Accolades
USA Rugby National Championship Semi-Final
Connecticut Yankees RFC Vs Indianapolis Impalas RFC
Photos
The Pittsburgh Harlequins are the proud inhabitants of Founders Field in Indianola P.A., a facility that has a full service clubhouse, two outstanding full size pitches, and is dedicated to rugby for the entire year. This was an ideal setting for the most important game of most Yankees careers, and each and every one was impressed by the superb condition of the playing surface.
The day of the semi final was a dank, overcast, and continually rainy day, which reminded some of the Yankees of years spent living in England. The incessant rain was clearly going to be a factor in the match, and when Indianapolis fumbled upon receiving the kickoff it was clear that the pattern of the game was going to be somewhat erratic, likely to put both sets of forwards to work with regular scrum activity. The first few rounds of scrums were disrupted by the defending sides, resulting in resets and frantic kicks out of trouble by back peddling the fly halves on each team.
Fielding an attacking kick from Indy, full back Mulvihill fell on the loose ball, and was immediately buried under a mass of opposing forwards. Instead of receiving a penalty for having a prone player hit by tacklers, the Yankees were instead penalized for not releasing, an interesting decision by the referee, to say the least. Thankfully the Indianapolis kicker was unable to convert the penalty kick. Not long after this the Yankees were back on the attack, and were awarded a clearly kickable penalty inside the Indy 22. Spotting the defense back pedaling in expectation of a kick attempt Mulvihill took a quick tap and raced in for a surprise try, which he converted himself to take the Yankees to a 7-0 lead.
Inexplicably the Yankees fell asleep at this point, and were unable to stop a rampaging Impala attack directly from the kick off. After some defensive confusion, and a couple of missed tackles, Indianapolis cut the lead to 7-5 with an immediate return try, which remained unconverted. This proved to be all of the incentive that the Yankees needed to take the game to another level, and from the kickoff Alejandro ³El Toro² Re responded with one of his trademark bullocking runs directly into the heart of the Indianapolis defense. A tackle around the throat seemed the only way to stop him, and a penalty was awarded, but this was reversed after a bit of a scuffle, which saved the Impalas from conceding another 3 points from an easily kickable penalty.
After clearing pressure Indianapolis were able to hold the Yankees at bay for a solid 10 minute period before Alejandro broke free once more for a massive 45 meter gain, barely stifled with a last gasp tackle on the Indianapolis line. The defending fly half then fumbled the ball from a pass after the resulting scrum, but despite Simon Platel diving on the ball for an apparent try the referee elected to award another scrum and deny Platelıs claims. The pass out from the next scrum looked likely to lead to a try, but Indianapolis read the attacking move and double teamed Danny Bull to snuff out the attack.
Not long before the end of the first half the Yankees suffered a major setback. Rodrigo Taboas, the toughest 130lb man on the planet, was caught up in a mass of bodies and hit the ground writhing in obvious agony. Rodi himself knew what had happened, and the misdirected angle of his left foot made it very clear that he had suffered some major damage. X Rays later revealed multiple breaks of his Tibia and Fibia, leading to 2 hours of surgery and the installation of a large amount of titanium to the Yankee scrum halfıs lower left leg.
The extended delay and understandable concern for their teammate left the Yankees struggling for focus, and after play restarted the Yankees conceded a penalty which was kicked successfully to put Indianapolis ahead for the first time 7-8. A Yankee attack just prior to the interval whistle was defended desperately by the Midwesterners, and the score remained the same at the half time break.
At Half Time the talk from Coach BK and Captain Abdalah was very frank, and whilst the actual text of this was too graphic to be included on these pages, it is very accurate to report that neither was pleased with the first half. Abdalah even went so far to describe it as the worst half of rugby he had seen from the Yankees, and there was concern that the pressure of the big occasion may be affecting the boys from Connecticut.
The second half saw much more aggression from the Yankees, and increased focus from both forwards and backs. Whilst in the first half the forwards were being beaten to ruck situations, and the backs had thrown some wayward passes, in this second period of play the tables were turned. The Yankee playmakers adjusted their approach to a more direct style of attack, and the forward pack got stuck in to attempt to snatch up any and all loose ball.
After a flowing move from the Yankees Mulvihill was denied a try in the corner, but play was brought back for a penalty in the middle of the field, which ³The Mole² chipped over to bring the Yanks back for a 10-8 lead.
The game then became somewhat of a stalemate, both sides unable to make an impact on the other. The Yankees had a penalty on the halfway line, but Mulvihill was unable to score the points from the fifty one meter kick into the driving rain. After some more sustained Yankee pressure, and some dominant running another penalty was awarded, this one from a mere 45 meters, which Mulvihill slammed home convincingly to stretch the lead to five points at 13-8.
This was the moment to bring in some fresh legs to defend the lead, and the Yankee coach sent Nick Taylor and Maurice Crowe onto the pitch to replace Pablo Colon and Tommy Kubic. This enabled the Yankees to tighten their grip on the game. Well aware that a five point margin was a perilous situation to be in, the gold shirted men clung on to every tackle, and in some cases from Sturman and Platel they pile drove their opponents backwards.
Some impressively worked moves led to the Yankees working their way downfield, and after yet another infringement from the Indianapolis defenders the Yankees were awarded a penalty out wide on the right hand side of the field. Knowing that a successful kick would require Indianapolis to score twice, Captain Abdalah handed the ball to ³The Mole². With a calm approach that mirrored the technique of his idol, Jonny Wilkinson, Mulvihill stepped up and stuck the kick over from the right sideline.
With a 16-8 lead the Yankees dug deep to defend, and held out their opponents to book a place in the final against Nashville.
Lineup:
Rene Abdalah; Erick Shrauger; Greg Emmens (Shareef Antar); David Nottingham; Pablo Colon (Nick Taylor); Simon Platel; Alejandro Re; Tommy Kubic (Morris Crowe); Rodrigo Taboas (Neal Seideman); Martin OConnell; Richard Portale; Jon Sturman; Danny Bull; Matthew Dupay; Michael Mulvihill.
Scoring:
Mulvihill 1 Try, 1 Conversion, 3 Penalties
USA Rugby National Championship Final
Connecticut Yankees RFC Vs Nashville RFC
After a big meal, and a peaceful night of sleep the Yankees arose to find clearing skies, and warmer temperatures for their bid for the title. With the arrival from Connecticut of Kevin Black the Yankees headed back out to Founders Field with a lot of enthusiasm, and determination to finish off the work that had been put in not only over the past ten months, but over the past five years since the Yankees first became contenders on the National Championship stage.
The game began with some early pressure from Nashville, but the Yankees broke back aggressively with some powerful running that began the process of probing for weaknesses in the Nashville defensive alignment. The early exchanges were certainly somewhat fractious, and with the referee determined to stamp his authority on the game there was not a lot of flow to the first 15 minutes. With numerous lineouts from the penalty awards, Kevin Black proved his worth to the Yankees by mounting a determined offensive front against the Nashville throw, and was able to steal many throws, and disrupt others.
With the Yankees spinning the ball wide an attack looked imminent, but Vice Captain Sturman was smashed backwards, Nashville snatching the loose ball and forcing a desperate goal line defensive stand from the Yankees. As Nashville attempted to punch in the score they lost control, Scrum half Dupay seized the opportunity and raced up field, feeding the ball to the irrepressible Alejandro Re, the gold clad back rower making it inside the Nashville half.
The subsequent penalty attempt was just wide, but the Nashville clearance missed touch, giving Mulvihill the chance to challenge the Nashville full back with a massive up and under kick. The ball was cleanly taken by Nashville, who called for the fair catch ³Mark² and were awarded a free kick. This was advanced to a penalty when the referee ruled that winger Portale had not allowed space for the free kick to be taken. Working from this Nashville advanced back into Yankee territory, and from yet another ruck related penalty Nashville were able to pull ahead 0-3.
Regrouping after the kick the Yankees knew they needed to step it up to another level, and this increased intensity paid off. Pressuring a Nashville clearance kick, the Yankees were able to cause a poor clearance, which winger Neil Seideman hacked through. Flying up in support was Captain Rene Abdalah, who deftly gathered the loose ball and raced in for a crucially timed try. With the conversion the Yankees found themselves leading 7-3.
From the restart the Yankees were yet again penalized at a ruck. While they had established a lead, there were serious concerns that the continual flow of penalties would not only cost the Yankees possession, but could also lead to points for Nashville.
Moving forward again the Connecticut players mounted a sustained attack, and a startling break from Erick Shrauger gave the Yankees field position for another penalty kick attempt from Mulvihill. Although the kick dropped under the bar, the clearance kick failed to reach touch again, offering Mulvihill a chance to run back. Cynically Nashville flew in with an outrageously dangerous tackle that left Mulvihill on the floor in agony. Recognising the severity of the challenge the referee dispatched the offending Nashville player to the Sin Bin for ten minutes to consider the error of his ways. Fortunately the Yankee full back was able to shake off the pain and rejoined play.
Just prior to half time the Yankees suffered a potentially irreparable setback as reigning MVP Danny Bull was forced to leave the field with a pulled hamstring. As he was replaced by Dave Lloyd it was clear that a huge performance was going to be needed, not just from the highly competent Lloyd, but also from the rest of the Yankee team. During the halftime break Coach Kelly outlined some key points for consideration for the second half.
Right from the restart the Yankees went on the offensive. Taking a quick tap penalty Tommy Kubic started an attacking move that was stopped inches from the Nashville goal line. After three resets of the scrum, Nashville were penalized in front of the posts, and Mulvihill chipped over the points to stretch the lead to 10-3.
Nashville elected to kick deep on the kick off, and presented the Yankees with a prime attacking chance. They nearly ran over for the try, but knocked on as the ball went wide. The referee had spotted an offside infringement, and another penalty gave the Yankees a 13-3 lead.
As the game leveled out the Yankees worked hard to maintain their superiority, and Platel and Lloyd both put in some crunching tackles, and Matty Dupay showed no fear whatsoever in the close counter exchanges. With the game entering the final 20 minutes of play, former Yankee president Duncan Forsythe entered the match in a move designed to firm up the defense, and to calm some nerves. Some intense pressure from both wings led to another penalty, which Mulvihill added to build a seemingly unassailable lead at 16-3.
With the men from Tennessee realizing they would need to be inventive to get back into contention, the match opened up in the closing stages. A wayward attacking kick presented fly half Marty ³Mocca² OıConnell with the ball, which he hammered into the sky, with Neil Seideman bearing down the Nashville full back appeared in two minds as to his best move. This hesitation was to cost him dearly, and Seideman grabbed the bounce and tore downfield with desperate Nashville players in chase. As the tacklers closed in on him, Seideman sensed OıConnell cutting behind him, and threw a precocious no look pass over his head. ³Mocca² grabbed the pass, and sprinted in for the try in the corner to clinch the victory. With the Mulvihill kick successful the Yankees led 23-3, and needed only to hold on for the final whistle.
Starting Lineup:
Rene Abdalah; Erick Shrauger; Shareef Antar (Duncan Forsyth); David Nottingham; Kevin Black; Simon Platel (John Kubic); Alejandro Re (Jeff Beeman); Tommy Kubic (Morris Crowe); Matthew Dupay; Martin OConnell; Richard Portale; Jon Sturman; Danny Bull (David Lloyd); Neil Seideman; Michael Mulvihill.
Scoring:
Abdalah 1 Try
OıConnell 1 Try
Mulvihill 2 Conversions, 3 Penalties
The field was invaded by ecstatic Yankee supporters, and the players basked in the glory, knowing that they had just earned the right to call themselves National Champions. Years of work, tough training sessions, fitness work, nutritional guidance and motivational prompting had all paid off. Thanks need to be paid to so many people, and over the coming weeks the Executive Committee will be putting out some messages to convey the clubıs gratitude to these people.
Coach Ben Kelly had the following to say about the weekend :
³To say Iım elated is a major understatement. To win the National Final after all the hard work everyone has put in for 9 months is beyond belief. All the torture sessions the boys endured under Ros Norris at Creative Health and Fitness, and with Real Andrews at Creative and Camp Discipline have paid off, Thank you. I would also like to thank all the fellas for striving for perfection, you are champions. Lastly, Jeffrey Beeman our president worked tirelessly, and if it wasnıt for his efforts the club would not be National champions²
Coach Kelly would also like to recognise Erick Shrauger and Martin O'Connell as his two MVP's of the Championship Match.
In terms of fitness work two establishments should be thanked in particular. The staff at Creative Health and Fitness in Milford worked with the team over many months in the winter to prime the team for action. Colleagues of Coach Kelly at Creative ran some incredibly grueling sessions that drove the Yankees to their limits and in the process expanded the physical boundaries of the team. Secondly Real Andrews, of Camp Discipline in Orange, was instrumental in working with the team in the playoff run. He focused on hardening the physical and mental edge of each player, training the Yankees in sports psychology and methods with which the team could mentally out last their opponents.
Sadly the Yankees also suffered a huge loss this weekend as well. Richard Scott Pressler (AKA ³Boz²) was a dedicated leader, generous supporter and hard nosed player for the Connecticut Yankees for over 15 years. On Sunday morning, June 6th, ³Boz² died from a massive heart attack, in his Pittsburgh hotel room just prior to the CT Yankeeıs National Championship Final. A tough player, and strong personality, you could never question the love and enthusiasm he had for the club. Boz had been part of the Yankees starting lineup in the past, and for many years was an officer of the club. Boz was 41 years old.
The mix of emotions that the entire club feltare very hard to describe, so Iıll leave it to a better man than myself to highlight it. In the 'Tale of Two Cities', Charles Dickens wrote: ³It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us...²
Our friends from Santa Monica RFC also had the following to say :
³When we think of Rugby it's not about the tries we scored or the tackles we missed, it's about the friends we've made and the good times we've had together -- win, lose, or draw. Friendships that stretch through years -- decades -- from a sunny afternoon in Aspen to a rainy morning in Pennsylvania; with mates that probably have nothing in common with you except for the love of that quirky game and, more times than not, life itself.²
R.I.P. Richard Scott ³Boz² Pressler 1963 - 2004
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