ST. LOUIS, MO. -- This week the Thunder Chickens continue their hard work during and after practice sessions. They came to the weekend with many improvements in their skills and understanding of how to play continuous rugby as a team.
Right from the start, it was obvious their skills were vastly improved over the last two weeks. The ruck defenses were more cohesive and their ability to attack in a flowing style of play was very evident. The play was intense and played with passion by both teams. After ten minutes our backs chipped a kick over their defenses, and we pursued with numbers, rucked and chipped ahead again. This pressure forced Wash. U. to make a mistake and the referee awarded us a penalty. We used a forwards attack with two sequential crashes getting us within a yard of their goal line. Kevin Marczi was able to grab the ball and attack around the corner, only to be tackled right away. As he was falling to the ground he saw he was close enough to reach the line and so he stuck his arms out and grounded the ball. 5 – 0 to Principia. Trevor Marunde was good with the conversion. 7 – 0.
The Thunder Chickens did not let up and played with a great energy because they were leading the game so early, against a good opponent. At fourteen minutes into the game, Wash. U. had a poor scrum, retained possession but shoveled the ball back to their players without a cohesive attack in mind. We pressured them and tackled their ball carrier into a maul. From here we were able to turn over possession and play some lovely continuous attacking rugby. Trevor Marunde was running with the ball, made a fancy dummy pass to slip passed their tackler, and run into the in-goal to score our second try. He also made his own conversion. 14 – 0 to Principia.
Wash. U. started to play much harder, and was not willing to let the game get away. Their crash attacks forced our defense to work very hard, and make mistakes. At the nineteen minute mark, Ken found himself the recipient of a yellow card for a ruck infringement. (That means we played a man short for 10 minutes while he sat in the sin bin.) There were many tense moments as the game flowed up and back the field. We went near their goal and they attacked ours. Penalties were handed out, and Jordan Anderson (Stretch) started to show his new kicking skills. There was no giving in by either team until the thirty-ninth minute when Casey earned himself a yellow card. Despite having Wash U. on our goal line we were able to survive to the half time whistle.
The second half was an amazing display of flexibility in thought by our scrum. We had to substitute several players over the forty minutes, and each time we had to shift player's positions and responsibilities on the fly. Not one person complained or failed to accept his duty. We even resorted to teaching Matt O. how to play flank in a two minute session on the sidelines right before he was sent on. This was an amazing demonstration of team trust and cohesion, and vastly improved skills. (I shared my opinion with my van on the way home. This team has done more work to improve their program than I saw at UConn in two years. I am truly blessed to be coaching such fine men.)
At about six minutes in, still with Casey in the sin bin, we lost one of our line outs and Wash. U. went to work on their crash attacks. They forced a good opening and scored. 14 – 5, after they missed the kick. The game continued in its frantic pace up and down the field until the seventeen minute mark. At this point the Thunder Chickens were able to turn over possession at a ruck, and play some great running rugby. Naveed ran with the ball, drew a couple of tacklers and passed the ball to Jordan who ran in for the try. Trevor was good for the kick again! 21 – 5.
After another eight minutes of tense play, we had a poor play which gave Wash. U. a good possession. They did not waste any time with a good run and attack to score. 21 – 10, after a missed kick. A few tense moments for the coach, but a look at the time reassured me that we should keep the victory in hand. Penalty kicks were going up and down the field, and play was intense as Wash. U. really used their crash attacks well. Jordan worked wonders giving us great opportunities from his penalty kicks. After thirty-two minutes into the second half our back line had become comfortable defending with aggression and a touch of abandonment. During one such play, Trevor ran up to their backs and intercepted a wayward pass, which he ran all the way in for another try. After his kick; 28 – 10.
As the clock was winding down Kendall earned us our third yellow card of the day. With only five minutes left, we had little to fear, but it was still an anxious five minutes. Wash. U. did not quit playing hard, and were able to pressure us into our half. At a line out they were able to get their attack going and earn another try. This was converted, putting the score at 28 – 17.
What a wonderful way to see the progress and development of this young team from just two weeks ago. The men were well rewarded for their dedication and efforts.
