Hibernian Men's Match Reports Spring 10

Backstory 

Since our resurgence we have met up with North Penn 4 times: 2 losses, 1 win, & 1 tie.  (Yes, somehow we have a tie game in the books)  The matches are always physical, and we have traveled to their field on all but one occasion.  Last Fall we beat them in the playoffs at our home pitch which hopefully turned the tides in our favor for good.

Game Summary (A) - 29-17 (15-0)

I am still glowing from the victory because it showcased just about everything I embrace about the sport, and the club as a whole.  Riddled with injuries we traveled to North Penn with 18 guys and about 95 beers.  The field conditions were interesting due to high grass in some places, bald spots in others, ,and some random ditches to make your ankles stronger. (if they don’t roll and break while you are running)  The weather was cool and there were some strong winds throughout the day; but the sun was shining and  overall you could not ask for a better day to play rugby.

From the opening kickoff you could tell that the Hibos were ready to play as Danny Baxter (welcome back) ran straight through a couple guys and set the ball perfectly for quick recycle out to the back line.  A few phases later we were called for a penalty which pinned us deep in our side of the field.  With their backs on the try line the Hibos didn’t give an inch.  Despite multiple attempts from North Penn to punch one in they eventually knocked the ball on into Donny’s hands who took it the length of the field for a try.  This goal line stand would not be the last of the day, but it provided the Hibos with the confidence they needed to handle whatever else came their way. (kick no good)

The second try was an interception by Vinny who took it to the house untouched and placed it right under the sticks.  (somehow, the kick was no good)  The third try of the day found Donny running another long distance after some nice quick ball by the forwards.  On the day at this point Donny had probably ran for roughly 250 yards, and yet they kept kicking to him.  (kick no good)

In typical Hibo fashion we took about 10 minutes or so off to start the 2nd half.  North Penn was able to start the second half by scoring a couple tries, and because they made their kicks the momentum was shifting and they were right back in the game.  Thankfully, after some more tough yards inside their 22 Chris was able to touch one down.  This was a total team try initiated by some hard work in the forwards led by Jason.  (who also made the conversion kick)  Donny closed out the game and his amazing day with his third try of the game.  There was some sensational team play out in the back line, and Donny kept inserting into the line from Fullback for an amazing workload on the day.

I told the guys before the game that they were going to remember this game for a long time, and I hope that they do.  They demonstrated the true grit that has typically been at the core of the Hibernians, but has been absent all season.  Everyone played together as a team, and the defensive effort was amazing.  It was one of the best games I have ever watched. (which definitely helps my healing process)

Lineup

Subs

Dave off, Timmy D to front row, J-Lo to second row

Blue off, Jason in

Pat (skinny) off, B-Mac in

Notable Moments

Todd Mason stepped into scrum half for the first time and played an outstanding game

Vinny played a solid game on both sides of the ball, and more importantly, it was a very disciplined game

The pack was dominant in lose and set play

Dan Baxter hit their outside center so hard that we all cringed on the sidelines because we were not sure if we could cheer ... fearing the guy didn’t survive

Donny’s tremendous work rate

Ian risked life and limb while catching kicks

Lee Mason’s 60 meter run that ended in an unfortunate knock on

Blue went head to head with a Kiwi and knocked him out

Luring Skinny Pat off the field with beers so we could get B-Mac in

Whacking 2 30 packs on the sidelines immediately after the game before we went to the after party 

Awards

Man of Match - Dan Baxter

Honorable Mention - Donny

Goose - Lee.  In true ‘Goose’ fashion the previous goose was not around to hand over the award which should cancel out Lee’s bid for it this week.  Mongo, please return the goose shirt or forever be the goose and we will be forced to name it the ‘Mongo of the Week’.

2nd City Troop has been on our schedule every Spring and Fall season since our return to the EPRU and always proves to be a great match. We are typically pretty equally matched and always have a great time at the after party. In addition to having a solid playing/partying relationship with Troop, our paths are also intertwined because we agreed take Larry and Dean (Dean who?) off their hands a couple seasons ago. We thought it was well worth it because they gave us two players, and agreed to pay our EPRU dues for 5 years … the jury is still out as to whether or not it was worth it.

Game Summary (A) – Levittown Tap Dance - Hibernians 26 (7) – Troop 7 (0)

Another beautiful day for rugby, and it was nice to play somewhere outside of Levittown. (Yes, I said it! I am sick of buying other teams beer and paying for referees!) Here is the lineup:

Subs: Donny, Alex, Joby, Aaron, Steve ‘Mel’ Tormey

* FIRST START AS A HIBO

From the opening kickoff it was clear that the Hibos were playing with a sense of purpose that we have not seen in the past couple weeks. We were stealing rucks and scrums for the first time all season; and despite having newer players and many guys playing different positions than normal they looked like a solid unit. After two missed penalty kicks by Troop the Hibos woke up and moved the ball effectively down the field. A dominant scrum inside Troop’s 22 found Johnny Vella alertly picking the ball up off the back to start the scoring. Larry converted.  (Yes, Johnny Vella was the 8 man!) After some second half substitutions (Donny -> B-mac, Joby -> Romeo, Aaron -> Vella, Alex -> Blue) the Hibos opened the second half by driving Troop down the field but fell short of the try line due to some penalties inside their 22. Troop alertly advanced the ball the length of the field during a momentary lapse in the Hibo defense but fortunately Donny was able to knock the ball loose at the last moment to prevent Troop from scoring. During this play Joe Mullen also had an unfortunate ‘groin’ injury forcing him to come out. (Mel moved to wing, and Donny moved to fullback) Donny asserted himself immediately in the line and took the ball 75 meters up the center of the field where the Hibos used the quick play to get the ball out wide where Vinny set Sal up for a nice try. Larry converted. (14-0) It appeared that the Hibos were starting to take control but 2nd City’s relentless attack and scrappy play found them in the try zone to make it 14-7. With less than 10 minutes to go it was clear that the Hibos needed to step up their play an close this game out. The ensuing kickoff found the Hibos advancing the ball down the field inside Troop’s 22. The Hibos turned the ball over and were about to be placed on their heels when Sal blocked a kick and walked right into the try zone untouched. Larry converted. (21-7) 2nd City caught the Hibos sleeping on the next kickoff and almost stole the ball for a quick try.  Fortunately they regrouped quickly and punched one more try in end the game. (Joby) – No conversion. (26-7)

This was a great game to watch, and it looked like a great game to play. The Hibos were tested often and did not break. One of the most important aspects of the game was the last 10 minutes where the Hibos found another gear and put 2 quick tries in to close the game out.  

Game Summary (B) – Hibernians – Troop (Tie ???)

Subs:   Donny, Donny

Another great performance from the ‘Killer Bs’. Todd is finding his way as scrum half, CJ seems to always know where to be to get his hands on the ball, and B-mac was playing his native position at Fly Half. Some standout moments:

• Romeo absolutely leveled some poor guy

• CJ took many hit ups, and managed to steal a few lineouts

• Lee has emerged as a solid captain and totally takes control of the squad

• J-Lo, after playing 80 minutes in the front row of the A game, played most of the B game as hooker. (he hurt his ribs, hopefully everything is ok)

• Blue waved off some relief and grinded out the game

• Todd was scrum half, and while Lee called for the ball he was screaming ‘Pat’. Perhaps Lord Mason made all their names interchangeable like George Foreman did to keep things simple. Works for me.

Awards:

Man of Match – John ‘J-Lo’ Logan – First A side start and got man of the match. Played in the B side as well. Awesome work ethic. Donny was a runner up for hard running and great forward movement. Johnny Vella was also in contention for stepping up to play 8 man.

B-Side Man – ‘Romeo’ – Also played in the A and B game with plenty of energy to spare.  Another solid performance from Mr. Romeo.

Goose – ‘Blue/Old Man Rugby’ - Rarely does the previous week’s man of the match fall so far from grace as to get the goose the following week; but in this case Blue managed to solidify the ‘Goose of the Week’ award a mere 8 hours after being presented with the Hibo horn. Blue’s ‘performance’ at the bar crawl was legendary, except the part where he passed out with the Horn in his hand. He woke up and did not know where the horn was … a rookie mistake for an otherwise craft veteran. **Note: Lee had the horn (and carried Blue out of the bar), but forgot to bring the horn to the game. Then started the B game by nearly ‘Charlie Browning’ himself and dribbling the kick a few meters forward. Blue lobbied pretty hard to have the goose transferred to Lee, and despite Lee’s efforts to earn it there was no way Blue was getting out of this. By the way, Lee carried Blue out of the bar and took care of him, then Blue tried to pin the goose award on him … what have you done for me lately.

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Back Story

Last Spring we traveled to Princeton and managed to win the A and B match. I am not sure what the story was between the ‘Founding Fathers’ and Princeton RFC, but after we took it to them last year it was quite clear that another rivalry was born. The games were very entertaining to watch, and extremely physical to play. However the most memorable event on the day was at the after party where a few of us who stayed behind won the ‘C’ game. After multiple beer chugging games and a couple songs it was quite clear we were crowned champions of after party.

Game Summary (A) - PAC 36 - Hibernians 10  

Perhaps the Hibos were too focused on the bus bar crawl (more on this later in the report) to stay focused on the field during the game, because it was quite clear that nobody appeared to be dialed into the task at hand. The conditions were a bit windy and there was a chill to the air, but overall it was a perfect day for footy.  

The Hibos lost the opening kickoff and found themselves off sides and creating other infractions that helped PAC move the ball right down the field. Once again the Hibos let up a try in the first couple minutes of the game. The ball did find its way into the Hibos hands but it was immediately poached after a tackle due to a lack of support. After a lost scrum the Hibos found themselves down by another try. The scrums did not have any ‘pop’ and the packed was getting pushed around on offensive and defensive scrums. The next Princeton try was the result of a blown lineout attempt, but fortunately PAC was missing their kicks so the game was still relatively close despite being down by 3 tries in the first 20 minutes.  In an effort to light a fire in the forwards a substitution was made as Joby took the field in place of Romeo. The game seemed to stabilize with some hard running on the wing by Donny, and some hard yards by ‘Big Murph’ who was able to touch one down in the middle of the try zone. Larry’s kick was good and things were starting to shift directions. Princeton attempted to answer right back but with a slick play from the craft veteran, Larry was able to chase the guy down from behind and punch the ball loose right as the opposing scrum half was about to touch it down for a try. However, PAC was able to put the ball down one more time before half time.  

The Hibos were able to slow PAC down a little in the second half and only allowed 2 more tries, while scoring one of their own. (Aaron) Unfortunately, moments of individual athleticism did not yield more points for the Hibos.  Here is a breakdown of last year’s match report to help illustrate a point about team continuity.  Despite having played a couple games together we are still missing the cohesive bond that helps teams perform at a higher level … perhaps the bus bar crawl helped build some of that framework.

Roster for the Hibernians A side was:

* Only 5 guys from a year ago were on the field this time around. Some of those who were on the field for both games were playing in different positions. I only bring this up to illustrate the point that with so many people that are new to the game, and new to each other we have not established our identity.

Game Summary (B) – Tee, no thanks I’ll have a beer …

Princeton 4 tries - Hibernians 4 tries (KILLER B’s!!!)

Again, the ‘B’ side match looked like a ton of fun to play in. Music Mark started the scoring off with a hard earned try right up the middle of the field. Todd took another one to the house with what is appearing to be his standard 50+ meter tries. However, PAC caught the Hibos sleeping with the next kickoff and drove the ball back and pinned the Hibos deep in their zone. Add a penalty to the mix and the Hibos surrendered a try.  There was some nice ball movement out wide where Mongo was pleading his case to be out in the centers where he linked up with Todd who put his second try of the day down.  

Princeton started the 2nd half with two quick tries and really put the pressure on the Hibos. After a questionable high tackle call on Nick (who really could not help it with his long arms) the Hibos found themselves a man down. But that did not stop them from answering back with a quick try from Ross ‘every time I touch the ball I score’ Verbich.  If we could have located the ‘tee’, Lee might have been able to make some of his kicks. Have we located the tee at this point?

Bar Crawl

• Thanks Pat ‘Mason’ Mason for setting this up

• Lots of songs … some of which I have not heard in quite some time

• Everyone had a great time, and here is some items I remember on the night … however, I am not a good source from a historian point of view so please add/remove where appropriate:

• We hit Pasquale's, Murphy’s, Hulmeville, Morrisville Tavern, Cosmos, and back to Pasquale's

• From my count, this was about 3 bars too many since the entire bus looked hammered after we left Murphy’s

• Vella actually really has a girlfriend and she is really nice and cool!!! All these years I figured he was asexual, but perhaps he was just a late bloomer.

• Lee earned his purple heart by carrying ‘Old Man Rugby’ out of Cosmos

• All in all it was a great night, and I look forward to our next bus trip … which should be in about 2 weeks by my watch. By the way, where do we stand on that???

Awards:

Man of Match – Brian ‘Old Man Rugby/Blue’ Bluett with Jason Hoffman as a strong candidate

B-Side Man – Todd (aka Jeff) for another solid performance. When this guy learns the game he is going to be a real threat! (although he could have offloaded to his buddy Pat on one of his tries, but he decided to keep it in his sure hands)

Goose – Mongo earned the Goose of the week for showing up 20 minutes before kickoff looking like Hunter S. Thompson.

Back Story 

Game Summary (A) - Montclair 24 - Hibernians 20 

Awards:

Blackthorn and The Hibernians’ history has been closely intertwined since the mid 70’s (I will spare of everyone the full story but if you are ever interested feel free to as Pat Mason for the timeline) and continues to be one of our most competitive matches every Spring season. (more on this later) This long standing rivalry usually brings out a lot of old boys which raises a couple questions: 

1. Does Fred Backaus still have something left in the tank?

2. Does Schmitty even bring his boots anymore?

3. What’s it going to take to get an old boys match tacked onto the next time we play Blackthorn

4. Is Franky really only 59?

5. ... and is there anything worse than losing to Blackthorn? (Let’s not find out)

You could not ask for better conditions for the match as we were blessed with another sunny day for our second match of the Spring campaign. After a 15 minute diatribe from the referee we were almost ready to start the match, however, he had to deliver the same important message to Blackthorn so the game went off around 1:10PM. Personally I think we are all better for the educational instruction. And what better time to discuss the finer points of rugby than right before kickoff.  As the game got underway you could tell it was going to be an extremely physical match, and both teams seemed ready to strike as the battle for field position waged on. Through some tough running and individual effort the Hibernians kicked the ball into the Blackthorn try line and appeared to touch it down, however, the ref did not see it that way and Blackthorn was given a 22 meter drop kick. After some more jockeying for position the Hibos moved the ball out wide to find Big Murph catching the ball at pace. As he exploded across the gain line it was all Blackthorn could do to push him out of bounds.  Blackthorn struck first with a driving maul off a line out to touch down the first try of the day. This was the obvious move and we will be sure to work on better defense techniques in this situation. The Hibos answered right back with some more ball work out wide where Joe Mullen found Zach on his hip for the offload. Zach managed to finish it off with a long run down the sidelines.  The rest of the game was very difficult to watch because it was obvious that the Hibos had momentum, and plenty of chances but failed to capitalize on them. There were some opportunities to kick for points which resulted in a couple unfortunate bounces and did not yield the totals we had hoped for. Overall both teams were ‘in the game’ the entire time, however, Blackthorn was able to capitalize on our slow ball an emerge victorious. We will be sure to get them next time. It is said that when we play again there will be a ‘Cup’ that we will play for that will be passed around and kept by the winning team each time we play. More on that as it develops.

WOW ... lots of new faces and it was truly a beautiful site to see! This was an exciting game to watch and it will become increasingly difficult to make selections once people get some more experience. Jeff Koch got to the pitch and put his boots on like he has done for the past couple seasons. When he lifted his head and saw there was enough guys there for him to sit around and ‘support’ the team from the sidelines I witnessed him running faster than I have ever seen him run to the car. (he was running for beers and a cooler, but the effort is still worth mentioning) Romeo managed to plow through a bunch of guys to touch one down right under the sticks. Blackthorn scored some points as well, but who cares how they did it. Lee Mason’s debut as the B-Side Captain was well deserved as he led by example by supporting his teammates and organizing the set pieces and positioning.

Big Murph, Alex and Jeff got their first start as Hibernians (clap clap clap) Lot’s of individual effort, let’s take that to the next level and start supporting each other better Cyriac got hit in the head and we thought something was seriously wrong because it sounded like he was speaking jibberish ... turns out he is French and that is just how he sounds

Man of Match - Big Murph    B-Side Man - Steve ‘Mel’ Tormey

Goose - For missing the game with a phantom injury while attending a fantasy baseball draft, Vinny earned this for prestigious award for the 2nd week in a row. Let’s see if he can set a club record with a 3rd consecutive nomination next week.

Pat Mason - For securing such a great location for our second match of the season

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Philly-Whitemarsh vs. Hibernians

March 20th, 2010 - 1PM Kickoff - James Buchanan Elementary School

Philly-Whitemarsh was once the premier rugby team in the area, competing on a national level with the best teams in the country. As evidenced by our abundance of new players and their lack of depth; we are reminded of the ebb and flow nature of club sports. Seeing so many new faces on our team speaks volumes for the kind of atmosphere we are creating. The varying levels of experience makes for an extremely entertaining game to watch. (obviously the fans loved the show!) Below is a recap of the game yesterday. We apologize to guys that did not get to play as much as they wanted, but with a full schedule lined up we have a lot of rugby to play this Spring (and beyond) ... so get ready for more action.

Scrimmage Match - (roughly 4-25 minute periods) I was pleased that we were able to warm up with full game scenarios and opposition. We moved a lot of guys into different positions to get multiple views of the game. Let me know when you start developing a preferred position.

Scoring Plays: Zach started the scoring with one of his textbook runs out on the wing. He would tell you it was the best place to support the play as it unfolded, and that he strategically placed himself there. It does beg the question what a 250lb man is doing out on the wing, but a score is a score. Larry converted a difficult kick from the corner. The 2nd and 3rd tries came from Aaron - the first was from a questionable scrum where the ball came straight through the tunnel, but the craft veteran quickly picked it up and advanced it into goal and the ref was none the wiser. The 2nd try was a thing of beauty where Aaron and Zach linked up in support of each other and moved the ball 40 meters to put the ball down under the sticks. Not bad for a couple of guys entering their 40’s! Johnny Vella kept the scoring going with an open field run that Vinny set up. Not to be outdone by his Italian backline partner, Sal touched one down next resulting from a pass from Zach. That is not a typo ... Zach not only passed to Aaron earlier, he also passed to Sal! Zach touched another one down next, but I don’t remember exactly how the play developed, but I have no doubt it was an extremely athletic display. Next up was another try from Sal, but this time it came from Tully. We kick to create pressure and to relieve pressure, in this case, Tully saw the opposing winger out of position and placed a pop kick perfectly in a position where Sal could run onto it and touch it down. The ensuing kickoff led to a break away run from one our newcomers ... Alex advanced the ball down the center of the field and it was quite clear nobody wanted to try to bring the big man down. Then, the mot pure thing to ever happen on a rugby field happened; a new player, on his first ever touch of a rugby ball in a game scored a try. I went 14 years and never heard of such a thing until last year when Dave ‘Herman’ Rodgers scored on his first possession. (where is that guy anyway?!?) Then, in the same season Dan ‘Lumpylicious’ Baxter did it again. Ross is the next Hibo to achieve this feat, and he was not done yet. (more on that later) Larry was the next to put one down on an unassisted effort after a broken play. It is noted that while Larry kicked for points after the tries earlier in the day he was flawless, let’s hope he is not burning himself out too early in the season.  After a lull in scoring Ian found his way into the try zone for the first time in well over a year. Donny set this play up and Ian’s support line was perfect. You might have noticed his celebratory dance moves after the hard earned try (I don’t know how you would have missed it with those shoes he wears) Newcomer Tim (Not Tom) Skerritt touched it down under the sticks after Lee ‘Cool’ Mason advanced the ball down the field. Ross was not done for the day and he managed to spike the ball down for his second try of the day. (Not bad for his first game ... although, we might have to do a better job explaining how to place the ball to the ground to avoid any issues later on) Luther ‘Steve the Pirate’ stepped into his old position of scrum half and had an amazing supporting run off Alex to put the last score of the day down.  Philly-Whitemarsh managed to score 3 tries on the day.

• Chuckles amazing vertical leaps during kickoffs returns

• Joby running 40 meters (10 of which were out the back of the try zone)

• Vinny’s knock on went 20 meters forward beating my previously held record of 15

• Coach Joe ‘Pelican’ Grohovsky put the Philly-Whitemarsh jersey on and it was observed that he runs more like a praying mantis than a pelican. Perhaps a nickname change is in order?

Man of Match - Lee ‘Cool’ Mason. Much deserved.

B-Side Man - Ross Verbich Welcome aboard

Goose - Speaking of ‘Welcome Aboard’ ... Vinny earned this for the knock on heard round the world

Pat Mason - For securing such a great location for our first match of the season.  Lee Mason - For setting the field up. We need more people helping in the future. I think it was only Lee, Pat and Timmy that set the whole field up. Let’s make more of an effort in the next couple weeks.  Beth G - Thank you for your detailed analysis of the game. If I had to rely solely on my memory, this would have been a much shorter match report!