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Virginia Men - Report
Date: Sunday 6th June 2010 - Kick Off: 10:30
National Consolation
| Virginia | 7 | vs | 37 | Cedar Rapids |
VRFC vs. Cedar Rapids
National Consolation
Virginia Rugby Football Club vs. Cedar Rapids Rugby Club
10:30 AM, Sunday, June 6th, 2010
Glendale, CO
In a battle for third place in the nation, Virginia faced off against Cedar Rapids at Glendale's Infinity Park. Virginia seemed to have nothing left in the tank after an intense match the day before against the eventual national champions, OMBAC. Virginia managed to keep things interesting in the first half but eventually fell 7-37. Although the Virginia players were disappointed to end their season with a loss, they left Colorado with their heads held high after earning fourth place in the nation.
The start of the match found Virginia frequently pinned in its own half. Ten minutes in, Cedar Rapids converted this pressure into points when their fullback scored an unconverted try in the corner. Continued pressure over the next few minutes eventually led to an easy Cedar Rapids penalty kick and an early 0-8 deficit. Virginia fought back halfway through the period, repeatedly pounding the ball at the Cedar Rapids goal line and threatening to score. Eventually, a penalty was awarded to Virginia, and the forwards elected to scrum. After a few phases of forward play, fly half James Fealey broke through the defense untouched to score. Fealey converted his own try to bring Virginia within a point at 7-8.
Virginia built on this momentum and nearly scored two more tries. The first opportunity came when the ball was swung wide to fullback Gary Larimer. Larimer managed to find his way into the try zone, but a great tackle by the Cedar Rapids wing prevented him from touching the ball down. The second opportunity was created by a kick from Fealey. Center Evan Davis chased down the bouncing ball and fought the Cedar Rapids fullback for possession in the air. The loose ball was scooped up by Larimer and touched down for what appeared to be a try to take the lead. Davis was ruled to have knocked the ball forward, however, negating the try.
To add to Virginia's misery near the end of the half, wing Ken Duvall was penalized for not staying on his feet in a ruck. Despite this being his first offense of the match, and despite Virginia not consistently infringing at the ruck, the referee immediately presented Duvall with a yellow card and ten minutes in the sin bin. At the stroke of half-time, Fealey was penalized for a late hit. Cedar Rapids slotted the kick to extend their lead to 7-11.
Only a few minutes into the second half, Cedar Rapids lost their man advantage when scrum half Todd Applebaum was taken out late and without an effort to wrap. The Cedar Rapids wing who committed the penalty was yellow carded and joined Duvall in the sin bin. With two wings removed from the pitch, the play appeared to open up slightly. Cedar Rapids took advantage in the 45th minute with a fullback break that Virginia stopped just short of the goal line. A few more phases, however, and Cedar Rapids touched down for a converted try and a 7-18 lead. Shortly after, Cedar Rapids took advantage of another perplexing decision by the referee. With Cedar Rapids attacking near the Virginia goal line, Virginia tackled the ball carrier and cleared out the opposing players from the ruck. With the ball clearly out of the ruck, a Virginia player picked up the ball only to be penalized by the referee for doing so. After about five phases of forwards crashing into the Virginia defense, Cedar Rapids mauled the ball in for an unconverted try.
Any hopes Virginia had of getting back into the match were dealt another blow in the 58th minute when eight man Anthony Montgomery was given another soft yellow card, this time for not releasing the ball after being tackled. Cedar Rapids took advantage of Montgomery's absence to score another converted try, extending their lead to 7-30. Five minutes before the end of the match, Cedar Rapids got on the board one final time with another maul into the try zone. The conversion brought the final score to 7-37.
Despite the combination of frustration and fatigue, Virginia showed impressive resolve and continued to fight until the final whistle. Although Cedar Rapids were certainly the better team on the day, the scoreline was hardly an accurate reflection of the match, and certainly not an accurate reflection of the level of Virginia's play during the rest of the playoffs. The loss leaves a bitter taste in Virginia's mouth but also provides plenty of motivation for next season. Players can be proud of the fact that no Virginia team has ever advanced this far in the playoffs; the new challenge is to earn the right to make the same claim next year.
Tries:
Conversions:
More photos
10:30 AM, Sunday, June 6th, 2010
Glendale, CO
In a battle for third place in the nation, Virginia faced off against Cedar Rapids at Glendale's Infinity Park. Virginia seemed to have nothing left in the tank after an intense match the day before against the eventual national champions, OMBAC. Virginia managed to keep things interesting in the first half but eventually fell 7-37. Although the Virginia players were disappointed to end their season with a loss, they left Colorado with their heads held high after earning fourth place in the nation.
The start of the match found Virginia frequently pinned in its own half. Ten minutes in, Cedar Rapids converted this pressure into points when their fullback scored an unconverted try in the corner. Continued pressure over the next few minutes eventually led to an easy Cedar Rapids penalty kick and an early 0-8 deficit. Virginia fought back halfway through the period, repeatedly pounding the ball at the Cedar Rapids goal line and threatening to score. Eventually, a penalty was awarded to Virginia, and the forwards elected to scrum. After a few phases of forward play, fly half James Fealey broke through the defense untouched to score. Fealey converted his own try to bring Virginia within a point at 7-8.
Virginia built on this momentum and nearly scored two more tries. The first opportunity came when the ball was swung wide to fullback Gary Larimer. Larimer managed to find his way into the try zone, but a great tackle by the Cedar Rapids wing prevented him from touching the ball down. The second opportunity was created by a kick from Fealey. Center Evan Davis chased down the bouncing ball and fought the Cedar Rapids fullback for possession in the air. The loose ball was scooped up by Larimer and touched down for what appeared to be a try to take the lead. Davis was ruled to have knocked the ball forward, however, negating the try.
To add to Virginia's misery near the end of the half, wing Ken Duvall was penalized for not staying on his feet in a ruck. Despite this being his first offense of the match, and despite Virginia not consistently infringing at the ruck, the referee immediately presented Duvall with a yellow card and ten minutes in the sin bin. At the stroke of half-time, Fealey was penalized for a late hit. Cedar Rapids slotted the kick to extend their lead to 7-11.
Only a few minutes into the second half, Cedar Rapids lost their man advantage when scrum half Todd Applebaum was taken out late and without an effort to wrap. The Cedar Rapids wing who committed the penalty was yellow carded and joined Duvall in the sin bin. With two wings removed from the pitch, the play appeared to open up slightly. Cedar Rapids took advantage in the 45th minute with a fullback break that Virginia stopped just short of the goal line. A few more phases, however, and Cedar Rapids touched down for a converted try and a 7-18 lead. Shortly after, Cedar Rapids took advantage of another perplexing decision by the referee. With Cedar Rapids attacking near the Virginia goal line, Virginia tackled the ball carrier and cleared out the opposing players from the ruck. With the ball clearly out of the ruck, a Virginia player picked up the ball only to be penalized by the referee for doing so. After about five phases of forwards crashing into the Virginia defense, Cedar Rapids mauled the ball in for an unconverted try.
Any hopes Virginia had of getting back into the match were dealt another blow in the 58th minute when eight man Anthony Montgomery was given another soft yellow card, this time for not releasing the ball after being tackled. Cedar Rapids took advantage of Montgomery's absence to score another converted try, extending their lead to 7-30. Five minutes before the end of the match, Cedar Rapids got on the board one final time with another maul into the try zone. The conversion brought the final score to 7-37.
Despite the combination of frustration and fatigue, Virginia showed impressive resolve and continued to fight until the final whistle. Although Cedar Rapids were certainly the better team on the day, the scoreline was hardly an accurate reflection of the match, and certainly not an accurate reflection of the level of Virginia's play during the rest of the playoffs. The loss leaves a bitter taste in Virginia's mouth but also provides plenty of motivation for next season. Players can be proud of the fact that no Virginia team has ever advanced this far in the playoffs; the new challenge is to earn the right to make the same claim next year.
Tries:
- James Fealey
Conversions:
- James Fealey: 1/1
More photos
Player Of The Match
Not Selected
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