Mustangs 27 - 17 Club Scorpions

The sign of a great team is the preparation before the game by the leadership team of coaches and captains. The careful selection of players to exploit the weaknesses of the opposition and the strategy sessions to ensure everyone is on the same page. Which brings us to the Tangs versus Scum Scorps United (SSU) on Saturday. As always those softies in the 1s & 2s had players taking a break so the Tangs larder was again pilfered by those perfidious personages of power in the Valley hierarchy. But that was ok a great team rises to adversity or, in the case of the Mustangs, we simply pulled another Kiwi from the closet to fill the hole as Jay Going strapped on the Red & Black once again in preparation for the day all the 7 potential Kiwi backs actually show up together. This was followed by the obligatory pre team talk by the leadership team of Clarky and Murphy and the strenuous admonition that we were not here to play 7s but Mustang rugby, i.e. nasty, forwards based, grinding, upfront stuff.

Luckily the mid-field maestros of Chris Sawyer and New Boy Troy, aka League Troy to differentiate him from Union Troy of many a Tangs campaign, recognized that when the fly half is the size of a prop (and is wearing the number 1 to boot) an expansive game may actually be a good thing. Especially when the back three contain a 17 (Jamie Carriban), an 18 (find of the season Ape) and a 30 year old that runs around like a 17 year old (Andrew Lawson). So from the kick off the ball went wide and Kid Cavin (named because most 16 year olds could grow a better beard) was set free down the sideline on his way to a certain try … until Ricky the Referee called it back for a ridiculous call of forward pass. While Boozer ritually burnt Ricky’s Valley membership card on the sideline the forwards prepared for another long day in the trenches.

But it was not to be. With superb tactical kicking from generalissimo Sawyer and hard running by the new look midfield of League Troy and Jason the Yank the Tangs were morphing into the running Tangs of a generation ago and opportunities were sought and finally found when again Kid Cavin was set free by an excellent pass from fullback J-Go and scored in the corner. While Scorps manfully battled to hold back the Tangs attacking style in check the result was a couple of penalties and a 13-0 score line. Scorps were then gifted the traditional soft try which the Tangs prefer to offer valiant opposition as a way to keep the game interesting and another try that was well earned and the score was a less robust 13-10. But not for long. After some excellent rucking by the back three of Ape, Lawson and Carriban a superbly worked middle field move saw League Troy break the line fake right and then give a sublime inside pass to T-Rau (ably subbing for Sawyer who was using the new rolling subs rule to put his feet up and have a beer) who glided under the post – The Tang’s Trojan Horse play was born!! For the rest of the half the Tangs defended valiantly with excellent work from new boy Craig and the old crew of Deayton and Murphy. The half closed out with a hard goal line stand with some shut down defense from the French flyer and a lazy prop prone to loitering on the wing looking for a breather.

The half time speech was a reiteration by coach Clarky to get back to basics and not utilize the strategy from the first half to sew the game up. Luckily super sub, Union Troy, did not listen and after 10 mins of see-sawing mid field runs and rucks, adaptation and innovation took over. A quick line out from Needles Troy saw Kid Cavin charging into the opposition at about the 10 meter line where a double bridge from the Needles and J-Go realized quick ball to Lee san who looking up for a flyer found only old man Riebe (so named only because Olsen was away) and with resignation gave up the crash ball and prepared for another quick ruck. It was not to be. Riebe took the ball and stepped inside the speedy Club winger who fell to the ground with nothing but air in hand, Realizing he did not have the support he bounced off another failed tackler, utilizing the momentum to gain critical speed and was into open space and a foot race for the line. Many will say there is nothing so sweet as watching as a wing burn past the opposition and score a try. But then they have never seen a 46 year old, 19 + stone prop outrun the opposition on the hollowed ground of the Valley. A thing of beauty to behold, well maybe not but it definitely put a knife into the Scum’s hopes and many a fine into the belly of the defenders post game.

After that the game was a little bit more turgid. Valley attacked and defended and Club were gifted another soft try to aid their bruised egos. End score was [27-17]. As the Tangs did their usual after match whip round for beer money the world almost stopped turning – yes HKFC actually behaved like a proper rugby club and came over to have a couple of beers with us. Not only that they even said they were organizing a cash bar for this Saturday’s scaled up version of Good vs Evil. Don’t be fooled, it will still be war next week when all the other Valley teams try to follow the Tangs lead and defeat the evil Empire!

Andy ‘Jonah’ Riebe