Mixed codes friendly match

Thanks to the moderate weather, the non-push scrums and the frequent infringement breaks, both packs remained mobile for the duration of the half, so when play did continue it was energetic and exciting and did indeed prove reasonable training.

Prior to the second half (playing rugby union), the teams expectations had been established as much higher than for the first half. However, the infringement rate remained high so the shape of the game changed little despite the code change. The opposition proved themselves to be thoroughly adaptable to the demands of Union, and quickly exploited holes in the Gaijin defense. The constant rotation of substitutes did little to bring consistency to the team, and a foothold was only gained later in the half when the opposition finally tired, handicapped by a non-existent bench. One memorable score was by Mosese Rarasea (Mojee), which involved an audacious dummy coupled with a sideskip to score under the posts.

The final try for the Gaijin was possibly historic and prophetic, being scored by a member of the fairer sex in the dead-center of the posts. After a composed period of attack 10 metres from the opposition line, Wataru Murata bravely tried to crash through traffic. Quite what happened then is a mystery to your humble reporter, but the consequence was Laite Mateitoga scoring a face-saving last-gasp victory for the Gaijin.
The cherry on top was that the last kick of the match was a successful drop-kick conversion by the departing Alex Glover.

The match was concluded on the very best of terms, with promises of re-matches in the future.

Final score (# tries)

Man of the Match: Big Joe Waqavanua