Shuto round 4: Olivers

Despite it being late October, the heat seems to keep on going.  The game unfortunately was finished before it even started since the opposion were unable to field a team.  With a forfieted game already decided and all the members assembled, it seemed a waste to go back home so we gave Olivers a couple of our players and ran out onto the pitch  like it was any other game.

The Gaijins started the game guns blazing, scoring a try 3 minutes into the game.  From a lineout, the forwards trucked along and Hiroshi Fukasawa broke away to score the first try of the game.  Not even 2 minutes passed when debutant Lelio Brun danced his way through a floppy defence and ran a good 60 meters try.  Took another 10 minutes for the Gaijin to score again after a couple of phases off a scrum with Sou Miyake widening the gap even further.  Soon after the Gaijins score again with Martin Dulhoste picking up a half arsed popped ball and weaving through the Olivers defnce and scoring.  Damien Naughton, who garcefully volunteered to play for the opposion, at one point tried to chop one of our own boys head off but it was unfruitful as the next phase brought another try courtesy of Yu Nagai who bulldoze through.

Few moments later, Sou Miyake capitalised on whilst the opposion was flat footed, thinking Hiroshi knocked on the ball.  Daisuke Teraoka who is a ‘meh’ kicker at best, was on fire slotting in most of the conversions including one from the far side of the pitch with the help of the uprights, through the game despite having a kick percentage of under 40% though out the season (important to point out his kicking percentage outside of Tokyo Gaijin is 80%).  Fairly rare sight amongst the Gaijins, backs passing without dropping the ball, and that is exactly what happened in the build-up of the next try.  Martin was on the very end, and scored what would be known as a once in a blue moon try courtesy of the back line.  Lelio was not happy that his French counter part was hogging all the glory so scored after another 60 meter run.  Conan O’Sullivan who just chopped the opposion player in half, forced a knock-on leading to try for Sebastian Sabania who picked up the loose ball and scored it himself before the halftime whistle.  With the way the first half was going, everyone was expecting the same to continue but Taun Vermeulen had other ideas.  After playing for the Gaijins for most of the first half, he was quick to betray the team and scored a try for the opposision.  TRAITOR!!

Halftime score: 57-7

Second half was moreorless the same as the first half with the Gaijins dominating.  With the score line so heavily in the Gaijin favor, it gave us a chance to rest several members and give game time to the bench and  newer players.  Pim van Mildert who like Taun, plays for the Gaijin was walking in the same traitorous path was 15 meters away from scoring an epic run but was stopped in the tracks by Sou and Taku Eguchi the linesman.  After a close call and defending on our own 5 meter, Lelio blasted through the defence only to pop it off to Jamal Slaughter to finish off the try.  Sebastian followed suit soon after making a great run dipping and dodging through the defence before passing the ball to Riku Kaizaki to score.  A few plays later, a decieving switch from Conan to Jamal opened a gap for and easy try.  Jet Yates who was fairly quiet most of the game decided to do something about it and scored a solo 80 meter effort.  Aure was trying to mimic Jet but was unable to out run the last defender and passed the ball off to the last person everyone wanted the ball to go to , Jamal.  Jamal being the greedy show-off that he is, scored off the hard work of Aure unfortunately.  Few moments later the ball as back in the opposition half courtesey of Sebastian’s run which ended up with him dragging along half of the Olivers team and thinning the defensive line for Martin to cap his hat-trick.  The game was capped off with more of the same with Hiroshi, Sou and Jamal (2 tries) scoring tries.

Final Score: 122-7

*Please note some of the facts described in the article above are partially false and not intended to be hurtful.  If it is hurtful, I feel sorry for you.

Thanks a lot to Haruna Setoguchi for recording the game.