Massive Clash as Eastside Beats Rainier in Washington
Massive Clash as Eastside Beats Rainier in Washington
Eastside defeated rivals Rainier Highlanders in a key Rugby Washington league game this weekend.
This was a dramatic and intense game. Both the Lions and the Highlanders were undefeated going into this game and had won their games in convincing fashion and it was fitting that the game was played under dark, ominous clouds, which then gave way to glorious sunshine.
Brady McHugh, Lewis Chambers, Kieran O’Meara
For much of the first half, the score remained locked at 0-0 as both teams slammed into each other. Eastside scored first, getting a free kick and sending the ball wide where speedy hooker Brady McHugh raced in.
Kieran O'Meara slotted the conversion to close the first act at 7-0.
Possession ebbed and flowed between the two sides, but the Highlanders were unable to convert their share into breaks or scores. Twelve minutes into the second half, a well-worked maul from the Rainier 22 broke through, and the ball was spun out to Lewis Chambers, who pirouetted his way over the tryline for another converted try. The battle raged on, with the Lions dominating in scrums while the Highlanders held sway in the lineouts.
Towards the end of the second half, indiscipline from the Highlanders led to a penalty awarded five meters out. O'Meara took a quick tap and charged through the fray to dot the ball down under the posts for the final try, which he converted.
After the dust settled the final score stood at 21-0 Eastside Lions, a scoreline that did not truly represent the fierce competitiveness of the game.
Throughout the contest, both sides were tested by bouts of indiscipline, but referee John Clavin did well to prevent tempers from boiling over. The crowd, thoroughly entertained by the clash of these two teams, eagerly anticipates the rematch later in the season.
—Jonny Chambers
