An ill tempered matched ended with an uncharacteristically good-natured result when Portland and Charles River met up this past weekend in Franklin Park.
Despite the sunshine, overnight rains had turned the normally dusty Franklin Park pitch in to a bit of a quagmire, so it was never going to be ideal conditions for running rugby, but short tempers and ahem..."challenging" refereeing prevented the game from ever really getting out of second gear.
The game started with Charles River definitely coming out the sharper of the two sides. Like an '82 Rothschild Portland never travels well, and the joys of driving through some of Boston's most scenic neighborhoods had clearly preoccupied the visitors. Charles River's big and physical pack took advantage of Portland's sluggishness, repeatedly crashing ball off the side of the rucks and all in all making themselves quite a handful. Soon enough this pressure told as Portland failed to contain the fringe attack.
After the Portland captain picked up a yellow card for erm...an obstruction of justice, Charles River quickly took advantage of the overload up front and scored again. Now 12 points adrift, Portland finally began to wake up and offer up some kind of resistance. Play staggered in both directions, with poor handling preventing either side from gathering much momentum. Tries were traded by each side, with Hannes Bouwer opening the scoring for Portland. Despite the signs of life however, Portland were 19-5 adrift at the half.
The second half offered much of the same stop-start rugby as before, with most plays dissolving into an ill-tempered ruck, complete with much shoving and name calling on both sides. Again it was River though who kept their focus, opening the second half scoring with a well taken chance off turnover ball.
With the scoreline now at 24-5, and Portland giving every appearance that they would rather keep fighting than start scoring, it seemed as though the game was quickly heading down the tubes. However, as gravity and a late yellow card began to take its hold on the Charles River pack, Portland were able to exert some pressure of their own and begin to stretch out the opposition defense. First Fred Hayman and then Bubba Nadeau were able to dance down the wing and score, with Fred having the presence of mind to give our motley assortment of kickers a helping hand by touching down under the posts. Scotty duly rewarded his efforts, and after both scores it was now 24-17. Game on.
With seconds on the clock Portland spun the ball wide once more, only to see Fred hauled down by his collar inches short of the line. Had he been allowed to cross the line unmolested the resultant conversion angle would have probably proven too much for any of part-time kickers. However, thanks to that ill-timed shirt grab, the ensuing penalty try ensured a kick under the posts that Matt Winch was able to slot over as though he had ice in his veins (instead of piss and vinegar).
Full time and a score of 24-all. Probably the only result that, given the nature in which the game was played, could ensure that neither side went home with a serious pole up its arse. All's well that ends well, and both sides were able to congratulate themselves for not losing. Fred Hayman secured MOTM honors for the game, as he continues his return from injury and begins to fire on all cylinders.
The B-side returned to their winning ways in more unequivocal fashion, running out 31-0 winners in a more good natured encounter. Despite a lot of familiar faces from the A-side, it was probably the cameo appearances of Spyder and Joey D that stood out the most, as they proved themselves masters of the 20-minutes-a-side format. Good to see them out, now if they could just add another 40 minutes to their repertoire then we might be on to something. MOTM honors however went to someone with 120 minutes under his belt who was still able to bust out a 60 meter breakaway try, not to mention a sterling all round performance – Ben Gurney. Ah, to be young again.
Portland are resting this weekend, and return with a home fixture on 5/12 against Monadnock / Keene State Alumni / Stripers.
