Rugby Union World Cup 22 - Everything Thread

[Saintland]

National Rugby Team Playing in Round of 16 of Rugby World Cup

(SP) Apparently, the National Rugby Team has made it to the Round of 16 of the Rugby World Cup, whichever one it is this time around. The reporter assigned to write this story does not feel like looking it up to determine whether the Rugby Union or the Rugby League is sanctioning this World Cup or even what number it happens to be. Its bad enough that I actually have to write an article about rugby instead of writing about gridiron or basketball or soccer. The World Bowl, Copa Rushmori and International Basketball Championship are all about to start, after all, but my boss suddenly feels the need to cover rugby. I just don't understand it.

Apparently, the National Rugby Team won all 6 of their games during the group stage. That surprises me. I didn't think we were any good at rugby. By running the table in the group stage, they earned a bye to the Round of 16. The Round of 24 just happened and the Fair Republic defeated Polar Islandstates by a 37 to 10 score. This was, apparently, a battle of 2 of the top rugby nations.

By accident, I stumbled across some old Rugby World Cup results. On this list of results, I noticed that the Fair Republic defeated our National Team 35 to 3, so it would surprise me if the National Rugby Team makes it any further. That's for the best, as far as I'm concerned, because I won't have to write about rugby any more. If you want to watch the match, apparently the Royal Networks is uploading it to their Sanctustube channel, although I do not understand why...

---

In Electrum, the members of the Saintland National Rugby Union Team read the SP's article with disgust. It was clear that the reporter assigned to cover the team just rushed the article to press. He hadn't even bothered to ask any of them for a comment.

Lucas Portius - That was Nova Hellstrom-level awful.

Lucius Curius - At least Nova Hellstrom actually bothered to find out which sport she was covering!

Lucas Decianus - I wish they would have just continued to ignore us.

Marcus Desidenius - They can't. We've played well, so far, but we have to keep winning. If we can just win 4 more matches, we'll be able to show up with a trophy, something that only the Basketball team has accomplished so far.

Petrus Spurius - Even if we were the champions of rugby union, they'd still ignore us.

Ioannes Opsius - I wouldn't be so sure about that, Petrus. If we prove that we are good, they can't ignore us forever, can they?

Marcus Desidenius - I don't think so.

They went into their game against the Fair Republic, hoping for a performance that would gain recognition for them, back home...

[The Fair Republic]

Hamilton, Electrum (FAP)- The Fair Republic Toucans national rugby union team beat Polar Islandstates 37-10 in a convincing fashion as they make their third straight appearance in the Round of 16 of the Rugby Union World Cup.

The sixth ranked Islandstates made plenty of unforced errors and the Toucans took advantage with Paul Weaver, Wellington Archer and Victor Peterson all had tries in the first twenty minutes as the Toucans jumped out to a 21-0 lead.

Johannes Elm scored a try in the twenty-ninth minute to close the gap to 21-7 and a subsequent drop kick by Erik Abrahamsen made the score 21-10 at halftime.

The game seemed to hit a stalemate in until the fiftieth minute when, Ross Lynch made a try saving tackle to keep the score at 21-10.

"That was huge. If they competed that try, it would have been a 4 point game assuming they hit the conversion. It would have been a huge mental boost for the Islandstates and they might have won the game." A relieved Gideon Patrick said after.

Ross Lynch hit a drop kick in the fifty fourth minute to give the Toucans a 24-10 lead. Five minutes later Ted Meyer covered a try and conversion and the Toucans had a 31-10 lead. At this point Patrick gave the starters some rest and put some reserves in. Peter Kanie converted two drop kicks off the bench in the final 15 minutes to increase the lead to the final result 37-10.

"The boys knew that it was a do or die game versus a top ten team and they played their best. I couldn't be prouder of them." An oviparous relieved Patrick said after the game. "Now we have to prepare for Saintland."

The fourteenth ranked Sanctii won Group H going undefeated in the process and clinched the second group winner seeding. The Sanctii have not relied on a single player and have played exceptional rugby despite getting little to no fanfare at home. The Toucans are going to need a full effort to get past a Sanctii team hellbent on getting some much deserved recondition at home to reach their second straight quarterfinals.

[Abanhfleft]

CRESCENT NEWS NETWORK
SPORTS CHANNEL BLOG

NOVA ANGLICANA VS. ABANHFLEFT: SCORE AND LIVE TWITTER REACTION
By Archon Venkman

CENTRALIS, ELECTRUM - Abanhfleft goes up against Nova Anglicana today, a tough opponent and the no. 9 in rugby union in NS. Nova Anglicana tallied only one loss during the group stage, while Abanhfleft has two in that loss column; all of them to the big teams like Super-Llamaland and Neu Engollon. Many expect a big Nova Anglicana win here, and the Rugby Union Federation of Abanhfleft posted this preemptive apology to fans and followers of the Democratic Republic's XV:

@rugbiunitasor_abanhfleft: Nova Anglicana is a good rugger team. It will be an honor to go up against them. An upset would be good, but it will be also an honor to be defeated by such a good team. #RugbyUnionWorldCupXXII #AbanhfleftVyievra

Nova Anglicana started the first half strong. By twenty minutes in, the Lions were up 21-0, thanks to tries from Graham King, Eric Clark, and Quentin Foray, and all conversions going in. Abanhfleft's only scoring effort in the first half was a drop goal from Sikaruchabamba, and the first half ended 21-3. The Riuwiee Daily Bulletin posted this tweet with regards to the score at the half:

@RiuwieeDailyBulletin: End of the first half, Abanhfleft down by 18 points. Not the best way to go in such a tourney as the Rugby Union World Cup. #RallyBoys #AbanhfleftVyievra

The second half saw the beginning of the end of the Nova Anglicana rugger campaign. The end began with a try from Dev Nasuggi, with Till Solvermann making the conversion emphatically. Fleftic baseball star Ibrahim Ahmadinejad reacted to the play with this tweet:

@ArmoredDinnerJacket67: @TheDevNasuggi lands the try! And @TillTheSolver45 converts! Abanhfleft narrows Nova Anglicana's lead to just 11! #AbanhfleftVyievra

Soon after this play, the Nova Anglicans' defense began falling apart, having been taken by surprise by the heart and desire of the junior rugger team to keep the game close. Abd al-Latif bin Khalifa managed to break away from Tim Poole and Merlin St. Clair and land the try. And, despite the sudden gust of wind that blew through the stadium, Till Solvermann once again made the conversion. Fleftic lacrosse star Cecilia Cuvimi posted this tweet:

@iamCeCeCuvimi: bin Khalifa puts us even closer! Lions lead us by just four now! Go #FlefticRuggers! #AbanhfleftVyievra #RugbyUnionWorldCupXXII

The beginning of the end of the Nova Anglican rugger campaign came when Kirk Wahlberg, having been given the ball by an Archie Wigglesworth that had suddenly been surrounded on all sides by the Lions, kicked for a drop goal and put Abanhfleft even closer to Nova Anglicana, trailing now by just one point. Finally, Archie Wigglesworth made it through the Nova Anglican defense, and landed the try. Abd al-Latif bin Khalifa's conversion was just icing on the cake. The Riuwiee Daily Bulletin posted this tweet once the final whistle had been blown:

@RiuwieeDailyBulletin: Abanhfleft goes through to the Octofinals with the victory over Nova Anglicana, 27-21! #AbanhfleftVyievra #RugbyUnionWorldCupXXII

In the end, Nova Anglicana's skill and high ranking were no match for Abanhfleft's desire to get through to the Octofinals. There, they will face Uitbregen, ranked no. 3 in NS rugby union. Abanhfleft are still the underdogs, but they're no longer seen as someone whom high-ranked teams are expected to walk over easily.

Archon Venkman is a former national rugby union team fullback and captain. He now writes rugby union-related blogs and articles for Abanhfleft's Crescent News Network Sports Channel. He is also the author of the book Why in the World Did Rugger Gain Fame Here in My Country Anyway?: The Irreverent and Ultimately Irrelevant Autobiography of Archon "The Anchor" Venkman.

[Electrum]

Octofinal Results

Hutanjia 22–19 Apox
at Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue, Hamilton

Western Borderlands 28–34 Saugeais
at Centralis Arena, Centralis

Neu Engollon 33–17 Darmen
at Bulldogs Stadium, Burnton

Uitbregen 28–24 Abanhfleft
at Knights Stadium, Port Grenville

Saintland 21–20 The Fair Republic
at Northcote Oval, Prescott

Mapletish 21–23 Some Village
at Deltan University Field, Agri

Rhodesiah 33–13 Xadowia
at Knights Stadium, Port Grenville

Ko-oren 37–7 Jeckland
at Deltan University Field, Agri

Quarterfinal Draw

Q1. Hutanjia vs Saugeais at at Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue, Hamilton
Q2. Neu Engollon vs Uitbregen at Centralis Arena, Centralis
Q3. Saintland vs Some Village at Northcote Oval, Prescott
Q4. Rhodesiah vs Ko-oren at Bulldogs Stadium, Burnton

[Xadowia]

September 8th, 2014

Tumelo Oluwaka from the Knights Stadium RUWC22 Press room, Port Grenville

The Xadowian RU World Cup dream stops here, Rhodesiah, perhaps the most powerful Rugby Union Nation in the multiverse awakened our boys from the sweetest dream they had since the URX was created not a long time ago.

The match was not boring at all but the difference between the two teams was evident. On our side we scored 13 points:
1 try Lubanga
1 conversion + 1 penalty Kunakey
1 drop goal Mapon

But this was not enough against the 33 points scored by Rhodesians! Hats off and good luck to this great team!

We want to thank each and everyone in the Electron organization staff for the perfect management of such a complex event.
Now we go home with a beautiful carousel of colours, people, nations, flags and a lot of black and blue marks on our skins! But hopefully we’ll leave a few good memories to the Rugby aficionados and also some black and blue marks on our opponents’ skins!

We couldn’t ask more to our team and the first participation ever was exciting and successful, before leaving Electron our Union wants to salute one by one all the teams we clashed against in this edition: Gregoryisgodistan, Jachaelter, Kernansquillec, Ko-oren, Nova Anglicana, Patistan, Estope, Rhodesiah. Thanks again.

---

On the final Xadowian score card we find:

Point Scorers:
Kunakey (Gorillas) 63 points
Lubanga (Gorillas) 45 points
Maga (Rangers) 20 points
Mapon (Rangers) 20 points
Mwami (Gorillas) 15 points
Mapon (Rangers) 17 points
Tshisekedi (Impalas) 15 points
Garcia (Avenir) 5 points
Tiao (Leopards) 5 points
Kabila (Lions) 5 points
Lamaalam (Avenir) 5 points
Picard (Etoile) 5 points


Try scorers:
Lubanga (Gorillas) 10 tries
Maga (Rangers) 4 tries
Mwami (Gorillas) 3 tries
Tshisekedi (Impalas) 3 tries
Garcia (Avenir) 1 try
Tiao (Leopards) 1 try
Kabila (Lions) 1 try
Lamaalam (Avenir) 1 try
Mapon (Rangers) 1 try


Drop goal scorers:
Mapon (Rangers) 5 drop goals

[Ko-oren]

Ko-oren - Rhodesiah

The rematch of last Rugby World Cup, the showdown between the highest ranked country in the multiverse versus the second best of them all... Burnton had it coming. The twentysecond Rugby Union World Cup has both finalists of the previous edition play each other in the quarterfinals, and it is easy to tell what stadium is going to be full, no what entire city is going to be bustling with excitement as two heavyweights face off.

Eight teams left in four cities in Electrum, and the biggest stadium, in Burnton, is going to be the stage for the biggest two. Burnton is not far from Centralis, where Neu Engollon and Uitbregen, the current numbers 3 and 4, will play. Prescott and Hamilton have Saintland and Some Village, and Hutanjia and Saugeais. This means that from the overall ranks, the Fair Republic, Apox and Polar Islandstates are absent, while Hutanjia, Saintland and Some Village (the latter from 38th!) take their place in the final eight. And that also means that the previous two hosts, Neu Engollon and Some Village, are still in, and could play each other later on in the tournament (should they both reach the third place playoff or the final). Anyhow, with Neu Engollon and Uitbregen in one bracket, and Rhodesiah and Ko-oren in the other, it's going to be a hell of a task to get that far. But still, two out of the four best Rugby Union nations will have to leave Electrum at this stage. And we can only hope that the Greenblues can beat Rhodesiah again.

The Octofinal results just make us happy: Ko-oren scored more points than any other team while allowing the least of all last 16 teams. 37-7, while our next opponents eliminated the ambitious Xadowia. We can only hope the latter will bounce back in a later tournament, as they certainly gave us a run for our money in the group stage game! In terms of close games: Saintland just barely won over the Fair Republic (21-20) and Some Village beat Mapletish 23-21. There even was a three-point gap: Hutanjia - Apox, 22-19.

But that's all irrelevant with a game like Rhodesiah - Ko-oren to look forward to. We can only hope the Greenblue train from Agri to Burnton won't be delayed.

[Neu Engollon]

"Good evening, Neu Engollon. Magda Wertauer, on the NETV Sports 7 Update for tonight. Wow!

What a match! Darmen was determined to take this one away from the Goats and advance on Neu Engollian backs. Had Semmes not made another try, and Hoerner with the drop goal, this might have been a very different match...but they did.
So, close, that I think the Goats were really sweating this one, as well they should, because they have always gotten by the All Greens by the skin of their teeth.

Now we will see them go on to play Uitbregen in Centralis. It's all pretty familiar faces from here on out as many of the young upstart teams have been knocked out of play, but not without some supreme effort and heart on their part. Watch the Uitbregen match right here on NETV Sports 7. Stay tuned for some gridiron football coverage..."

[Saintland]

The game between the Fair Republic and Saintland had come down to the wire. The 5th ranked Toucans still held a 20 to 19 lead over the undefeated Sanctii, even after Marcus Ennius had scored a try during time added on. This match had been the kind of match that would have increased the popularity of the sport in Saintland, had it been televised. Now, Ennius had to convert his try in order to win the match.

Unfortunately, Ennius had scored the try on the far left side of the pitch, forcing him to take the critical conversion kick from an extremely difficult angle. Ennius wasn't exactly known for his kicking prowess, either. But, he prepared to take the most important kick that he would ever take in his career. That moment seemed to last an eternity, even though it only lasted for a few seconds.

In the moment, Ennius thought back to what had happened over the prior 80 minutes of action. He thought back about how competitive this match had been. The Toucans took an early lead with a drop goal by Tommy Davis and added to their lead with a try by Paul Weaver. Then, the Sanctii battled back. Somehow, Lucas Portius produced a try shortly before halftime and Paulus Flavinius put them in the lead early in the second half. The Toucans moved within 1 on a penalty and finally retook the lead after systematically dissecting the Sanctii defense, allowing Marcus Welton to put them up 20 to 14. Along the way, the Toucans missed several drop goal and penalty attempts while the Sanctii were able to make just a single attempt on the day, a Marcus Desidenius drop goal attempt that missed the goalposts by a mile. Clearly, the Fair Republic had been the better team on this day, but at the very end, it had all come down to the wire.

Ennius looked toward the heavens, seemingly requesting the assistance of the Almighty, as he prepared to take the kick. The ball came off of his foot and surprisingly had enough distance. The only question was whether he had kicked it at the right angle. The capacity crowd of 25 thousand at the Northcote Oval, comprised almost entirely of Toucan fans and neutrals (who weren't exactly cheering for the Sanctii), watched as the ball bounced off of the far post and through to give the Sanctii a 21 to 20 win and a spot in the Quarterfinals. A rematch with Some Village, a team that they had eliminated from the previous edition of the Rugby Union World Cup, awaited them in the Quarterfinals. It had been a close game (22 to 18) the last time and they expected another close game, this time...

[Electrum]

Quarterfinal Results

Hutanjia 34–20 Saugeais
at Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue, Hamilton

Neu Engollon 30–20 Uitbregen
at Centralis Arena, Centralis

Saintland 27–11 Some Village
at Northcote Oval, Prescott

Rhodesiah 20–27 Ko-oren
at Bulldogs Stadium, Burnton

Semifinal Draw

S1. Hutanjia vs Neu Engollon at Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue, Hamilton
S2. Saintland vs Ko-oren at Centralis Arena, Centralis

[Saintland]

Rugby Union World Cup Semi-Final to be Broadcast on Royal Five

(SP) Today, Prince Josephus announced that the semi-final match between the Saintland National Rugby Team and Ko-oren will be broadcast on Royal Five. This surprise decision to broadcast a Rugby Union World Cup match for the first time since the 20th edition of that tournament nearly a year and a half ago comes on the heels of 8 consecutive wins by our National Rugby Team, including victories over Saugeais, The Fair Republic, San Jose Guayabal and (most recently) Some Village. "The National Rugby Team have played well, thus far, in this edition of their tournament. Therefore, I have decided, in my capacity as acting regent for the duration of the World Bowl, to order their matches broadcast on television, so that as large an audience as possible may watch them compete. I wish them luck in their remaining matches." - Prince Josephus

The move came as a shock to the staff at the SP, as we haven't seriously covered the sport of rugby since the ascent to the throne of King Petrus XX and his decision to focus on a quality over quantity approach when it comes to our competition in international sports. Unlike his father, our King has decided to focus resources on the sports where we most excel, so that we may maximize our odds of winning championships. Consequently, the National Gridiron Team, National Soccer Team and National Basketball Team have received most of the resources dedicated to athletic training. While this has led to improved performance in those sports, it has led to a drop in performance elsewhere. In some cases, the King has even cut off funding altogether. Who can forget the way that the King Paulus XV Memorial Games ended, with the King bringing in Republican troops to deport Vakolicci troublemakers who may have been plotting acts of terror? This must have played a role in the King's decision to refrain from entering the Olympics this year.

One of the teams that has been hardest hit by the King's new approach is the National Rugby Team. Yet, despite losing television exposure and having their league systematically excluded from major stadiums, they have still managed to make it out of the group stage of consecutive Rugby Union World Cups. This time around, they have actually made it much further than that. Just 4 teams remain in the Rugby World Cup and every single one of them is undefeated in this tournament. This means that the eventual champion, whomever it may be, will be an undefeated champion.

Ko-oren come into this match heavily favored, as the defending Rugby World Cup champions, having won 17 straight matches. Most recently, they defeated Rhodesiah in a rematch of the last edition's final and likely expect to be playing for another championship tomorrow. If our National Team is going to make it to the final, they are going to have to play the best game of their lives today. You can watch the game tonight, live on Royal Five.

[Ko-oren]

Ko-oren eliminates Rhodesian rivals

The Greenblues emerged victorious after the match against Rhodesiah - and that was pretty much as hard as anyone expected. With Ko-oren's defensive view on the sport... any strong opponent will force the backs away from the tryline, and with little risks taken by the Greenblues, this means that any turnover is a huge liability. For that reason, Makkarn used some quick guys as wingers and even centres (Magalhães, Pereira, with Santos and Darwin). A lot of pressure was on Ryan Savage, who had all these new possibilities to play the ball to, while making sure Rhodesiah could not do too much damage if they broke through. Manceau was in fullback position again, and his sole task was to keep an eye on the Rhodesian forwards, not to aid in scoring points. The rest of the team was the same as ever.

In Burnton, it turned out that Rhodesiah did not forget at all about last RUWC. They would not give up a single inch to the Greenblues, and vice versa, because we still have a defensive team after all. Surprisingly, the match was not a complete impasse: it was 13-10 by half time. While the Greenblues were behind, the game was extremely close and it looked only a matter of minutes before the Greenblues would be ahead again. Rhodesiah was the first team on the board with a drop goal, after which Pereira scored the first try of the match (3-7). A try by the Rhodesians put the multiverse's top ranked team (well... not anymore, we hope) ahead again, and Desbois followed not two minutes later with a drop goal (10-10). It was 13-10 (penalty kick) just before tea time.

After the break, Magalhães, who otherwise has a fairly lackluster tournament (or at least, his colleagues on the right side of the field are having a much better World Cup), scored a try about 60 minutes into the match, and that was followed almost instantly by another try (Santos). It was 13-24 now, and with 15 minutes left, the Rhodesians were down but still not out. They went for 20-24, before Desbois ended it with a penalty kick: 20-27. With just 7 points between the two teams, it was a match until the very last second, but the Greenblue defence held it together and this means that Ko-oren will be among the final four teams again!

Saintland is the next opponent, as the Sanctii eliminated Some Village convincingly. Hutanjia and Neu Engollon are the other semifinalists, and they will play in Hamilton. Saintland and Ko-oren will play in Centralis, close to Burnton. Four undefeated teams. According to Sanctii media, Ko-oren is even on a 17-win streak, all while the semifinal will be broadcast on Royal Five, a novelty for their rugby team.

[Electrum]

OOC: Apologies for the hour-late results. My first time I've deviated off the cutoff!

Semifinal Results

Hutanjia 3–46 Neu Engollon
at Hamilton Multi-Purpose Venue, Hamilton

Saintland 10–28 Ko-oren
at Centralis Arena, Centralis

Final Draws

3PPO. Hutanjia vs Saintland at Centralis Arena, Centralis
GF. Neu Engollon vs Ko-oren at at Bulldogs Stadium, Burnton

[Ko-oren]

Greenblues VS Goats

One Cup after the Greenblues lifted the trophy in Neu Engollon after a hard fought victory over Rhodesiah, two out of three nations involved are back. In Burnton, Electrum, this time. The Ko-orenites set Saintland aside 10-28, and if you thought that was a bit of a blowout for a semifinal match, Neu Engollon beat Hutanjia forty-six to three.

Hutanjia 3–46 Neu Engollon / Saintland 10–28 Ko-oren
It's hard to say who exactly got the worse deal here: Hutanjia in 10th on the world rankings, and Saintland in 14th. That is mainly due to the big difference between the two teams back in RUWC 20, when Hutanjia got close to winning it all while Saintland didn't even come close. Fun fact: three out of four semifinalists of this current RUWC were absent from the 19th edition of the tournament. Ko-oren was there, but did not exactly convince. Regardless of statistics though: that's still a 46-3 win in a semifinal. Scary stuff.

Neu Engollon 30–20 Uitbregen / Rhodesiah 20–27 Ko-oren
Again, it's hard to say which of the finalists had a worse draw in the quarterfinal. Instead of facing teams in the tens-twenties range of the rankings, the Greenblues played the nation ranked highest on that list, while the Goats had to play the third nation of the multiverse. And well, maybe it was clear from this point on that Neu Engollon and Ko-oren were destined for the final... nobody is going to let a stupid semifinal loss spoil a win over another top four nation.

Neu Engollon 33–17 Darmen / Ko-oren 37–7 Jeckland
Back in the Round of 16, the Greenblues looked strongest: a 30-point difference over Jeckland. Jeckland and Darmen both let their opponents run up the score to the thirties, something Neu Engollon would do every single elimination game, but something Ko-oren only achieved here.

Neu Engollon: 6-0-0, 179-51=+128, 3 BP / Ko-oren: 6-0-0, 177-58=+119, 2 BP
Both teams dominated their groups. As always, the more attacking team ranks slightly higher on here: more bonus points and more points scored. That they also kept their defence up better than we did is something we will conveniently ignore here.

And now it's time for the final. We hope the Goats do not feel vengeful over the fact that the Greenblues rather played on an ark than in Neu Engollon, that's all.

For the last game of the tournament, the Greenblues are likely to play with the regular starting fifteen, although Trottiscliffe and Reynaud might be brought on for Thibaut and Joseph for mismatch purposes. Also the agile Hokama could make an appearance to keep one of the Goats' wingers out of the game. As always, the Greenblues will avoid overloads even if that inhibits our own attack. Magalhães and Pereira will play close to their direct opponents to outrun them whenever there is a reason, while Santos and Dieudonné will probably not pass the ball at all. Tomorrow's game is going to be a boring game, but hey, offence wins you fans, defence wins you trophies.

[Neu Engollon]

"Hello, Neu Engollon. You're watching the NETV Sports 7 Update..I'm Karl Demais and we are back with our round the clock coverage at the Rugby World Cup in Burnton, Electrum where we enter a historic phase for Alpen rugby. It has all come down to this for the years our Goats have plugged away. I hope you'll forgive me as I wax poetic...

Perhaps a little history is in order, to refresh those of you who might not recall back, and also to enlighten our growing International viewership...While the sport of rugby, in either Union or League code, has been played in the Confederacy for almost 80 years, International level competition outside of the region has only been a part of our historical canon for just a few brief years. This is only the third union world cup that we have been a part of, not to mention the World Cups for League and Sevens. But I digress...The point is that we have come a long way in such a short time...Actually, really, the Goats hit the gates running from the start with securing the bronze in the 20th WC in Ka-Mate. Here we're seeing some footage of that third place win against Ancharmunn. So, its evident that the style of Alpen play, that was developed over the decades in the AVRU was well suited to International Competition from the start.

The second union World Cup we were involved in saw our grand Confederacy actually hosting, and once again bringing a bronze to the nation. Now once again the Goats are put to the test in Electrum, and as from the start, we have had rock solid Coach Cosento at the helm. The hope is that, this time, we can come away with a gold, dare I say, and I think our chances are better than ever. With many of our players getting experience during regular club season in International leagues, we have a honed, sharpened, solid year round National team that has consistently gone up against other top ten competitors and come away victorious. Sights are set on the defending champs, Ko-oren, as the major hurdle to this goal. Still, they are considered upstarts by many because those with a long memory of World Cup Rugby recall that the Rhodesiahn Dynasty has dominated for so long. Yet, they were pushed out the last Cup that took place here in the Confederacy, as well as the Some Village Ark...By Ko-oren. Who has now beaten and taken out of contention the former masters, Rhodesiah, twice in the final legs of this and the last World Cup. It is clear that Rhodesiah's stay at the top has finally eclipsed, no matter what may progress from here on forward.

Meanwhile, the Goats have a record of choking in the semis of the last two Cups, 20 and 21, yet still managing to bring home the bronze bowl. Now, they have leaped that hurdle. They can only bring back silver or, dare I say it?...Gold! But no less than silver status, or more properly, the Plate...
This match against Uitbregen should have been an anxious ordeal, but it wasn't. The Goats marched in with the most confidence we may have seen from them all Cup. From Coach Cosento and Captain Horst Emmett on down, each rugger that wears the purple, gold and crimson looked ready to take down Uitbregen piece by tiny piece from the moment they floated out onto the pitch. While there might not be any formal ceremonial intimidation dance they do, such as the Haka, or the Panehu tribal war dance the Hutanjians do, their locking of arms and glinting eyes spoke volumes as much as any war cry.

Even at the low moments, at the bottom of the first half when Uitbregen was up, when Hoerner and Renvier missed kicks and in the second when Uitbregen's pack had found a second wind and pushed back the Goats forwards...There weren't shouts of agony...of frustration...no kicking of cooler buckets. No. Only looks exchanged between our boys. Looks that said, "This [bleep] is real. We need to rally now."
...And they did. Mauls. Mauls and rucks. Fundamentals that fall into place when you can't just sail passes by alert opponents with ease. That is what got that final drop goal and try with conversion that put the Neu Engollian National rugby team into the match with Hutanjia.

Riding that high, it was a scoring frenzy on the normally rock solid little Polynesian tanks that double as rugby players. The Spiders had endurance and fortitude, but the Goats had speed. Once again, they tailored their attack to the opponent, placing two cleated steps on the pitch for every Hutanjian one. One goal. One single drop goal by winger Janson Paqate to make it an incomplete blow out. The Spiders are worthy opponents, but we barely saw it in a top, semi-final caliber match. This was one match that may just live on in their history as terrible infamy.

Now, here the Goats stand. Once again to play the Greenblues of Ko-oren. Last time they faced them, they lost by 8 points in the 21st Cup semi-finals, to be shown the door by the Greenblues. This time, the Greenblues face a much tougher team.
Once again they bring their quiet, but seething determination. The Ko-orenites know it, and they are scared. Scared of the Goats, scared of our fans, the Goatanatics...Most certainly scared of failure.
Perhaps even scared of the reputedly 'rowdy' brogans of Burnton. Possibly even scared of the very Confederate soil we walk on. Witness the last World Cup where they refused to touch feet on the Confederacy at all, demanding to play on the Some Village Ark instead out in Panoli Harbor or Lag Geneva. Again, for our International viewers, The Some Village Ark is a floating extra-national vessel that has special status on our waterways. Our government, our Athletic Ministry and our Goats team took it graciously, despite the heavy insult that our stadiums were not good enough for the Greenblues. But now the Goats look to get some form of vengeance, both for on and off the pitch antics.

The Goats have tasted defeat on the final road so many times that they have honed 'Redemption'. So while there is an acceptance of failure on the road to success, there is no acceptance of it as the ultimate status quo. They feel...We all feel...destined to see that Cup taken home and put in its rightful place in Telleursville, in the lobby of the Ministry of Athletics, where it should always belong.
Stay frosty, Neu Engollon.
Stay scared, Ko-oren.

...

After the break, we'll look at our opponents, talking about threats such as Alex Dieudonné and Flávio Pereira, who've really propelled the Greenblues. We'll review possible Goats strategies, talk to Coach Cosento briefly and we'll take one last look at our wonderful host, Electrum, and the incredible city of Burnton and it's rugby union crazed fans, the Brogans, that are so like our own Goatanatics. Stay tuned..."

[Electrum]

Final Results

Bronze Final

Hutanjia 11–21 Saintland
at Centralis Arena, Centralis

Final

Drumroll please! Will Ko-oren be able to defend their title for another cycle and maintain their winning streak? Or will Neu Engollon overcome last cycle's loss to Ko-oren in the semis to win the Cup? All that remains to be seen... are the results.

Neu Engollon 23–25 Ko-oren
at Bulldogs Stadium, Burnton

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Congratulations to all medallists, and especially the two who made the final, both of whom wrote excellent RPs which I enjoyed reading and both of whom certainly deserved to win. It's been the most smoothly run tournament I've ever had, props to those who RPed and all that jazz. Until then, see you next time.