The first two rounds in the new Midwest D1A Conference didn’t yield much in the way of drama, but we got it this past weekend.

Lindenwood and Davenport came into the game having both beaten Adrian and McKendree (those two meet this coming weekend) and ready for what has become a nicely heated rivalry match.

Much of the early part of the game was centered around the two teams trying to test each other with kicks. Both teams had attacking chances after a good kick-chase or a knock-on from someone trying to catch the ball. But the defenses know each other pretty well and were only too happy to keep up the pressure.

Lindenwood finally broke through midway through the first half. A break down the left sideline from wing Kobe Millar got the Lions near the 22-meter-line and then the Lions sent it wide to the other side of the field where flanker Calvin Ihrig cut through to near the tryline. The forwards swarmed in and scrumhalf Jeremy Zwick dove over.

Davenport came very close to scoring not long after but were called for a knock-on in-goal, thanks to some desperate cover tackling from Lindenwood.

The Panthers kept hammering away and 10 minutes before halftime they managed to tie the game 7-7. Some good hard running and a Lindenwood penalty set up a lineout-and-maul close to the Lions’ line. Lindenwood stopped them but Eduan Van Heerden was penalized, and yellow-carded, for collapsing the maul. Davenport mauled it a second time and kept it together to drag No. 8 Mark Armstrong over. Kick good and it was 7-7.

Scoring On Borrowed Time

Lindenwood had another shot just before the break with Millar once again finding meters, but good tackles from fullback Orlando Casey as well as try-scorer Armstrong kept the scores level. However, a little mistake cost Davenport. They had earned a scrum near their tryline, and won it just after the scoreboard reached zero. But … say it with us … the referee is the sole keeper of time. Davenport kicked the ball dead, but the referee said there was more time left.

Lindenwood took a scrum five meters out. It was a prime try-scoring chance that they gave away as the Lions were whistled for boring-in at the scrum. So now, with time still left in the half, Davenport kicked to touch on a free kick.

It being a free kick is important because there was still time for the lineout, and the lineout would be a Lindenwood throw (only penalties give the kicking team the throw-in). Davenport’s defense shoved Lindenwood back into their half, but eventually the play was taken back to a penalty for Davenport’s backline coming up early on the lineout.

Fullback Brendan Mason’s 47-meter attempt was short, Davenport kicked clear, and there was still time left. Another LIndenwood lineout. Lock Le’Donn Mathis crashed up, and the ball was sent wide to outside center Lautaro Soto Ansay, who sped downfield before setting up wing Dimitri Diakogionnis to race in to finish it off. It was a very clinical try for Lindenwood, and, with Mason’s conversion sliding over the bar made it 14-7 at halftime.

Lindenwood looked to build on that lead but once again saw a foray into the 22 yield nothing. Eventually a 26-meter kick from Mason made it 17-7 after 50 minutes.

Big Finish

Davenport responded with some nice footwork and a series of quick offloads countering off a kick. That led to a high ball from flyhalf Christiaan Van Der Westhuizen. Two Lindenwood players collided trying to catch it and the ball rolled toward wing Lucas Staggs, but he couldn’t pick it up cleanly—if he had he might have had a free run to score a try.

The Panthers had the scrum, however, as attacked off that. When Lindenwood infringed Luther Deacon tapped quickly, Staggs was close in support, and the forwards finished it off, either flanker Joseph Portillo or lock Takunda Makiwa getting the score. Van Der Westhuizen converted and it was a one-score game now at 17-14.

The flyhalf would later add a well-taken, 40-meter penalty to tie the game. With 10 minutes left Van Der Westhuizen slotted another from a tough angle, and Davenport had the lead. Consistent pressure inside the Lindenwood half had not yielded much in the way of real try-scoring chances, but Davenport had been able to get points out of it.

Lindenwood answered immediately. Ihrig chased the restart well and was over the ball on another tackle to earn a penalty. Van Heerden tapped quickly, catching Davenport a little by surprise. Oddly, the play caught Lindenwood No. 8 Dunvan Krige by surprise as he was directing his teammates. But as a result, Krige was in perfect position to pick up the ball at the next ruck and fight through two tacklers to dive over and score.

Conversion good and it was 24-20 for Lindenwood.

Davenport was quickly right down on the Lindenwood line. The Lions defended doggedly, although they were penalized a couple of times. But when the Panthers tapped and ran, they lost the ball in the tackle and Lindenwood got out of trouble.

With time winding down, Davenport had one more shot, taking the lineout on a holding-on penalty. The maul was set, but Lindenwood stopped them, won a penalty on the ensuing scrum, and got out of trouble. It was enough: Lindenwood 24 Davenport 20.