November 29th: Rugby Report
The fifth round of the Bermuda rugby league took place on Saturday afternoon in Malabar, as Mariners faced Police and Renegades were up against Teachers.
The ladies as always kicked off proceedings and Renegades were made to fight all the way to the end as they extended their lead at the top of the table. A Laura Haynes double and a try from Nicola Jones was enough to see them overcome a good Teachers side 3-2. Katie Wright and Marie-Pierre Beaudoin scored a try each for Teachers, who trailed 2-1 at half time. The other ladies game saw Mariners and Police completely cancel each other out as they played out a tense 0-0 draw.
The opening men’s encounter was a thriller, as Police and Mariners went to battle. Mariners are known for their physical style, and Saturday was no different, as both sides repeatedly battered each other up front. It was Police who went in front after an excellent back-line move resulted in Durnferd Davis scoring in the corner. The tricky conversion was missed. Mariners fought back hard, and worked their way methodically down the pitch into the Police ’22. Kris Furbert was the man who eventually breached the try line to pull the scores level, and Rich Brown’s conversion pushed Mariners 7-5 in front. Police struck back before half time, with yet another wonderful move in their backs sending Paull Davis over, to edge them 10-7 ahead. Mariners came back at them and had opportunities, but magnificent defense from Police saw them hold their lead at the break.
The second half saw Police get on top early on and exert a lot of pressure, but Mariners soaked it up superbly and managed to clear their lines. They eventually drove their way up the pitch and again Furbert popped up off the back of a maul to stretch over the whitewash as Mariners regained the lead. The tackles on both sides kept getting harder and bigger, and both sides will have felt it the following day. Police kept pushing and with only a minute left, managed to snatch the victory from under the noses of the Mariners. It was again Durnferd Davis who scored, taking a short pass at pace to burst over the line to touch down. Tommy Edwards slotted the conversion to hand Police a tight 17-12 win.
The final match was far more one sided with Teachers dominating their arch rivals Renegades. Things started well for Teachers with Greg Fraser scoring in the corner after fine interplay by the backs. Bobby Hurdle extended the lead with their second try when he ploughed his way over the line, with Fraser on target with the conversion. Teachers were rampant and more pressure in the Renegades ’22 yielded a penalty that Fraser duly dispatched. Things went from bad to worse for the ‘Gades after Kai Edwards broke through some attempted tackles to score with a long run in. Teachers were full value for their 20-0 lead at the break.
The second half was more of the same, and Teachers secured their four try bonus point through Fraser. Jack Ellison made a break and Fraser somehow was in the right place to collect Ellison’s unorthodox attempt at a kick before ghosting over. Fraser brought his personal points contribution to 17 by making the conversion. Ellison then orchestrated his side’s fifth and final try with a fantastic break from his own half. Unselfishly, he fed Hurdle to score his second of the game and Chris Naylor’s conversion made the final score 34-0.
This weekend sees a break from the action as Teacher’s RFC host their annual Fight Night, and with a number of players participating this weekend’s fixtures have been postponed to January 9th. League action will resume on December 11th.
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