make D3 any more lopsided than it already is.
One of the pillars of respect is consistency.
