HAP - EN - STANCE! HAP - EN - STANCE! HAP- EN - STANCE!
I guess one had to be there but that's a round of Guinness I won't soon forget.
More than 50 players and fans traveled to Greenville this weekend, 37 on the bus, to support the Red Eyes in their quest for the Division III South Championships of the USA Rugby Football Union playoffs. That was more support than a couple teams there combined! It was quite a showing and my hat is off to all of those who traveled. I also want to recognize Ant, Bubba, Bev & Leon, Mary Ann, Sharron, My Place Realty, Bill Dog and others for their generous contributions which made the bus trip possible and for all the encouraging email and phone calls from Red Eye fans all over the world. To all of you, a huge thanks and our deepest gratitude.
The game vs Pensacola began fittingly enough—a weak side break at mid-field by our 8-man was worked to the wing who scored in the corner but it was called back because he stepped out of bounds avoiding a tackler 15 meters out. Minutes later, the opponents drew first blood when our other wing lost his footing covering a deep kick which was converted for a try against. Pensacola used this turn in momentum to lift their intensity and pretty much controlled the remaining balance of the first half. The Red Eyes countered with tenacious defense and good kicking but the opponents scored with polished movements from their backline while getting more to the ball in the loose. The Red Eyes fought back to score off the 2nd banger after a penalty and the the half ended with the score approximately 24 – 7 against.
The second half is a testament to the heart and soul at the core of this team. Penascola scored early but the Red Eyes fought back hard, scoring a couple tries and having another called back on a questionable advantage call. The score at the end was 45 – 19 but the Red Eyes played hard the full forty, never conceding the match against the more experienced and very fit, armed services side. To summarize, this was a loss we will build on and everyone was very proud of the effort put forth by our club.
Don't forget about the Bar-B-Que at Tyrone's this Saturday. Everyone is welcome to attend. And the golf tournament on May 10th. Also, Scotty is putting together another Bahamas tour June 13 – 15 so be sure to sign up for that one.
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