Rugby Union World Cup 24 – EVERYTHING (else) thread

by **Neu Engollon** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 10:32 am

"Good evening, Neu Engollon and the world! This is the NETV Sports 7 Update and I'm your host, Magda Wertauer. Tonight we continue to cover the Rugby World Cup happening in Aels.
Neu Engollon's own Goats had their first match against Borxinoia...I'm learning to say this now...and it went about as expected. We'll go over it now if you didn't happen catch the match and don't intend to watch it later. A small margin, I know.

The Goats took away a victory and a huge point margin, putting them at the third spot in their pool, even though they have the largest point difference as they have only played one match to unranked Welcomzia and Lauranienne's two. Both national squads have only one victory each, along with the draw they just earned against each other. This will certainly be a temporary situation.

The match started off with a try in the first 3 minutes as Carsten Lichtmann broke through the Borxinoia line and ran it in, slapping the ball down just a little left of center between the posts. Ernie Urbach took the easy set up for the conversion and chalked up the Goats' first full seven. This was followed by another try from Jean Semmes just 2 minutes later on the outside as he picked off a pass from the Borxinoian wings and sprinted it in with pursuit hot on his heels. Urbach was unable to get the conversion up and the score was 12-0 a quarter into the first half.

A collapsed scrum was rightly called by the official, Alexander Schuylens, with the penalty going to Borxinoia. However they were unable to gain advantage off the tap and a ruck was turned towards the Goats drive as they regained momentum. Here a frustrated Borxinoia were determined not to have another quick walk over and the defense did well to close the holes. The frustration continued to show as one of Borxinoia's flankers reacted to the chaos in one of the mauls, grabbed Felix Marten by the neck and ripped him to the ground, earning a sin bin trip. Fiederike Sant-Francice, the assistant referee for the match, cautioned Borxinoia to clean up their act and play resumed.

After a drive with a series of rucks, the third try of the match was brought in by Callenzo in a dive into the zone which is certainly one of the highlight stills of the match. Despite the angle, Urbach was able to redeem himself and slot the extra points, bringing the match to 19-0 at the 31 minute mark. Borxinoia brought the ball back in close for another attack and it looked like they might finally put some points on the board, but after struggling and a missed attempt at a drop goal, they still were not able to earn their first digits for the match. Two more tries for Neu Engollon were brought in courtesy of Donette and Latrent. Emmet took a turn on the conversion kicks and was able to successfully knock through Marcel's, but not Julien's. As the half was upon us, the score was 33-0.

Early into the second half, the Borxinoia left wing was able to finally achieve a goal, the result of a late high tackle penalty on Paticci. Later on, the Goats would respond with their own first drop goal to bring the scoreline to 36-3. Borxinoia buckled down to fight towards the Neu Engollon try line, but could not find a hole to exploit in the Goats defense. Marten brought in the next and ultimately last try of the match for the Goats, but Emmet was not able to get the conversion. As the minutes wound down, so did the Borxinoians will, and we would see no further attacks on the Goats try zone for the remainder of the match. Urbach took one last successful kick through the sticks for Neu Engollon, to bring the final to 44-3.

On paper, this was the toughest match that the Goats should have to face in Pool A, with Borxinoia being the next highest ranked challenger. In reality, Borxinoia did have some moments, but far too few of them to match their top 30 ranking. Welcomzia is predicted to be a tougher match now, based on their performance so far in Pool play. As we know, Coach Cosento doesn't like to take anything for granted.
We will continue to have all the replays of matches available on the special NETV pay per view streaming service, with some select matches on NETV Sports 19 and this channel. More previews of the upcoming match against Welcomzia can be seen right here on NETV Sports 7. Stay tuned after the break..."

by **Aels** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 4:48 pm

And this is the Matchday 3 cutoff.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 4:53 pm

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven Part Twelve

Truth is the Savior, Part Thirteen

Warehouse 357, Sing Sing Avenue
Releinthi, Abanhfleft

It had all come down to this moment. A story that had started seven years ago in a prestigious university was now about to come to an end in a seedy abandoned warehouse in Releinthi's docks district, a far cry from the place where it all started. Tim Lane started it with his shooting of Cool Kid, Big Johnny and Killer Mark, and now it would end with him going up against the trio's siblings: Clever Terrence, Big Kate and Killer George. But there was a big difference this time around: when Tim had started this series of events, he had been alone in his pain and his quest for personal vengeance. Now he was going into the warehouse on a quest to help his country finally bring down one of the biggest crime syndicates in the city, and he had backup with him: his girlfriend and now wife Helen Ignacio.

It was also a journey of redemption for them, although redemption was probably not the right word for it. They were certainly out to cleanse the demons of their life, as both Tim and Helen had run away from their old lives after the shooting in Releinthi State University. Tim was out to confront the ghosts of his past, along with Helen.

Tim parked the car a short distance away from Warehouse 357, the address indicated on Clever Terrence's letter to him. He and Helen popped out and gave the structure a long hard look. It was just like every other warehouse in the area; a corrugated steel and iron structure built to the same large specifications and laid out in neat and identical rows throughout the city docks. At first glace the place looked deserted, but they both knew in their hearts that there could be as much as a whole gang army sitting around inside the warehouse.

"So, this is it," Tim said, looking up at the warehouse. "This is where it all ends. This is where we finally stop running away from our fate and face it with dignity." Beside him, Helen was silent, choosing to gaze at a spot somewhere between the roof of the warehouse and the hazy moon shining down on them from the sky, bathing them in soft silvery light. "Anything bothering you, Helen?" he asked her.

"God, I feel such a chicken now," she replied. Turning to look at Tim, she continued, "I feel like this isn't how I thought things would end, that there would be a way to end all this bad blood between our families without it coming to this."

"Well, it's come to this now," Tim said. "Still thinking about your sister?"

"I can't not think about her, Tim. She's in there waiting for us, and I just don't know if I can... you know... take her out." The last three words took a very long time to come out of Helen's mouth.

"Look, if that happens, I'll do it for you," Tim said. "We talked about this before, right? Once we're here, there's no turning back. It's all or nothing for us now. Either we do this, save Petronella and Aglaya, get rid of our demons, or we don't. Now, people say that the world's no longer black and white but a multitude of shades of gray, but right now, in this moment, they're wrong. We're on the white side, and your sister and her fellow mobsters are on the black side. We have to do it."

Helen took a deep breath before releasing it in a long sigh. "All right, Tim," she finally said. "After you."

"I thought it was supposed to be ladies first?" Tim quipped. But soon they both went quiet as they approached the warehouse. They had their weapons held out in front of them, pistols that were the most that they could scoop up in their haste to get to the warehouse and save the two girls that the Republican Bureau of Investigation had entrusted upon them.

Tim eased open a steel door that had been left partially open by whoever had been there before, a sign that Tim took to mean that someone was expecting them. Nevertheless he went in, with Helen close behind him, and they made sure that both of them could cover each other in case of a firefight.

There were scattered lightbulbs throughout the warehouse, bathing the interior in contrasting shades of white and yellow that gave the place an eerie feel. Tim and Helen moved slowly through a row of shipping containers that had been stacked inside the warehouse, checking corners for the possibility of a hiding enemy. Eventually the containers gave way to simple and smaller wooden crates, some of which appeared to have been opened. As they got deeper into the warehouse Tim noticed that there were smaller boxes of stuff scattered around the area, which seemed to have been vacated of the big containers they had encountered earlier. Tim slowed down and examined one of the boxes, which was made of steel and painted a military olive. He dipped his hand into the box and touched cold brass. He took one of the objects and lifted it up out of the box. Even in the dim light, he recognized the brass tube as ammunition.

"Strange," he muttered. This was the first time that he'd seen ammo lying around so carelessly. He tossed the bullet back into the ammo box and continued walking, with Helen watching his six. As they got closer and closer to what had to be the middle of the warehouse, Tim's nose picked up the familiar scent of kerosene. It was familiar to him because he had spent time as a cargo loader in Port Thimpodopoulos' port, and he knew the smell of petroleum products when he smelled it.

Tim stopped in front of an orange barrel that had been tipped over, and its contents poured out. The kerosene was nearly black as it spilled onto the ground.

"I think we've been had," Tim muttered.

"What was that again?" Helen asked.

"I think we're in a trap."

"What makes you say that?"

"The scattered ammo, the spilled gas? Someone wants to make an explosion that would make Michael Bay proud."

"Well, shit. Does that mean that the girls aren't even here?"

"We don't know that. Maybe they're planning to blow us all up at the same time. Still..." Tim trailed off.

"What is it, Tim?" Helen asked. "What's on your mind?"

"We can't just leave the girls in here, if they are here. But we can't search for them all night. We've got to split up, get them out ASAP. You wanna take the left or the right?"

"I'll take the right," Helen replied.

"All right," Tim said. "If you smell fire or smoke, don't worry about me and just get the hell outta here. Got that?"

"I don't know, Tim, it sounds like a very long shot."

"I know. That's why we're in this together, right?"

Helen nodded her head and then turned to the right. Tim watched her disappear into the darkness and then went for the left. He had no idea what was waiting for him in the darkness ahead, just that he had to be ready for any possibility. Whether it was a guard, a guard dog, Clever Terrence or the girls, he knew he would have only few precious milliseconds to react properly, and he steeled himself for the task in front of him.

Suddenly, a fist shot out of the darkness between two shipping containers and struck Tim straight at his jaw, and even as he was turning to aim his pistol at the surprise attacker, the man who had thrown the first punch kicked the pistol from out of his hands and sent another hard fist straight into Tim's solar plexus.

Well, shit, Tim thought before he went down for the count.

by **Aels** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 5:05 pm

Matchday Three

Pool A
Welcomzia 17–35 Neu Engollon
Aquitayne 9–5 Lauranienne

  Pool A                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Neu Engollon                  2   2  0  0   79  20 +59   10
2 Lauranienne                   3   1  1  1   39  30  +9    7
3 Welcomzia                     3   1  1  1   43  59 −16    6
4 Aquitayne                     2   1  0  1   19  17  +2    5
5 Borxinoia                     2   0  0  2   10  64 −54    0

Pool B
Nova Anglicana 33–8 Barunia
Greater Vakolicci Haven 3–33 Saintland

  Pool B                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana                3   3  0  0   69  11 +58   13
2 Saintland                     3   2  0  1   69  12 +57   10
3 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec   2   1  0  1   14  45 −31    4
4 Barunia                       2   0  0  2   17  47 −30    1
5 Greater Vakolicci Haven       2   0  0  2    6  60 −54    0

Pool C
Aloquirbe 0–12 Kaboomlandia
Elejamie 18–30 Albaie

  Pool C                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Aels                          2   2  0  0   37  18 +19    8
2 Albaie                        3   2  0  1   48  45  +3    8
3 Kaboomlandia                  2   1  0  1   24  13 +11    5
4 Elejamie                      2   1  0  1   43  37  +6    4
5 Aloquirbe                     3   0  0  3   10  49 −39    0

Pool D
Frenline Delpha 35–33 South Donese Union
Ko-oren 21–0 Polaaskan

  Pool D                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Ko-oren                       2   2  0  0   65  10 +55    9
2 Polaaskan                     3   2  0  1   27  43 −16    8
3 Frenline Delpha               3   1  0  2   54  90 −36    6
4 South Donese Union            2   1  0  1   42  41  +1    6
5 Natanians and Nosts           2   0  0  2   19  23  −4    2

Pool E
The Fair Republic 33–9 Gregoryisgodistan
Cata Larga 17–12 Eura

  Pool E                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 The Fair Republic             3   3  0  0  120  26 +94   15  Q
2 Eura                          3   1  0  2   41  77 −36    5
3 Shytysle                      2   1  0  1   27  19  +8    4
4 Cata Larga                    2   1  0  1   24  45 −21    4
5 Gregoryisgodistan             2   0  0  2    9  54 −45    0

*The Fair Republic cannot be mathematically caught and have won Pool E.

Pool F
Lymantatia 3–10 Gim
Krytenia 7–22 Kernansquillec

  Pool F                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Uitbregen                     2   2  0  0   48   3 +45    8
2 Lymantatia                    3   1  0  2   16  27 −11    5
3 Kernansquillec                3   1  0  2   25  42 −17    5
4 Krytenia                      2   1  0  1   21  25  −4    4
5 Gim                           2   1  0  1   13  26 −13    4

Pool G
Racao 7–6 Burthnas
Hutanjia 23–3 The Sword Bloke

  Pool G                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Hutanjia                      2   2  0  0   64   6 +58    9
2 Pey                           2   2  0  0   39  24 +15    8
3 Racao                         3   2  0  1   22  53 −31    8
4 Burthnas                      2   0  0  2   20  27  −7    2
5 The Sword Bloke               3   0  0  3   19  54 −35    1

Pool H
Oisinistan 15–28 Abanhfleft
Ekoz 7–3 Ethane

  Pool H                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                    2   2  0  0   63  35 +28    9
2 Ekoz                          2   2  0  0   30  13 +17    8
3 Ethane                        3   1  0  2   17  24  −7    6
4 United States of Devonta      2   1  0  1   34  42  −8    4
5 Oisinistan                    3   0  0  3   28  58 −30    1

Round of 16 draw:
S1: A1 v H2
S2: B1 v G2
S3: C1 v F2
S4: D1 v E2
S5: The Fair Republic (E1) v D2
S6: F1 v C2
S7: G1 v B2
S8: H1 v A2

Quarterfinal draw:
Q1: Winner S1 v Winner S2
Q2: Winner S3 v Winner S4
Q3: Winner S5 v Winner S6
Q4: Winner S7 v Winner S8

Semifinal draw:
SF1: Winner Q1 v Winner Q3
SF2: Winner Q2 v Winner Q4

by **Ethane** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 5:31 pm

Today, at the Rugby World cup, the nation of Ethane was left in agony at the slim loss to Ekoz. While no where near the favourites to beat them, Ethane was valiant in the game, leading to only 1 try in the whole game. The team will be devastated after coming so close to beating Ekoz, and putting themselves in the perfect position to proceed out of the group stages. For all those people at home who want to torture themselves, here is the match report:

16:00- kick off
All the players lined up on the field, ready to try to upset the Ekoz team and try to pull off a surprise win

'5
Ethane turned over the ball while Ekoz was on the attack and took advantage of the spread out defence, sprinting to the try line. Stopped short by the fullback, the Ekoz team turned over the ball and countered again.

'25
Ekoz came very close to putting the first points on the board, only knocked into touch 2 metres before the line.

'37
Ethane tried to push on and score a try before the end of the half, but couldn't pull off the try

Half Time- Ethane 0-0 Ekoz

'64
Ethane were awarded a penalty from just outside the Ekoz '22 for a high tackle, easily slotted between the bars

ETHANE 3-0 EKOZ

'78
With 2 minutes before the end of the game, the Ethane fans were holding the breath, only 2 minutes from the great upset. 7

'79
Ekoz turned over the ball just inside the Ethane half, aiming to get a final attack just before the end of the game

'80
Ekoz began their attack, smashing through the Ethane lines

'84
Ekoz were determined not to lose the ball, and their efforts were rewarded with a try caused by a mistake by the Ethane right back.

'86
The Ekoz team slotted away the conversion, unneeded as they had already won.

The Ethane national rugby team lost their morale, and some were even seen shaking and crying as they walked off the pitch. What an emotional time for the nation of Ethane, so close to their first upset, yet so far away. Because this has pretty much destroyed any chances of progressing out of the group stages, the whole of the Ethane nation will be looking to their final game against Abanhfleft with regret at what could've been, and waiting in anticipation for the next world cup in rugby. They will also hope to advance further in other sporting competitions.

(OOC: short because it is late, expect lots more over bye day from me)

by **Saintland** » Tue Oct 27, 2015 5:50 pm

OOC: As I've been too busy to RP this edition of the RUWC (and apparently forget to post my roster), I'll be reposting my roster from RUWC 23 and saving the debut of my new team captain for the next edition.

Saintland National Rugby Union Team

Style Modifier: +2
Captain: Marcus Desidenius
Colors: Red and White
Demonym: Sanctii
Stadium: Via Damascus Stadium
Stadium Location: St. Paulus
Stadium Capacity: 32,189

Roster

Starting Lineup

PR - Marcus Ennius
HK - Lucas Decianus
PR - Matthaeus Ennius
SR - Matthaeus Flavinius
SR - Paulus Flavinius
FL - Josephus Funisulanus
FL - Alessandro Funisulanus
#8 - Marcus Desidenius
SH - Paulus Norbanus
FH - Lucas Portius
IC - Silvester Spurius
OC - Petrus Spurius
LW - Nicolaus Opsius
RW - Ioannes Opsius
FB - Lucius Curius

Bench

FW - Lucas Fulvius
FW - Petrus Decimius
FW - Thomas Hispalus
FW - Lucius Didius
BK - Georgius Cipius
BK - Alessandro Belaeus
BK - Paulus Blandius

Notes

Saintland has a very rough style of play and very few fouls in our national league, so don't hesitate to card Sanctii players, especially if Saintland loses. Rugby is the 3rd most popular form of football in Saintland. It is nowhere near as popular as soccer or gridiron. It also is not as popular as baseball, ice hockey or basketball. Rugby is roughly as popular as handball in Saintland. A RL comparison would be soccer in the US. The Saintland rugby team doesn't have the high expectations that come with representing Saintland in any of the big 5 sports. Actually, the team is somewhat infamous for being mostly ignored at home, regardless of how they perform. The Saintland National Rugby Union Team has 5 brother combinations in the starting lineup. This team lacks a star player. Unlike the usual Sanctii captains, Desidenius is not a star player. He is a veteran who captains the St. Petrus rugby union team. Desidenius is known for his veteran leadership, but he is just a good player. Even Lucas Portius, the MVP last season, is not a superstar player. When the Sanctii perform well, as they did at the 22nd Rugby World Cup, it is through team play, not through the dominance of any single player. They are relatively tall players and most of them have played gridiron at the youth levels.

RP Permissions

I give my opponent permission to:
Choose my scorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
Give my players yellow cards: Y
Give my players red cards: Y
Give injuries to my players: Y
Godmod injuries to my players: Y
Godmod other events: Y

by **Hutanjia** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 1:16 am

TRECHOID, AELS

The Spiders were a unique team in the realm of rugby in that they played all codes of the sport rather than focus on one, and some might say they did them equally well. Like many young boys in Polynesia, Hutanjians were brought up not playing baseball or football, but rugby, the national sport of the island chain. For ages, this had only meant rugby union, and Union was the only sport to be represented in a professional manner in Wishton Polynesia. However, as the Hutanjians had broken onto the International athletic circuit in recent years, they had decided that the Spiders must stay versatile and be able to apply themselves to all the codes of rugby, whether it be union, league or sevens. The Athletics Ministry had no intention of dumping a lot of budget into developing League and Sevens leagues from the ground up, and so this was their solution. Therefore, those players drafted from the Wishton Union for the National team had stayed busy all year round training and playing in various International tournaments of all the codes. While they were a Union nation at heart, they continued to dominate the rankings of League, and were four time world champions now. They had surmounted the odds for a team who did not come naturally adhere to the league code.

Samson watched as the team went through their drills before the second match against the Sword Bloke. Janson Paqate still looked haggard and run down, but he was starting to get more color and a little more pick up in his step every day. Still, Samson, the Captain, and the Coach had both agreed that Janson would remain relegated to the bench for this Cup, coming out to play for the Spiders only rarely.

They had been sure they’d lost Paqate to...time, the elements, bandits in the jungle...something that had made him not catch his plane when they had taken off for the Rugby League World Cup in the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. He had sent one last message to Samson that his family would come first and he would not be able to join them. His family lived at a crossroads on Nesselberg, where a Marxist and nationalist insurgency were still in full swing, despite the end of the Cardwithian Independence War. Their village was often in the cross hairs.
It was understandable that he would want to protect his family, but still a bit of a downturn for the Spiders, who had relied on Paqate’s prowess on the pitch to propel some of their key plays. Still, they had won without Janson to keep the League Cup home with them.

Now he was back and fighting for another chance. Samson was still in doubt as to whether he owed his former best friend that chance, even though the Coach and the Athletics Ministry had relented and let him back on the team. He had betrayed them once, who was to say that he wouldn’t do it again?

A kicked ball sailed at his head and Samson Wakala caught it in time.
It had been launched by Grendel Lintanu, their left winger and best kicker.
“Wot choo doin’ Cap’un? Ya gin join us on de pitch o nah?”

“Yeh. Kip ya panties on now. I gin direct sum plehs heeyah in a minoh!” Samson used his powerful arms to hurl the ball back to Grendel, who caught it and scooped back up and out.
He got close enough to stop shouting.

“Ya nah got a worreh. Janson gin be alriyt mon.”

“We see mon. We see. Ya nah gotta worreh. Jes focus on de Sword Bloke match, eh?”

“Imma alreadeh on ta de nex’ one, yeh? Burthnas...Wha kinda bod-ee-lee funkshun be dat?”

“One dat play de rugbee, ‘paruntlee. Les kip de drillz goin’, yeh?”
Samson ran out to join the rest of the team and start some maul drills.

by **Kaboomlandia** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 7:21 pm

Phoenix shut out Aloquirbe for easy win

In a critical second game, the Kaboomlandia Phoenix righted the ship, jumping out in front for a 12-0 shutout victory of Aloquirbe. Jamie Pierce got both tries for Kaboomlandia, while Jüssi Brylîn kicked the lone conversion in a crucial game. Coach Marshall Hayes praised the team for their tough play and resilience, stating that he liked what he saw from his defensive starters. The Phoenix are up next tomorrow in a critical Game 3 matchup against Elejamie, who are tied with the Phoenix in points. Elejamie has a pretty good rivalry with the Kaboomlandians from ice hockey, and it should carry over to the rugby players.

by **The Fair Republic** » Wed Oct 28, 2015 9:07 pm

Free Stone Stadium, Drayfill-

Game Time: 25:17, Score: 21-3 TFR

"COME ON REF!" Gideon Patrick screams at the top of his lungs "IF THAT PLAY WAS LEGAL, I'M A FUCKING MARTIAN"

The Referee Oisin Tiernan comes over to talk to Patrick, "Wait, that play was illegal?"

"YOU TELL ME! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THE GODDAMN REF! ONE OF THE PLAYERS ELBOWED MY #8 IN THE HEAD! MAKE A DECISION FOR CHRIST SAKE"

"Ok then, penalty try for the Turtles then. Also, You're ejected for disorderly conduct" Tiernan's face paled as he received an obscene gesture from the coach

Patrick Ross had to restrain the coach from lunging at the poor guy

"Coach, why are you so fired up? Ross asks

"Do the math" Patrick hand Ross a crumbled piece of paper containing the group table. He notices that the Toucans could win if they get the bonus points today. Smiling to himself, he walks back to the bench with the paper in hand. Ross stood up on the bench to get a look on Peter Lazarus taking the penalty try...

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Toucans walk back to the locker room They are weary, but jubilant. They beat Gregoryisgodistan by a score of 33-9, clinching the group and a spot in the round of 16. The Toucans become quiet as Patrick is waiting to start talking.

"Great job finishing the job today boys. I'm going to ease up on you guys for the remainder of the group stage. We will mainly be working on conditioning and rest for the last two games of the group stage. We have a bye after the next game versus Shytysle. Let me clear, I'm not satisfied that we passed the group stage. I will be satisfied when we bring back the cup. I'm giving you guys the night off, but I expect you to be at the practice pitch at 9:00 sharp.

by **Neu Engollon** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 6:08 am

"Good evening, Neu Engollon and our International subscribers. This is the NETV Sports 7 Update and I'm your host, Karl Demais. Magda has the night off. Tonight we continue to cover the Rugby World Cup happening in Aels.
The Goats have defeated Welcomzia with 35 points to their 17.
We will cover some highlights later, but first, we go to Coach Cosento who joins us live via video link. Coach, thanks for taking the time out to talk to us. I know your time is short, so I'll jump right into it. How do you think the match went tonight?"

"Karl, I'm happy we got past them, but the margin with which we beat unranked Welcomzia could have been a lot wider."

"Why do you think that is the case? What was the factor that kept Welcomzia to a closer margin?"

"Well, it's something we've been working on. Support in the rucks and mauls, but not overcommitting to where we leave a hole in our defense. Any team is going to take advantage of that."

"And they did."

"A couple times, yes. When the ruck was lost and our scrum or fly half or one of the wings were still bound up with our flankers, then that was trouble. I do need to go..."

"I understand Coach, good luck with the Aquitayne match."

"It's going to be a tough but good one."

We will continue to have all the replays of matches available on the special NETV pay per view streaming service, with some select matches on NETV Sports 19 and this channel. More previews of the upcoming match against fellow Astyrians, Aquitayne, can be seen right here on NETV Sports 7. We'll also have the derby and AVRU scores. Stay tuned after this sponsor break.."

by **Aquitayne** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 12:44 pm

All eyes are on the next match.

Aquitaynian sports aficionados and rugby die-hards all around the country are waiting in giddy anticipation for the upcoming match between the Aquitaynian Men's National Rugby Team and Neu Engollon. It's a rivalry as old as time itself; ever since international rugby began captivating the hearts of Astyrians everywhere, the top two nations dominating the sport have undoubtedly been Aquitayne and Neu Engollon. The rivalry was highlighted in anticipation for this year's Rugby World Cup at the Alpen View Beer Festival, where the Aquitaynian Men's 7's Squad brought home the silver plate.

The rivalry has reignited itself in tense anticipation for this week's match against Neu Engollon. Commentators, fans and Aquitaynians everywhere were calling the grouping of both Neu Engollon and Aquitayne within the same pool, a first for both nations (as they usually face one another later on in the competition during elimination rounds), the "Group of Death". Rugby jerseys and rugby paraphernalia have been flying off of shelves at sporting goods stores across the country as the game comes closer.

Most sports analysts are predicting a Neu Engollon victory over the slow Aquitaynian squad, as the team's performance in the tournament so far has been less than stellar. The team opened the cup with a loss and bounced back slightly to win a hard-fought victory over their most recent opponent. Top rugby analyst Tom Hartford stated yesterday on a television interview that, "the men's team just doesn't seem like they're up to par with the big contenders, anymore. Especially not against a powerhouse like Neu Engollon."

This was countered, however, by the guest star, former Aquitaynian Rugby Men's National Team forward, Lican Fraer, who stated that, "Aquitayne is notorious for being the underdog in these situations. We saw it in the first year Aquitayne entered the Hockey World Cup, when they reached the semi-finals. We've seen it in our past Rugby World Cup showings. Aquitayne is definitely not out of the fight, and we are capable of beating Neu Engollon this week."

Ultimately, the outcome waits to be seen, but you can be sure that every major broadcaster across Astyria will be showing this game as an estimated 20 million Aquitaynians and 26 million Neu Engollonians are expected to tune into the match.

by **Elejamie** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 12:49 pm

Player Profile: Nick Dabrowski
Adam Delgado - Davenport, Elejamie

Wow, I can't believe I've been putting this off. Really, procrastination's been hitting the DG team like... a... really bad... analogy? I'll edit this later and put something better in.

But, for now, let's concentrate on what I do best: giving people a brief insight into their favourite players. Whether it be the stars of yesteryear or the stars of toyear, I'll be giving you information on what they did, where they played, all that jazz. And, indeed, today I've set my sights on Nick Dabrowski, former Avon, Coventry and Auckhampton and Elejamie player, former Coventry coach and the current Elejamie coach. Which is fitting because he is essentially the man behind the men, who are gearing up for their big match against Kaboomlandia at the National Rugby Stadium in Watersedge; if you want to see how that goes, be sure to tune into Channel 3 in... whenever it starts. Either way, here's your Player Profile on Mr. Dabrowski.

July 3rd, 1962 - Nicholas Dabrowski was born on this day in Shiner Beach, SHNR. When he was three years old, he and his family moved to Coventry, where he went to school, got an education, graduated from the University of Elejamie and got into rugby. I can't seem to find more information on what he did before he started his professional career but, depending on who you ask, that might be for the best. Besides, his autobiography will be out around Christmas, so I recommend pre-ordering it if you haven't already.

Nick Dabrowski, still warming up against
Avon in a different match, this one from
November 93. .Coventry won that one 39-25

September 1st, 1983 - Nick Dabrowski signs for the Avon Stars. It was a rough first season, in which he played a handful of games and only scored 7 tries - all but one of which were converted - as the Knights eventually finished in 7th place. However, the following season, he was part of the Dream Team where, somehow, they picked themselves up and managed to get a perfect season; winning their first game against Alvis 26-19 and their last against Davenport 32-7. To date, the 84/85 Avon Knights team are the last team in the ERC to get a perfect season; few teams have come close but none were able to manage it.

August 30th, 1985 - Nick Dabrowski moved across the river to play for the Coventry Wyverns. Highlights of his first season include his first press conference since he joined the team, where he famously said "Because I want to save money on fuel" when asked why he moved from the Knights to the Wyverns; scoring a try by leaping over Bullfrogs fullback Guillermo de Vargas (whose son Raul plays for the Coventry Saviours in the HBL) in a match that ended 50-26 in favour of the Wyverns; and a drop goal against eventual runners-up Murgon that lead to the Wyverns winning the league.

April 13th, 1987 - Nick Dabrowski receives his first cap in an international friendly game against Neu Engollon. Although the Mountain Goats won 42-20, Dabrowski managed to score both Elejamian tries, both which were converted thanks to Alan Murray who also scored both of Elejamie's penalties.

February 12th, 1994 - The Battle of Avon; a post-match brawl between Avon and Coventry players after, earlier in the match, a harsh tackle by Avon's Mike Rackham on Armando Castillo was ignored by the referee. Nick Dabrowski was seen trying to break up the fight by pulling team-mate Ryan Moore away from the scuffle but was accidentally punched in the head by Avon's Jerry Mulder; Moore, Mulder and Castillo were three of the seven players banned for five games as a result, along with Rackham who was banned for the rest of the season. Although he received stitches for it, Dabrowski didn't miss a game and carried on with the rest of the season as normal, finishing the season in second place, just behind the Murgon Bullfrogs.

September 2nd, 1995 - After ten years at the Wyverns, Nick Dabrowski moved south to play for the Auckhampton Birch Trees. Although it took a while to pick up steam, coming fourth that season, followed by two consecutive fifth places, Auckhampton would later win the 1998/99 ERC, winning all but three games; both games against Murgon (26-10 in 1998, followed by 20-10 in 1999) and 30-24 to former team Coventry Wyverns. He was given the captain's armband at the start of the following season, which he wore until his retirement in 2002.

August 30th, 2001 - Nick Dabrowski's thirtieth and final cap; a game against Quebec in which Elejamie won 33-10. He scored three tries in that game; two that got converted and one that didn't. It was also at that match where he announced that, after one last season with the Birch Trees, he will retire from playing rugby.

April 21st, 2002 - Nick Dabrowski's last game. After it was [jokingly] announced that his #9 jersey would be retired, the Birch Trees would face his previous club the Coventry Wyverns. Despite the Birch Trees leading throughout most of the match, it was the Wyverns who came away the victors; 40-33. The Birch Trees ended up in sixth place but the Wyverns came third, just behind the Davenport Commandos and ERC winners the Rosetta Sparrows.

Nick Dabrowski, still being professional

Wow, 2002 was a great year for Rosetta, wasn't it? The Royals not only beat the Dockers 1-0, ending The Streak, but they also won the ENIHL. The Sparrows won the ERC; if it weren't for the fact that they lost 17-10 to Avon and 33-29 to Murgon, then it probably would've been a perfect season. In the Elejamian Premier Basketball League, he Devils won the Eastern Conference, winning both of their games against other WC finalists the Mainsborough 100-76 and 99-92; although they ended up losing both of their games to Western Conference winners Berlin Crusaders, it was still the furthest they've ever gotten in the competition. And the Rosetta Strikers won the Cup of Elejamie, defeating Avon FC 4-1 on penalties after the match ended 2-2; however, they didn't win League One, as that honour belongs to the Coventry Wanderers, who were ahead of Rosetta on goal difference. Apologies for the tangent but it was something I had to put in.

February 13th, 2005 - Three years after retiring, Nick Dabrowski returned to rugby, putting on a Steelwater Stallions - they didn't become the Coventry Saviours until 2012 - kit as he and twelve other men (not including substitutes) took on the Alvis Mechanics at Wellesley Field. Yes, Nick actually played in the HBL (or the Elejamian Rugby League, as it was called at the time, because the Hanson's Brews sponsorship didn't come unil four years later), albeit for one game. And what a game it was. Playing as a half-back, he made a couple of fantastic tries - both of them converted - but it wasn't enough to stop the Mechanics winning 19-15.

August 2006 - I can't remember when exactly, since the sources I found give differing dates but this was when Nick became head coach for the Coventry Wyverns. He didn't do a bad job exactly; six consecutive top five finishes, but no real wins. In fact, it wasn't until the 2012/13 season where Coventry finally won the ERC. Curse? Coincidence? No one seems to agree, although personally I'd say it's the latter.

January 13th, 2012 - Nick Dabrowski announced that, at the end of the season, he would leave the head coach position at the Wyverns and would be the new head coach for the national rugby union team.

Am I forgetting something? I am, yes. Here are a couple fun facts about Nick Dabrowski:

He is a vegetarian, having been one since the early 80s. I'm pretty sure his autobiography would cover this in more detail, since I can't find much information about it.
He has two children and, much like their father, are involved in rugby. His son, Gary, is currently a fullback for Águila de Vivente all the way down in EJ-POWR Division One; whereas his daughter Grace is a prop for the Coventry Flyers in the EWRC and part of the women's national sevens team.

And that's your lot, really. I don't know what else to include here. I mean, I could plug the autobiography again but I'm pretty sure you guys have already gotten the message. I could plug the Kaboomlandia/Elejamie game but I'm sure you guys have either scheduled it or are pre-recording it. I know I am. So I figure that I could just end it here and maybe try to find another guy to do a PP on. Hmm... Maybe Dave Constantinides? Mike Rackham? Jonny Levitsky? Or I could check the DG forums and see what you guys think.

AD the HG out!

(P.S. Apologies to DC and RubiFaman for jacking your images - AD the HG)

[link to sources]

More from Adam Delgado:

Player Profile: Robert Mackay

Player Profile: Ben Oldaker

Player Profile: Aaron Kim

Bullfrogs 1982 vs Commandos 1997 (A Collaboration with Dave Carrey)

by **Ko-oren** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 1:09 pm

Referee combo decide match 21-0

Ko-oren versus Polaaskan, two of the best Group D sides, squared off and within 105 minutes, all 30 players and some substitutions were back in the dressing room. The Dragonflies with big grins on their faces with a shutout 21-0 win, the Polaaskan players a lot less happy. Unhappy with the result, the points scored, and they probably have some issues with the referees as well. There is one thing nobody can fault them on, and that was their desire to have everyone in bed by a reasonable time. From kick off to half time was exactly 44 minutes, with a 15 minute break, and another 46 minutes for the second half. One-hundred and five minutes, and that includes the time after the half time and end of match buzzers, before any Dragonfly has had the chance to hoof the ball across the touch line to end it.

The referee is known to not refer to the TMO all the time, and the TMO seemed used to that. The referees were quickly taken from pools from different nations: Quinn Thomas was the main man, aided by Da Silva and Juggerhall, with Tramell on video. Four different nations, but very similar referees. They sent two things to the TMO all match, once in the first half and once in the second. Fortunately for us, both of those were controversial try calls for Polaaskan. One controversial Ko-orenite try was not sent to the video referee so the try stood, but in retrospect it was at least as dodgy as the dismissed Polaaskan tries. That surely helped in the shutout, but it was not all due to the referees. The Union of Ko-oren played one very solid match, but in the end 21-0 was as likely a score as 21-14. The Unionite victory was a sure thing looking at the play style. The Ko-orenites were dominant. Were they really that lucky with the TMO, or was it hard earned, deserved luck?

The Ko-orenite line was as great as before. Cyrille Salomon is really developing into an all time great. He isn't a quick and agile winger, he isn't a playmaking half, but he has got more tries scored than our best winger and more important tackles made than our fullback. The forward pack was solid, reliable, and did not let any scrum go to waste. The turning point of the match was in the 54th minute, when Salomon grounded the ball between the goal posts for a 12-0 lead. Chauvin did not hesitate on the conversion for 14-0, and from then on the Dragonflies' main objective was to stop Polaaskan from scoring. It was tense at times, with the disallowed try in the 67th minute. In the end, the spirit of the Polaaskan team was broken, and they allowed one easy last try (75th minute, Leonardo Braga).

Ko-oren is heading into the third match as group leader, all with less matches played.

by **Aels** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 4:55 pm

Matchday 4 cutoff.

by **Aels** » Thu Oct 29, 2015 5:09 pm

Matchday Four

Pool A
Neu Engollon 37–5 Aquitayne
Borxinoia 14–15 Welcomzia

  Pool A                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Neu Engollon                  3   3  0  0  116  25 +91   15  Q
2 Welcomzia                     4   2  1  1   58  73 −15   10
3 Lauranienne                   3   1  1  1   39  30  +9    7
4 Aquitayne                     3   1  0  2   24  54 −30    5
5 Borxinoia                     3   0  0  3   24  79 −55    1

Pool B
Barunia 17–0 Greater Vakolicci Haven
The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 8–37 Nova Anglicana

  Pool B                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana                4   4  0  0  106  19 +87   18  Q
2 Saintland                     3   2  0  1   69  12 +57   10
3 Barunia                       3   1  0  2   34  47 −13    5
4 The Royal Kingdom of Quebec   3   1  0  2   22  82 −60    4
5 Greater Vakolicci Haven       3   0  0  3    6  77 −71    0

Pool C
Kaboomlandia 24–26 Elejamie
Aels 30–21 Aloquirbe

  Pool C                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Aels                          3   3  0  0   67  39 +28   12
2 Albaie                        3   2  0  1   48  45  +3    8
3 Elejamie                      3   2  0  1   69  61  +8    8
4 Kaboomlandia                  3   1  0  2   48  39  +9    6
5 Aloquirbe                     4   0  0  4   31  79 −48    0

Pool D
South Donese Union 0–33 Ko-oren
Natanians and Nosts 14–15 Frenline Delpha

  Pool D                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Ko-oren                       3   3  0  0   98  10 +88   14  Q
2 Frenline Delpha               4   2  0  2   69 104 −35   10
3 Polaaskan                     3   2  0  1   27  43 −16    8
4 South Donese Union            3   1  0  2   42  74 −32    6
5 Natanians and Nosts           3   0  0  3   33  38  −5    3

Pool E
Gregoryisgodistan 20–39 Cata Larga
Shytysle 5–3 The Fair Republic

  Pool E                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 The Fair Republic             4   3  0  1  123  31 +92   16  Q
2 Cata Larga                    3   2  0  1   63  65  −2    9
3 Shytysle                      3   2  0  1   32  22 +10    8
4 Eura                          3   1  0  2   41  77 −36    5
5 Gregoryisgodistan             3   0  0  3   29  93 −64    0

Pool F
Gim 0–7 Krytenia
Uitbregen 48–7 Lymantatia

  Pool F                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Uitbregen                     3   3  0  0   96  10 +86   13  Q
2 Krytenia                      3   2  0  1   28  25  +3    8
3 Gim                           3   1  0  2   13  33 −20    5
4 Lymantatia                    4   1  0  3   23  75 −52    5
5 Kernansquillec                3   1  0  2   25  42 −17    5

*Uitbregen have qualified but have not yet won their pool.

Pool G
Burthnas 0–25 Hutanjia
Pey 14–18 Racao

  Pool G                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Hutanjia                      3   3  0  0   89   6 +83   13  Q
2 Racao                         4   3  0  1   40  67 −27   12
3 Pey                           3   2  0  1   53  42 +11    9
4 Burthnas                      3   0  0  3   20  52 −32    2
5 The Sword Bloke               3   0  0  3   19  54 −35    1

*Hutanjia have qualified but have not yet won their pool.

Pool H
Abanhfleft 14–12 Ekoz
United States of Devonta 20–34 Oisinistan

  Pool H                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                    3   3  0  0   77  47 +30   13  Q
2 Ekoz                          3   2  0  1   42  27 +15    9
3 Ethane                        3   1  0  2   17  24  −7    6
4 Oisinistan                    4   1  0  3   62  78 −16    6
5 United States of Devonta      3   1  0  2   54  76 −22    4

*Abanhleft have qualified but have not yet won their pool.

Round of 16:
S1: Neu Engollon v H2
S2: Nova Anglicana v G2
S3: C1 v F2
S4: Ko-oren v E2
S5: The Fair Republic v D2
S6: F1 v C2
S7: G1 v B2
S8: H1 v A2

by **Welcomzia** » Fri Oct 30, 2015 2:40 am

Welcomzia Hopeful of Qualification after McMahon's Magic Boot Down's Borxinoia

Welcomzia fans ran onto the pitch in celebration, some of them in tears, as they almost booked their place in the last 16. Borxinoia played their hearts out, and even took a 14-0 lead after fifty minutes, after two good tries. The first came from an interception and lethal counter attack, the second from a maul. The fans were distraught as their must win match slipped away from them, but up stepped McMahon, he kicked several good penalties from various distances, but it was the 80th minute and the score was 14-12, when he gambled a nation's hopes on a 35 metre drop goal, that hit the post and went in.

"I'm so happy" wept McMhaon after the game "this is the best moment of my life". "I can't believe an unranked team like Welcomzia have gone so far, it's been an amazing adventure so far".

"I'm really proud of the boys, I can't believe our success so far" said captain Noel Chapman "hopefully Neu Engollon will do us a favour against Lauranienne, and we can focus on a magical last 16".

"It was a brilliant comeback today" said the Welcomzia gaffer "I was really worried when we were 14-0 down, everyone was, but our ruck was fantastic, putting pressure on the opposition, winning us penalties, which our kicker converted". "Bring on the last 16!"

Pool A
Neu Engollon 37–5 Aquitayne
Borxinoia 14–15 Welcomzia

  Pool A                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Neu Engollon                  3   3  0  0  116  25 +91   15  Q
2 Welcomzia                     4   2  1  1   58  73 −15   10
3 Lauranienne                   3   1  1  1   39  30  +9    7
4 Aquitayne                     3   1  0  2   24  54 −30    5
5 Borxinoia                     3   0  0  3   24  79 −55    1

Although they've played all their matches, Welcomzia still need Lauranienne to lose against already qualified Neu Engollon. Despite Aquitayne being five points behind, their not a threat due to Welcomzia's superior head to head record.

by **Ko-oren** » Fri Oct 30, 2015 2:34 pm

Crucial Matches on Day Five

Sixteen will remain from fourty once tomorrow's dust settles. In some cases, some of that proverbial dust has already settled, and we know that just about any group already has one team in the second round. Round five will decide that second team. In many cases, the group-topping team hasn't just qualified for the next round, it will also play one last match. As we all know, there are five teams in the group, so one team has already played their last match in every group. These will have to pray for mercy on part of some other team to reach the next round.

In short: Neu Engollon, Nova Anglicana, Ko-oren, the Fair Republic, Uitbregen, Hutanjia and Abanhfleft have qualifed for the next round.

Welcomzia, Frenline Delpha and Racao are second so far, but have played their fourth match meaning they will only advance if the competition goes their way.

And then there are the direct matchups. In Group B, Saintland and Barunia will decide who joins Nova Anglicana from that group. Saintland has just had their bye day, so they will probably be a bit healthier. Barunia has one more disadvantage: they need to win, score over 31 points, and don't allow Saintland to lose by less than seven points. So Barunia is all but in the second round, if tomorrow were opposite day.

Group C is a fun one. Aloquirbe has zero points in four matches, and that means the other four all have a chance at the final 16, and all four of them will play. Elejamie takes on Aels, and Albaie plays Kaboomlandia. The hosts have a significant advantage: they are first with four points over Albaie and Elejamie. Bonus points make this one a bit tough to predict, but basically, Aels advances with the Albaie/Kaboomlandia winner. Except if Elejamie wins and overtakes Aels, in which case Elejamie and Aels advance. To conclude, winning is a good thing and will increase your chances at staying in. Who would have thought?

Group D is almost shut, with the Dragonflies in first after a 33-0 destruction of South Donese Union. The two unions took on each other, and nobody could predict that there would be such a discrepancy between the two. That doesn't mean the South Donese Union is out. They are playing Polaaskan. A Polaaskan win sees them advance along with us. A Unionite win (the South Donese Union, that is) has Frenline Delpha advance without playing. A Unionite win (again, the South Donese one) and a bonus point for them has them go from fourth to second in a flash. The other game, between Ko-oren and Natanians and Nosts, will be one purely for the sake that an Aels stadium has been selling tickets and that will have to mean that two teams will have to play some rugby there. The Dragonflies will go at it to get a third shutout. Rugby must be one of the few sports where a good defence is nice to look at, and there are certainly less complaints about our style here than in the World Cup, the one in soccer.

Group E has an almost completely even direct match. Cata Larga and Shytysle. Nine points for the former, eight for the latter. The winner takes second place behind the Fair Republic. This should be an exciting one. If you're not one to watch matches if the outcome doesn't matter, here you have a matchup with a lot of consequences, between teams that are actually pretty good.

F has Uitbregen in the second round. They are not completely sure of their first seed yet. What makes this group even more fun is that fifth place Kernansquillec also have a chance at staying in. They play Gim, while Uitbregen play Krytenia. If Krytenia wins, they advance with Uitbregen. If Uitbregen wins as the bookies surely seem to think, the Gim/Kernansquillec winner will come with them to the final 16. For a true underdog story, head out over here.

Group A, G and H are not less interesting, but they don't have a direct match like these groups do. In A, Welcomzia is almost in the next round, as long as they don't choke, but even then, they could chance it with a Lauranienne loss. In G, Pey need a win to overtake Racao. In H, even Devonta in fifth place have a theoretical chance at playing Nova Anglicana next, but it depends on a number of factors. In a sense, this is a direct matchup that matters, but most likely it depends on what Ekoz does.

The Dragonflies know they will play whatever comes from group E after the Fair Republic. Cata Larga or Shytysle. Cata Larga have a fun team despite a huge loss to the Fair Republic. Some attitude change would have made them more competitive, and if the Stallions manage to get into serious mode then they can give Shytysle a loss and they could make our day a lot harder in the Round of Sixteen. Both Shytysle and Cata Larga started off with a loss, and both will try to 'phynysh oph thys group staege yn style'.

by **Natanians and Nosts** » Fri Oct 30, 2015 6:20 pm

Natanians and Nosts lost to Frenline Delpha,lost to Polaaskan,lost to everyone else,but Kohoren,Kohhoren,Koħoren,Ko-oren(what a ahrd name to say!),well,we have a chance,but it's almost right to win three points,because even losing all the games,our deffensive system is actually quite good, it's the second in our pool(or group),and we have the second best point diference,both we're just behind Kohoren,I say Ko-oren.I see a win,even they are the number one and we're in last place,but if it happened,it wouldn't be the strangest thing we've done this RUWC,like our players ignoring South Donese Union's weird anthemn or playing a game scoring two tries but zero drop goals.But even having no qualifing chance,it doesn't mean that we'll not play rugby,our players can go back home without any prize,but they have more experience,and will play the RLWC(yes,our union and league players are the same,except for the flankers).

by **Elejamie** » Fri Oct 30, 2015 7:18 pm

"... And we now turn over to Ryan Moore over in Aels. Take it away Ryan."

Yes, that's right. Hello and welcome to tonight's game between the Kaboomlandia Phoenix and the Elejamie... Elejamians... here at the National Rugby Stadium in Watersedge, Aels. Elejamie are looking to bounce back from their 18-30 defeat by Albaie, whereas Kaboomlandia are hoping to add another victory on the board following a 12-0 win over Aloquirbe. The local time here in Watersedge is just coming up to 8:30pm; don't know what time it is back home...

... And now both teams line up for their respective national anthems. And, since they're the home team, let's hear it for the Kaboomlandian national anthem.

[Kaboomlandian national anthem goes here]

[Elejamian national anthem, which is geniunely an instrumental]

Officials:
Referee: Delilah Small (KOR)
Assistant Referee: Anthony Morgan (Aels)
Assistant Referee: Joachim Heeren (Uitbringen)
TMO: Márcus Március da Silva (NAT)

First half

00:00 - And there's the kickoff! This should be an exciting game.

>05:00 - Elejamie turns the ball over the the Kaboomlandians. Ross Panarin picks it up and makes his way downfield. Passes it to Dorsett. Dorsett goes down but not before Mitchell Fisher gets his mitts on the ball. One final pass to Randy Panarin, who's trying to make it past the Elejamian back. And he does! There's the first try of the evening! Kaboomlandia 5, Elejamie 0. A spectacular effort by Randy Panarin and the Elejamians simply... just couldn't catch him.

...

Jamie Pierce to convert from 30m. Takes a deep breath, goes up to the ball... and boots it between the posts for the conversion. Kaboomlandia 7, Elejamie 0. A stunning conversion from Pierce to extend the Kaboomlandian lead.

>10:00 - Doug Westwood for the penalty from 20m. Cracks his knuckles; a very bad habit, ladies and gentleman. He makes his way to the ball... And he's now on the board, with the score now Kaboomlandia 7, Elejamie 3.

>23:00 - Mackay. Passes it over to Tavarez. Over to Ikarashi. Ikarashi gets tackled and Mackay scoops it up. Mackay. Passes back to Mackay. Mackay then throws himself onto the ground for a try! He is mobbed by his teammates as he high-fives Oldaker, Maetonal and Watkins. Kaboomlandia 7, Elejamie 8. The Elejamians have snatched the lead and, with some luck, they'll be trying their hardest to keep it.

...

Doug Westwood to convert from 25m. Plenty of pressure here as he tries to add to the lead. He goes over to the ball, kicks it... And puts it past the posts. The score is now Kaboomlandia 7, Elejamie 10.

>28:00 - Larry Dale throws the ball in from the line-out. Now there's a huge ruck as both teams try to get their hands on the ball and it looks like Jacob Keller... Yes, Jacob Keller now has the ball. He passes it to Dale. Dale to Ross Panarin. From one Panarin to another as Randy Panarin now receives it. He makes his way to the Elejamian try line, John Watkins tries to put him on the ground but it's no good. It's a double from Randy Panarin as he puts the Phoenix back in front; Kaboomlandia 12, Elejamie 10.

...

Pierce to convert again, this time he's about 30m away. He gears up, boots it... and he boots it just wide of the posts. Unlucky! Score still stands at Kaboomlandia 12, Elejamie 10.

<40:00 - And there's the ref blowing the whistle for full time, the score being Kaboomlandia 12, Elejamie 10. The Elejamians really need to kick themselves into gear if they want to stand a chance in this competition. And now we'll cut to commercial as both teams enjoy a breather, a talk and, when we come back, some analysis from the guys back at the studio. Take it away...

Second half

40:00 - And there's the start of the second half.

>48:00 - Armando Tavarez throwing it back in from the line-out. Jamie Pierce gets hold of it and, after a quick tussle, hands it over to Drew McMaster. McMaster then passes it to Ross Panarin. Ross Panarin beats Watkins, Peguero, Retocil... Passes it over to Sherman to mix things up... And Reilly Sherman makes it Kaboomlandia 17, Elejamie 10.

...

Pierce steps up from 26m. He makes the kick... but he misses again. No change in the score; Kaboomlandia 17, Elejamie 10.

>54:00 - Hayden boots the ball all the way upfield. Onuoha just gets his fingers to it and he nearly drops it! He passes it to Retocil. Retocil passes it to Brandão. Brandão passes it to Onuoha. Onuoha runs with it as the Phoenix try to bring him down! 40! 30! 20! He's going to make it! 10! Drew McMaster finally brings him down but not before Chris Onuoha slams the ball down past the try line to make it 17-15! What a spectacular try!

...

Westwood steps up from 24m away. He really needs to make this if he wants to level the score. This it to round off a spectacular try. He makes his way to the ball, can he do it? No he can't because he misses! The score remains Kaboomlandia 17, Elejamie 15.

>65:00 - ... And Diego Peguero there, kicking the ball across the field hoping for one of his team-mates to catch it. Unfortunately, Brylîn just gets his hands to it and passes it to McMaster. McMaster to David Dorsett. Dorsett passes it to Will Simpson. Simpson goes for the line... And Simpson slams it down for a try! That's a brilliant try! And it's Will Simpson, the sub who was brought on for Phil Slats a few minutes ago, making it Kaboomlandia 22, Elejamie 15.

...

Pierce to see if he can finally score another conversion. From 28m out. He prepares himself and starts going up to the ball. Will he...? He does! He makes it Kaboomlandia 24, Elejamie 15!

>71:00 - Westwood for the penalty from 32m out. Does a few stretches, gets himself ready. Will he make it two out of two? Let's find out as he makes his way to the ball. He kicks it, it soars majestically... And there it goes! Two out of two as Elejamie start catching up. The score now being Kaboomlandia 24, Elejamie 18. The Elejamians need a wing and a prayer if they want to come away with a win.

>74:00 - ... And Ben Oldaker grabs the ball and passes it to Westwood. Westwood passes it to Ikarishi. Ikarishi passes it to Morgan, who's outrunning McMaster, Brylîn and Hayden. Chris Morgan just managed to dodge a charging Mitchell Fisher and scores a fantastic try! The score is now Kaboomlandia 24, Elejamie 23. With about 5-6 minutes left on the clock, they're hoping that they'll have enough time to take a last-minute lead, especially since it's Doug Westwood's turn to convert it.

...

Westwood to see if he can put the Elejamians out in front. Usual preparations, steps up to the ball... And he misses again! The score remains Kaboomlandia 24, Elejamie 23.

<80:00 - Now we're into the final play, with Elejamie on the attack. Elejamie needs to score to win, whereas Kaboomlandia needs to put the ball out of play to secure their victory by one solitary point. Mackay has the ball. Passes it to Onuoha, who has been brought down by Brylîn. Kaboomlandia's trying to get the ball but Pael Maetonal's not having any of that! He snatches the ball and makes his way to the Kaboomlandian try line! But what's this? A shocking swerve! Maetonal tries for a drop goal. Will he make it? He does! Kaboomlandia 24, Elejamie 26.

And that's the game, folks! The referee blows her whistle as both players shake hands and make their way back to their dressing rooms. The final score is Kaboomlandia 24, Elejamie 26. Now all the Elejamians need to do is win this big crunch match against the hosts and they've made it to the next round. Failing that, a loss by seven or less points - along with Albaie losing to Kaboomlandia - will see them go through. Will they do it? Tune in in a couple of days to find out. I've been your commentator Ryan Moore, back to the guys in the studio.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 4:32 am

Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight Part Nine Part Ten Part Eleven Part Twelve
Part Thirteen

Truth is the Savior, Part Fourteen

Warehouse 357, Sing Sing Avenue
Releinthi, Abanhfleft

Helen Ignacio had never known a place as dark as the interior of the warehouse she was in right now.

Sure, back when she and Tim had been living peacefully down in the Fhulghamous, power outages had been a common thing, but even then the nights had never been as dark as the interior of the warehouse, mostly because there was still some moonlight in which to see things, but inside the warehouse was total darkness, black blacker than the blackest black, if that made sense. There was so little light inside the warehouse that her eyes couldn't even compensate for the lack of it.

Once she had dropped deeper into the warehouse she had barely even bothered holding up her gun in front of her, instead using her hands to grasp the sides of the crates and shipping containers she was passing by. At first, she felt reasonably sure that she was making progress inside the warehouse, but after what felt like an eternity Helen had this creeping sensation in the back of her mind and the pit of her gut that all she was really doing was going around in circles. She couldn't say for sure, but she felt the sides of the containers and crates she was touching for guidance turn into the same unidentifiable mess on her hand, which was probably already bleeding from all the splinters and cuts that she got.

As Helen went into what she felt to be the hundredth circuit that she had made around the same pile of crates, she felt more than heard someone running towards her. She turned to raise up her pistol and fire, but the specter was too fast for her, and her gun went flying out of her hands even as she felt her right hand go numb from the impact of the roundhouse kick that kicked the gun out of her hands, and then she felt the cold steel of a knife blade pressing against her neck. Oh, God, please make it quick, Helen thought.

Helen felt herself being pressed against a container, its sides pressing into the flesh of her back. The knife was still on her neck, but the blade never went down, didn't cut through her skin and arteries. Helen dared to open her eyes and was very much surprised to see the person holding the blade on her. "Kate?"

The woman holding up the blade lowered it when she heard her name being spoken by a familiar, if long-forgotten voice. "Helen?" Katrina Ignacio asked. "Is that you?" The knife in her hand went away from Helen's neck.

"Yes, it's me," Helen replied carefully.

"Is that really you? I mean. is that really you I'm seeing, Helen?"

"Yes, it is me, Kate. Why don't you think it's me?"

"It's been a hell of a long time, Helen. You shouldn't be here."

"Yet I am. Surely that must mean something to you."

"But you can't be. I saw you die. I saw you get shot by those bastards from the Huesca cartel. I held your body in my arms. You shouldn't be alive, but here you are right now, alive. How is that even possible?"

"This isn't actually real, Kate. This is all a big dream. Sometime soon you'll wake up, and YKI is still top dog in Releinthi, and I'm still alive. I never died, Kate. I was always alive."

"But if you're alive, why did you leave? Why did you leave the family?"

"I can't cut it with you and Terrence and George, Kate. You're the real brains of the families now. Once the old men finally step down from their positions, you're the ones to take their place, but it's not the place for me. I had to leave, Kate. I had to get out. But you can get out of it with me. Just come with me, Kate, and we'll run away from all of this; start a new life." Helen didn't know from where she was getting this line of bullshit, but Kate seemed to be feeding off of it, and every moment she spent stalling Kate was one more moment for Tim to find Petronella and Aglaya and rescue them.

"But should we, Helen? Should we really run away from the life that's brought us up, fed us, took care of us?" Kate asked. She had moved away from Helen, but she was still brandishing her knife, a butterfly knife from the Philippines known as a balisong. She was flipping the knife around, opening and closing it repeatedly. "We were born into YKI. We were meant to be YKI. We were always YKI, and we will leave this life as part of YKI."

"But should we really follow the path set before us? Why can't we follow our own paths? What is so wrong with that?"

"Nothing's wrong with it, Helen. I just simply can't see what life away from YKI is like. I can't even imagine it, sis."

"Is your mind so closed that you can't see anything else aside from the existence that you've made for yourself?"

"My mind isn't closed, Helen. Maybe it's your mind that's closed."

"What? Me? My mind is the one that's closed? What about you?"

"Clever Terrence will lead the families to prosperity the likes of which we have never seen before. I can't let you stand in his way, sister." Then, with a sudden burst of speed, Kate was upon Helen once again, slashing with the knife every which way. Helen cried out in pain as she felt the knife slice the flesh of her right palm, which she had raised in her defense. Kate was now screaming the scream of a banshee berserker and slashing wildly with her knife every which way. It was absolute chaos, and if Helen hadn't gone through the madness that was the Novosaguntum job, she was sure she wouldn't have made it through Kate's attack.

The fight between them had brought the two women to what had to be all corners of the warehouse, with fists flying and the cold steel of Kate's blade flying all over the air around Helen's face. Suddenly, Helen managed to send a ferocious kick into Kate's gut, and she went for Kate's knife and tried to disarm her. But Kate's grip on her weapon was hard to break, and Helen had to smash her sister's arm into the side of a shipping container before Kate finally let go. The knife skidded away from the two of them, and Helen and Kate looked at one another before both making a run for the knife. Helen slid down to the ground and managed to curl her fingers around the handle of the knife. Helen held the knife in her hands, just as she heard Kate scream. Helen turned around and saw Kate leap towards her. She held her hands up...

...and felt the heavy weight of Kate collapsing on top of her nearly knocked the wind out of Helen's lungs. The look on Kate's face was not what Helen expected. It was a look of surprise, shock and above all, unimaginable pain. Kate rolled away from Helen, and that was when Helen saw the knife sticking out of her sister's chest. She gasped and nearly screamed.

Helen had stabbed her sister with her own knife.

Blood bubbled up to Kate's lips. But even as she coughed up blood she couldn't help but smile. "You can't run away from your fate, Helen," she said. "You have been and always will be a killer. That's the way of our families." Then Kate turned away and sighed for the last time. Helen, horrified at having killed her own sister, crawled away from Kate's body and then finally ran away.

The one thing that Helen had reason to be happy about was that she had managed to mark the path in which she and Kate had fought with her own blood. The crimson trail had turned dark brown, but she could still find it in the impenetrable darkness. As she wound her way through the warehouse, she thought she heard voices, but she cast aside the thought, but then the voices turned into shouting, and this time they were saying "Is anyone there? Help us!"

"Bingo," Helen muttered, and then she made her way to where she thought the shouting was coming from.

by **Shytysle** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 5:38 am

One could hardly call a pitch invasion by fifty or so travelling Shytyslysh fans chaos, even as a few hundred neutral fans decided to jump upon the bandwagon of Shytysle's elation the security forces managed to just about restrain the throngs long enough for Marbhyn Coccrobyn to boot the 81st minute convertion deep into the stands. The extra two points were meaningless, the only two points of any relevance were those that separated Shytysle's noble five points to The Fair Republic's paltry three. Shytysle had somehow managed to keep qualification hopes alive by, against all odds, defeating one of the tournament's heavyweights; a team greatly tipped to take away the big prize. As the supporters rushed to Budd Phoolysh, the young substitute flanker who'd managed to propel himself from impetuous idiot to national hero in the space of approximately ten metres, Ceeth Sabhej was gyrating in some ungainly manner which one may be persuaded to loosely class as dancing by the sidelines totally oblivious to the screaming crowds and the subs bench were up and sprinting about the pitch.
The Fair Republic squad, heavily rotated due to having already qualified as pool champions merely shrugged to one another. They'd been punished for overlooking their lowly opposition as well as being wasteful with some of their earlier opportunities. It was dubious to state they'd deserved to be beaten but they certainly hadn't played to their usual high standard. As they trudged off, looking back at the Shytyslysh party atmosphere unfolding upon the field, Gideon Patrick managed to get a fleeting handshake with Ceeth Sabhej somewhere between a move not entirely dissimilar to 'the worm' and some backward perambulation which one can assume was meant to be the 'moonwalk'.

c.5 minutes earlier

Three - nil to the Fair Republic: A shaky lead which had been held since just before half-time. A simple penalty for Victor Peterson after Shytysle's forwards had been caught creeping offside was the sole difference between the teams. For the most part, the match had been a rather dull and tentative affair. The Toucan's attacks had either unluckily broke down in their final phases or been unable to crack the stubborn Shytyslysh defense. As for Shytysle, the Republic's half was more-or-less virgin territory. Now however, they'd doggedly fought their way deep into their lofty opponents twenty-two and such a drive so late in the game was flustering their adversaries. Lone centimetres were gained each phase as forwards thundered into the defense. The defenders fought to keep the attackers on their feet and shepherd the maul out of play but struggled against the robust frames of the Shytyslysh pack. Irritated shouts came from the audience wanting Shytysle to move the ball out wide but it never came, then the whistle blew. Edgar Hoover was deemed guilty of handling the ball in the ruck by Ko-orenite official; Kakuei Okura. At least that's what he appeared to be blowing for as the pseudo-English explanation could've also been interpreted as entering the ruck from the side also. Whilst Peter Lazarus attempted to gain clarity from the official with a smorgasbord of various languages and mime, Marbhyn Plonca turned to Juwlyan a'Guncey to gauge the best plan of attack and the clock ticked beyond 79 minutes. Gestures were given to Peyton Boggtrotter, the kick being more naturally suited to a left-footer than the right-footed Marbhyn Coccrobyn but could the team steal a win from a line-out on the five metre line? What no-one expected, Republics and Shytyslysh alike, was the young Budd Phoolysh to quickly take the penalty and launch himself into a surprised Toucan defensive line. Much less did anyone expect this flanker to roll through Fabian Duncan's attempted tackle, find himself with only the tryline ahead of him and flop over to take Shytysle's first competitive try of the World Cup and quite possibly one of the most important he was ever likely to score.

by **Neu Engollon** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 10:05 am

"Hello Neu Engollon and to our International subscribers. This is the NETV Sports 7 Update and I'm your host, Magda Wertauer. Tonight we go once again to the Rugby World Cup happening in Aels.
The Goats of Neu Engollon walked off the pitch against Astyrian brothers Aquitayne with another win and locked in a qualifying spot in the round of 16. While there might have been high hopes across the region of a closer test, such was not to be as the Goats took an early advantage and hung on and expanded that lead.

They were able to hold the Aquitaynians to one unconverted try by Rolvsson, the scrum half. Hagen and Danielson both had good runs in towards the zone, but were stopped cold by solid Goats defense. The momentum was swung back by a pass picked off by Hoerner, who ran it in. Later followed by another try by Latrent, after a blazing but legal tackle by Usadino on Danielson. Emmett had a sure foot in hammering through the conversions. This carried throughout the match as he and Lichtmann took turns punting in penalties and conversions. This match was also the first hat trick for Latrent this Cup.

It was heartbreaking to watch the Aquitaynian reactions as they took in the last half and final score.
Aquitayne now has a slim chance to take second seed in the group depending on points and winning their next match against Borxinoia, which considering the track record, shouldn't be too tough.

We will continue to have all the replays of matches available on the special NETV pay per view streaming service, with some select matches on NETV Sports 19 and this channel. More previews of the upcoming match against either Ekoz or Ethane can be seen right here on NETV Sports 7. We'll have an interview with Willi Hoerner up next. Stay tuned after this sponsor break."

by **Ethane** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 11:21 am

With the Group Stages Entering their final day, the Group H Standings are as such:

Pool H                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                    3   3  0  0   77  47 +30   13  Q
2 Ekoz                          3   2  0  1   42  27 +15    9
3 Ethane                        3   1  0  2   17  24  −7    6
4 Oisinistan                    4   1  0  3   62  78 −16    6
5 United States of Devonta      3   1  0  2   54  76 −22    4

Ethane's progression out of the group stages currently hang on a knife- edge. With Ethane needing to beat Abanhfleft, one of the strongest nations in the tournament, it is looking a long stretch for Ethane. While they could still cause an upset against Abanhfleft, although unlikely, the United States of Devonta would have to beat Ekoz, giving Ethane the chance to jump Ekoz and slip into second place. If Ekoz lose by less than 7 points to The United States of Devonta, due to their superior points difference, then Ethane will have to score 4 trys against Abanhfleft. This makes progression almost impossible. However, this is unlikely to happen. Ethane's game tonight against Abanhfleft will be mostly damage limitation, to maximise our place in the group, therefore boosting our final ranking. Ethane risk slipping to the bottom of the group if The United States of Devonta win against Ekoz and Ethane loses to Abanhfleft by a score greater than 10.

by **Kaboomlandia** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 1:25 pm

Phoenix in Desperation Mode After Last-Second Defeat

The Kaboomlandian nation rugby union team is in scramble mode. After a 26-24 loss to their ice hockey rivals Elejamie left the Phoenix two points out of a playoff spot, the team will now need Aels to defeat Elejamie by eight or more points - as well as beating second-place Albaie. Randy Planarian scored a tie early in the first half to make it 5-0, and Jamie Pierce got the conversion for the Phoenix team. Elejamie fought back, though, and made it 10-7 after a trie by Mackay and a penalty by Doug Westwood. Jamie Pierce's kicking was inconsistent at best, missing a few crucial drop goals and conversions. At the half, the score was a close 12-10. At the 65-minute mark, the score was 22-15 with some strong play by the Kaboomlandian frontline, but they blew it badly. Here's the final play:

"Robert Mackay with the ball. To Chris Onuoha, who is brought down by Jüssi Brylîn. All the Phoenix need to do is get it out of play but Pael Maetonal won't let them. He snatches the ball and goes for the line! What's this, he swerves! Going for the drop goal, IT'S IN! Paul Maetonal finishes the game for the Elejamians! 26-24 Elejamie and the Phoenix are on the brink!"

The Phoenix will play Albaie in a critical game tonight. Before you get too antsy, think back to the last RUWC, where Kaboomlandia upset Banija to make it into the Round of 24 in the final seed.

by **Aels** » Sat Oct 31, 2015 5:13 pm

Cutoff for Matchday 5, with apologies for not RPing myself – I've been away at London's Olympic Stadium enjoying the (real world) Rugby World Cup.

Rugby Union World Cup 24 – EVERYTHING (else) thread

A Nation In Agony

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