Oh Rugby, you've a million ways to be cruel

If there's one thing harder than enduring this streak of narrow losses we've been on, it's having to find new ways to write about it every week. It's times like these when I almost wish I was on any of those other teams in the league who never bother to post their scores, let alone string two sentences together to catalog their exploits.

But then again, it was Churchill who said, "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it". So when the rugby historians dig up the archives of rugby in New England during the early years of the 21st century (which I'm sure will be high on their list of things to do), they're just going to think it was me holding the whole thing together - and then they're going to name a stadium after me, which they will be building to host the 2112 Rugby World Cup that is being held in New England. Oh, how confused proud my great-grandchildren will be.

So, anyhoo, back to the present. Saturday brought Newport to our fair city, riding in on a 1-2 losing record all of their own, having also coughed it up against Charles River and Providence. By all accounts the form book would have had us in a close heat, and sure enough, the game was to be a tough one. Of course, it seems like Newport have spent a little cash on the transfer market since we last met, with one of their acquisition being so new he still had his price tag on.

But hey, both sides were fielding a few changes since we met in the Spring, and them's the breaks. What hadn't changed since then was the pace of the game, which began fast, and stayed on a steady boil throughout. Newport dominated the early possession, and capitalized early with a try down the weak side which they duly converted. Although Portland managed to extract their own fair share of possession, given strong scrummaging and lineouts, they had a hard time breaking the gainline. Nevertheless, thanks to the boot of Andy Nelson, we were able to remain somewhat in touch by way of a couple of penalty kicks.

Glossing over the rest of the first half, which seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, Newport kicked a couple of penalties of their own, and the scoreline at the break was (I think) 13-6.

The second half opened with Portland pushing hard, and they soon found themselves with a lineout in the corner that they were able to maul over for an early try, leaving a very narrow 12-11 deficit. More pressure ensued, and Even Harding dropped a goal from right in front to give Portland a slender 14-12 lead of their own. Clearly rattled, Newport soon gave up another penalty within striking distance, although this time Andy's kick just drifted right to keep the game balanced on a knife edge.

Newport regrouped and began to threaten again, spinning the ball wide in an effort to make a breakthrough. With 10 minutes remaining they found their opportunity, as their full back chipped through a crowd of players to emerge the other side and gather up his own kick and run it in for the score.

With the scoreline now 20-14, Portland were still in with a shout, but the Newport defences held firm, and that's how it all ended. Another tough loss, but unlike previous weeks, this one didn't feel like a gift to the opposition. We'd like to think that Newport was made to work for it throughout.

Man of the Match honors went to Andy Nelson for his (almost) unerring boot, and for his strong performance in the scrum, where Portland dominated and stole several against the head.

The B Side game saw the return of the Killer B's as their fitness and aggression took care of Newport B's by something like 2 tries to 1. Man of the Match honors there went to Josh (the new guy).

Portland get a rest this weekend, and face South Shore away on 10/21.

Team Alaska Pride

CB Retains His Dignity?
Originally uploaded by PRFC Sec..

Those of you who have been playing for the club for a few years will remember our hard-hitting Center/Wing, CB Brady, who quit the game in favor of less hazardous pursuits.

To fill up all his free time he's taken up "extreme" Adventure Racing which, as you can see from the picture, looks rather silly but in reality is something of a workout. Those of you who know CB will realize that he's custom built for such a sport, given his endurance, extremely high pain threshold and "extreme" fashion sense.

CB and his teammates have been rocking the White Mountains lately, with a 2nd Place finish in the 24hr Adventure Race New England Adventure Series held at Gunstock, NH, and the 1st Place overall in the Adventure Race New England Series. Yo bro, that's like...extremely extreme!

All kidding aside, it's all in a good cause, as Team Alaska Pride races in an effort to raise money an awarenes to fight Retinitis Pigmentosa. This is a degenerative eye condition that CB himself suffers from, which not only forced him to quit drinking beer, but also seems to have progressed to the point where he no longer looks at himself in the mirror. A cruel affliction indeed.

So, to find out more about CB's exploits, and what you can do to help fight RP, vist teamalaskapride.org

River poaches win in Moakley Park quarry

Ooof!

Of all the near-misses so far this season, losing out to Charles River in the dying seconds of last Saturday's match has to be the hardest to swallow. All tied up at 22-all with only a few seconds left to play, Charles River stole the final lineout to spin the ball quickly to their backs, busting through and scoring at the death. Standing under the posts, waiting for the conversion, Portland began to experience the natural grief cycle of anyone experiencing sudden loss: shock gives way to denial, which inevitably leads to anger, then bargaining, then depression and ultimately, some time after the third or fourth drink...acceptance.

This result left Charles River undefeated at 3-0, and Portland struggling to come to terms with a 1-3 record the belies the strong and often times dominant performances they have put on.

Although it was the last few moments of the match that saw Charles River administer a donkey punch all of their own, it could so very easily have been a different scenario, with Portland passing up a number of chances and giving away easy points that kept Charles River in the running throughout the match.

As usual Portland came out cold, giving up two soft tries in the opening minutes and finding themselves in a 12-point hole before they even had a chance to know what hit them. For once though the team reacted quickly and soon put Hannes over in the corner to claw back some precious points.

With its first score on the board Portland settled in to a more controlled phase of play, and although Portland's pack dominated, Charles River was able to secure enough possession to make sure their strong backline was an everpresent threat. Portland were eventually able to draw level however, as Scotty Derrig scampered through traffic from a quickly taken penalty.

As the first half drew to a close, it appeared as though Portland were going to go in to the break level, with the promise of the slope and the breeze in their favor for the second half. This was not to be however, as Portland's concentration lapsed, allowing Charles River to kick a penalty and take another quick try, giving Portland a 10-point deficit to contemplate during half time.

Unperturbed, Portland came out strong in the second half, scoring an early try (Hannes again), and claiming a penalty of their own, and before long the scores were level again. Everything seemed to be going to plan. Portland continued to dominate possession, which offered up its fair share of chances. Two penalties were missed, along with a drop-goal attempt and several other near-misses in or around the Charles River try zone. Try as they might though, Portland were unable to break the stalemate, and as the clock ticked down they began to relax into the prospect of the inevitable draw. Well...we all know how that ended up, so let's not go over it again.

Emotions were still running high in the B game, and although it look like Charles River might have had the upper hand (points-wise) the game was called early thanks to the freely flying fists and general all around bad temper.

Another Saturday, another kick in the nuts.

Portland host Newport at home this coming weekend. 1:45pm kick off at Dougherty Field, off Douglas Street.

Like the heavens, Portland opens [it up] at home

The weather forecast said "scattered showers", but it was a steady rain that greeted fans and players alike this past Saturday. Just the kind of steady rain that has come to be known as "Portland weather". Nevertheless, after a couple of near misses Portland finally got the win they've been looking for, galloping home in grand style against the visitors, Springfield.

Despite an optimistic outlook leading up to this fixture, Portland began nervously, taken aback by by Springfield's early aggression, as they ran a number of quick penalties to gain some significant ground.

Slowly however Portland began to come to life, and it was Ryan Facey, in his first start as A-side scrum half, who got the party started with a 50 yd. breakaway try, leaving Springfield with little to show for their earlier territorial advantage.

From that point onwards Portland began to play (and score) more freely. Initally, given the conditions, it was left to the forwards to do much of the heavy lifting, but after a fair degree of whining from the backs, and with a comfortable points margin established, Portland began to swing the ball around.

For the balance of the half Portland controlled the game, thanks in large part to the kicking of Evan Harding, who would go on to earn Man of the Match for his efforts.

Towards the break Portland went off the boil a little, although much of the damage had already been done. Halftime saw some fresh legs come on in the front row to continue the pressure on the Springfield pack. As usual however, the break in play caused Portland to loose their rhythm, which Springfield were able to exploit by running in their solitary try of the day.

Stung in to action by the lapse of concentration, the home side set about regaining control, and despite several more substitutions they continued to run the show, scoring at will.

All in all, nine tries were scored. Three to Hannes, two to Ryan, and one each for (I think) myself, Jarred, Tom Zabriski and Dan Joyce. If I've got that wrong, please correct me in the comments section below. What I am sure about however is that the final score was 62-5, a just reward for all the hard work put in the preceeding week. Mark Griffin also made 7 of 9 conversion attempts, plus one penalty for a solid day with the boot.

Some great pics of the A game first-half can be found here, and come to us courtesy of Eric Holsinger.

The B game provided more of the same, with Portland dominating a Springfield team that was playing its second game of the day. The scoreline and the scorers are unknown (to me), but if you were involved, please regail us with your exploits in the comments section below. B side Man of the Match went to Ben.

Portland travels to Charles River this coming weekend, who put up similar numbers against Springfield, so it promises to be another good game, for which all troops are required.

Johnny Law Gets His Say

If you're tired of reading my fair and balanced match reports, you can now click on over to the newly created New England Refs website, where refs will get to sound off about how nobody loves them.

Although the site is largely under construction, the Match Report section seems to be up and running, although some refs seem more conscientious than others about filling these out. Nevertheless, it's a good spot to pick up a little intel. Here's another perspective on the Providence game, finally a scoreline on the Newport/Springfield encounter, a brief look at the Burlington upset over Hartford, and much, much more.

Just more stuff for you rugby junkies to obsess about. Enjoy!

Portland Still Winless; Foxy Lady Fails To Ease The Pain

Portland took their "Back in D2" tour on the road this past weekend, bringing the goodness to the fair city of Providence, where, after years playing rugby in the seamy back streets of the "Beehive of Industry", the Providence Rugby Club has graduated to the rather tony surroundings of East Greenwich.

This week Portland were sporting a bit of a new look themselves, with a significantly restructured side from their earlier loss to Old Gold. While some changes were by design, others were enforced due to injury or absence, leaving only a handful of players in their original starting positions from the previous match. Nevertheless, the lineup was a strong one and as you'll see, the team played with a confidence belying the unfamiliar lineup.

Portland were able to apply some decent pressure right from the kick off, but for the most part the well timed kicking from the opposition fly half kept Providence out of any serious danger in the early stages. Having said that however, Portland did appear as though they were threatening to score at one stage, after some cohesive forward play left a 3-on-1 overload on the far side. Faced with few defensive options, the opposing winger chose correctly, picking off the interception to turn the play around completely to set up a try at the other end. Ouch! Not a very fitting reward for the early effort.

While still reeling from that early disappointment Providence were able to run in another quick score, putting Portland in a 14-point hole with only a quarter of the game gone. Certainly not the start we were looking for, and one that could have easily gotten out of hand if we weren't careful.

From this point on however Portland dug in, and thanks to a pretty dominant lineout performance coupled with some improved tackling at the fringe of the breakdown, the visitors were able to stop the rot and even mount some offense of their own. Portland ended the half with their tails up, and a sense that they could make a game of this yet.

Shortly after the break Scotty Derrig turned this belief into points with a swift blindside break from about 10 yards out, scooting in to the try zone unmolested. Andy Nelson converted to bring the scoreline to 14-7 and breathing some life back into this contest.

From there the play ebbed and flowed for a while, which is a nice way of saying that I can't remember what went on, but I do know that Providence scored next after creating an overload on the open side. The angle fo the coversion proved too much and the lead was only increased to 19-7.

This time however Portland struck back immediately, taking a scrum against the head which was worked to the open side, to see Evan then pop it back inside to Scotty, who crossed the line for the second time. Mark Griffin converted this one, bringing Portland tantalizingly close at 19-14, with 10 minutes left to play.

The last minutes were played at a frenetic pace, but time after time Providence were able to clear their lines, sending Portland back to regroup and mount another assault. The pressure began to tell, with Providence picking up two late yellow cards, but alas the clock ran out before Portland could capitalize, leaving the final score at 19-14, with Portland receiving some consolation as they picked up their first point of the season for the narrow loss.

The "Killer" B's however experienced no such disappointment, as they borrowed a couple of local lads and dominated their game from the start. At the helm was a fired up Ryan Facey, who marshaled his troops expertly, with assistance from several A-side veterans. Man of the Match honors went to Bob (who's last name I'm ashamed to say I still don't know) who displayed some deft handling and strong tackling at center.

So, after a (mostly) glorious Spring, dropping two games on the bounce may have brought on a strange new feeling of impotence, and sometimes you need a little reminder of what it is to be a man. So, when the Providence drink up is no more than a keg toss from the renown Foxy Lady, the temptation to find love in the arms of a stranger is really too hard to pass up. For that brief moment you can convince yourself that you are loved by (or in love with) this vision before you, who surely is only stripping to pay her way through med school, and is just waiting to be whisked away from it all. That is, of course, until you run out of singles and the fat guy flashing the twentys shows up, and then there you are, all alone, still 0-and-2, being told that you shouldn't sit so close to the stage if you're not going to front up any more cash. Right Al?

But of course, no amount of silicone can heal the hurt you feel inside, and the only real cure is to go to training, and to stick it to Springfield, so for pity-sake get a hold of yourself man, get over it, and get to training.

So, I guess the victory dance stays on the shelf for another week...