A sweep weekend for Charles River

Charles River Men [20] – Old Gold RFC [5]CRM_Huddle_040916

The boys of Charles River took the field against Old Gold on Saturday, looking to add another win to their storied rivalry.  With over 30 guys kitted out, coach Paul Clamens had a full arsenal to work with, and there were a lot of new faces on the pitch for the 1 pm kickoff.

After a strong defensive stand, Charles River got the ball out wide to newcomer Colman Mulkerrin who broke off a long run down the sidelines, breaking the try-line, only to be knocked out of bounds.  A penalty was given for no attempt to wrap, which the ref later stated should have been awarded a penalty try.  It didn’t matter to the Rats, and on the following play, Corey Lang was able to side step the opposing 12, and shake off the fullback on his way to a try.  The conversion was good, and River took an early 7 point lead.  Old Gold spent the next 10 minutes trying to get out of their own 22, and attempted to kick their way down the field, only to have fullback Jerry Kenneally return the kick for a try and take a 14-0 lead. Both teams were kept off the board for the rest of the half, until Old Gold was able to touch it down off a scrum, and put themselves on the board going into the half, 14-5.

The second half saw both teams refusing to give up much ground, and with Old Gold committing some timely mistakes, Captain Corey called upon Jerry Kenneally to kick back to back penalties, increasing the score 20-5.  As it has happened many times before with these two clubs, the aggressive game play turned into a little extracurricular activity, that sent flanker John Gill and the opposing wing to the sin bin.  The stout defense of the forwards, lead by Ellis Patrick’s monstrous tackles, neutralized the opposing pack, and Old Gold struggled to get any momentum going.  The game played out without either team finding the try line again, and the final whistle blew, giving the Rats a well deserved win against their oldest rival.

Man of the Match-Jerry Kenneally

Corey Lang Hit of the Match-Ellis Patrick

TRIES: Corey Lang, Jerry Kenneally
PENALTY CONVERSIONS: Jerry Kenneally

 

The B-side game was the first time on a rugby pitch for many of the guys, and while the raw talent was promising, the experience of Old Golds team was too much to overcome.  After giving up 2 tries, the whips were given a a bit of life in the form of a Miles Begrstrom try, but it would turn out to be their lone score on the day, en route to a 5-20 loss.  Sophomore player, Mitch Sopp, showed his progress as he broke off a few long runs, and made some impressive tackles.  New guy Craig Georgoulis, made a strong case to get a look for next week’s squad, when Charles River takes on Mad River and Harvard Business School, in a Round Robin.

Man of the match-Miles Bergstrom

 

CRWRFC – Springfield RFC Women – Albany/VT Law Round Robin

CRW_PreGame_040916 copyThe women of Charles River headed west to Springfield on Saturday for a fun Round Robin day with the Springfield Rifles women and a joint squad of Albany and VT law.

With a round robin meaning shorter matches, our women were eager to get as much playing time as possible, so several Lady Rats helped out in the day’s first match by suiting for both Springfield and Albany/VT Law to help out their numbers.

The Rats showed a lot of great work in both of their games on the day.  With a good crop of rookies and some people in new positions, the day was a great chance to get everyone trying new things.  It ended up being a high scoring day for the Lady Rats, with aggression and support allowing them to capitalize on their opponents often.

New player Michelle Chambers took the FH helm for the day and lead well in the new role.   The rest of the back line was able to get good movement down the line and took advantage of overloads to make some great runs and hit holes in the opposition.

The forwards used solid rucking all day to control the ball and and allow SH JugGs to distribute well for both on coming forward runs and out to the back line.  Lock Maria Sedjo showed great pace and communication, calling for the ball and hitting hard to crash through the opposing forwards often.

New Rat Steph Cox was solid on defense and stupendous in line outs, messing up the opposing teams throws all day, resulting in a lot of turnovers in Charles River’s favor.

It was a great, fun (and finally SUNNY) day of rugby for CRWRFC to put them at 3-0 to start the season.  Special thanks to Old Girl Rats Bee and Linda for coming and helping out on the day!  We always love to see our ladies back in the green and orange.

Bitch of the Pitch BACKS-Michelle Chambers

Bitch of the Pitch FORWARDS-Susan “Sugar” Lackey

Bitch of the Pitch OPPONENT CHOICE-Steph Cox

TRIES: Maria Sedjo (2), Sarah “Bee” Wetherbee (4), Ruthie Lewis , Steph Cox (2), Becca Romash, Susan Lackey