New Hardware Collected in Fort Worth
With the weather changing between sunny and cloudy, a slight drizzle, and FieldTurf that kept all the heat in, DARC competed in the Fort Worth 15's Rugby Tournament in the Open Division.
The first game was against our divisional foes from Arlington. The Mavericks brought out a very experienced side and the only 300+ pound hooker in the tournament. The youth of DARC led to some solid play in set pieces and mauls. At full time, DARC had managed 5 unconverted tries and claimed their first victory. One thing that was noticeable was that the DARC players were playing the whistle while the Arlington 15 were trying to officiate the match. It showed great focus and lead to positive gains on the field.
A change in the schedule pitted DARC against the Austin Huns in the second game. The first half was close as DARC couldn't get organized and showed some bad ball handling that killed drives. In the second half, DARC refocused and landed in the try zone enough to win the game and advance to the Open Division Championship.
The finals were against Alliance and a very fast outside center who had lead Alliance all day. A quick try by Alliance put DARC down 5. The Alliance speedster would soon follow with his first of 3 trys in the half. DARC managed one try on a penalty about ten meters out directly in front of the posts. Fly-half Jon Savage called for posts, while captain Russell Sanders told the ref he was taking the tap. This may not have been by design, but Alliance relaxed on the try line long enough for Russell to tap the ball, pop it to Kenny Mayon, who blasted his way to the try zone. Half time score was Alliance 24, DARC 7.
DARC started the second half with some good play, letting the ball do the work as they played smart, field position rugby. The comeback began with speedster Rashad breaking into a long run around the outside for the score. A few minutes later, Rashad would break another long run and even went the extra step to center the ball for the conversion. Alliance's center stepped back onto the field (thinking the game was in hand, he wasn't in at the start of the 2nd half) in an effort to stop DARC. Rashad was clearly gassed after a long day of rugby and DARC needed one more score. With time running out, DARC moved the ball to the man known as "Red" who broke through the Alliance defense and outran an obviously spent Alliance center for the score with a minute left to play. Voss kicked his 4th conversion and DARC finished the comeback with a 28-24 victory.
All in all, a great day of rugby for DARC and everyone who came out to play. Teased for not getting into the try zone, Gonzo had a great day running between the 22s. Trys came from a lot of sources including Josh, Cardel, Sam, Drew, Kenny, and Rashad (and anyone I missed).
We we're visited by several former Plano players who are now playing for various colleges and still enjoying the game. We lost several players after the second game, but those who stayed found that extra bit of energy to finish things right. It was a great way to begin cup season.
The first game was against our divisional foes from Arlington. The Mavericks brought out a very experienced side and the only 300+ pound hooker in the tournament. The youth of DARC led to some solid play in set pieces and mauls. At full time, DARC had managed 5 unconverted tries and claimed their first victory. One thing that was noticeable was that the DARC players were playing the whistle while the Arlington 15 were trying to officiate the match. It showed great focus and lead to positive gains on the field.
A change in the schedule pitted DARC against the Austin Huns in the second game. The first half was close as DARC couldn't get organized and showed some bad ball handling that killed drives. In the second half, DARC refocused and landed in the try zone enough to win the game and advance to the Open Division Championship.
The finals were against Alliance and a very fast outside center who had lead Alliance all day. A quick try by Alliance put DARC down 5. The Alliance speedster would soon follow with his first of 3 trys in the half. DARC managed one try on a penalty about ten meters out directly in front of the posts. Fly-half Jon Savage called for posts, while captain Russell Sanders told the ref he was taking the tap. This may not have been by design, but Alliance relaxed on the try line long enough for Russell to tap the ball, pop it to Kenny Mayon, who blasted his way to the try zone. Half time score was Alliance 24, DARC 7.
DARC started the second half with some good play, letting the ball do the work as they played smart, field position rugby. The comeback began with speedster Rashad breaking into a long run around the outside for the score. A few minutes later, Rashad would break another long run and even went the extra step to center the ball for the conversion. Alliance's center stepped back onto the field (thinking the game was in hand, he wasn't in at the start of the 2nd half) in an effort to stop DARC. Rashad was clearly gassed after a long day of rugby and DARC needed one more score. With time running out, DARC moved the ball to the man known as "Red" who broke through the Alliance defense and outran an obviously spent Alliance center for the score with a minute left to play. Voss kicked his 4th conversion and DARC finished the comeback with a 28-24 victory.
All in all, a great day of rugby for DARC and everyone who came out to play. Teased for not getting into the try zone, Gonzo had a great day running between the 22s. Trys came from a lot of sources including Josh, Cardel, Sam, Drew, Kenny, and Rashad (and anyone I missed).
We we're visited by several former Plano players who are now playing for various colleges and still enjoying the game. We lost several players after the second game, but those who stayed found that extra bit of energy to finish things right. It was a great way to begin cup season.
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