Rugby Union World Cup 25 Everything Thread

[Neu Engollon]

“Good evening, Neu Engollon and to those of our viewers watching from outside the Confederacy, salutations to you as well. You’re watching the NETV 7 Sports Update and I’m your host, Karl Demais.
Magda Wertauer, my co-host, is ready with an exclusive interview with Coach Cosento. We're still live at the Rugby World Cup in the Free Republics and the Goats, well...let's just say it was a near thing. Goats fans are stupified, for lack of a better term, at how close the Neu Engollon national team came to losing their second match in group play to unranked Kecrazia. If you were somehow not near a media device or trapped in a cave, the Goats won the match 5-3. One unconverted try from Jean Semmes to a Kecrazian penalty kick.
Okay, I'm getting word that Magda is ready. Magda, over to you..."

"Karl, I'm here with Coach Cosento after the narrow victory over Kecrazia. Coach, let me just get right to it...What happened out there?"

"Magda, I really don't know. It wasn't my team in their top form, I can tell you that."

"There was a lot of players looking very winded and I think at one point, Marino Riazzi was projectile vomiting onto the pitch. Was there possibly a wild night we weren't aware of?"

"I think, well, yes...that might have been possible. Maybe. You see, Magda..."

"Yes, Coach. You can tell me."

"I was sound asleep, I was very tired and so I went to bed early. Ernst was supposed to be in charge..."

"Ernst Urbach, the Captain of the team."

"Yes, but, I think he was about as dr...You know, I don't think I want to say anymore about this. I'm very upset right now and I'm just thanking the stars that we were able to win the match."

"I understand, Coach. It had to be harder to watch from your position than the fans back home."

"Oh...You don't even know. Of all the exhibition matches and friendlies we've played around the world, where we've creamed teams of a higher caliber, and that's not to say that Kecrazia are bad, because obviously they held their own with a tight defense, but...anyway, just that this is the Cup and the boys...Anyway..."

"So, I imagine there will be a bit of discipline tonight before tomorrow's match with Islartic?"

"Absolutely. We are going back to basics and no one is leaving the hotel tonight. We will be drilling hard and I'll have them drinking plenty of water and nothing else. We are not going to go down with a whimper, losing the Cup like this."

"Coach, those are strong words. Do you think the team will be on board?"

"They have no choice. I have to get going to get my plan in action. Thank you, Magda."

"Thank you, Coach Cosento, for speaking with us. Always a pleasure. Well, back to you, Karl..."

"Magda, that's a bummer for you as well. Seems like your cougar patrol plans are ruined for the evening, at least as far as the Goats are concerned..."

"Fu-..."

"Oh, well, we lost connection with Magda. We have to go to a sponsor break now, but stay tuned. We'll have a preview of the upcoming match with Islartic and what the rest of the Group matches might look like after today's win. Keep it tuned to NETV 7."

[Alice Bay]

20-10 against Purple Rabbits
13-8 against Union of Socialist Alpine Republics
And I think that's the most we'll do.

Darmen and The Fair Republic tied for the first round, and both as nations are strong contenders for the group's lead. I doubt Crux will win.

We can get a place in knockouts as third place, however show up in a good mood against a host Republics free. And as for this game, I'm not really sure what can happen.

No, I'm not being pessimistic. I'm being realistic. You need to understand that Rugby at Alice Bay is going through a transition process, okay? These players are the first professionals we have. We need to discover and form new ones to evolve.

[Mattijana]

A DISGRACE!

Mattijanan Referee Mobbed By Darmen Players After TMO Controversy

Lucija Kranjnik, from the MRB rugby union was today rushed by players from the Darmeni Rugby Team after being denied a late try by the Television Match Official.
Searching for a potential match winner, Prop Kipling Reiter's dive for the line was successful, but with doubts over whether the ball was properly grounded, and with Kranjnik's view blocked by bodies, she decided to refer it to the TMO.
Despite lengthy deliberations, the TMO eventually decided not to award the try, with the Darmeni players immediately reacting aggressively to the decision. Despite saying to the captain Ingvar Wilkins that "This is a Rugby pitch. If you want to behave like that, you can come back here for the next football match", she found herself swiftly overwhelmed by the more physically imposing players, and having already blown for full time, had no choice but to leave the pitch.

When interviewed after the match, Darmen Head Coach Marcel MacLeod was apologetic on behalf of his rugby union and said that his "staff and players had been warned." Many, including Kranjknik's own body, are calling for more than a warning.

The MRB released a statement saying that "What happened today to our referee was deeply disappointing and saddening, and has no place on a rugby pitch. We are calling for the World Rugby Authorities and the Darmeni Rugby authority to take appropriate disciplinary action on those involved. This incident could have resulted in deeply serious consequences and we should deter the rugby community from reacting in this way."

Whether such action will be taken is yet to be seen, but an investigation is set to be conducted, with heavy fines and even bans the possible consequence.

Mattijana Earn First Ever Victory

The incident overshadowed what was ultimately a monumental day for Mattijanan Rugby with the side claiming a bonus point victory in the Citrus Computing Group against Islartic. The final score of 33-14 was a fair reflection of the match, where Mattijana constantly had the attacking edge, particularly for the duration of the first half. Two brilliant pieces of footwork from Matej Campagnaro saw him cross the line twice, completely unopposed, whilst Max Kamj, Sanja Cevnik and replacement Eva Savranic also went over, completing a straightforward victory despite two late tries from Islartic. The five tries scored also mean that Mattijana pick up the first attacking bonus point of the group, moving to an impressive third place in the group's standings, on the verge of qualification.

Elsewhere in the group, Neu Engollon avoided an upset in a dire affair against Kecrazia, scoring a second half try to win 5-3. East Saintland however managed to pick up their form as they beat Ethane 23-9 in an impressive showing.

Mattijana next take on that East Saintland side, with both sides in positive mood after their previous performances.

[Audioslavia]

Zerox
Audioslavia's Oxen scoreless over two games in Union World Cup

Audioslavia's team of semi-pros, made up largely of westerners from the alt-code strongholds of Hibernia and the Shires, have struggled to compete with international outfits over two games in the Rugby Union World Cup.

An opening day 0-16 reverse preceded yesterday's 0-9 defeat by Bviriana, though while the side haven't troubled the scoreboard, manager John Riordan remains optimistic of the team's chances.

"We've defended well in our own twenty-two without giving too many penalties away" said the manager. "Adrian Scully and Josh Malli's penalties did for us, sure, but we had out own chances on the breakaway, and I'm proud of the team for matching one of the strongest newcomers to the sport there is. All that remains over the next three games is to get on the scoreboard and try to take the game to the opposition"

Audioslavia's record in terms of possession had and territory gained is poor, with the side mainly treading water in their attempts at a running game. The side, growing more and more confident with every game according to manager Riordan, would "truly turn the corner" if they could get on the scoresheet in Thursday's encounter with 28th-ranked Barunia.

Back in Audioslavia, the tournament has yet to capture the public's imagination this autumn. Perhaps victory over The Waves could put that right. It would certainly be likely if, as the Barunian's official team sheet suggests, they only bring their 7s team instead of the full one.

"Even then" says belligerent soccer-fan Jeremy Jaffacake, "it'd be nice to get a 0-0 draw".

[Free Republics]

This is your Matchday 3 Cutoff presented by the Miktondo Flip! Miktondo Flip: Flip Your Game!

---

MD3 Results

AllMart Group
Ko-oren 10–0 Unified Sunrise Islands
Bvriana 14–5 Tobiasia
Barunia 24–10 Audioslavia

  AllMart Group                          Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Bvriana                                  3   3  0  0   45  19 +26   0   12
2 Ko-oren                                  3   3  0  0   36   0 +36   0   12
3 Barunia                                  3   2  0  1   59  35 +24   0    8
4 Unified Sunrise Islands                  3   1  0  2   13  37 −24   0    4
5 Tobiasia                                 3   0  0  3   11  34 −23   1    1
6 Audioslavia                              3   0  0  3   10  49 −39   0    0

Citrus Computing Group
Islartic 7–40 Neu Engollon
East Saintland 11–3 Mattijana
Kecrazia 10–0 Ethane

  Citrus Computing Group                 Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Neu Engollon                             3   3  0  0   70  13 +57   1   13
2 East Saintland                           3   3  0  0   43  15 +28   0   12
3 Kecrazia                                 3   1  0  2   16  14  +2   2    6
4 Mattijana                                3   1  0  2   39  50 −11   1    5
5 Ethane                                   3   1  0  2   25  36 −11   0    4
6 Islartic                                 3   0  0  3   24  89 −65   0    0

Dixon Light Group
Lisander 10–6 Aquitayne
United States of Devonta 24–3 Yesopalitha
Juvencus 0–18 Abanhfleft

  Dixon Light Group                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                               3   3  0  0   67  10 +57   0   12
2 Lisander                                 3   2  0  1   61  43 +18   1    9
3 Juvencus                                 3   2  0  1   27  31  −4   0    8
4 United States of Devonta                 3   1  0  2   34  42  −8   1    5
5 Aquitayne                                3   1  0  2   32  30  +2   1    5
6 Yesopalitha                              3   0  0  3   23  88 −65   0    0

FreedomCola Group
Racao 19–25 Hutanjia
The Iron Syndicate 62–30 Furby Islands
Greater Vakolicci Haven 0–17 Natanians and Nosts

  FreedomCola Group                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 The Iron Syndicate                       3   3  0  0  101  49 +52   1   13
2 Hutanjia                                 3   3  0  0   48  19 +29   0   12
3 Racao                                    3   2  0  1   75  35 +40   2   10
4 Natanians and Nosts                      3   1  0  2   33  45 −12   0    4
5 Greater Vakolicci Haven                  3   0  0  3    3  36 −33   1    1
6 Furby Islands                            3   0  0  3   40 116 −76   0    0

Miktondo Flip Group
Free Republics 13–13 The Fair Republic
Alice Bay 16–7 Darmen
Purple Rabbits 12–24 Union of Socialist Alpine Republics

  Miktondo Flip Group                    Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Alice Bay                                3   3  0  0   49  25 +24   0   12
2 The Fair Republic                        3   1  2  0   35  26  +9   0    8
3 Free Republics                           3   1  1  1   30  30   0   1    7
4 Union of Socialist Alpine Republics      3   1  0  2   39  35  +4   2    6
5 Darmen                                   3   1  1  1   27  33  −6   0    6
6 Purple Rabbits                           3   0  0  3   25  56 −31   0    0

RepublicSoft Group
Sublimany 10–40 Elejamie
New Lusitania and the Algarves 17–6 Jeckland
Savojarna 0–10 Nova Anglicana

  RepublicSoft Group                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Elejamie                                 3   3  0  0   90  20 +70   1   13
2 Nova Anglicana                           3   3  0  0   59  20 +39   1   13
3 New Lusitania and the Algarves           3   1  0  2   43  48  −5   1    5
4 Savojarna                                3   1  0  2   20  36 −16   0    4
5 Jeckland                                 3   1  0  2   15  54 −39   0    4
6 Sublimany                                3   0  0  3   17  66 −49   1    1

[The Iron Syndicate]

The Rugby War

Chapter Three

It was nearly game time. The Black Arrows were trending upwards after winning their first match, and they had flashed enough potential to show their fans that they likely weren't going to get pounded when they had to play some of the better teams in a group that had good squads from Racao, Hutanija, and Natanians and Nosts. The latter of those teams, of course, was the one that they would play in match number two, and as the players stood in the tunnel and prepared to come out, the cameras staying close and following their every move as they got pumped up for the matchup against a team that was ranked higher than them, even if it wasn't really by that much, captain Tanner Blanco was addressing them and addressing the recent events that had surrounded the team.

“I don't give a fucking shit about threats from the Pink Front or anyone else! I don't care what the ranking next to the other team’s name says and I also don't care what their past experience is compared to ours. I don't care if some talking head on TV said that their domestic league is stronger than ours! I don't care about any of that because none of it matters out there on that pitch! We all know how good we are, we don't need anyone to reaffirm that by giving us a high ranking or praising us in the press or rating our league! They don't know who you are… So? Let's go out there and make a name for ourselves,” Tanner said, leading the team to the front of the tunnel and then turning and standing in front of them once more.

“You need any more motivation to win? We have the Pink Front to think about. These cowards, these utter failures who are such disappointments to their parents that they can't go out without wearing masks, are no longer messing with the country as a whole but are affecting our livelihood. They claim that the capitalist system and the sports teams promoted by it are perpetuating toxic masculinity and sexism, whatever the hell that means. They say that you all sleep around too much and that us athletes are just out to use women. Sure, there's women on our team like Mia and Ana, but they don't care about you guys, because you don't agree with their barely coherent theories,” Tanner continued, his voice raising and getting angrier. “First they said that we should drop out and when we didn't meet their demand, they threatened us and said that there would be consequences. Now, we've won our first match and despite showing up in Free Republics, those bastards haven't done shit. Maybe Eric Hammer daring to fight back against one of their goons intimidated them into giving up their plans. Or maybe they never had any power in the first place.”

He took a deep breath, turning towards the pitch as the players reflected on the feminist rebellion that was claiming that they would create problems for them soon. “Let's keep winning and showing the Pink Front just how much toxic masculinity this team has! The more wins we get and the more success we have without them doing anything, the more people laugh at them and the more they become the biggest joke in the nation! Go out there and play for your country, play for your family, play for yourself, but most of all, play as if it was Pink Front members that you were going out there and hitting! You ready, guys and gals?”

“Hell yeah!” the group of rowdy players shouted back, and as Tanner started running out to the pitch, they followed close behind him and ran in a triple file line that was well organized and likely intimidating to the other team that had to watch them run out to the sight of the Iron Guard setting off flares and smoke devices in the background, as they stood in their usual spot behind the goal. The players made a run around the pitch before settling in their own end, and the hype among the players was absolutely clear as they warmed up quickly before assembling into their positions for the actual match.

“Hey, we've been in the stadium for awhile and I haven't seen any Pink Front members. I haven't seen anyone from the Feminist League at all, really,” remarked Shaun Draco to club teammate Mia White, as they started moving towards their positions in the formation. “I also think that I've spotted Quinn Kelly in the stands, which could be good for us… You think he's here to talk business with the Syndicate Rugby people about buying the Kingfishers? Or you think he just decided to come as a fan of the game? I mean, he's in the stands and not the luxury boxes.”

Kelly was, of course, the leading figure in the Syndicate tech industry and the one that was rumored to be planning to save Mia and Shaun’s club, the Luxus Kingfishers, from liquidation. “For our sake, I hope he's here for business and not pleasure. It would be really nice if we could get this thing out of the way without having it hanging over our heads during the whole World Cup… No other players but us Kingfishers have to worry about not having a club to return to when the Cup’s finished. Oh, and I can assure you that the Pink Front hadn't forgotten about us. They're probably waiting for us to drop our guard to try something. If they're anything, they're dedicated and zealous.”

“Zealous in that they have absolute loyalty to a flawed ideology and fail to see any problems with that ideology? Yeah, sounds right.”

Mia sighed, looking over the stands once more and then back at Shaun. “They're zealous in that they're willing to fight and die for that ideology… And it doesn't matter how flawed it is, the propaganda team for the Feminist League as a whole is top notch. Make someone believe that they're oppressed, and you wouldn't believe the things that they'll do to fight that perceived oppression. Doesn't matter to them how prosperous the country is or how many rights there are across the islands, for both genders. Because of the way they've been taught by their leaders and by certain people in positions of power like at universities and schools, all they see are problems that aren't there and no matter how good things are going, they always find a way to spin things to be a gender issue or some kind of other oppression issue. Hell, they were never even really happy when I made it in sports and I was one of them. Instead of being happy that one of them made it in rugby, they were trying to get me to be angry about there not being more women like me in the game.”

“I'm just hoping that they keep this to their protests and that we don't end up dealing with this threat that they made. I do have the feeling that it might be an empty one and that they might not actually have the power to go after us like this, but… If they do, if they really do want to prove to the world that they should be taken seriously as a threat, I don't want to get caught in the middle,” Shaun shrugged. “I have no idea how you're so calm, because you're the first one that they're going to go after if they do anything at all to us.”

“Fear is overrated. I know there's danger, but as a pro athlete, there's always the risk of getting hurt. I'm not afraid to live on the edge and take my risks with these wackos,” Mia replied sharply, and with that, she moved to her position and looked back at Shaun, who was lining up at scrum half. “If it happens, it happens. No point in worrying about that and not the opponent that's right in front of us.”

If only those words could be true…

~

The team from the Syndicate were new, but they were no pushovers. They hit hard, they defended relentlessly and used that to set up their attacks in good position, and they were fundamentally sound. The good fundamentals were the result of hundreds of hours of time in the simulators that were frequently used to train athletes in the Syndicate, and while they were a smaller team than the top ones, they made up for it by having more speed than most other squads. They weren't a traditional rugby team, they didn't really have the giant strapping forwards that were like human mountains, and they relied more on technique than pure strength in scrums and mauls. Their rucking was based on precision rather than power, and their team was built more from the back up than the top down.

That style wasn't the most usual for a rugby union team, with the players almost looking more like league players than union players, but it was working well for them and it was leading them to their second win in two matches. When the final whistle was blown in match number two, the scoreboard read 26-16. It had been a close match at halftime, but the Black Arrows had pulled away in the second half and Eric Hammer had led them with two tries. Shaun Draco had also managed a good game for himself, setting up teammates early and often and covering a lot of ground overall. The trouble didn't come from during the match, however, but when the players were milling around afterwards and getting ready to head back to the locker rooms.

They were milling around and talking with themselves and their opponents as everyone was surprised by the sound of gunshots ringing out. The sound echoed throughout the stadium and caused the players to scramble and the fans to look for the nearest exits or panic, but the shots kept coming. There was one, two, three, then four, and five. But the shots didn't hit their mark, which was apparently harder to do than it seemed because of the way that the players were panicking and running for safety. Whoever was shooting didn't have much experience, and the closest they came was hitting an advertising board that was a few inches away from Tanner Blanco. And it also seemed that they'd run out of ammunition, because the shots stopped as quickly as they had began, and the stadium was now deathly silent with the exception of the murmurs from the stands as people tried to head for the safety of the concourses.

“They finally came for us and they couldn't get a single hit!” Mia White said, following the other players as they formed a line behind the security officers and started moving to the locker room. Bunching together like this probably would only make it easier on their enemy, but in this case, the important thing was getting to safety as fast as possible… To most of the players, at least. When a few people clad in pink decided to jump the railing and invade the pitch to go after the players, Mia broke from the formation and ran towards her attackers, knowing that they were there for her. “You thought you were going to stab me in the back, eh? Let's see how well you can actually fight.”

The first woman was tackled by two stewards before she could even get to Mia, but the second one, a college aged girl that looked like she was from Portus, had a free chance at getting an attack off. But she didn't expect the sinewy athlete to be stronger than she looked, nor did she expect Mia’s punch to fracture her jaw and drop her to the ground immediately. She had a knife under her jacket, but she didn't even get to use it with Mia knocking her flat on her back and then some stewards rushing over to pin her to the ground and drag her away. “The hell are you doing? Let's go, before the bullets start flying again,” snapped Tanner, grabbing Mia by the arm and dragging her along with the rest of the group. “You just don't get into fights like that, you don't know if they're armed or what they're planning-”

“If I can survive getting shot at by some crazy rebels, I can survive fighting with my fists with those same people,” replied Mia, and then the police were able to lead the players into the tunnel and down the hall before any more trouble could happen. “They wanted a fight, I gave them one. If anything, the cameras that keep following us around will be happy about it.”

There was indeed a camera that was following the players closely, because of the inside access that Iron Sport and I-Vision were receiving to the team as part of their deals with the federation. And this was definitely the kind of thing that they wanted to see. The sport turning into more than a game, into a war between the government and the fringe rebels that wanted to see reform, was something that would draw viewers in that weren't even interested in rugby. It would create new fans, the kind of thing that the team was supposed to do in the first place. More importantly, it created drama, and that was exactly what the league executives were chasing after.

In the few minutes after the match, things had shifted from sport to war, but in this case, that wasn't bad at all.

[Bvriania]

PetroDome

Two wins on the trot with the chance to not only make it three, but nearly ensure a round of sixteen place, round three of the AllMart Group looked to be the most important of them all. Earlier in the day, Ko-oren kept up a perfect defense against the Sunrise Islands, while finding the time to run in ten points. That brought them top of the group, only temporarily of course. A win by six or more would see Bvriania retake the top spot, and set up next week's clash with Ko-oren as the group decider.

---

"Welcome Bvriania to matchday three of the World Cup! Today we face Tobiasia in what's sure to be a tense match. I'm Joe Murray and I'll be commentating alone today. Looking to the pitch now you'll see a familiar team making their way out. Umaga is back in at outside centre, over his stomach bug. Jackson does not return to the right wing however, instead he moves to fullback, taking over from Shane Moran, whose absence seems a result of his poor form. Earlier today we got confirmation that Dan McKnight will miss the rest of the group stages on account of injury. None too worried at that, Malli's been in flying form so far. No chances in the forward pack of course. Enough facts for now, onto the action!"


Action; hiding seek champion of the world. The opening ten minutes of the game served as a kicking contest between Scully and Percy Edghart, the Tobiasian ten. Back and forth, back and forth. Single digit metres run for each player, as the ball went from ruck to carry back to ruck after a seconds travel. The Tobiasian defense had brought its A-game, not opening till the twelfth minute.

12': "Even play this, defense is looking rock solid either side. Decko digging into this ruck to retrieve his ball, and he fires it away to Scully, who feeds it out to Malli! He isn't keeping it, kick upfield for Jones to chase, and he's got it in hand! Could we see a second try of the tournament for the captain? No, here's Jason McFinson with the cover tackle, looked high though. McFinson has it now and is booting it downfield, but the ref's arm is out, it was high, and penalty Bvriania." From fifteen metres out, Scully was hardly going to miss. Thirteen minutes in, Bvriania with the lead 3-0.

34': "You real start to get a feel for how Tobiasia conceded just ten points to Ko-oren, this defense is not cracking! If they want something to build on for future, I think they found it. Porson rallies his men, and now off it goes to Edghart, to Pol-gan, little wrap around and back to Edghart! And he's through the line! One last pass to Heerson and the winger has a clear path to the line! Sam Jones is coming up in cover, and he might just make it, taps Heerson down but he falls over the tryline! Might need to go to the TMO for th- no it's being awarded. A steep angle this, Edghart will need to take his work cut out for him with this conversion."

The kick went wide, and Tobiasia led 5-3. That's how it went into half time, and for a while after.

51': "Half an hour to go, and Tobiasia may be staring down the barrel of their first victory, or at the very least, a losing bonus point. If they can keep this mammoth defense up, they certainly deserve it. Bvriania inching closer each phase, could the defense be tiring? We do seem to be getting some momentum, this quick ball play might be just the thing to get through. Out to Troy now, to Manning, and he's taken down with some force, and out that ball comes on the Tobiasia side...but there's the whistle, they've done it illegally! Hot dog!"

Abdul Olson off his feet was the call, and Bvriania were the recipients of a very kickable penalty. Thirty seconds later, and Scully had them back in front, 6 points to 5. Little time passed before tehy extended the lead.

59': "With that kick, you really feel the pressure is starting to shift Bvriania's way. Tobiasia is a young side, that defense can't last forever like here's Umaga cutting through, offload to Rasolo! And he's dropped it... scrum Tobiasia. You can see why he starts can't you, at least they're penned in their own half. Not to mention their complete lack of substitutions is killing their scrum. Here it goes, and down it goes, penalty against Tobiasia for scrum collapsing! Chance here to extend the lead." Scully struck his third penalty of the night to make it 9-5, after which Scully made his way off for Matt White to win cap #2. Substitutions followed both ways, and the game ground down in its final twenty.

76': "A win is a win, with this we'll be top of the group, but you can't help but want more. This game is about scoring tries after all. Still four minutes however, and now it's Coetzee off the back of the ruck. On the twenty two line now, and off to White, crossfield kick, and Jones is in position! He's caught that cleanly, oh yes! Try time! Jones always leading by example, and that is the example to follow, perfectly executed, and now no bonus point for Tobiasia!"

Malli would miss the conversion kick, but it wouldn't matter, Bvriania's 14-5 lead was insurmountable, and lasted all the way to eighty minutes. At the hooter's signal, Coetzee passed back to White who thumped the ball into the crowd. Another team bites the dust.

---

With that win, Bvriana are back on top of the AllMart Group, but the battle's far from over. Next week they'll face Ko-oren, the only side in the Cup yet to concede even a single point. The group decider by all accounts, whoever wins would be sure to go top and stay there. Bvriania have done better than any of their previous foes, so hopes are high to break Ko-oren's seemingly unbreakable defense. A less daunting challenge will follow versus the Sunrise Islands the week after, but that is a story for another day.

[Natanians and Nosts]

-Wow!I'm so glad to say this:we won!I,I just can't believe we finally won a game.17x0 isn't the biggest of advantages,but it shows that at least we're not dead.That was an amazing match,I'm so happy to have narrated it.
-Ion I'm also glad to have commented this game,I think the team played well,but they could have been more focused,but we won and that's good.
-Yes Mihai.So,for you that's arriving now,we won the game,let's see again our points:
"Gheorghe Ion da Silva has the ball,he passes to Ion Viktor dos Santos,but he's tackled.The player from the Greater Vakolicci Haven is tackled by Samuel Rog Ionescu,Octavius Caeso Numésio recovers the ball in the ruck,he passes it to Gheorghe Márcus dos Santos,he runs...he reaches the 22-metres line...he passes it to Cáius Március Moura,he attempts a try,but he's tackled,he manages to pass the ball before falling.Mihai Carolus César runs,he dives and he scores a trrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!Yes I can't believe he score a try!What a beautiful try!Now the conversion,Mihai Ricardus Varro kicks from considerable distance,and he makes it!Natanians and Nosts 7,Greater Vakolicci Haven 0.
"–Ion,that's hard to actually know how well the team will be at the lin...–I ams sorry to interrupt Mihai,but they have a good chance at scoring a try,but their winger is tackled.Mihai Ricardus Varro kicks the ball very forward!Mihai Kaeso Marão and Márcus Ion Hûs run to get it,Mihai Kaeso Marão catches the ball,he runs with an incredible speed,he reaches the22-metre line he drops the ball and he kicks it,it's a drroop gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaal!Mihai Kaeso Marão,what a sprint!What a drop goal,what a technique!
"Mihai Cláudius Enderssen recovers the ball,he passes it to Caeso Paulus Augustus,he runs,he passes by one,two,three...he places the ball at the ground and scores aother tryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!Caeso Paulus Augustus,Mihai Ricardus Varro will attempt to convert again,he choses to convert from a small distance since he has a good angle.And he scores!Another conversion,Natanians and Nosts 17,Greater Vakolicci Haven 0,at 38 minutes of the second period."
-Mihai Ijust hope we can be at least in third place.
-Right Mihai,but it will not be easy,we depend of a combination of results,we have a strong group.There's Hutanjia and the Iron Syndicate at the first places,then there's Racao in third,we must seek to obtain the bonus point for the next two games if we want to surpass them.
-You'll have more news from the Rugby Union World Cup after the break!

[Alice Bay]

Darmen and The Fair Republic tied for the first round, and both as nations are strong contenders for the group's lead. I doubt Crux will win.

I was wrong. You can make fun of me. In fact I'm now completely drunk after party commemorating the win of the Crux against Darmen. Also sorry if my English is somewhat damaged. LOVE AND KISSES AND GO CRUX!

Go Crux!!!

---

This is not drunk roleplaying. This is a moment of lucidity.

[Barunia]

A confusing set of circumstances in Barunia's opening game that saw captain Stirling Mortlock sin-binned has been clarified. The incident happened in the 62nd minute of the game against Bvriania, when debutant George Moore collided with O'Leary after offloading. Lisanderian official Henri Collere called a late hit on Moore, despite it being technically impossible to call that type of foul on the attacking team.
Today Collere provided a clarification after Barunian Rugby lobbied the NSRB for an explanation.

In a written statement, Collere said that the touch judge had indicated that Moore's pass to O'Shea had been forward, at the same time as O'Leary had collided with Moore. Collere said that he had noted that as a late hit by O'Leary against Moore. Thus that call was in his mind when he blew the whistle, and he accidentally indicated that the foul was a late hit, instead of a forward pass. Collere apologised for the confusion, but said that he had explained the situation to the Barunian players.

Coach Jack Strutton disagreed with Collere's statement that he had explained things to the Barunians. "If you look at the footage, he never once uses the phrase "forward pass". How you can say you explained there was a forward pass without using the words is beyond me." Footage of the incident shows Collere responding to Barunian complaints by repeating the phrase "The pass was first." Strutton said that, "I've spoken to [Mortlock] and he understood the referee to be saying that it was a late hit because the ball had been passed. Nowhere did the referee make it clear to him that the late hit was an erroneous call."

Strutton's charges appear to have put the controversy behind them, following up their opening loss with two wins, against Unified Sunrise Islands and Audioslavia.
Barunian Rugby and Strutton had highlighted prior to the tournament that drop goals and penalties were key component of the Waves attack. However, there was little of that on display, with the Waves instead going for maximum points.

Against Unified Sunrise Islands, Barunia got on the board early with a free kick, which O'Shea put in to touch jet before the USI five-metre line. Kane Romilly took the line out throw, passed off to Matt Neachtain, who immediately set up a rolling maul. The Barunians flooded in, setting up a ten man maul that pushed the Sunrisians back into the goal area, Lachlan Stirling ultimately being created with the try.

USI hit back with a penalty after Graham Peers failed to release, but it was the last time they would score as the Barunians upped the ante. When Monty O'Shea broke through the Sunrisian defence at the halfway line, it looked a certain try. Only the Sunrisian fullback stood in his way, but O'Shea removed the threat with a quick inside pass to Joel Murray, who flew between the sticks for his first try of the tournament. O'Shea made easy work of the conversion, and the scoreline was Barunia 14 - 3 Unified Sunrise Islands at the break.

In the second half, the Barunians defended solidly, providing a solid wall of bodies that proved impenetrable. Poor discipline also cost the Sunrisians, with turnovers ending some promising-looking drives. The Barunians set up a try from a penalty scrum, with a series of passes that ended with Mike Rogers in the corner. That was it for the scoring, and the game ended 21-3.

The win undoubtedly gave the Waves some much-needed confidence in the lead-up to the game against the Oxen of Audioslavia. Like the Barunians, the team is drawn from a pool of local, non-professional teams. They struggled against Ko-oren and Bvriania, and needed a win against the Waves to keep their tournament dreams alive. Likewise, Barunia would need wins over tams like the Oxen if they were to be serious contenders.

First blood went to the Barunians, with a series of quick passes between the backs ending up with Murray crossing the line. Mike Rogers slotted the conversion in the absence of O'Shea, who was out with a muscle strain. It was only several minutes before the Barunians struck again, with Ben Woodward driving a grubber kick through the defence, that was pounced on by Tim Groundman. Rogers' conversion was a mere formality.

Audioslavia drove back, setting up a series of strong drives that got within the twenty-two, and when MacDonald came in to a ruck from the side, the Oxen chose to put themselves on the board with a penalty. Like Barunia, they relied on the safe boot of their fullback, and McCullough did not disappoint, slotting it home despite the difficult angle.

The Audioslavians attacked again, and were constantly thwarted by the Barunians on the five metre line. Eventually, Ciro found enough space to gain some ground, and passed off to John Martin. The Audioslavian Hooker ploughed through the Barunian line, ignoring Adam Burns desperate tackle, and planted the ball firmly beyond the line. McCullough converted, and the Audioslavians were within four points of the Barunians.

The Barunian counter-attack was slow going, and after two and a half games the first Barunian attempt at a drop-goal was made. It was Mike Rogers who made it, and he got it absolutely right.

The Audioslavians needed a converted try to tie the game, and they tried hard to get it. But Rogers ended any hopes the Oxen might have had when he scored the third try for Barunia in the dying stages of the match, nailing the conversion for good measure. The win puts Barunia third in the group, behind Bvriania and Ko-oren. It's a difficult situation for the Waves, who must either hope one of those teams loses or defeat world number two Ko-oren on the last day of the group stage. Either way, a defeat against minnows Tobiasia is essential if the Waves are to have any hope of an automatic qualifier. If they do come third, Barunia will have to hope for one of four "lucky loser" play-off slots. They're currently equal 2nd on points with the third place teams, so there is a good chance. Bonus points may prove to be vital though, and there is no knowing how much the debacle in game one, which may well have denied Barunia a bonus point, will have in the final analysis.

[Elejamie]

---

Player Profile: Doug Westwood
Adam Delgado - Davenport, WYKN

Who here watched the Elejamie-Sulimany game last night? I sure did. And let me just say that, if you missed it, you missed a hell of a game. 40-10. Not that impressive, I know, but one player really stood out. And, if you've read the title, you'll know who I'm talking about. Yes, Doug Westwood had the game of his life out there, bagging four penalties, four conversions and even a try of his own (the last one of the game, coming in the 73rd minute). All in all, he racked up 25 of the 40 points we scored in that game, which is pretty impressive, you'll have to admit. Sadly, he didn't get the man of the match award, as Adrian Drew-Ciobanu got it instead, but he probably would've been a worthy runner-up.

Either way, then gave me an idea of what to do for my next player profile. Maybe I should do a more modern player more often instead of every now and then? I mean, seeing as I don't really do player profiles as much anymore, not to mention that they tend to be old players, I thought it would be nice to bring up some new blood, go through the archives and teach you all about them. Besides, I don't have any player profiles planned for a while, so I think it would be a good idea to get one out before I take another break from them. Now let's get started.

November 11th, 1983 - Douglas Anthony Westwood was born in St. Andrews Point. He got into rugby at an early age, thanks to his dad not only taking him to watch games but also played as a prop for a local part-time (even back when it was an amateur sport) team. He also played for the high school rugby team as a scrum-half, despite having to travel over to Exham (five miles away) just to study and play. I know all of this because we grew up on the same street; we weren't friends or anything, we just happened to live nearby and know each other.

A quick headshot of Doug
rom his time at the
Warriors.

October 13th, 2002 - Doug Westwood was accepted into Davenport University, where he majored in mathematics and minored in sports science. However, it was here that he played for the Davenport University Reds rugby team and moved down a number, switching from scrum-half to fly-half when he realised he was actually very good at kicking. Eventually, after missing out on the 2003 tour, he was invited to take part in the 2004 EUXV Summer Tour of Nova Anglicana, playing in all three test matches; the Elejamian Universities XV lost the first test 31-20, won the second 20-14 and drew the third 23-23. However, he wasn't selected for the 2005 or 2006 tours, which was a pity.

September 1st, 2006 - Doug Westwood signs for his local team Davenport Commandos, receiving a Ꞅ2,500 per week contract, earning an extra Ꞅ150 for each try scored, an extra Ꞅ100 for each successful conversion or penalty and an extra Ꞅ300 if he's named man of the match. Indeed, he would go on to make his ERC debut in the first game of the season; a 32-0 win over Los Reyes. Granted, he didn't make an appearance until the 55th minute when he replaced Paul Garrett, but it was still a debut nonetheless. Although he only played 13 of the 22 games per season, he showed enough potential to be given a 20% pay increase across the board.

December 14th, 2008 - Just before the Christmas break, Doug Westwood is traded from the Commandos to the Edgebaston Warriors in exchange for EUXV prop Tom Correy, fresh from the EUXV Summer Tour of Barunia. Much like his former club, the Warriors give him a contract of Ꞅ3,000 per week but gave him bonuses of Ꞅ200 across the board. He'd go on to make his Warriors debut in the new year as his new team beat the Mainsborough Deplhi 24-19, with Doug nailing three conversions and a penalty. His time with the Warriors wasn't exactly the greatest, as both of his red cards came from his time here, but the fans still loved him so who am I to judge?

April 10th, 2009 - Doug Westwood plays in his first ERC Grand Final, following the Warriors' shock 28-14 win over the Rosetta Sparrows. It also managed to be the first time the Warriors made it to the ERC Grand Finals in the professional era; the last time they had made it was the 1993 ERC Grand Final, where they had lost 19-12 to the Coventry Wyverns. And, indeed, history ended up repeating itself as the Warriors were beaten 20-3 by the Wyverns, with the Warriors' sole set of points coming from a Westwood penalty in the 53rd minute. This is his only Grand Final so far but, if he's able to beat his former team in their semi-final game, then his second GF won't be too far away.

October 13th, 2010 - Doug Westwood would go on to make his international debut in a 48-20 victory over the United States of Devonta at Laneriti Stadium. Here, he would bag five penalties and convert all but one of the five tries scored; funnily enough, the conversion he missed came from a try he scored. However, despite the great amount of potential and determination, he was off-and-on when it came to international games up until 2013, where it was announced he would be the usual starting fly-half for the national team.

Doug Westwood, seen here training
with the Bullfrogs, dressed in their
third kit, which will be phased out
after the 2018/19 season.

August 31st, 2012 - Doug Westwood is transferred over to the Iceland Panthers on a four year deal, where he was being paid Ꞅ3,400 a week (along with a Ꞅ300 try bonus, Ꞅ200 successful kick bonus and Ꞅ600 man of the match bonus). Here he was really given time to shine, appearing in all but nine games. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to get any silverware with his new club - as the last time the Panthers made it to the play-offs (at the time) was 2002, where they lost their semi-final to eventual winners Rosetta Sparrows - but it was here that he became a national team regular so I guess that's some consolation.

September 1st, 2016 - Just as his contract was set to expire, Doug Westwood is snapped up by the Murgon Bullfrogs on a three year deal, with the possibility of a one year extension should he be up for the task. Being paid Ꞅ3,600 per week, but still retaining the same bonuses he got at his old club, he made his Bullfrogs debut in the first game of the season; a 50-13 away victory over the newly promoted Autumnia Lakers. Eventually, he managed to get to the top of the table with his new team, as they became the first team to qualify for a spot with only a handful of games left to go. I wish him luck in the semis and, should he get there, Grand Final.

So there you have it. It's a shame I don't know any more facts about him but I'm sure there are guides all over the internet telling you those. Besides, it makes you think and makes me question: what does the future hold for Mr. Westwood? Will he and his team make it to the RWC final? Or will they fall out of the competition much earlier? Will he make it to his second ERC Grand Final with his new team? Or will his former teammates deny him that chance? I don't know yet, it's too early. Let's see how how he and the rest of the Elejamie team do against Nova Anglicana, our main group rivals. Not to mention that we've got a few other games ahead of us before we have to talk about a Rugby World Cup final. And, finally, there'll be a week-long break after the RWC is over to give our guys a bit of rest before the ERC semi-finals (Murgon Bullfrogs vs Iceland Panthers; and Coventry Wyverns vs Avon Knights, the second time in two years this particular match-up has happened).

Oh, and if you were wondering who scored our other tries: Terry Huang scored the first in the 24th minute, Ben Oldaker got number two in the 39th minute and Eddie Campbell scored the third try in the 51st minute. I'm not sure who racked up the points for Sulimany and I kind of want to get this article done now but, if I remember, I'll go back and edit this stuff in.

[link to sources]

---

More from Adam Delgado:

• Player Profile: Reinaldo (Olivera da Silva)
• Player Profile: Pablo Cartagena
• Rodrigo Carreras: 1955-2017 (with Dave Carrey)
• ERC GF Winning XV vs ERC GF Losing XV

[Free Republics]

This is your Matchday 4 Cutoff presented by Dixon Light! Dixon Light: The Official Beer of Parties since 1836!

---

MD4 Results

AllMart Group
Unified Sunrise Islands 5–23 Audioslavia
Tobiasia 0–34 Barunia
Ko-oren 7–6 Bvriana

  AllMart Group                          Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Ko-oren                                  4   4  0  0   43   6 +37   0   16
2 Barunia                                  4   3  0  1   93  35 +58   1   13
3 Bvriana                                  4   3  0  1   51  26 +25   1   13
4 Audioslavia                              4   1  0  3   33  54 −21   0    4
5 Unified Sunrise Islands                  4   1  0  3   18  60 −42   0    4
6 Tobiasia                                 4   0  0  4   11  68 −57   1    0

Citrus Computing Group
Neu Engollon 20–20 Ethane
Mattijana 25–19 Kecrazia
Islartic 3–13 East Saintland

  Citrus Computing Group                 Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 East Saintland                           4   4  0  0   56  18 +38   0   16
2 Neu Engollon                             4   3  1  0   90  33 +57   1   15
3 Mattijana                                4   2  0  2   64  69  −5   1    9
4 Kecrazia                                 4   1  0  3   35  39  −4   3    7
5 Ethane                                   4   1  1  2   45  56 −11   0    6
6 Islartic                                 4   0  0  4   27 102 −75   0    0

Dixon Light Group
Aquitayne 10–20 Abanhfleft
Yesopalitha 7–13 Juvencus
Lisander 14–7 United States of Devonta

  Dixon Light Group                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                               4   4  0  0   87  20 +67   0   16
2 Lisander                                 4   3  0  1   75  50 +25   1   13
3 Juvencus                                 4   3  0  1   40  38  +2   0   12
4 United States of Devonta                 4   1  0  3   41  56 −15   2    6
5 Aquitayne                                4   1  0  3   42  50  −8   1    5
6 Yesopalitha                              4   0  0  4   30 101 −71   1    1

FreedomCola Group
Hutanjia 28–19 Natanians and Nosts
Furby Islands 21–3 Greater Vakolicci Haven
Racao 20–27 The Iron Syndicate

  FreedomCola Group                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 The Iron Syndicate                       4   4  0  0  128  69 +59   1   17
2 Hutanjia                                 4   4  0  0   76  38 +38   0   16
3 Racao                                    4   2  0  2   95  62 +33   3   11
4 Furby Islands                            4   1  0  3   61 119 −58   0    4
5 Natanians and Nosts                      4   1  0  3   52  73 −21   0    4
6 Greater Vakolicci Haven                  4   0  0  4    6  57 −51   1    1

Miktondo Flip Group
The Fair Republic 32–8 Union of Socialist Alpine Republics
Darmen 10–0 Purple Rabbits
Free Republics 7–33 Alice Bay

  Miktondo Flip Group                    Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Alice Bay                                4   4  0  0   82  32 +50   1   16
2 The Fair Republic                        4   2  2  0   67  34 +33   1   12
3 Darmen                                   4   2  1  1   37  33  +4   0   10
4 Free Republics                           4   1  1  2   37  63 −26   1    7
5 Union of Socialist Alpine Republics      4   1  0  3   47  67 −20   2    6
6 Purple Rabbits                           4   0  0  4   25  66 −41   0    0

RepublicSoft Group
Elejamie 15–17 Nova Anglicana
Jeckland 0–10 Savojarna
Sublimany 21–15 New Lusitania and the Algarves

  RepublicSoft Group                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana                           4   4  0  0   76  35 +41   1   17
2 Elejamie                                 4   3  0  1  105  37 +68   2   14
3 Savojarna                                4   2  0  2   30  36  −6   0    8
4 New Lusitania and the Algarves           4   1  0  3   58  69 −11   2    6
5 Sublimany                                4   1  0  3   38  81 −43   1    5
6 Jeckland                                 4   1  0  3   15  64 −49   0    4

[The Iron Syndicate]

The Rugby War

Chapter Five

Law in the Syndicate was a funny thing. In a way, you could say that the country had elements of a monarchist one. The government existed to create some laws and keep a semblance of order, but the real power lied in the hands of the ones who ran just about every service, even ones that would normally be publicly owned, such as schools and healthcare and law enforcement, as well as emergency services. Those people, the ones at the top of society who made life possible for those who were under them, were the corporate owners, and they had just as much power as those on the Executive Board. Many times, they were the ones who paid the ones on the Board.

Law enforcement was probably the industry that was the most strangely affected by this system, because while the actual enforcement agencies were privately owned, the courts were still publicly owned, and therefore each agency was just another corporation that could be bought or sold like any other. And one other interesting thing was that they could be sued like any other, leading to a conundrum that some other states wouldn't experience. It was possible, in the Iron Syndicate, for the police to be sued by citizens for doing just about anything wrong, leading to a back and forth tension between the police corporations and the people they protected,

The message to the police was clear. Mess up, even if it was in a small way such as following a procedure incorrectly or using violence wrongfully, and prepare to shell out tens of thousands of coins or even more, in certain cases. Police Corp was the largest law enforcement company in the Syndicate and they had paid out millions due to the mistakes of their officers, and had been forced by the government to pay out a few million coins on a couple of wrongful killing occasions. That was why the police in the Syndicate preferred to stay back and allow things to play out without interference, and why crime was relatively high for such a developed and advanced country. There weren't necessarily many murders or other big crimes like that, but there were definitely a lot of crimes that didn't reach the spotlight: domestic disputes, small time theft, and weird things that weren't expected but that would still be illegal. There was the occasional carjacking, and plenty of corporate espionage in the big cities.

All of that was why it was so surprising to see Police Corp making a trip abroad at the request of Portum governor Kal Silverstone, who was trying to put an end to the feminist threat to the rugby team before things grew more serious than the attempted attack after the second match. The operation was a risk, because there was indeed a chance that they would be able to catch the terrorists that had attacked the players. A very good chance, even. But if they succeeded, they would be at risk to get attacked in the courts for the methods they were using. The police weren't exactly allowed to barge into random houses and hotel rooms, and they would need a reason to be there, even if recon from the anti terror unit had revealed the locations where the rebels were likely staying in Free Republics. They would have to trust the business department to come up with the background story later, and trust that they could cover them in the courts if they found who they were looking for.

“You’d think that they wouldn't stay at the team hotel if they don't want to get caught,” said one of the black clad anti terror officers, who was moving down the hallway with the rest of the unit that wielded assault rifles and had shotguns at their hips too. “This isn't going to be hard. We’re fighting an amateur operation, you can tell from how badly they've planned this.”

“They don't even bother hiding themselves because they didn't think that any Syndicate security forces would show up and hold them accountable. They thought that just because they were staying in the Free Republics and they had their expenses paid for by their local friends in the feminist movement here, they were completely safe,” shrugged the leader of the unit, the man known as Polu. “Let's just make this quick. Theoretically, nobody should get hurt on our side, or even theirs, but predictions are rarely right.”

He paused, speaking again as they took their positions around the door that they were about to breach. “Remember, if you hurt any of them, they'll have more grounds to come after us on the legal front. If they attack you first, they've violated the law of non aggression and you can legally do whatever you want to them. But if you make the first move, they can use it against you potentially. Let's make sure that they make the first moves… Hey, see if this door is unlocked before we breach it.”

One of the officers tried to open the door, but failed. “Looks like we're going to have to use the charges,” he said, and then he dropped his backpack to the ground and reached into it for a small breaching charge that he placed near the lock. Gesturing for everyone to back up, he went back into his bag. “Setting it off in five, four, three, two, one…”

The officer pushed the button on the remote, and there was a quick bang when the lock exploded and the door started to swing open. Moving around their colleague that was kneeling next to the bag, the others raised their assault rifles and moved inside in a double file line, turning in each direction to cover the entire room with their line of fire. The inhabitants of the room weren't expecting what was happening, nor were any of them ready to defend themselves. Everyone in the room was some kind of college aged woman, and it looked like there were five or six of them in the room that were relaxing and talking over the next day’s plans. They'd gotten the right group, alright. These were the minds behind the plans that had been carried out by the grunts of the Pink Front when the rugby team had been attacked.

“Everyone on the ground!” shouted Polu, directing his rifle towards the leader of the group and running straight forward as the others spread out and made sure that all five women were covered. “Nobody in this room moves! Any movement directed at us will be treated as a breach of the law of non aggression, and will be met with lethal force. Reaching for weapons will be treated in the same way.”

“You can't just burst into our room like this-”

“And you can't just try to murder our athletes like you've been trying to do and like you already attempted to do once,” snapped another officer, directing his own rifle at the woman who had spoken. Slowly, the officers at the back of the formation spread out and started looking around the room for the thing that they were really here for. Sure, they could just apprehend everyone, but that wasn't the most valuable thing. No, the most important thing was finding the plans, and stopping those plans before the Pink Front could bring about the dire consequences that they had spoken about via video.

~

While the off of the pitch controversy continued as the Feminist League grew uppity and battled with the authorities, the Black Arrows couldn't be stopped on the pitch. At first, everyone had summed up their hot start and their undefeated record to facing the bad teams in the group, but when their anticipated matchup with Racao finally arrived, they looked like they were the better team all night. Racao had come close to giving them a scare with a late comeback, but it had been too little too late for the more experienced side that was ranked as the eighteenth best side in the world. For a team that wasn't ranked at all, that was a good win, especially when achieved in confident fashion.

But there were still cracks beginning to show off of the pitch, as the team had become a symbol of the capitalist system of the government and an enemy to several rebel movements that saw themselves as opposed to the government and by extension the teams. The Feminist League and their more extreme faction, the Pink Front, thought that the capitalism exploited women and wanted to see heavy reform that they thought could only be achieved through protest or even more extreme action. The Space Liberation Organization wanted to see the colonies liberated and made alliances with the Pink Front because of mutual enemies. The Green Alliance hated the capitalism and corporate rule just as much as the feminists did, and were even more extreme than the Pink Front because they had no political wing, only an extremist one.

The players just couldn't get rid of the feeling that all of this would end up hurting them, and they felt more like they were soldiers in a war than players on a sports team, recently. They kept being asked about politics and about the conflict that was building and turning into something bigger, and they had been attacked once already in their second match and had been forced to defend themselves before they had even gotten to the stadium. As they played Racao, they had played with an edge to their game, because they didn't know the next time they would be forced to defend themselves.

But still, they were becoming superstars in their country, and like all Ironite athletes, they weren't afraid to let everyone else know that. Eric Hammer and Tanner Blanco, the experienced team leaders, weren't afraid to let everyone see them partying and going hard in their celebrations of wins. The younger players, such as Dre Martins, Mia White, and Shaun Draco, hadn't experienced this kind of fame as club players and were taking advantage of it as much as they could. After all, they had no idea how long it would last or when the next time they would have this much attention would be. Mia had been on the front page of newspapers for her scuffles with the Pink Front and her general conflict with the feminist movement, Dre was at the center of a major transfer story saying that the Ceres Loons could pay a twenty five million coin fee to bring him in, and Tanner had been featured by just about every major media outlet in the country.

And Shaun, he was maybe having the most fun, because he had become the face of the Luxus Kingfishers and had been with more girls during this World Cup than he'd been with during any past season. A few Republican girls, but mostly ones that traveled from the Syndicate… Rich ones who had enough cash to follow the players abroad as groupies, and who the players certainly didn't mind. The morning after the Racao win, he woke up next to one of those girls, one that was about twenty or twenty one and who was obviously very rich. She had everything that marked someone as wealthy in the Syndicate: a non natural eye color, neon green hair, designer clothes, and skin that was so smooth that it couldn't possibly be real.

He remembered that her name was Athena, but he couldn't quite remember where she was from. “Where'd you travel here from? Would you want to come back to Luxus with me when this is all done?” he asked curiously, watching her as she woke up and scrolled through messages on her phone. “Honestly, you were better than ninety nine percent of the other girls that I've slept with over the course of this tournament. Maybe we could make this more than a one night thing…”

She smiled at him, setting her phone down. “I'm from Red Hill, and I'm kind of tied up with my studies at Red Hill College of the Arts,” she said, flashing a grin with perfectly white teeth. “But we can still have fun with each other on national team trips, I don't intend on missing any of these matches. My parents have enough cash to travel around with, if you couldn't tell.”

“Red Hill College of the Arts? That place is a cesspit, no offense. That's the biggest recruiting ground for the Green Alliance. I'm surprised that you aren't one of them, if that's where you're studying. Though, you look like you're on the young side, so maybe the brainwashing just hasn't gotten to you yet-”

“Green Alliance? Why would you think that I'm one of them? Don't believe everything you read and hear about RHCA,” shrugged Athena, but her words were a lie. If only Shaun had realized that at the time, he wouldn't have run into trouble. If he'd seen through that simple lie and just cut ties with her while he still had the chance, it really would have saved everybody involved a lot of trouble. But, things were never that clear in life. That was what would cost him and the others later.

[Neu Engollon]

“Good evening, Neu Engollon and to those of our international viewers. You’re watching the NETV 7 Sports Update and I’m your host, Magda Wertauer. Karl Demais, my co-host, is taking his fair turn in seeking out interviews with the Goats and other nations’ players. We're still live at the Rugby World Cup in the Free Republics.

So, have you buckled up yet? Because any sports fan that lives in the Confederacy knows that you’re in for a wild ride with Neu Engollian sports. No matter how much they practice, how solid a team with solid strategy and numerous tried and true plays, with new plays in the works...No matter how well oiled they look on the field, the pitch...There’s always some kind of wrench in the works to ensure that you, the fan of one of our national teams, or even an international sports fan that just finds them interesting...will be kept wondering as to how things go wrong, and why, even after recovery, these slip ups continue. It plays with a sports fan's emotions constantly. As all die hard fans know, you have to be there through thick and thin, and the thin can get almost two dimensionally thin.

I’m not going to keep beating you all over the head with the rest of that. That’s something Karl might do, but I won’t waste the whole intro to the Update. I just had to set the stage as we talk about first the stellar win over Islartic, where the Goats indeed performed as expected, and put up a solid 40 points in their Group, the...Citrus Computing Group, to Islartic’s one converted try.

Then there was today. Not saying that Ethane is an inferior team, not at all. They are ranked 43 in the world. But who was number one going into this? Still this was a game that these veteran players should have really put effort into winning, perhaps more than the previous matches played so far versus unranked newcomers. Did they lose? No. Did they have a narrow victory such as the one against Kecrazia? No, they drew the match. 20 all at the whistle. You have to know that, yes, they didn’t just laze about the pitch.

They did put a bit of effort in here. They really looked for the offloads and they really put the pressure on the 22, but then turned around and let a couple trys through and gave up some dumb penalties. Same could be said for the Ethanians, though, right? Ah the magic of a draw. Thanks to Latrent and Urbach for the tries, and to Willi Hoerner, as always, for his beauty of a foot for the extra kicks.

When we come back, we'll have that interview that Karl has lined up with a mystery player, as well as more in depth highlights. Oh boy! Keep it tuned here to the NETV Sports 7 Update."

[Free Republics]

This is your Matchday 5 Cutoff presented by Citrus Computing! Citrus Computing: Be Cool, Buy a Citrus Today!

---

MD5 Results

AllMart Group
Bvriana 7–7 Unified Sunrise Islands
Barunia 18–16 Ko-oren
Audioslavia 14–8 Tobiasia

  AllMart Group                          Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Barunia                                  5   4  0  1  111  51 +60   1   17*
2 Ko-oren                                  5   4  0  1   59  24 +35   1   17*
3 Bvriana                                  5   3  1  1   58  33 +25   0   14
4 Audioslavia                              5   2  0  3   47  62 −15   0    8
5 Unified Sunrise Islands                  5   1  1  3   25  67 −42   0    6
6 Tobiasia                                 5   0  0  5   19  82 −63   2    2

*Barunia finishes 1st in group due to HTH victory over Ko-oren

Citrus Computing Group
East Saintland 3–23 Neu Engollon
Kecrazia 26–0 Islartic
Ethane 7–31 Mattijana

  Citrus Computing Group                 Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Neu Engollon                             5   4  1  0  113  36 +77   1   19
2 East Saintland                           5   4  0  1   59  41 +18   0   16
3 Mattijana                                5   3  0  2   95  76 +19   2   14
4 Kecrazia                                 5   2  0  3   61  39 +22   3   11
5 Ethane                                   5   1  1  3   52  87 −35   0    6
6 Islartic                                 5   0  0  5   27 128 −101  0    0

Dixon Light Group
United States of Devonta 7–6 Aquitayne
Juvencus 0–9 Lisander
Abanhfleft 22–17 Yesopalitha

  Dixon Light Group                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                               5   5  0  0  109  37 +72   0   20
2 Lisander                                 5   4  0  1   84  50 +34   1   17
3 Juvencus                                 5   3  0  2   40  47  −7   0   12
4 United States of Devonta                 5   2  0  3   48  62 −14   2   10
5 Aquitayne                                5   1  0  4   48  57  −9   1    5
6 Yesopalitha                              5   0  0  5   47 123 −76   2    2

FreedomCola Group
The Iron Syndicate 20–14 Hutanjia
Greater Vakolicci Haven 0–3 Racao
Natanians and Nosts 8–0 Furby Islands

  FreedomCola Group                      Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 The Iron Syndicate                       5   5  0  0  148  83 +65   1   21
2 Hutanjia                                 5   4  0  1   90  58 +32   1   17
3 Racao                                    5   3  0  2   98  62 +36   3   15
4 Natanians and Nosts                      5   2  0  3   60  73 −13   0    8
5 Furby Islands                            5   1  0  4   61 127 −66   0    4
6 Greater Vakolicci Haven                  5   0  0  5    6  60 −54   2    2

Miktondo Flip Group
Alice Bay 3–6 The Fair Republic
Purple Rabbits 14–25 Free Republics
Union of Socialist Alpine Republics 0–6 Darmen

  Miktondo Flip Group                    Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Alice Bay                                5   4  0  1   85  38 +47   2   18
2 The Fair Republic                        5   3  2  0   73  37 +36   1   17
3 Darmen                                   5   3  1  1   43  33 +10   0   14
4 Free Republics                           5   2  1  2   62  77 −15   1   11
5 Union of Socialist Alpine Republics      5   1  0  4   47  73 −26   3    7
6 Purple Rabbits                           5   0  0  5   39  91 −52   0    0

RepublicSoft Group
New Lusitania and the Algarves 8–29 Elejamie
Savojarna 14–0 Sublimany
Nova Anglicana 25–6 Jeckland

  RepublicSoft Group                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Nova Anglicana                           5   5  0  0  101  41 +60   1   21
2 Elejamie                                 5   4  0  1  134  45 +89   2   18
3 Savojarna                                5   3  0  2   44  36  +8   0   12
4 New Lusitania and the Algarves           5   1  0  4   66  98 −32   2    6
5 Sublimany                                5   1  0  4   38  95 −57   1    5
6 Jeckland                                 5   1  0  4   21  89 −68   0    4

---

Playoff Seeding

Playoff Seeding Table                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
 1 The Iron Syndicate                       5   5  0  0  148  83 +65   1   21
 2 Nova Anglicana                           5   5  0  0  101  41 +60   1   21
 3 Abanhfleft                               5   5  0  0  109  37 +72   0   20
 4 Neu Engollon                             5   4  1  0  113  36 +77   1   19
 5 Alice Bay                                5   4  0  1   85  38 +47   2   18
 6 Barunia                                  5   4  0  1  111  51 +60   1   17
 7 Elejamie                                 5   4  0  1  134  45 +89   2   18
 8 The Fair Republic                        5   3  2  0   73  37 +36   1   17
 9 Ko-oren                                  5   4  0  1   59  24 +35   1   17
10 Lisander                                 5   4  0  1   84  50 +34   1   17
11 Hutanjia                                 5   4  0  1   90  58 +32   1   17
12 East Saintland                           5   4  0  1   59  41 +18   0   16
13 Racao                                    5   3  0  2   98  62 +36   3   15
14 Bvriana                                  5   3  1  1   58  33 +25   0   14
15 Mattijana                                5   3  0  2   95  76 +19   2   14
16 Darmen                                   5   3  1  1   43  33 +10   0   14
17 Savojarna                                5   3  0  2   44  36  +8   0   12
18 Juvencus                                 5   3  0  2   40  47  −7   0   12

Play-In Round (April 5)

#15 Mattijana v. #18 Juvencus @ Church of Technicology Stadium, Tarita, Quartona, Free Republics
#16 Darmen v. #17 Savojarna @ Dixon Light Stadium, Petrograd, Plymouth, Free Republics

Round of 16 (April 6)

#1 The Iron Syndicate v. Lowest Remaining Seed* @ Olden Stadium, Falkamore, Nejax, Free Republics
#2 Nova Anglicana v. Second Lowest Remaining Seed* @ AllMartDome, Reco, Jolarus, Free Republics
#3 Abanhfleft v. #14 Bvriana @ PetroDome, Petrograd, Plymouth, Free Republics
#4 Neu Engollon v. #13 Racao @ Alex Tomlinson Memorial Stadium, Barkersville, Amolotopia, Free Republics
#5 Alice Bay v. #12 East Saintland** @ Nail Frolov Colosseum, Santangiago, Perotutia, Free Republics
#6 Barunia v. #11 Hutanjia @ Kountry Bank Stadium, Albertope, Roxawa, Free Republics
#7 Elejamie v. #10 Lisander @ RT&T Stadium, New City, Orlandiana, Free Republics
#8 The Fair Republic v. #9 Ko-oren @ IslandDome, Toakameau, Falatulu, Free Republics

*As Nova Anglicana v. Savojarna would be a group stage rematch, if both Juvencus and Savojarna win, Nova Anglicana would face Juvencus and The Iron Syndicate would face Savojarna. Otherwise, highest seed faces lowest seed, second highest faces second lowest, etc.

**A 3rd party scorinator for this match will be required. Please let me know ASAP via TG, Discord or the Rugby Discussion Thread if you're interested.

[Abanhfleft]

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Rugby Rundown
with Aisling Keane

Oh sh**. Is it my turn to write the Rugby Rundown now? That explains all the reminders I gave myself to watch the game last night. And because I failed to give you guys the Rugby Rundown for two straight games, Cousin Dara has told me that instead of firing me from the website, I will have to do the rundowns for both games as part of my penance to the Gaelic Gamers family. This is the part where I make a dramatic sigh and set to my work with the vigor of one who has escaped death and knows that the next time I might not be so lucky. (Just kidding, guys. The guys wouldn't dare fire me from the site. Not only am I family but they would lose one person with which they distribute the godawful load that we've all had to share when we finally decided to start up this whole Gaelic Gamers thing.)

So, how about that game against Juvencus, eh? I have to admit that as a girl, sports like rugby where people bash other people's heads and it's considered okay don't really sit well with me, but when you've seen your very own cousin do this and have this done to her (I'm talking about my half-Hungarian cousin Zsofia Dolan, by the way; Sofie, if you're reading this, lots of love from Cousin Aisling!) But when you've spent some time trying to learn the rules of the game and really trying to get a feel for the whole thing with the help of people who are actually into it, you start to see some things in the game which make you glad that you stuck around to watch it in the first place.

All right, on to the game itself. I have to give Juvencus credit; they tried to compete; they really did. Or at least that's what Dara told me when I asked him about it. But that's as far as he's willing to go to help me with the roundup before reminding me that I have to do two of these damned things! Well, there's nothing I can do except make them so that I don't have to worry about anything else after. Like I was saying, Juvencus really tried to stay competitive with us but unfortunately for them, our team has just had that much experience with playing rugby on the international level (right now I've got my fingers set a little bit wide apart to show that our national team has a lot of experience playing on the international level but I just remembered that I'm writing and not vlogging so I'm looking stupid here on my keyboard holding my hand up stupidly like a crab).

Anyway, let's get to the highlights of the game. I think we scored two tries (is that the right word for the thing?), we made one conversion out of two (I'm sure that conversion is the right word for that thing) and we scored two drop goals as well (this is literally the only thing that I'm sure I remembered from all the cramming I did about rugby just before this). And that's it, really. If you want a more in-depth analysis of the game from a more trustworthy and reliable source then I suggest you go to CNN Sports. They're very good at this kind of thing, you know.

As for my personal thoughts, I think that we played pretty well (although I have to say that everyone else in the family disputes these findings of mine). Well, that's my honest assessment of the whole thing. I really believe that Abanhfleft played a nice game of rugby. There were a lot of tackles, a lot of scrums, some line-outs, but I don't think anyone was sin-binned, which I have been told is both a good and a bad thing. I don't know who to believe, to be honest. Anyway, I'm only here to record my thoughts about the game. And that's all of my thoughts during the game which pertain directly to the game itself. If I was to tell you some of my thoughts during the game not relating to the game itself, this website might get labeled as "adult" and drop the hits and views massively. (Anyway, I've got my own personal blog where I say some of the things I think about without any reservations so if you want some of that, scoot on over there; link is in my profile).

I promise I will get to the Aquitayne game soon after this. Ta-ta.

Try: Wiley 16' c
     Solvermann 37' m
Con: Wahhab (1/2) 17'
Drop: Wahhab 42'
      Cochabamba 47'

EDIT: And now I'm back. Good thing I thought about recording the whole game or else I would have missed it and I would have had to rely on YouTube clips to get something for the second part of my piece. But anyway, here goes Abanhfleft vs Aquitayne.

So, Aquitayne, huh? Can't say I really remember much about them before this, and I can guarantee that I will not remember much about them also after tonight because, well, let's just say that they're not that memorable, if you get my drift?

Anyway, let's get to the game itself. I've always told people that if they want to get an actual darned analysis of the game then they should check out CNN Sports but I think I'm going to give this sports journalism a try and try to actually make something that a sports nut can actually understand without me having to resort to all sorts of jokes and whatnot just to keep your attentions, dear readers. Here goes.

Abanhfleft struck first with a try from Till Solvermann landing in the 15th minute. I've been told that this is not up to Abanhfleft's usual standard as we've usually already scored at least twice by the 15th minute and I was in no mood to argue with Cousin Dara. Nawwaz Shareef Wahhab apparently made the conversion. After that, Archie Wigglesworth finally landed his first international try in two years after a scrum from five yards (Oi Dara, am I getting this right?) just a few minutes later and Wahhab made the conversion again. Aquitayne then got a try of their own along with a conversion before the end of the first half. After that Abanhfleft got a penalty and Wahhab scored it. He also scored a drop goal but not before Aquitayne got a penalty of their own as well.

Well, that proved easier than expected. I might try to do that again next time, if there is a next time for me. But that's enough work for me tonight. Ta-ta.

Try: Solvermann 15' c
     Wigglesworth 22' c
Con: Wahhab (2/2) 16', 23'
Pen: Wahhab 48'
Drop: Wahhab 62'

[Ko-oren]

"How many of the starting fifteen are from Altiora?" a grey-heared man asked. A far more energetic, younger man responded, "Uh, Cagilius, to be very honest, that would be zero." The two men stood in an office, dominated by white marble pillars, an expensive-looking wooden desk and a window overlooking Civitas Altioranis, the capital city of the Ko-orenite region that was mostly inhabited by the Altiorans. The older man, Cagilius, looked out the window to see a sunny day in the white city. Far off in the distance, airships were starting to move from the Civitas Altioranis' air-port. "So, zero Altiorans. And how many from Stallhaven, Telerus?" Cagilius replied. Telerus, a black-haired assistant to Cagilius, made it a bit too clear that he immediately knew the answer. "Ten, Cagilius," and quickly added "I think, at least-" to conceal the fact that he was too sure of this embarrassing fact. "Well, there's room for interchange, and we have to make sure that there are Altioran players among those," Cagilius said. "Before the knock outs, I want some Altiorans in the Free Republics, ready to jump in and play for the national team!"

Telerus nodded and left the office. Meanwhile, Cagilius stared out the window. He knew deep down, that he had to give the Stallhaveners some credit. The ability to produce glass panes for mass use in buildings, and even commodifying airships and air-ports, was all a result of the industrial boom in Stallhaven. Proud Altiorans wouldn't easily admit this, but part of the reason that there finally is a national team that plays in international competitions abroad, was because the Stallhaveners did a couple things very, very well.

The first of these was creating an infrastructure: air-ports, airships, and the like, the discovery of oil, steel, glass and steam, allowed people to traverse Ko-oren and the unpredictable waters areound it. The second was actually sports-related. Stallhaveners love sport, but as factory owners now needed every able-bodied person to work, they couldn't always find time. Instead, the factory owners allowed time off to those that could represent the factories in matches. Cricket, baseball, rugby, football, you name it, and those proud factory owners created a team and had their men play the men of the other factories. This created a system that had Ko-oren play at the level of other nations at last. Of course, all this would be a bit too much to give to those Stallhaveners.

Altiora is different. Instead of polluted skies, filled with smoke, Altiora boasts clear skies, tall, impressive, ancient buildings, well maintained. Marble structures, golden statues, broad roads. A healthy and strong population, proud traditions, and great athletes. Everyone knew that the Altioran teams could match whatever team would be fielded by the other peoples of Ko-oren. Stallhaveners, Sytherans, Gehrennese, would all fall to the might of the Altioran athlete. But for how long... and this is the reason for Cagilius's worries.

[Hutanjia]

Albertope, Roxawa, Free Republics

Harrison Fengelu stood on the sidewalk in downtown Albertope in Roxawa, Free Republics. He took in several deep breaths, just to soak it all in. The temperature, the humidity, and the smells that permeated everything around him. The fact that he could do this on his own, even though he was surrounded by strangers bustling around him, was still...refreshing and astounding. Getting this time away from the hive was rare.

The Spiders played both union and league codes for the Republic, and they did both pretty well, but they just happened to be better at league, than, well...just about anyone else. They were four time champions, after all, in the Rugby League World Cup. The League Cup had quite a permanent home in the main hall of the Ministry of Athletics in Chastille. The ironic thing was, as a nation, they prided themselves on being stronger in union. All of Wishton Polynesia, in fact, were quite fanatical about rugby union, above all and any other sport - va’a boating (canoeing), surfing, stone lifting, tree climbing, and the more internationally popular football all took a backseat. So when the Hutanjian national team showed an interesting propensity for league above all else, it was a bit of a shocker, as league was about as foreign to Wishtonians and Hutanjians as curling.

The team had gotten into a routine, where they spent almost every waking hour with each other when overseas at various tournaments and Cups. It became apparent that they were spending too much time together, to a few, than to many on the team. It was truly apparent when even Samson Wakala, their Captain, pointed out the level of frustration and annoyance they felt with each other. That man was more strict and adamant about team camaraderie than the coaches. Endless nights of salads, pizza and root beer took their toll on those who didn’t need the structured group and shut in mentality. Like Harrison. They had agreed that, yes, they all needed a night or two apart, even though they enjoyed each others’ company on most nights, there could be too much of a good thing. It had been mandated and agreed upon during the last major tournament. So tonight was that night. Possibly the only one of the Cup that they would all have to themselves. Fengelu had to take it.

It was great to be in a foreign city and not be reminded of war...or at least, their war. They had a major civil war and uprising against some dictator named Kulseth, but that was some year past now, much further in the past than the Great Hutanjian War, which had only ended a couple years previously. In Chastille, if one walked down the street, there were bullet hole pocked block reminders everywhere that the fabric had been torn asunder for a time. Not because of Cardwithian invaders, but due to the coup within that had toppled the monarchy mid-war. (The coup, led by Milton 'The Mongoose' Atave, the dreaded head of the KHS, [Kingdom of Hutanjia Security], had failed to seize power and Atave had fled Hutanjia. It had beneficially opened the way for the modern Republic as no one wished to return to a monarchy after the death of the Royals at the hands of Atave.) So, in a way, the Hutanjians well understood what the Roxawans had gone through to throw off the yoke.

Harrison took another few moments to enjoy the air, then smiled as he peeked in the windows of this pub. No foreigners were evident, and he was relishing burying himself within the locals and just letting their culture wash over him as he silently observed, letting the smells and words filter over him, as the local drinks washed down within him. He reached for the handle and proceeded inside to make that a reality.

[Lisander]

Leading Article
In our way, Elejamie.

Our journalists, analysts, and Rugby addicts have been spending nights studying our opponents in the Round of 16, evaluating how screwed we are. Elejamie has a team that plays in a balanced style, traditionally. The team is more experienced and is certainly the favorite for this Thursday's match, which will be played at RT&T Stadium. The nations have already met once, in the AVBF Sevens, where the Elejamian team won by 26-19. We believe in a similar result this Thursday.

In this Cup, the Elejamian team is formed by remnants of the previous tournament, and reinforced by talents coming from Elejamian Universities XV (that is, a very strong new generation), and has been led by the precise kicks of its Fly-half, Doug Westwood, who has been making brilliant appearances game after game, and probably will give lots of work to the Lisanderian defensemen.

Anyway, we need to trust our boys. Matthew Gear will hit all the kicks. Alvin St. Jacques will hold every Elejamian back in a 30-meter radius and Guilherme Morian will repeat the excellent performance against Yesopalitha, when he scored four tries. These are our hopes. Hope is the word. Now we can only hope Lisander wins, and if the Irises don't win, let them come home with their heads held high. There are still nine seasons out of ten. We, here at TRZ, are already very proud.

Alice Bay, a happy surprise

The return of great matches for this trophy.

We were lucky in the group stage, but Alice Bay gave more. We must be honest, we would not bet a single cent on such a good Crux campaign. The tie between Darmen and the Fair Republic gave AB the first place in the group, a historic achievement for our sister nation, which in its first World Cup makes an excellent first stage. Our TRZ.ab partners are very happy. Probably after this cup, Crux will be ahead of the Irises in the NSRB Ranking. We are delighted to be at the same level again.

• More from TRZ.ls:

Pro10 is now Pro12: What changes?
Stade Lernaise v. Hárpias de Grívnia: The final playoff for Pro12 Last Spot!
Bernauer is going to train Lisander XV?
Andreas Vins talks about the new Division 2

---

---

© 2017 TRZ Alice Bay and TRZ Lisander are brands of Newport Rugby Media Holdings. Alice Bay and/or Lisander laws may apply. Dale a tu cuerpo alegria macarena. For further information and commercial contracts, contact promo(at)trz.ls or ad(at)trz.ab.

[Free Republics]

This is your Play-In Round Cutoff presented by Nicholls Enterprises! Nicholls Enterprises: If you can think of it, we probably make it!

---

Play-In Round Results

Mattijana 8–3 Juvencus
Darmen 7–3 Savojarna

---

Round of 16 (April 6)

#1 The Iron Syndicate v. #16 Darmen @ Olden Stadium, Falkamore, Nejax, Free Republics
#2 Nova Anglicana v. #15 Mattijana @ AllMartDome, Reco, Jolarus, Free Republics
#3 Abanhfleft v. #14 Bvriana @ PetroDome, Petrograd, Plymouth, Free Republics
#4 Neu Engollon v. #13 Racao @ Alex Tomlinson Memorial Stadium, Barkersville, Amolotopia, Free Republics
#5 Alice Bay v. #12 East Saintland* @ Nail Frolov Colosseum, Santangiago, Perotutia, Free Republics
#6 Barunia v. #11 Hutanjia @ Kountry Bank Stadium, Albertope, Roxawa, Free Republics
#7 Elejamie v. #10 Lisander @ RT&T Stadium, New City, Orlandiana, Free Republics
#8 The Fair Republic v. #9 Ko-oren @ IslandDome, Toakameau, Falatulu, Free Republics

*A 3rd party scorinator for this match will be required. Please let me know ASAP via TG, Discord or the Rugby Discussion Thread if you're interested.

[Barunia]

Barunia have snatched victory in a remarkable upset against the world number 2, defeating Ko-oren in a 2-point thriller to qualify instantly for the World Cup finals. Ko-oren showed why they were ranked so high, challenging the Waves defence and pushing them back early in the game. Eventually something had to give, and it was Barunian discipline, Dominic Fraser sin-binned for a high tackle. Bruinkool chose the penalty, and Ko-oren were on the board. They doubled their score shortly after Andrew Mortlock failed to release after taking Godfrey Thorebourne down near the line. The Barunian skipper accepted the penalty graciously, perhaps thanking his stars the referee didn't award a penalty try. Once again Bruinkool called for the tee, and once again he got his name on the scoreboard.

The Waves were not to be beaten down so easily though. They drove back against Ko-oren, and Graham Peers got some space, flicked it to Neachtain, who handed it of to Babcocke down the wing. He sent in a pass to Murray near the Ko-oren line, and as Duinphom tried to take him down, he ended the run with a little inside flick back to Neachtain for the first try of the match. Monty O'Shea, back after missing the last two games with a muscle strain, lined up for the conversion, but he pulled it wide. Ko-oren still had the lead then, and they added to it near the end of the half, again with a penalty and the reliable boot of Bruinkool. This time it was Joel Murray, who didn't let go of the ball when he was tackled, undoing the brilliant work a minute earlier by Stirling, who'd won the ball back for the Waves with an intercept. Murray's error cost the Waves three points and meant Ko-oren went in to the break with a four point lead.

That was cut back down to one after the resumption, when Bovendaan left his feet in the ruck. This time O'Shea made no mistake, and Barunia were back in the game. Time was running out though, and the Barunians attacked desperately. They won a line-out, and ampul put them desperately close. Player after player tried to break through, only to be blocked by the excellent Ko-oren defence. Then Andy Cullen, on for Stirling, sent a long pass out to O'Shea. He found Groundman on the wing, who dived for the corner. There were a few anxious moments while the TMO checked the placement of the ball, but a verdict of try sent the Barunians into raptures. They were leading Ko-oren, and the upset was on the cards.

The Barunians looked to find the clincher when they once again found themselves threatening the Ko-oren goal. But a sudden turnover in a ruck near the Ko-oren 22 found the Barunian defence unready. Krijn de Leem found the gap in the line, and ran the ball down to score, putting the world number 2 back in the lead by a slim margin.

With the end of regulation time looming, Barunia attacked again, pushing back against their stronger opponents, The Waves once again found themselves deep in Ko-oren territory, but with no where to go. The last three minutes became gripping drama, as regulation time expired and the Barunians needed to score before the end of the phase, while the Ko-orenites tried simply to close the game out. In moments like these, the simple calls from the commentary box become memorable, even magical. No other words could best describe what happened next then those of Bob Adams, the Barunian commentator.

"Peers, can't get through, Neachtain to Stiirling, takes it to five metres. Barunia, on the verge of an upset. They haven't got it yet as we see Murray! Gets taken down by Thorades. Now back to Burns, Neachtain has a crack, and hits the wall. Barunia need just a few more metres for history! It's Stirling, O'Shea, they need something, anything, back to Burns, Rogers, drop goal…gets it!
Rogers has done it! Barunia win, Ko-oren completely stunned, and its a drop goal from Mike Rogers, the fullback, that gets the job done for the Waves. Well, they talked about their kicking all tournament, and it's come out for them tonight. Just listen to this crowd…there's not much blue in the audience, but what there is is going off! Even the Free Republics fans are cheering, it's a real atmosphere. Ko-oren are stunned, and Barunia are through to the next round!"

Mike Rogers is once again the hero for Barunia, coming through with drop goal in injury time. The win puts Barunia on equal points with Ko-oren overall, but they will go through on head-to-head with this victory. With Ko-oren picking up the bonus point for losing by less then 7, Barunia's demolishment of Tobiasia in the previous game proved crucial, as they also picked up the bonus point. Even if they had not, they were guaranteed qualification with a win after Bvriania drew the Unified Sunrise Islands, but a first place finish means a potentially weaker opponent in the round of 16. Barunia came in 6th overall, and will be pitted against 11th place Hutanjia. It's not much of a let off for the Waves, with the Spiders ranked 5th in the world. The Barunians will take heart from knowing two things though: firstly, that Hutanjia were beaten by the unranked Iron Syndicate, and secondly, that they have just beaten the 2nd best team in the world.

[The Iron Syndicate]

The Rugby War

Chapter Six

When Shaun Draco woke up in a room that he didn't recognize, which looked like it was in a hotel but definitely not the one that the team was staying in, he tried to recount the last events that he had experienced, to see when he had ended up here. The room was pretty large, it looked like it was in an expensive part of the hotel, and he wasn't the only one in here… But his memories barely explained how he had gotten here.

When he thought back, he remembered playing in a game with the national team against Racao, and then he remembered there being a wild celebration afterwards where the victors had headed out to town and looked for the best of the local nightlife, heading to different bars and clubs before everyone eventually headed back when it was very late at night. Shaun could remember coming back with a girl named Athena, who was a student at the Red Hill College of the Arts and had traveled to see the team with her dad’s money. He remembered them sleeping together and then he remembered Athena sticking around next morning and asking him to stay around a bit longer instead of heading to the team training session.

So he had, and he remembered them talking a bit about their lives before she decided to make breakfast and gave him some kind of herbal tea. That was the last thing that he remembered about before, and he determined that the tea had been anything but normal or natural. She must have put something in there to knock him out, because his memories ended there and the next thing he could remember was waking up here, in this room with others who looked like they were aligned with the rebels that had been fighting against the Syndicate government for various reasons. But as his mind became clearer, things made more sense.

The people who had brought him here had to be from the Green Alliance, which was a part of the shaky coalition between themselves, the feminists from the Pink Front and the Feminist League, and the territorial insurgents from the Space Liberation Organization. All of these groups had their own political leanings and their own ideas on how they should go about fighting authority, but they were still all united in their opposition to the people in power, and they had been working together for the last couple of years to cause disruption. Now that the Syndicate had entered sports and they had a very visible rugby team that was known by everyone these days and that was defeating nations that were much higher, the rebels couldn't help but try to crash the party and use the team’s momentum for their own causes.

The feminists didn't like the sport because according to them, all sports in the Syndicate were sexist, and they said that the athletes exploited women by behaving like playboys and sleeping around everywhere they went, regardless of their relationship statuses and the relationship statuses of their partners. The SLO didn't like the representation in the team and said that there needed to be players from the territories if this was to be a truly representative team, and they also agreed with the others that going after the sports teams on their biggest stages was an easy way to gain attention for their causes. And the Green Alliance didn't care one way or the other about rugby, but they too knew that this sport brought great publicity with it and knew that taking advantage of that could prove key in their fight to return to ruralism and primitivism. Since they were all working together, and since Athena had admitted to being from a college that was a recruiting ground for the Greens, it all made sense now to Shaun.

She'd baited him into trusting her and then had taken him to her friends, who wanted to use him for some kind of negotiation with the government. The Greens would have the leverage now, and they would also have the attention of the nation for capturing one of the key players of the national team. They probably already had the eyes of the country on them for doing this, and Shaun had no idea how long he had been out. He also still didn't know where he was, and even though he wasn't even restrained at all, it didn't look like he had a good chance of getting out of here, with at least three Green Alliance members around the door. They were armed, and while they didn't look exactly dangerous in the same way that the SLO was, Shaun wasn't going to test it by starting a fight.

No, he'd have to trust his teammates and the authorities to figure out what had happened to him and bring him back. Surely, the Syndicate police, or at least one of the corporations around here that served as police, were aware that he was missing and were looking into the circumstances surrounding him disappearing. Police Corp had already conducted one raid in Free Republics, and security was heightened because of the large amount of rebels that had made the trip from the islands to the Rugby World Cup for the purposes of causing disruption. That raid had been not just to apprehend some of those rebels, but to figure out their plans and prevent any further attacks like the one that had happened in match number two.

But now, Shaun thought, it was too late for that. Whatever the rebels were planning, it had already begun, and it looked like he was caught in the middle.

~

“Has anyone seen Shaun? I haven't seem him since the victory party after the Racao match, and he wasn't at training yesterday,” said Mia White, as the players came out to the practice facility for another short session of training before they would take a rest day and then face Hutanija, the fifth ranked team in the world. They'd taken down big dogs before, but not teams like this, and the matchup was anticipated very much in the Syndicate, with advertisements for it being sighted across the big cities on billboards, in commercials, and on the advertising boards at other sporting events.

Apollo Black was keeping the team’s training under wraps before this game, not allowing any media in and not wanting the other team to learn what strategies they were working on and what tricky game plans they had up their sleeves, but the one news thing that had gotten out to the press was that they were missing a player, and an important one that had started in and played in every minute of all of their matches so far. “I don't know, Mia, and the media doesn't know either. They found out about him being missing before I did,” he said, walking across the pitch as the players started to get loose by stretching and doing lighter warmups.

“I know there’s probably a normal way to explain this, but I'm going to stay paranoid until these goddamn rebels leave us alone and let us play our game in peace,” Mia replied, looking over the squad once more and sighing when she didn't see Shaun. “I looked for him around his room but he's not there, and our other club teammate, Karim, has no idea what happened to him, either. You think the Pink Front got him, since they couldn't do much to me?”

“The Pink Front would be bragging about it already if they managed to do anything to him,” said Tanner Blanco, and then he sighed also as he thought back to the night where Shaun disappeared. “But the Greens might have something to do with this, and I say that because of the green haired college girl that Shaun was hanging out with all night. I remember she talked to a few of the players and then settled with him and stayed around him all night, and I believe they went back to the hotel together. She looked like a stereotypical supporter of the Greens, that's probably why the other players turned her down…”

“I know what girl you're talking about… I think her name was Athena, or something. I didn't know she went home with Shaun, though,” Mia said, sounding miffed at that.

“Jealous much? Anyway, the others passed her up because she looked like another dumb college student that's too friendly with the Greens, but none of us thought that she actually was one of them. The actual members are more militant looking, typically, but in this case, it seems that we've been fooled. It would explain why we haven't seen Shaun since he disappeared with her.”

“And what exactly do the Greens want with him?”

“They want a player as leverage for their goals, and they want the publicity of being behind the capture of one of the most popular members of the team. Who knows what they want, but they have a bargaining chip right now, and I have to admit that it's a good one for them. They haven't come out with demands yet, but that's because they haven't revealed themselves here. I swear that while everyone is paying attention to our match with Hutanija, they're going to come out as being the ones holding Shaun and they're going to ask for a crazy ransom. I'd bet all my endorsement money on it turning out like that.”

There was silence between the group, before Apollo decided that this did sound like a likely theory. “You should go to the police with that information, Tanner. Tell them about the girl that Shaun was with and see if they have any info on her. With luck, she's already in some database as a Greens member and she's already on their radar. If not, they will at least know who to look for, and they already uncovered some things in a raid that reveal who’s staying where and who’s doing what for the rebels.”

“Right, tell the others to train hard without me yelling at them to do it. I'm off to talk with Police Corp about this, and I might see if they can ring up the central government, too. You better believe I'm not sitting quietly while those primitivists have one of our players. Oh, and Mia… Stay safe today, I know our enemies want to get their hands on you even more than they want Shaun. You pissed off the Pink Front, and I don't want to see two missing players by the end of the day.”

~

The data that had been taken from the Pink Front after the raid on some of their members hadn't yet been examined yet, but when Tanner Blanco came forward and explained how one of the rugby players was missing and how it was likely connected to the rebels that were looking for leverage against the government, the security team from Police Corp realized that they would have to go over that information sooner rather than later if they wanted a resolution to this. After all, the information supposedly revealed just how deep the other groups were involved in this, and what they were all planning.

“We were waiting to hand this data over to the central government,” said the man in a black uniform that had introduced himself as Detective Duke. “However, with your current situation, we have realized that we don't have time to sit around and wait for the intelligence department of the government to analyze all of this and tell us what to do. Everything has been copied onto multiple hard drives, and we have multiple officers looking through the information for anything that could explain where your player has gone.”

“What kind of data are we talking about? Stuff that's been seized from an enemy computer, or what?”

“Multiple computers. We have hard drives, emails, phone calls, everything, but we have to sift through it all to find the parts that are relevant to what we’re dealing with. The Greens aren't known for their professionalism after all, and they seem to have used their personal devices for their work. There's a lot of personal calls and emails, but there's also different ones about what they're doing in the Free Republics, and we can piece those bits of info together to find out what the big plan with these rebels and your team is. We want to analyze everything, but right now, we’re focused on finding Shaun-”

“Hey, look at this,” said one of the officers at the computers. “We have something that's not about that, but it looks promising anyway… We thought that they were coming here with the help of their friends in the Free Republics, but there's something bigger going on here. Looks like the ones funding the Pink Front, and indirectly by extension, their allies, aren't another similar movement at all. It's another government involved, and not one that we would expect.”

“Who is it? Not many states have a problem with us from the Syndicate, who sell to all and antagonize no one.”

“It's West Saintland, sir. Apparently the Pink Front are a bigger deal than we thought, because… Well, it looks like the West Sanctii government would like to see them overthrow us.”

[Neu Engollon]

“Hello Neu Engollon and to our international viewers. You’re tuned into the NETV 7 Sports Update and I’m your host, Karl Demais. My co-host, Magda, is out getting coverage of the play in matches here at the Rugby World Cup in the Free Republics. Today, we're in Barkersville, Amolotopia. Let's dive into, shall we?...

Neu Engollon's Goats gears up for a do or die match in the Round of 16 against another rugby powerhouse, Racao. The tropical Racaons have been a fierce competitor of the Goats before, both in union and in the other codes of rugby, but we must focus on the union squad today, as that is who the Goats must overcome when they meet in Alex Tomlinson Memorial Stadium, Barkersville, in the Free Republic of Amolotopia.

I think Magda and I have covered what a checkered run the Goats have had through the Group stage to get here, so we won't keep on with that. But do keep it in mind, those of you who weren't born in the Confederacy, as we here are used to being surprised by our sports teams and athletes who never seen to stay consistent. There are no givens, and certainly not tonight with the tough Racaoan team.

As nerve racking and frustrating as the Goats performance has been so far to earn the points to push on, Racao's was even more doubtful, and it was a very near thing that they were able to advance with two losses in the Freedom Cola group. One of those losses was to the shockingly good players from unranked Iron Syndicate, which also beat top team Hutanjia during the group. The other loss was to the same mentioned Hutanjia, where like those on the islands of Racao (and here in Neu Engollon), rugby reigns supreme over all other sports and children are brought up on it from an early age. A drop goal win over non scoring Greater Valkolicci Haven, whose players constantly seemed like they would be more comfortable on a cricket field than a rugby pitch, secured their spot for the Round of 16.

One key point to remember is that Racao doesn't have a player over the age of 27, unlike the Goats. Another is the duo of Tsiory Voarisoa and Aubrey Rajoelisolo, their starting halves who have done a lot to keep this team afloat. Because of their youth, the team tends to rely more on frenzied attacks and taking advantage of opponent errors rather than polished plays and strategy honed over the years. While Neu Engollon tends to, of course, lean towards the opposite, although a lot of the major plays we've seen during the group matches for the Goats were exactly that...taking advantage of opponent errors. Gaps in the defense, sloppiness in the lineouts and scrums, frequent offsides, any team is going to pounce at these moments, but particularly the Goats. The problem there is we haven't seen a lot of that kind of sloppiness from Racao in which the Goats could turn to their advantage.

We need to head to a sponsor break.
When we come back, we'll check in with Magda and we'll take a peek at some of the other top Round of 16 matches for the Cup. Keep it on this channel and the NETV Sports 7 Update."

[Mattijana]

Mattijana Set Up Crunch Match With Ethane After Victory Over Kecrazia
Mattijana 25-19 Kecrazia

Mattijana booked their place in the last-day scrap for thrid place in the citrus computing group with a vital win over fellow newcomers Kecrazia, with World Number 43 Ethane the only team between them and a place in the knockout stages.

Kecrazia had themselves won plaudits for their defensive prowess and will look to progress themselves should Ethane beat Mattijana, but were swiftly unlocked by a dymanic attack in what immediately looked like a more open game than the dire 5-3 loss against Neu Engollon.

Mattijana were first on the front foot as Sanja Cevnik's smart footwork earned her a dash at the try line in the corner of the pitch. With just Fullback Antoni Jeffdrei to beat and Andreas Sainz making the overlapping run, the Kecrazian player stuck out a hand to try and intercept the resulting pass, but knocked on. After relatively brief conversation with the touch judge and the TMO, the Elejamian referee Yevgeni Kolyanov awarded a penalty try and yellow carded Jeffdrei.

With Mattijana already 7 points to the good after the first 11 minutes, they looked to make the most of their man advantage. A penalty for not-releasing was hooked over just a couple of minutes after the restart by Dominik Kunikov, whilst one from a wider position almost drew success from the resulting lineout, but was eventually hoiked to safety by a defender.

Mattijana did finally get their reward for a dominant first half five minutes before the break as a missed tackle allowed some space for Andreas Sainz to sling a pass over the head of a defender and out to Matej Campagnaro, who scored yet another try.

Mattijana seemed to have sealed the game having scored 17 points without reply, but Kecrazia's half time team talk had clearly had some effect as an early converted try started to place some doubt in the minds of a few Mattijanan supporters. Another try from a rolling maul simply compounded this, but Mattijana finally got their opponents back under their thumb, with a good spell of pressure eventually leading to an easily kickable penalty for Kunikov.
Some scrappy play from both sides saw the intensity momentarily knocked out of the match, with Kecrazia content to stop their momentarily more ambitious opponents from building their lead. Yet the defensive line was eventually breached by Sanja Cevnik, who played the ball inside for Sainz to wriggle his way to the line for a deserved try. Kunikov hooked the conversion wide from the wing, but it wouldn't matter, as despite a late try for Kecrazia, Mattijana were able to close out the game, eventually winning a scrum for a knock on as Kecrazia desperately tried to pass their way out of the half, with the ball pumped into touch as soon as it emerged from the scrum.

Mattijana will likely only need to avoid defeat to Ethane to progress, with Kecrazia taking on unranked side Islartic in the final round of group stage fixtures.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mattijana Thrash Ethane To Make Knockouts
Mattijana 31-7 Ethane

Mattijana have progressed from the group stages of the Rugby World Cup with a bonus point victory over Ethane sealing third place in the Citrus Computing Group (other sources of IT hardware are available).

Tries from Matej Campagnaro, two for Sanja Cevnik and one by Max Kamj were enough to guarantee victory, and progress to the knockout stages of the World Cup, on their first attempt.
They will have to negotiate a play-off with Juvencus in order to make the last 16, but with Mattijana in a rich vein of form and Juvencus falling off as fatigue and injury begin to take their toll on the sides, Mattijana will be optimistic of setting up a last-16 tie with number 2 seeds Nova Anglicana, likely to be held in the city of Reco.

Mattijanan Head Coach Marko Vinzanic after the match:

'Congratulations on the win Marko. How impressed were you with the performance today?'

"Very is the short answer to that. To come here in these circumstances against a higher-ranked side and perform like this just shows that we should be taken seriously around the Rugby Union Community and it bodes really well for the playoff and hopefully the knockout games."

'How confident are you that the playoff match will go your way?'

"Juvencus managed also to qualify in their debut tournament, so they are not to be taken lightly, but I think if we turn up like we did today and continue playing as we have been, we can probably call ourselves favourites. They have a well-drilled defence, so we'll have to bear that in mind, but our attacking players were superb today, so again, if they come out like they did today, the situation looks very good for us."

'You mentioned Ethane being higher up the world rankings than you. How surprised are you that the margin of victory was so big?'

"Slightly surprised actually. We always knew that they weren't in great form and of course the rankings aren't everything, but with qualification at stake, we did think they'd put up more of a fight than they eventually did. I think we made the most of that though, so we're still very much prepared to focus on our performance than theirs."

"Are you planning to rotate any of your players for the playoff?'

"Not at the moment. The same team has put in some really great performances over the last few games, so I want to leave the team intact if possible, but whether I decide to make 1 or 2 changes, we shall see."

[Elejamie]

"... And we now turn over to Ryan Moore over in Plymouth for tonight's game. Take it away Ryan."

Yes, that's right. Hello and welcome to today's game between the Elejamie and New Lusitania and the Algarves here at the Soccer Palace Stadium in Petrograd in the Republic of Plymouth. Elejamie are looking to bounce back from their 15-17 defeat to RepublicSoft Group winners Nova Anglicana, whereas New Lusitania are hoping to bounce back after their very narrow 15-21 loss to Sulimany. Indeed, should New Lusitania win this game they'll be in with a chance to go through to the next round, depending on whether or not the Savojars lose their game against Sublimany. The local time here in Petrograd is just coming up to 11:30am; 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 New Lusitanian national anthem.

[New Lusitanian national anthem goes here]

[A Hymn for Elejamie/Himno del Elejamia/Elejam Him]

New Lustiania and the Algarves
1 João Milreu (Tighthead prop)
2 Fernando Tavares (Hooker)
3 Carlos Delgado (Loosehead prop)
4 Simão Vitorino (Lock)
5 Manuel Santos (Lock)
6 Ernesto Avéis (Blindside flanker)
7 Mário Reis (Openside flanker)
8 António Silva (Number Eight/Eightman)
9 Ricardo Elias (Scrum-half)
10 Tiago James (Fly-half)
11 Pedro Sete-Castelos (Left winger)
12 Martim Poiais (Inside centre)
13 João Pacheco (Outside centre)
14 Paulo Austrélio (Right winger)
15 Victor José Guincho (Fullback)

Elejamie
1 Esteban Moreno (Loosehead prop)
2 Roberto Peralta (Hooker)
3 Dominic Devries (Tighthead prop)
4 Chris Morgan (Lock)
5 George Finney (Lock)
6 Bruce Hernández (Blindside flanker)
7 Chris Onuoha (Openside flanker)
8 Haruo Ikarashi (Number Eight/Eightman)
9 Ben Oldaker (C) (Scrum-half)
10 Doug Westwood (Fly-half)
11 Armando Tavarez (Left winger)
12 Brandão (Inside centre)
13 Eddie Campbell (Outside centre)
14 Diego Peguero (Right winger)
15 Terry Huang (Fullback)

Officials:
Referee: Henri Collere (Lisander)
Assistant Referee: Matej Djanić (Mattijana)
Assistant Referee: Aodhagán Chancellor (Darmen)
TMO: Walter Tramell (Neu Engollon)

---

First half

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

>13:00 - Westwood. Westwood offloads it to Brandão. Over to Campbell. Campbell goes down. Huang gets his hands on the ball, gently kicks it upfield. Just caught by Campbell. Amazing dummy pass from Campbell. He makes it into the Lusitanians' 22, no one can stop him now... and he's under the posts for a try. An amazing try from Eddie Campbell makes the score New Lusitania 0, Elejamie 5.

...

Westwood to convert from 38m. An easy job for him, being directly under the posts. He kicks... and there was no way he's going to miss from there. It's through. An extra couple of points makes the score New Lusitania 0, Elejamie 7. A good start for the away team.

>29:00 - ... Moreno receives the ball and begins the counter-attack. Passes it to Peralta. Peralta passes it over to Finney. Offloads it to Chris Morgan. Morgan passes it all the way over to Ben Oldaker. Oldaker dodges one Lusitanian, two Lusitanians, now brought down by António Silva. Oldaker over to Ikarashi, who immediately passes to Armando Tavarez. Tavares storms up the pitch. Over to Terry Huang. Terry Huang's in the 22. He's surrounded. He's near the edge. Terry Huang gets tackled but he slams the ball past the try-line to add another set of five to the score. But wait, has he? The ref's asking the TMO because he thinks the ball went into touch...

...

It's a try! The TMO has ruled that the ball was still in play as Huang put it down. And he breathes a sign of relief as he goes off to celebrate with his teammates. The score: New Lusitania 0, Elejamie 12.

...

Westwood's in a tricky spot as he gets ready to convert from 35m. If he pulls it off, it'll be a nice couple of extra points. He kicks, And there's no way that's troubling the posts. The kick goes wide, well into the crowd. The score remains New Lusitania 0, Elejamie 12.

~40:00 - James with the penalty from 30m after that challenge from Dominic Devries. Should he make it, he'll get his team within nine points; should his miss then his team will be scoreless going into the break. Either way, we're past the forty minute mark so it'll be half-time after this kick. Tiago James with the kick... and it's clean. A nice set of three for the home team as their fly-half gets his name on the scoring sheet.

And, with that, there's the ref blowing the whistle for full time, the score being New Lusitania and the Algarves 3, Elejamie 12. The Elejamians are holding strong despite a missed conversion from Westwood, whereas New Lusitania are trying to get themselves back in this game. 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. Tiago James with the kick and it's caught by Haruo Ikarashi...

>49:00: Westwood with the penalty from 34m, thanks to Ernesto Avéis not releasing the ball when he got tackled. Let's hope he can make up for that missed conversion earlier. He's lined up the shot, got the right angle. He kicks... and it sails through cleanly! New Lusitania 3, Elejamie 15. And Elejamie have answered that penalty with one of their own.

>54:00 - ... James kicks it up the field. Caught by Oldaker. Oldaker now over to Tavarez. Tavarez gets tackled. Hands it over to Brandão. Brandão offloads it to Campbell. Campbell back over to Oldaker. Oldaker's on the breakaway! He's in the 22! Can any of the Lusitanians get to him? No they can't, he slides the ball down for a try. New Lusitania 3, Elejamie 20.

...

Westwood to convert from 37m. Lines up the shot. Delivers a mighty kick. He makes it and the score's now New Lusitania 3, Elejamie 22. And the Lusitanians are looking for a miracle, as they need one to get back into this game.

>57:00 - ... Ferilho offloads it to Poiais. Passes it to... BAM! Did you see that? Did anyone see that massive tackle that Onuoha did on Poiais? That is definitely worth a card. Let's get another look at that as the referee consults the TMO to see what should happen to Onuoha.

...

It seems like he's made a decision. He's reaching into his pockets. It's a yellow! A yellow card for Chris Onuoha! Elejamie are down to fourteen men as Chris Onuoha has to go to the sin bin for ten minutes. He should be lucky that wasn't a red. Now let's just hope his teammates are able to keep their lead now they're down a player. And now we go to the scrum...

>60:00 - Westwood offloads it to Oldaker. Passes it to... wait! Ricardo Elias intercepted the pass and is starting the Lustianian offence! Passes it over to Tiago James. James then passes it to Poiais. Poiais gets tackled by White but hands it over to Ferilho. Ferilho over to Austrélio! He dodged one Elejamian forward, two Elejamian forwards... Paulo Austrélio slides the ball down past the try line. It's a try. New Lusitania 8, Elejamie 22. The dream is not dead yet for the home side.

...

James to convert from 36m. If he makes it then he'll push it into double digits. He kicks... the ball sails gracefully through the air... and that just sails wide. Unfortunately, he misses. Unlucky. The score remains New Lusitania 8, Elejamie 22. Tiago James must be kicking himself.

>73:00 - Ikarashi. Haruo Ikarashi now over to David White. White passes it all the way over to Armando Tavarez. Tavarez now over to Eddie Campbell. An excellent dummy pass from Campbell before he really passes it over to Phil Holloway. Holloway passes it over to Diego Peguero. Peguero gets tackled inside the 22. Offloads it to Adam Gates. Gates gets tackled and hands it over to Holloway. Holloway tries breaking through the Lustianians but he couldn't just quite manage it, stopping only inches from the line. Adam Gates gets his hands on it. He's being dragged down. But he still manages to put it down past the line! But will it count as a try, though? Henri Collere's talking to Chancellor, is it a try? He now has a quick word with the TMO. He's blown his whistle. He's awarded a try to Elejamie! New Lusitania 8, Elejamie 27. A nailbiting finish there as Adam Gates rightly gets his name on the scoring sheet.

...

Westwood to convert from 38m. If he pulls this off then his side might be getting closer to gettin a bonus point. Not guaranteeing anything, just stating facts. He kicks. It's a good kick. And it's through! New Lusitania 8, Elejamie 29. And I think it's fair to say that Elejamie have won this game.

~80:00 - We're just coming up to the eighty minute mark now. In fact, as I was saying that last sentence we passed it. Now both teams have one play left before it's all over, they have to make it count. Santos. Santos passes it over to Mário Reis. Reis crosses the halfway point and passes it over to Elias. Elias passes it over to... Elejamie intercepts! Paul Debenham intercepts the pass. Could this be the start of an Elejamian play and a bonus point to go with it? No! He boots it out into touch to end the game.

And that's it, folks! That indeed is the game. The referee blows his whistle, everyone's shaking each others' hands and going back to the dressing room. The final score: New Lusitania 8, Elejamie 29. And New Lusitania and the Algarves have been denied a potential spot in the play-offs as a result of their loss today. Meanwhile, Elejamie could regain their spot at the top of the table if Nova Anglicana loses their game against Jeckland today. But more on that later. I've been your commentator Ryan Moore, back to the guys in the studio.