Rugby Union World Cup 27 | Everything Thread

by **Aimena** » Fri May 03, 2019 4:12 pm

It was a day full of milestones for Aimena as they have surely booked their first ever ticket to a R16 bracket. Tries from Astrigol, team-leading scorer Quadroltom, Astranbigol, and Quadrinotos have setten up a mouth-watering match the day after tomorrow against Ko-oren on Saturday. Will they do it again? Or will the hosting giants proceed to the R16?

Aimena's first try was scored by way of an efficient counter-attack. The next goal was much more impressive, however, as Astrigol finished off a neat team move by catching a ball that went 40m out and then trying successfully. The result sets up a match Sunday that the fans may want to keep an eye out for at RWC 2019.

STATS

Aimena 13-10 Logria
Aimena 81% (Possession) 19% Logria
Aimena 94 (Passes) 143 Logria
Aimena 3 (Runs) 2 Logria

by **Pratapgadh** » Fri May 03, 2019 11:13 pm

Sports
Rugby Union

Pratapgadh Continue Their Great Performance

Written by Pramath Kolachina

Pratapgadh has won both of their matches against Kita-Hinode and Griemvarant. The Pratapgadhi team played very well against Kita-Hinode, but couldn't score a lot of points against Griemvarant. The Griemvarant's defence was very impressive and didn't let Pratapgadh score too many points, but they weren't able to break Pratapgadh's defence. In the end, Pratapgadh came out victorious.

Both Hariram Shrimali and Rajeev Yadav scored 1 try, and one drop goal was scored by Lobsang Drakpa. The attack was strong enough to break Griemvarant's defence, and the defence was astonishing not letting Griemvarant score any points.

I had a talk to the captain of Pratapgadh, Rajeev Damle, about how he felt about the last two matches and what will they try to improve in the future. He said "We played very well in our first two matches of the group stage, the attack is good but we can work on it. Our defence is really strong, we haven't let the opposition make many points and this will help us to qualify for the round of sixteen. So yeah, I feel we should work on the attack and keep up the effort." It was great to talk to Rajeev Damle, another person I talked to was the coach of the team, Abhijeet Kayan. He said "We have a great team, they have the team spirit and always give their 100% in every match. I believe this team has the potential to play in the round of sixteen. I don't have anything more to say, I am just happy with the team's performance."

Recently Pratapgadh Rugby Union has announced, that they will launch a new domestic competition to be known as the Pratapgadh Rugby Championship (PRC). They have said that this is a good way to promote the game and will increase the popularity of the sport in Pratapgadh and the region of India. I hope it will gain a lot of popularity.

The fans in Pratapgadh are loving this. May Pratapgadh continue to achieve a lot in this beautiful sport. Pratapgadh will play Elejamie next, a very experienced team. Whatever the result, best of luck Pratapgadh!

by **Kelssek** » Sat May 04, 2019 1:03 am

Outineau, sam. 4 mai

BLUELEAVES SCRAPE THROUGH FOR SECOND WIN AT WORLD CUP

TARRASHALL (Ko-oren) -- It was a unique atmosphere with fans lying on their blankets and digging into picnic baskets at the Woomera Ground, but it was no day in the park for Kelssek as they were stymied by a scrappy Rakivland team. Kelssek enjoyed the lion's share of territory and possession but struggled to execute and looked vulnerable every time Rakivland were able to get ball in hand, and had to come from behind in the second half to win.

The match seemed like it was going Kelssek's way as Rakivland were penalized for an early offside, allowing Xavier Émond's boot to put Kelssek on the scoreboard after 4 minutes. But Kelssek gave the points right back with sloppy work at the breakdown. Things went from bad to worse as Lucas Grennick was sin-binned on 29 minutes for a high tackle and Rakivland went 6-3 up on the resulting penalty.

Kelssek were lucky that Rakivland were also in a charitable mood. The only try of the game came from a move which started when Rakivland scuffed a kick under pressure, sending it sideways towards Kelssek's backline. Mikkon Bradley made it to 6 metres with his run and replacement prop Aidan Smither was the one to take the ball to the line. Émond added another late penalty but that was the score which made the difference.

"We survived a scare here. The players know they have to be a lot better out there," was the assessment of manager Leigh Kirwan. "The scrum did well, but I can't say a whole lot more for the rest of the team."

Kelssek will face Rugby World Cup 26 bronze medal winners Lisander next in what is likely to be their toughest match of the group stage. Lisander are also unbeaten but have been much more convincing in their two matches so far.

Kirwan was cryptic when asked about his preparation for the next two matches, which will determine if Kelssek can capitalize on the second-place position they find themselves in with every chance of advancing from the group stage.

"Isn't the West Strand Riding beautiful? Such nice people here," he said.

RAKIVLAND 6
Penalties: unknown (2)

KELSSEK 13
Tries: Smither (conv. Émond)
Penalties: Émond (2)

Attendance: 7,149

by **Ko-oren** » Sat May 04, 2019 3:11 am

Potential signings incoming?

Scouts of all 12 professional clubs - and even some volunteers from the semi-pros - have set up camp around the various stadiums chosen to host the RUWC. After compliments to the Union as to how well-regulated the domestic championship is, and remarks from several different visiting nations, the clubs smell an opportunity to sign some foreign talent. Many new faces at the RUWC have impressed the scouts, and a few older faces continue to impress. While they're in Ko-oren anyway, they have the chance to meet our 12 teams and maybe leave a signature here or there.

Even the title contenders have a hard time keeping the new wave of well-managed teams at bay. Pratapgadh, Geektopia, Thaulandi, Aimena, and Kelssek, especially, have directly challenged the reign of the top XVs.

The 12 teams of the Union and what they're looking for:

Ansonville Comets: Halves, Centres - to replace Matthew White at scrum half. Centres are the biggest gap no matter what, however.

Aubury Swans: Centres, Locks - this team lacks weight in the scrum, simple as that.

Eaglebury Aquila: Forwards - the Aquila have the weight, but constantly get burnt for long gains, giving up the most tackle breaks and line breaks in the Union. Their chase is so bad that these long gains repeatedly end up with the opponents, too.

Greencaster Galaxy: Halves - lacking creativity, this might just be what the Galaxy need to rank in the top 3 consistently again.

Idyllwild Coronae: Depth - the Coronae are set, but could just need some extra talent to develop around them to create a dynasty.

Llandy Bulls: Wingers, Fullback - the forwards on this team are quality, but there isn't enough oomph in the back to make the opposition pay. Lacking a clear fullback, this team also gives up a lot of strategy in defence.

Mawrystwyth Phoenix: Wingers, Second Row - the basis of this team is fine, and there is a clear philosophy behind their play. In the land of hard-to-pronounce names, the Phoenix want some experience in select areas.

Mayara Wanderers: Forwards, Wingers, Fullback - there's a lot wrong with this team. They're developing a new core of youth players, so there is more to get excited about in about 2-3 years, but even then it doesn't seem they've got every position locked down. Any player that can show leadership and plays one of the above positions, can turn him/herself into a captain for the next decade.

Maynard Andromeda: Fullback, Centres, Second Row - the Andromeda either have a seriously good option in their prime for a position, or a player that's past their prime. They haven't seen this coming in time, so they will be short unless their needs can be filled by a foreign player.

Penstead Bears: Halves - the Bears, the team with the best home advantage of all, really only need halves, including their experience, creativity, and most of all passing. So far, the Bears are a boring vertical team that even without a playmaker can get points on the board.

Tarrashall Travellers: Wingers, Fullback, Depth - probably the most interesting team location-wise, playing in the smallest location but enjoying a huge home advantage, the Travellers have a small core that desperately needs anything that wants to move to a small town.

Willowbourne Foxes: Locks, Props, Centres - the Foxes, owing it to their fanbase and status as massive-city-team, have to find a way back up. Fast. The forwards have never been the aim of this team, but they need some very quickly or else they're stuck in 'a few players away'-limbo for a long time to come.

Any interested players that are looking for a professional, fulltime contract after the end of the RUWC - if you're interested, I'm sure there is a team whose needs you can address. For any more information about these teams, there are scouts everywhere that are ~~dying desperate~~ happy to help.

by **Sajnur** » Sat May 04, 2019 6:08 am

Sajnur 20-16 Romanovskaya

Sajnur has kicked off its campaing at the Rugby Union World Cup in style with a close 20-16 win over Romanovskaya. Well, when I say in style, I mean a two try to one slogfest on a muddy pitch in The Crown of Idyllwild. The fellow newcomers and lucky recipients of a Pot 3 slot put on a spirited defensive play, with a solid line meaning Sajnur were mired in midfield or forced to kick for territory for much of the match and their big forward pack powering their way down the field in long attacking drives of many phases. That big forward pack was also very useful in scrums, of which there were many, and one such scrum at the five metre line led to the opening score of the match in the 27th minute when Vojislav Osintsev pushed over for a try. Sergey Sungatulin would convert to make it 7-0, and the big forward pack would win two penalties within Sungatulin's kicking range in the 31st and 39th minutes, and the fly half would put them both between the posts to make it 13-0 at half time.

Sajnur would hit back in the second half when Sion Kurba collected a punt in his own 22 and run 80 metres past the Romanovskaya defensive line and slide over the mudridden try line to open Sajnur's points account, with Lesieri converting to bring Sajnur six behind after 45 minutes. After much slogging throughout the second half, a smart scrum play by Nikola Meretuil would free up Josefin Parjolta on the blindside to run past the one player defending that area into open space to score another try in the 60th minute, which Lesieri would convert to give Sajnur the lead. Two offside penalties against Romanovskaya and a maul penalty against Sajnur would make the final score 20-16.

Sajnur

Try: Kurba 45' c, Parjolta 60' c
Con: Lesieri (2/2) 46', 61'
Pen: Lesieri (2/2) 68', 77'

Romanovskaya

Try: Osintsev 27' c
Con: Sungatulin (1/1) 28'
Pen: Sungatulin (3/3) 31', 39', 72'

Sajnur 17-25 Thaulandi

Sajnur has suffered a serious setback to its hopes of making it to the knockout stages of the World Cup with a 25-17 loss to fellow newcomers Thaulandi. While the better weather in Maynard meant more tries were scored at Armskirk Municipal than in Idyllwild, Sajnur did not get a share of the extra tries and as a result sit bottom with matches against a top Neu Engollon team and an established Apox side remaining.

Thaulandi's forwards were smaller than Romanovskayas, and thus Sajnur had a slightly better time in the scrum, and the scrum paid dividends early on with the pack winning a penalty for Lesieri to slot through for the lead. Sadly, this was short lived as the Thaulandians passed their way around Sajnur's players and Arikiyo Mikumo sent Alanius Scribonius down the line for the game's first try, making it 7-3 after Manni Iarundsson's conversion. The half ended 10-3 after a Iarundsson penalty caused by a collapsing maul, the fly half having missed two earlier penalties from a collapsing maul and a ruck infringement.

The second half started as the first half left off, with another collapsing maul allowing Iarundsson to make it 13-3, before a long Thaulandian drive lasting eight minutes ended with Lin Zhou making it 20-3. Sajnur' however, would gain back some impetus while camping in the Thaulandi 22 metre zone and the 63rd minute saw the Sajnuran scrum push its way over the try line with Darjo Vaswa grounding the ball, Lesieri's conversion making it 20-10. The 73rd minute then saw Sajnur get within striking distance of the lead when Ahmed Eluram broke through the Tahulandi line and sent Vincent Novellius on the floor to make it 20-17. Alas, Sajnur were unable to take another crack at the try line as the last minutes became a kicking contest before Thaulandi won a penalty from yet another collapsing maul, the resulting lineout at the 5 metre line seeing Iasios go over to make it 25-17 and deny Sajnur the bonus point, even with Iarundsson missing the conversion.

Sajnur

Try: Vaswa 63' c, Eluram 73' c
Con: Lesieri (2/2) 64', 74'
Pen: Lesieri (1/1) 8'

Thaulandi

Try: Scribonius 17' c, Zhou 50' c, Iasios 80' m
Con: Iarundsson (2/3) 18', 51'
Pen: Iarundsson (2/4) 37', 45'

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Sat May 04, 2019 8:01 am

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Rugby Rundown
with Graham O'Doherty

Rugby Coalition Alternate History Playoffs Season 3: Guess Who's Pack? Pack Again?
Welcome back to our alternate history of the Rugby Coalition, an alternate history in which the Rugby Coalition had had playoffs from the very start. Anyway, if you're reading this and have no idea what's going on, I recommend that you go back to this here post and read up on the details. And now, without further ado, I present to you, the final table of the third season of the Rugby Coalition.

   Rugby Coalition              Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts   TB   LB  Ttl
 1 Oshkosh Dnistrosh             30   22   0   8   597  393 +204    88    5    3   96     Minor premiers, Qualified for playoffs
 2 San Seriffe Bad Hombres       30   20   2   8   520  357 +163    84    5    4   93     Qualified for playoffs
 3 Bytuch Feld Dinosaurs         30   19   2   9   586  453 +133    80    5    2   87     Qualified for playoffs
 4 Kesselburger Packers          30   18   1  11   302  181 +121    74    2    7   83     Qualified for playoffs
 5 Ken Gon Rooks                 30   19   0  11   512  408 +104    76    4    2   82     Qualified for playoffs
 6 Nineveh Whales                30   16   1  13   213  210   +3    66    0    7   73     Qualified for playoffs
 7 Haranguer Death Worms         30   14   2  14   189  205  −16    60    0    7   67     Qualified for playoffs
 8 Red Gon Red Bulls             30   13   1  16   317  283  +34    54    2   10   66     Qualified for playoffs
 9 Wa Gon Carabiners             30   14   1  15   207  196  +11    58    0    8   66
10 Tikrit Oilers                 30   14   2  14   209  220  −11    60    1    5   66
11 Sasmuan Supermen              30   13   3  14   277  431 −154    58    1    3   62
12 Jasvirabad Titans             30   12   2  16   308  327  −19    52    2    6   60
13 Manitogoro Madness            30   11   2  17   252  312  −60    48    0    5   53
14 Bierburg Sentinels            30   10   1  19   159  309 −150    42    0    5   47
15 Zheleznogorsk Atomsplitters   30    7   0  23   152  266 −114    28    0   14   42
16 Albatross Bed Gon             30    8   0  22   325  574 −249    32    2    7   41

Sorry for all those who have come from the previous two posts and noted the distinct lack of tables in said previous two posts. Yours truly has completely forgotten about these tables and therefore anyone reading the previous posts who have no idea about how the Rugby Coalition finished in its first two seasons would have no idea of the eight teams that I have seemingly picked at random to participate in these alternate history playoffs. Well, worry no more, friends, because now I have graciously provided you with the final table of Rugby Coalition Season 3, and I've also graciously marked the top eight teams for you to look at and remember as we take a trip through the wormhole to examine who could have won the playoffs of Rugby Coalition Season 3 in this alternate history.

My friends, I unfortunately have to report that once again, my "expert panel of judges" have turned a biased eye upon Oshkosh Dnistrosh yet again and declared that they shall lose their qualifying final against the Kesselburger Packers. The Packers, if you will remember from the previous posts, are the first ever winners of this alternate history Rugby Coalition playoffs but did not get the chance to defend their title in Season 2, but now it seems as if my friends have decided that they are going to let Kesselburg have another shot at the title at Dnistrosh's expense. As for that San Seriffe-Bytuch Feld game... Nothing more, Your Honour. I shall let the record speak for itself.

At least Ken Gon gets to defend their title. Their Copperite rivals Red Gon gave them a tough fight, but in the end the Rooks were able to slip through to book a meeting with the "greatest" Rugby Coalition team in the prime timeline. Down in the other elimination final, the Haranguer Death Worms also just barely slither past the Nineveh Whales, winning by perhaps the narrowest of margins in the entirety of this alternate history playoffs.

And now it appears that I have spoken too soon, because in the second semifinal Haranguer slip by Bytuch Feld literally by the skin of their teeth. I mean, I don't care which team you're a fan of, and you all know how much I think these low-scoring games are sometimes the scum of the earth, but I just can't help but imagine what's going through the hearts and minds of both Haranguer and Bytuch Feld fans while watching this game in this alternate timeline. Knowing that a single score could mean the difference between advancing to the preliminary final or waiting for next season... I'm so glad I'm not a fan of either the Death Worms or the Dinosaurs! I'd really rather much prefer to watch the first semifinal anyway. Dnistrosh versus Ken Gon. Sure, maybe even in this alternate history it's not the most hyped-up match ever, but boy did it deliver beyond everyone's wildest expectations. Dear God, 66 points in one game! Why do these games never happen in real life?

Apparently it's because if you score 66 points in one game between two teams, that doesn't leave a lot of points left on the board for all the other games left to play. Which sounds a little bit unfair if you think about it, but then again my "expert panel of judges" are baked to the bone. so maybe in their weed-ful brains it all actually makes sense. Anyway, both Kesselburg and Dnistrosh make it through to the Grand Final after some of the lowest-scoring games of rugby possible, and their destinies have brought them to the Sultanate of Oontaz's Pasargad Stadium, where a crowd of 70,000 fans turned out to watch this alternate grand final unfold.

And Dnistrosh still gets no joy from my panel of "expert" judges, because for Season 3 they have all unanimously decided that they will let Kesselburg win a second Rugby Coalition premiership. Hmm, maybe Kesselburg will be the dynasty in this timeline that Dnistrosh is in our timeline. But will that trend continue? Or will some other team buck it? Find out next time on Rugby Coalition Alternate History Playoffs Part 4! XOXO from Graham....

by **Mattijana** » Sat May 04, 2019 8:09 am

Late Cevnik Try Earns Mattijana Crucial World Cup Draw

MFO SPORT

Mattijana 11-11 Hutanjia
Mawryshire State Oval, Llandy. Attendance 30,124.
Tries:
-Cevnik (74)
-Jelego (51)

Penalties:
-Kunikov (19, 62)
-Paloktu (29, 38)

Sanja Cevnik scored a vital 74th-minute try earn a draw against pot-1 Hutanjia in Llandy to keep her team top of World Cup Group B.

Dominik Kunikov missed a tough conversion from the right touchline that would have given Mattijana a famous win, but the Marmots saw out the remaining five minutes of the match before Lara Stuhic found touch after the clock turned red.

A fairly low-key first half in which both defences seemed to be on top eventually gave way to a thrilling finish. Kunikov gave Mattijana the lead 19 minutes in with a comfortable penalty, but two errors of discipline late in the first half allowed Hutanjia to turn things around to take a 6-3 lead into the dressing room at half-time.

The 8th seeds appeared to have made the decisive breakthrough 10 minutes into the second period when a well-placed line-out started a maul just 5 metres short of the Mattijanan line. With the ball in the hands of tighthead prop Emmett Jelego, Hutanjia managed to push back the weight-deficient Mattijanan pack and score the opening try. Paloktu missed the conversion from a tight angle, but Mattijana still found themselves 11-3 down with half an hour remaining.

The deficit seemed to prompt Mattijana into action as their passing play sharpened up and they started to finally put the Hutanjian defence under some sustained pressure. Good counter-rucking forced a penalty, which Kunikov tucked away to leave the Marmots a try behind with just under 20 minutes to go.

Hutanjia managed to dig in in response to more Mattijanan pressure, but not without sacrifice. Vladimir Sokota was essentially consigned to an early bath when he was sent to the bin for a series of offsides, leaving his team to hold out for the remaining 10 minutes with 14 players.

That eventually left them light in defense down the line, something that Mattijana nearly took advantage of with a neat cutback from Cevnik well-thwarted a few metres out. They would eventually make the most of their personnel advantage as another quick throw down the line once again found Cevnik. The RK Petrovijanka wing this time decided to simply get her head down and make a break for the line, beating Benson Vitagu's defensive effort to go over.

Kunikov's conversion attempt drifted wide, but there was no threat of Hutanjia re-taking the lead as Mattijana took control of possession for the final five minutes, eventually cracking the ball out of play to confirm their position at the top of group B.

Stuhic Impresses From Bench

Sanja Cevnik will deservedly recieve many of the plaudits and headlines for her role in Mattijana's comeback, but a lot of credit must also go towards replacement scrum-half Lara Stuhic. The 27 year-old RK Petrovijanka player came on 60 minutes into the match and single-handedly changed the pace of the game.

Stuhic missed out on the dominant victory against Saladistan, but against a stubborn defence, her quick movement and awkward grubber kicks came into their own. Hutanjia found themselves with less and less time to reset their defensive line and were put under pressure deep within their own half that they eventually succumbed to thanks to Cevnik's movement.

With Katarina Velezia looking short of ideas during the first half, Stuhic may well be favourite to start the next match against the Busoga Islands. The opposition may not be as high-quality as pot one Hutanjia, but they will still be a tough side to beat, you would think tougher than the Saladistan team they faced on matchday 1.

What Next?

Marko Vinzanic will have a freshened up squad to choose from after Mattijana's matchday 3 bye, one that he said was "perfectly placed" due to being halfway through the group stage, so whether he does choose to make changes will be based more on form than fatigue. He also has the rare luxury of an injury-free squad with lock Kevin Krunec and outside centre Julia Hermann both having time to overcome knocks sustained over the first two matches.

The Busoga Islands are less fortunate, with the fixture with Mattijana their fourth successive match without a bye. They come off the back of a 23-10 defeat to Hutanjia, but also have a draw and a bonus-point win to their name, leaving them third in the group, albeit with the same number of points as Mattijana.

by **Apox** » Sat May 04, 2019 10:27 am

Previous Parts
Part 1, WC82, Part 2, WC82

With what were becoming known as the World Cup bombings dominating the election coverage in the run up to the 604 elections in Apox, the response of the various party leaders to the crisis would play a key role in who would ultimately be elected into power after the traditional three week campaigning period. The ANP had reacted calmly to the situation under Daramie Jenkins leadership - deeply condemning the attacks, wanting to work with Mareibat in bringing justice to those killed in Apox, proposing setting up an information sharing service between the two states. The Free Party and New Dawn were at the other end of the spectrum, Lorcan Oberhausen proposing immediate economic sanctions to Mareibat (not like they particularly had much of an economy, the place was a mess), also proposing a travel ban for Mareibatians to Apox, even (and this was something shared by the far-right New Dawn party) suggesting an invasion of Mareibat might not be an unproportionate display of force.

For Matthias Sindelar in the Green Party, this represented something of a quandary. The people of Apox were deeply hurt by this symbolic attack on their freedoms as a democratic nation and demanded some sort of a response. However, in recent years, the country had been a largely peaceful society (despite military spending being ramped up by Oberhausen's Free Party in his two terms as Leader) and so the exact form of that response was difficult to exactly state. The ANP had been largely praised by their liberal supporters for their measured and level headed response to the crisis, but many of their supporters of a less educated demographic viewed their policy as too weak, not protecting Apoxian interests enough.

On the hand, Lorcan Oberhausen and the Free Party had been hit hard in the polls and by commentators alike for their strong response to the crisis, with Oberhausen in particular being slammed in the Independent Post for "attempting to satsify the imperialist egos of himself and a testosterone filled, gun toting demographic of his supporters". In particular, the proposed ban on Mareibatians entering Apox was seen as overkill - few Mareibatians actually travel to Apox each year due to the small population of Mareibat and the impoverished state of most of their citizens.

Matthias Sindelar had been travelling around rural parts of Oxshottshire & Danbershire in the last few days, both regions where the Green Party traditionally had strong support, and the official party line on this stance was as follows:

- The Green Party condemns all terrorist attacks in the strongest terms.
- The Green Party would engage in information sharing with the Mareibatian government in an attempt to restabilise the country if elected.
- The Green Party would send the A.S (Apoxian Ship) Fellwind to Halholzer in order to assist the Mareibatian government with their restabilisation efforts if elected.
- No policy of blanket bans of Mareibatian citizens would be imposed.
- No outright Apoxian invasion of Mareibat will be considered.

And you know what? They lapped it up. The Green Party continued to improve their polling position.

Polls with two weeks to go until Election Day:
34% - Green Party
30% - ANP
29% - Free Party
3% - New Dawn

by **Ko-oren** » Sat May 04, 2019 11:40 am

Rugby Union World Cup 27 @ Ko-oren

Matchday 4 Results

Group A
Elejamie 48–13 Pratapgadh
Natanians and Nosts 22–15 Kita-Hinode

  Group A                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Elejamie                                3   2  0  1   75  39 +36   2   10
2 Natanians and Nosts                     3   2  0  1   59  37 +22   2   10
3 Kita-Hinode                             4   2  0  2   40  52 −12   1    9
4 Pratapgadh                              3   2  0  1   43  54 −11   0    8
5 Griemvarant                             3   0  0  3    5  40 −35   1    1

Group B
Hutanjia 9–0 Geektopia
Mattijana 12–14 Busoga Islands

  Group B                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Busoga Islands                          4   2  1  1   58  54  +4   1   11
2 Hutanjia                                3   2  1  0   43  21 +22   0   10
3 Mattijana                               3   1  1  1   54  35 +19   2    8
4 Geektopia                               3   1  1  1   39  28 +11   1    7
5 Saladistan                              3   0  0  3   30  86 −56   0    0

Group C
Barunia 17–12 Pius Desurongcrandis
Alice Bay 34–0 Filindostan

  Group C                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Barunia                                 3   3  0  0   53  35 +18   0   12
2 Alice Bay                               3   2  0  1   60  20 +40   2   10
3 Filindostan                             4   2  0  2   52  53  −1   2   10
4 Authoritarian Republic of Lochario      3   1  0  2   30  63 −33   0    4
5 Pius Desurongcrandis                    3   0  0  3   26  50 −24   2    2

Group D
Neu Engollon 27–39 Sajnur
Apox 17–0 Romanovskaya

  Group D                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Apox                                    3   2  0  1   53  28 +25   2   10
2 Sajnur                                  3   2  0  1   76  68  +8   0    8
3 Thaulandi                               3   2  0  1   51  53  −2   0    8
4 Romanovskaya                            4   1  0  3   26  49 −23   2    6
5 Neu Engollon                            3   1  0  2   41  49  −8   1    5

Group E
Ko-oren 22–7 Logria
Darmen 7–0 Free Republics

  Group E                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Darmen                                  3   3  0  0   25   6 +19   0   12
2 Ko-oren                                 3   2  0  1   52  26 +26   2   10
3 Aimena                                  3   2  0  1   34  22 +12   1    9
4 Free Republics                          4   1  0  3   29  52 −23   2    6
5 Logria                                  3   0  0  3   17  51 −34   1    1

Group F
Abanhfleft 21–10 Bongo Johnson
Savojarna 9–18 Juvencus

  Group F                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Juvencus                                4   3  0  1   80  50 +30   2   14
2 Abanhfleft                              3   3  0  0   79  48 +31   1   13
3 Savojarna                               3   1  0  2   47  49  −2   1    5
4 Bongo Johnson                           3   1  0  2   44  53  −9   1    5
5 Bernegastad                             3   0  0  3   16  66 −50   1    1

Group G
Lisander 29–10 Kelssek
Alpine Union 45–3 Aels

  Group G                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Lisander                                3   3  0  0   92  41 +51   2   14
2 Alpine Union                            3   2  0  1   74  26 +48   2   10
3 Kelssek                                 3   2  0  1   45  35 +10   1    9
4 Aels                                    4   1  0  3   37 107 −70   1    5
5 Rakivland                               3   0  0  3    6  45 −39   1    1

Group H
Nova Anglicana 0–8 Crownbrook
United States of Devonta 7–7 Northwest Kalactin

  Group H                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Northwest Kalactin                      4   2  1  1   33  28  +5   1   11
2 United States of Devonta                3   1  2  0   55  34 +21   1    9
3 Nova Anglicana                          3   1  1  1   25  18  +7   1    7
4 Kandonica                               3   1  0  2   44  61 −17   1    5
5 Crownbrook                              3   1  0  2   21  37 −16   0    4

by **Union of Socialist Alpine Republics** » Sat May 04, 2019 2:16 pm

Rugby: The Alpine Union crushes Aels after losing against Lisander

Tarrashall, Ko-oren - (NAP) In three games so far at the Rugby Union World Cup 27, the Alpine Union beat Rakivland 15-0 in Eaglebury, lost 23-14 against Lisander inTarrashall and destroyed Aels 45-3 on matchday four, still in Tarrashall.

Game #1 vs Rakivland: At the 27th minute, Serge Dusautoir passed the ball to Grzegorz Kacprzak-Niedzwiecki who passed to Fiona Nic Leoid who escaped to the endzone and it's a try for the Alpine Union! Serge Dusautoir converted it and the Bisons are leading 7-0. At the 46th minute, Rakivland's player #4 is penalised and it's a penalty kick for the Alpine Union. Serge Dusautoir kicks the ball between the posts and the Reprezentacja Alpejski is leading 10-0. Alasdair MacIlleMhìcheil scored another try along the sideline at the 67th minute but Dusautoir failed to convert it and the Alpines are leading 15-0 and this is the final score!

Game #2 vs Lisander: Lisander scored early, at the 1st minute of the game when Maximilian Luna succesfully made a drop kick and they were leading 3-0. They increased their lead at the 13th minute when Cesc Gasteiz picks up the ball and ran into the endzone after a ruck. The score is 10-0 Lisander. The Alpine Union finally adds some points on the board at the 31st minute when Giollanaebhin Mac Robhartaigh escapes to the endzone for a try. The conversion was good and Lisander's lead is cut to 10-7. Early in the 2nd half, Renaldo van der Westhuizen was penalized and the Irises added three more points. At the 52nd minute, Eran Lasses passed the ball to Pedro Madison who tries to pass to Maurice Gear but Raghallaigh Ó Conghalaigh intercepts the ball and runs all alone to the endzone for another try. Serge Dusautoir converts it and the Alpine Union is leading 14-13. Four minutes later, Eran Lasses succesfully makes a drop kick and Lisander takes the lead again, the score is now 16-14. Lisander adds seven more points at the 63rd minute when Eleazar Castell carries the ball into the endzone. The conversion is good and Lisander is leading 23-14 and this is the final score.

Game #3 vs Aels: Thje Alpine Union scored 6 tries, all converted and a penalty kick and won 45-3. The tries came from: Alasdair MacIlleMhìcheil (2), Jack Banahan, Grzegorz Kacprzak-Niedzwiecki, Nick Ford-Robinson and Przemyslaw Kusznierewicz-Klepacka.

Next, the Alpine Union will move back to Eaglebury after playing the last two games in Tarrashall to face Kelssek. Kelssek used to be good in the past but were missing in action and they're back for the World Cup 27. They're suppose to be inexperienced but already has 2 wins and 1 loss. Like us. This is like a playoff game, the winner will advance to the round of 16 and the loser will go back home. Luckily we have one more point than Kelssek probably because we scored a lot against Aels and if the game ends with a draw, we make the round of 16.

Written by Ealasaid Nic Mhaolain

by **Kelssek** » Sun May 05, 2019 5:16 am

SPORTS WITCH HUNT
SOCIALIST COLLUSION COULD DECIDE FATE OF RUGBY GLOBALISTS

Snowflake elites are at in again in the world of sport as Alpine Union's new lefty government could collude to win an advantage against Kelssek. It's clear they'll stop at nothing in their globalist scheme to win the Rugby World Cup in their template to regulate and tax everything from snacks to how many squares of toilet paper the World Assembly will let you use.

The seizure of power by the so-called "Social Democrats" in the country, whose real name is Union of Socialist Alpine Republics, is just another step forward. And if you think that's not so bad because socialism is the step before communism, don't be fooled: social democrats hate democracy and are really anti-social.

What will Arijana Ibrahimovic's agenda be? Forge ahead against the people, ban free speech, introduce Buddhist law, and build a pipeline through your kids' playground? Or maybe Ibrahimovic will give in to the hysterical yellow vest truck convoy and before you know it, you'll be paying for it with a graphite tax. All this despite whistleblowers leaking more and more evidence that the auto industry continues to hide the cure for autism inside the leaded gasoline which is now only available to global elites and forbidden to us regular folk.

In a sign of just how far this could go, the Prime Minister's Office of the United Communist Party's Anne Marsha Cressey said that she had "expressed her warmest congratulations to Arijana Ibrahimovic, Vladimir Pujols, and Ashley Lampard following elections in the Alpine Union and hopes for extensive cooperation and friendship between our two countries."

This is obviously collusion and it just raises questions about what secret treaties the government might already have signed to take away our rights and replace honest, hardworking, old stock Kelssekians with homophobic racists and remote-controlled black helicopters.

In response to repeated Chirpr messages asking for comment on the collusion, the Kelssek Rugby Federation deflected our enquiries, merely replying, "Thanks for your support @PNWD_News really appreciate all the hard work you're doing to bring our stories to rugby fans back home #Ko-orenRWC27 #blessed [fist emoji]"

by **Ko-oren** » Sun May 05, 2019 1:19 pm

Stress at the Ko-orenite camp! Supposedly the Greenblue staff are desperately trying to change the gameplan ahead of the Aimena match. Against Aimena, the goal is simple: a win or a draw, and Ko-oren continues their run at the RUWC. That's a necessity: the World Cup is held right here and an early exit could be disastrous for participation numbers across the archipelago. The popularity of the Union might even suffer somewhat, there are so many sports on offer and a neutral viewer might as well tune into soccer or cricket, if the Union can't lure in new fans. A slogan like 'watch the RUWC heroes' or 'RUWC contenders, right here' works pretty well for that. So if you miss that chance, there's probably a lot of money potentially down the drain.

The results so far have been quite alright, even if it comes down to a 'win-and-you're-in'-scenario. The team grinded out two wins over smaller teams, and now one of many tournament revelations Aimena is coming up. The individual performances have been fine as well, with Whithingham especially continuing his excellent streak in the competition. The championship-winning Llandy Bulls' players haven't been as excellent, though yPhwgaragh and yMhalmawm have shown that they deserve a spot in the starting XV. With everyone performing to a certain standard, why the commotion?

Well, the coaches haven't exactly sat back this tournament. And the sports writers haven't, either. And both groups have seen the same thing: while the Ko-orenite game has remained stagnant, it's the likes of Lisander, Barunia and other typical suspects that have upped their game. Most of all, however, it's the loss to Darmen that has jolted everyone that follows Rugby Union. A new system, with two fullbacks - a system that pays off? The Greenblues were nowhere to be seen in that match, and the Darmeni have gone on to win every single match so far. It hasn't always been spectactular, but that isn't necessary. A win is a win - that's the Ko-orenite approach as well, after all.

So, while the Greenblues have kept doing what they've been doing. That's not always a bad thing, there was a time where Ko-orenite rugby union was among the forerunners of this multiverse, finding its way into multiple RUWC finals. Now, however, we're well behind despite what the ranking says.

And so, the national team staff are busy implementing new schemes. Any advantage that can be found, must be found. Created, if necessary.

Utilising two fullbacks might be the defensive (and therefore right) thing to do, it would also directly rip off Darmen. So they probably know most about that system - if we ever run into them again, that's it for us. So, as we speak, the coaches are trying to find any other tactical edge. Kicking has always been our thing (and with the lack of tries, Whithingham and French have gotten enough kicks for points in), so maybe focus on covering kicks? We don't have the team to focus on raw power. There is some speed, which helps in keeping our opponents pinned down after a kick.

Or maybe, is it time for a complete overhaul in philosophy? Our systems have always produced players that understand the tactics just fine, but hardly play 'instinctively': you will rarely see players pull a try out of thin air.

If we had the answer, we'd put it right here. The fact that there's nothing here, means that the coaching staff probably has a lot of work ahead of them, with a very, very short span of time in which to complete that work.

by **Pratapgadh** » Sun May 05, 2019 11:15 pm

Sports
Rugby Union

Disaster Has Struck For Pratapgadh

Written by Pramath Kolachina

The recent match against Elejamie was a disaster for Pratapgadh. The attack was weak and the defence was just awful, Elejamie absolutely smoked these guys. Though there is still hope if Pratapgadh is able to defeat Natanians and Nosts than they can qualify for the round of sixteen.

So let's talk about who scored and how was the overall performance. Lobsang Drakpa scored a try and also converted it, and Rajeev Yadav scored 2 drop-goals. While the Elejamie team was scoring lots of points, that moment I felt like the national team of Pratapgadh will beg them to stop. But Pratapgadh kept trying, and I really appreciate that.

Pratapgadh
First Half:

Lobsang Drakpa try (23', Lobsang conversion)
Rajeev Yadav drop-goal (35')

Second Half

Rajeev Yadav drop-goal (52')
Elejamie
First half:

Brandão try (7', Debenham conversion)
Paul Debenham penalty (11')
Adam Gates try (19', Debenham conversion)
Adam Gates try (26', Debenham conversion)

Second half:

Paul Debenham try (59', Debenham conversion)
Eddie Campbell try (66', Debenham conversion)
Paul Debenham penalty (72')
Diego Peguero try (78', Debenham misses conversion)
I had a talk with the captain and the coach. The captain of Pratapgadh, Rajeev Damle, said to me "This was our worst performance yet, and we are looking to pay for this in the next match against Natanians and Nosts. We had put in a lot of effort, but we failed to convert that to a win. Next match is do-or-die." The coach also talked about the team's overall performance "Overall, the game from our side is terrible. The attack was nothing against their defence, and our defence was annihilated by them. So we need to work on our game and also do better next time against N&N." The captain and coach were a bit upset today.

I would also like to give update you guys with the Pratapgadh Rugby Championship (PRC). The team have been announced, a total of 14 teams will compete. They will be divided into 2 groups of 7 and it will be a double round robin. The teams are Chittorgarh Rhinos, Jaipur Storm, Rajendragadh Panthers, Suryapur Sharks, Kashep Puri Warriors, Ompur Dragons, Jaisalmer Titans, Ajayamer Tigers, Karnavati Knights, Amritsar Leopards. ELITE, the largest sports brand in Pratapgadh, has announced they will be the main sponsor for the championship. Things are going very well for the championship.

So that is all I have to write about the match and the PRC. Hopefully, Pratapgadh will qualify for the round of sixteen. Whatever the result, best of luck Pratapgadh!

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Mon May 06, 2019 7:44 am

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Rugby Rundown
with Graham O'Doherty

Rugby Coalition Alternate History Playoffs Season 4: Red Deg Gives You Wings (And a Double)
Welcome back to the fourth edition of the Rugby Coalition Alternate History Playoffs, where we try to determine who gets to win the Rugby Coalition had this bitch had playoffs since the very first start. If you're either coming into this series fresh or still have no freaking clue what's going on, I suggest taking a little trip down to my very first post for this shindig and familiarizing (or re-familiarizing) yourself with the rules so that you'll get a clear idea of what's going on. And now, without further ado, I present to you the final table for the fourth season of the Rugby Coalition, because this is where we're going to find out who gets to play in the playoffs and who gets to cry and wait until next season.

   Rugby Coalition              Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts   TB   LB  Ttl
 1 Red Deg Red Bulls             30   18   4   8   422  345  +77    80    5    4   89     Minor premiers, Qualified for playoffs
 2 Nineveh Whales                30   20   2   8   288  164 +124    84    1    2   87     Qualified for playoffs
 3 Oshkosh Dnistrosh             30   17   1  12   536  358 +178    70    7    3   80     Qualified for playoffs
 4 Tikrit Oilers                 30   17   2  11   214  147  +67    72    0    8   80     Qualified for playoffs
 5 San Seriffe Bad Hombres       30   17   3  10   355  302  +53    74    0    4   78     Qualified for playoffs
 6 Ken Deg Rooks                 30   15   1  14   364  298  +66    62    4   10   76     Qualified for playoffs
 7 Bytuch Feld Dinosaurs         30   17   0  13   339  280  +59    68    2    6   76     Qualified for playoffs
 8 Kesselburger Packers          30   16   2  12   296  248  +48    68    2    6   76     Qualified for playoffs
 9 Haranguer Death Worms         30   16   1  13   381  293  +88    66    4    5   75
10 Wa Deg Carabiners             30   15   0  15   226  208  +18    60    0    8   68
11 Zheleznogorsk Atomsplitters   30   14   2  14   276  384 −108    60    0    3   63
12 Jasvirabad Titans             30   12   1  17   400  418  −18    50    2    8   60
13 Albatross Bed Deg             30   11   1  18   350  580 −230    46    1    4   51
14 Manitogoro Madness            30    7   3  20   123  227 −104    34    0   13   47
15 Sasmuan Supermen              30    8   1  21   280  432 −152    34    0    7   41
16 Bierburg Sentinels            30    7   2  21   133  299 −166    32    0    7   39

As you can see, for the first time in the (short) history of the Rugby Coalition, the top two teams in the league are neither Oshkosh Dnistrosh nor the San Seriffe Bad Hombres. Makes for a nice change of scenery, don't you think? Anyway, this table spells bad news for our defending alternate history premiers the Kesselburger Packers because, well, just look at where they are at this table. If they want to defend their title in this alternate timeline then they've got an uphill battle ahead of them. Will the Packers overcome the odds or will the Red Deg Red Bulls become the first team in this alternate history playoffs to win a Rugby Coalition double? Let's find out.

Ah, well, as you can see, Kesselburg's campaign to hold on to their premiership was doomed from the start. Playing away to San Seriffe is never an easy task, especially in the playoffs, and in this particular one the defending alternate history premiers are really just second-best compared to their opponents. But not just that though. It seems that in this particular playoffs series, my panel of "expert" judges have all decided that they were going to throw up as many weird and strange scores at me as possible. I mean, I know how these scores can be translated to actual rugger scorelines, but that doesn't make it any easier for me to accept that there are definitely going to be scores like this moving forward! Anyway, the Packers are out of the game. Who's left to challenge for the premiership? Well, as I've just mentioned, San Seriffe have knocked Kesselburg out. Dnistrosh have also scraped past the Nineveh Whales by the narrowest of margins, while minor premiers Red Deg have it all to do in the semifinal after they were handed a shock defeat by the Tikrit Oilers. This is going to be an exciting playoffs; I can just feel it.

All right, let's cut to the chase here. I have no problems at all with the scores that my friends have decided to give our alternate history playoffs here. No problem at all. If you can imagine me shaking my head then that's what I'm doing as I type out this paragraph. No problem at all. But if I may be so bold, these scores look like they belong more to a rugby league contest than one for rugby union. I'm just saying. You don't often find 12-8 or 6-3 scores in union, but they're much more common in league, and I really believe that it should stay that way. But I can still believe that these scores can happen. Just maybe don't overdo them.

Anyway, the really main thing that you can take out of this particular playoffs is that despite all the odds, both teams from Copper Cuprum who qualified for the playoffs made it through all of the other teams in their path in order to make it to the Grand Final. Yes, even Dnistrosh, who once again will have to wait one more season to see if they can become the same dominant force that they are in our timeline. And after all has been said and done, it is indeed the Red Deg Red Bulls who become the first team in the alternate history of the Rugby Coalition to take home both the minor and major premierships. While I'd like to say that they survived a veritable onslaught from Ken Deg, the scoreline really doesn't agree with me. I don't know. My panel of "expert" judges tell me that Ken Deg fought hard to get themselves back in the game but Red Deg proved too strong for them. I don't know if I'm inclined to believe them or not. But anyway, the Red Deg Red Bulls are the champions of the Rugby Coalition, and alternate history is beginning to mirror actual history. I'm starting to get a little scared here. But not as scared as what's about to happen next. But I'm not telling you guys anything. Go find that out for yourself. XOXO from Graham....

by **Elejamie** » Mon May 06, 2019 11:01 am

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

Yes, that's right. Hello and welcome to today's game between the Elejamie and Pratapgadh here at the yLhafontan Park in Penstead. Elejamie are looking to bounce back from their shock 10-14 defeat to Kita-Hinode, who currently sit in second place behind our group leaders Pratapgadh, who had made it two wins out of two following a 10-0 shutout against Griemvarant. Elejamie, here, desperately needing a win in order to be sure of a place in the next round, whereas Pratapgadh need a win to guarantee one. The local time here is 1:37pm, with kick-off only minutes away...

... And now both teams line up for their respective national anthems, with the Pratapgadhi anthem first. The stadium now quiet for Long Live Our Motherland...

[Long Live Our Motherland]

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

Officials:
Referee: Lewis Wrayburn (Ko-oren)
Assistant Referee: Stefan Caron (Lisander)
Assistant Referee: Stefan Elvar (Neu Engollon)
TMO: Carlito MacConnell (Darmen)

First half

00:00 - And there's the kick-off. Fly-half Philip Andrews boots it down the pitch where it's caught by Hernández...

>07:00 - Devries recovers the ball inside the Elejamian 22. Devries over to Finney. Finney passes it all the ball all the way over to Tavarez who begins the Elejamian assault. Passes it Peguero. Peguero over to Brandão. And Brandão's speeding his way down the pitch! Past Pagdiwala, dodges Vajpai, gets caught by Ajay Rawat. Rawat drags him down onto the floor. But what's this? Brandão just manages to push the ball past the try line. It looks good, and the ref and touch judges say it's good. He's not calling for a TMO and he's awarded the try! Elejamie 5, Pratapgadh 0. And the home side have opened up the scoring with a brilliant try from Brandão Guerreiro Barros.

...

Debenham with the conversion attempt from 34m out. Right in front of the posts, so it should be easy for him to convert. He gives it a kick and it's through immediately. Elejamie 7, Pratapgadh 0. And the home side gets the couple of extra points to extend their lead.

>11:00 - Paul Debenham with the penalty now from 38m out. At a bit of an angle but he looks like he could manage it. Deep breath. Debenham gives it a good kick. And it sails through for an extra three points. Elejamie 10, Pratapgadh 0. The home side now in double digits whereas the away side have yet to get a name on the scoring sheet.

>19:00 - Brandão. Over to Gates. Gates gets tackled but Tavarez recovers. Passes it to Campbell. Campbell offloads it to Peguero. Peguero makes a mad dash for it. Into the 22. He's at the line, could he do it? No he passes it over to Gates! And Adam Gates slides over the line for the try. Elejamie 15, Pratapgadh 0. And he celebrates with his teammates as we show you that amazing run again.

...

Debenham with the conversion from 33m out. He should be at a good angle. Checks for wind resistance. He kicks. And that ball bounces off the posts but still makes it through the upright. Elejamie 17, Pratapgadh 0.

>23:00 - Tavarez. Over to Gates. Gets tackled. . Wait, what's this? Lobsang Drapka has intercepted the pass! A clever bit of interception there from the right winger there. Passes it over to al-Nazir. Back over to Lobsang. Back and forth between the two. Right inside the Elejamian 22! Could this be a try? It is! Lobsang Drapka puts the ball past the try line for a set of five. Elejamie 17, Pratapgadh 5. And the away side have gotten their name onto the scoresheet.

...

And Lobsang Drapka to convert his own try from 33m out. An easy one in front of the posts. He kicks and it sails through cleanly. Elejamie 17, Pratapgadh 7. The Rajput Warriors now cutting their deficit down to 10 points.

>26:00 - ... Peguero. Peguero over to Gates. Gets tackled, Tavarez manages to get in and passes it over to Oldaker. Oldaker storms up the pitch. Gets tackled but manages to pass it over to Gates. Gates is mobbed by teammates and opponents alike. He gets it down onto the ground and the ref blows his whistle. That might be a problem, as referee Lewis Wrayburn isn't exactly sure. Is he going to...? Yes he is, he's asking for some assistance. Over to the TMO now... And the TMO says it's good! Elejamie 22, Pratapgadh 7. And the home side quickly answers back with a second try from Gates.

...

Debenham to convert from 34m. Not the best of angles but there's still the possibility that he could make it. He kicks it and the ball just about makes it through the uprights. The score's now Elejamie 24, Pratapgadh 7. And, should they keep this gap, Elejamie will walk away with a lead bonus point.

>34:00 - Debenham with the penalty after Madhukar Godse's bad tackle. Right in front of the posts so this should be an easy kick. 30m out. Debenham kicks and he easily makes it through. Elejamie 27, Pratapgadh 7. An easy extension for the home side.

>35:00 - Philip Andrews there with the kick-off. The ball sails very high and it gets caught by one of his teammates, Hariram Shrimali in fact. Shrimali bolts down the pitch. Offloads it to Yadav 33m out. Is he going to go for another try? He's not in the best of places as Onuoha and Hernández inch closer. No, he goes for the drop kick. And it goes through the upright. Elejamie 27, Pratapgadh 10. A very quick answer there from the Rajput centre.

~40:00 - ... Devries. Devries over to Finney. Finney over to Ikarashi. Tackled, Debenham recovers and passes it to Oldaker. Oldaker's blocked on one side. He's running on the outside! A risky manoeuvre but it should work out in his favour. Passes it over to Debenham before he passes it back to Oldaker. He's just past the half-way line as we pass the forty-minute mark. He's just past the 10m line. And Oldaker just gets pushed out into touch by Pagdiwala.

And, with that, the referee blows his whistle for half-time. The score, ladies and gentlemen, is Elejamie 27, Pratapgadh 10. Both sides head into the dressing room for a breather and a word from the coaches - one happy with his side, one not so happy - as we go over to commercials and then back to the studio for a recap and analysis. Take it away...

Second half

40:00 - And there's the start of the second half. Paul Debenham with the kick, a mighty big boot that lands right into the hands of Vishnuvarjala...

>52:00 - Rajeev Yadav now. Makes his way up the pitch. Passes it over to Lobsang. Lobsang Drapka gets tackled by Mitchell. Shrimali recovers and passes it to Yadav. He rushes into the Elejamian 22! Could he go for a try? No he's going for another drop kick! That's just sailing into the air and it's through the upright. Elejamie 27, Pratapgadh 13. Spectacular drop goal there from Yadav.

>59:00 - Peguero intercepts the pass from Yadav inside the 22 and begins the Elejamian counter-attack. Passes it over to Tavarez. Over to Oldaker. Oldaker offloads it to Debenham. Back over to Peguero. Peguero makes a run for it. He could be in the clear here. He passes it straight over to Paul Debenham! He barrels down the pitch, into the 22 and past the try line. And as the Pratapgadhi forwards march closer to him, Debenham gently places the ball down for a try! Elejamie 32, Pratapgadh 13. An easy answer there from the Wyverns fly-half.

...

Debenham to convert his own try from 39m. Right in front of the posts, but not dead centre, which should be an easy challenge for him. Angles himself accordingly. He kicks. That ball might not make it... it does! Just scrapes the crossbar but makes it through. Elejamie 34, Pratapgadh 13. And Elejamie extend their lead to 21 points while Pratapgadh are starting to look a bit out of it.

>66:00 - Elejamie wins the line-out as Ben Oldaker catches the ball. Passes to Debenham. Debenham gets tackled but just managed to give the ball back to Oldaker. Oldaker passes to Peguero. Peguero over to Terry Huang. Huang passes it back to Peguero. Gets tackled but offloads it to Phil Holloway, who as you know, came on during that last break in play. Holloway makes a mad dash for it but is just brought down outside the Pratapgadhi 22. Campbell recovers and passes it to Huang. Huang's in the 22. Only inches from the line! He passes it over to Eddie Campbell. Could it be? He gets caught by Rawat but he pushes the ball down past the line for try. Elejamie's fifth of the day! Elejamie 39, Pratapgadh 13. And, with that last point, some disappointed Pratapgadhi fans are making their way to the exit while some devoted fans stay to cheer their players on.

...

Debenham to convert from 36m away. The wind seems to be picking up a bit so it's just a question of whether or not he'll make it. Fortunately, he seems to be at a good angle so he could do it. And he does, that ball sails cleanly through the posts. Elejamie 41, Pratapgadh 13. I think this is all over for the Rajput Warriors; they'd need a miracle to turn things around to at least scrape a losing bonus point.

>78:00 - Only a few minutes to go before time now, so all Pratapgadh has to do is try and close down the home side and prevent them from scoring any more points. Huang. Huang passes it over to Holloway. Holloway passes it over to Campbell. Campbell over to Brandão. Gets tackled but recovered by Campbell, who gives it to Oldaker. Oldaker makes his way up the pitch. He spots an opening. Over to Peguero! Peguero is free! Peguero es libre! He rushes it into the 22, with al-Abdulla hot on his heels. He jumps, he slides and he presses it past the line! And it's Diego Peguero with the try. Elejamie 46, Pratapgadh 13. An absolutely bloodbath of a match.

...

Debenham with a quick conversion to secure his side's win. 36m out. Not at the best of angles but he's hoping it'll count. He kicks. The wind's making it go at a bit of an angle but he just about squeezes it in between the uprights. Elejamie 48, Pratapgadh 10. It's pretty much over.

~80:00 - Yadav. Yadav advances down the pitch. Stopped by Devries. Lobsang recovers and passes it to Arun Andrews. Over to Philip Andrews. Gets tackled just outside the Elejamian 22. We've now gone past the 80 minute mark, folks, so next end of play is end of game. Pratapgadh desperate to try and scrape another set of points h- Hang on, what's this? Peguero manages to get in just in time and passes it over to Adam Gates. Is Gates going to go for a potential third? No, he boots the ball into touch.

And that's the match, folks! The ref blows his whistle for full times as one side celebrates, whereas the other teams looks diasppointed. Now both captains shake hands and head back to the dressing room with your final score being Elejamie 48, Pratapgadh 13. An absolute display of power for the Elejamian offence that sees them top of the table thanks to the "win by 15" bonus point, an absolute display of incompetence for the Pratapgadhi defence that sees them desperately needing a win against the Natanians and Nosts for a place in the next round. However, Elejamie aren't out of the woods just yet as they need a draw or win against Griemvarant to cement a spot in the next round. I've been Ryan Moore, it's back to the guys in the studio.

by **Ko-oren** » Mon May 06, 2019 11:34 am

Rugby Union World Cup 27 @ Ko-oren

Matchday 5 Results

Group A
Pratapgadh 6–10 Natanians and Nosts
Griemvarant 0–30 Elejamie

  Group A                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Elejamie                                4   3  0  1  105  39 +66   3   15
2 Natanians and Nosts                     4   3  0  1   69  43 +26   2   14
3 Kita-Hinode                             4   2  0  2   40  52 −12   1    9
4 Pratapgadh                              4   2  0  2   49  64 −15   1    9
5 Griemvarant                             4   0  0  4    5  70 −65   1    1

Group B
Geektopia 12–23 Mattijana
Saladistan 13–29 Hutanjia

  Group B                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Hutanjia                                4   3  1  0   72  34 +38   1   15
2 Mattijana                               4   2  1  1   77  47 +30   2   12
3 Busoga Islands                          4   2  1  1   58  54  +4   1   11
4 Geektopia                               4   1  1  2   51  51   0   1    7
5 Saladistan                              4   0  0  4   43 115 −72   0    0

Group C
Pius Desurongcrandis 0–14 Alice Bay
Authoritarian Republic of Lochario 5–33 Barunia

  Group C                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Barunia                                 4   4  0  0   86  40 +46   1   17
2 Alice Bay                               4   3  0  1   74  20 +54   2   14
3 Filindostan                             4   2  0  2   52  53  −1   2   10
4 Authoritarian Republic of Lochario      4   1  0  3   35  96 −61   0    4
5 Pius Desurongcrandis                    4   0  0  4   26  64 −38   2    2

Group D
Sajnur 7–24 Apox
Thaulandi 3–17 Neu Engollon

  Group D                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Apox                                    4   3  0  1   77  35 +42   3   15
2 Neu Engollon                            4   2  0  2   58  52  +6   1    9
3 Sajnur                                  4   2  0  2   83  92  −9   0    8
4 Thaulandi                               4   2  0  2   54  70 −16   0    8
5 Romanovskaya                            4   1  0  3   26  49 −23   2    6

Group E
Logria 0–10 Darmen
Aimena 3–19 Ko-oren

  Group E                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Darmen                                  4   4  0  0   35   6 +29   0   16
2 Ko-oren                                 4   3  0  1   71  29 +42   3   15
3 Aimena                                  4   2  0  2   37  41  −4   1    9
4 Free Republics                          4   1  0  3   29  52 −23   2    6
5 Logria                                  4   0  0  4   17  61 −44   1    1

Group F
Bongo Johnson 7–10 Savojarna
Bernegastad 3–10 Abanhfleft

  Group F                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                              4   4  0  0   89  51 +38   1   17
2 Juvencus                                4   3  0  1   80  50 +30   2   14
3 Savojarna                               4   2  0  2   57  56  +1   1    9
4 Bongo Johnson                           4   1  0  3   51  63 −12   2    6
5 Bernegastad                             4   0  0  4   19  76 −57   2    2

Group G
Kelssek 14–10 Alpine Union
Rakivland 3–29 Lisander

  Group G                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 Lisander                                4   4  0  0  121  44 +77   3   19
2 Kelssek                                 4   3  0  1   59  45 +14   1   13
3 Alpine Union                            4   2  0  2   84  40 +44   3   11
4 Aels                                    4   1  0  3   37 107 −70   1    5
5 Rakivland                               4   0  0  4    9  74 −65   1    1

Group H
Crownbrook 0–13 United States of Devonta
Kandonica 0–13 Nova Anglicana

  Group H                               Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
1 United States of Devonta                4   2  2  0   68  34 +34   1   13
2 Nova Anglicana                          4   2  1  1   38  18 +20   1   11
3 Northwest Kalactin                      4   2  1  1   33  28  +5   1   11
4 Crownbrook                              4   1  0  3   21  50 −29   0    4
5 Kandonica                               4   1  0  3   44  74 −30   1    5

Round of 16 Seeding and Fixtures

Round of Sixteen Seeding                 Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  BP  Pts 
 1 Lisander                                4   4  0  0  121  44 +77   3   19
 2 Barunia                                 4   4  0  0   86  40 +46   1   17
 3 Abanhfleft                              4   4  0  0   89  51 +38   1   17
 4 Darmen                                  4   4  0  0   35   6 +29   0   16
 5 Elejamie                                4   3  0  1  105  39 +66   3   15
 6 Apox                                    4   3  0  1   77  35 +42   3   15
 7 Hutanjia                                4   3  1  0   72  34 +38   1   15
 8 United States of Devonta                4   2  2  0   68  34 +34   1   13

 9 Ko-oren                                 4   3  0  1   71  29 +42   3   15
10 Alice Bay                               4   3  0  1   74  20 +54   2   14
11 Juvencus                                4   3  0  1   80  50 +30   2   14
12 Natanians and Nosts                     4   3  0  1   69  43 +26   2   14
13 Kelssek                                 4   3  0  1   59  45 +14   1   13
14 Mattijana                               4   2  1  1   77  47 +30   2   12
15 Nova Anglicana                          4   2  1  1   38  18 +20   1   11
16 Neu Engollon                            4   2  0  2   58  52  +6   1    9

#1 Lisander vs #16 Neu Engollon
#2 Barunia vs #15 Nova Anglicana
#3 Abanhfleft vs #14 Mattijana
#4 Darmen vs #13 Kelssek
#5 Elejamie vs #12 Natanians and Nosts
#6 Apox vs #11 Juvencus
#7 Hutanjia vs #10 Alice Bay
#8 United States of Devonta vs #9 Ko-oren

Host cities: Llandy, Mawrystwyth, Maynard, Aubury, Idyllwild, Ansonville, Eaglebury, Willowbourne

Be warned that there is no day off between MD5 and the Round of 16! There will be a cutoff tomorrow!

by **Lisander** » Mon May 06, 2019 8:40 pm

Leading Article
The danger of confusing leadership with "Bosseship"

RWC is being awesome for the Imperan Rugby. The Imperan nations (at least the ones qualified for the Rugby World Cup) are making good results. Lisander reached the knockout stage with the first place in the Group Stage. Could we call ourselves "Moral Champions"? The Irises, yes. Undoubtedly.

Alice Bay also made a great campaign, being runner-up in the group of current champions, the Barunians, with only one defeat (against the Waves themselves).

For the next round, Lisander and Alice Bay will face Neu Engollon and Hutanjia, respectively. From now on, every game is a challenge that can't be lost.

Yes, this is a result to be proud of. The Irises and The Crux are on the rise on the world stage. Lisander is, along with Elejamie and Barunia, among the favorites for this Cup. Alice Bay, with these good results, should definitely enter the World Rugby Elite. It is a fine example of how great financial investments can make a sport until then amateur in a great commercial possibility.

However, we note with sadness that this scenario is not yet broad.

Among the writers of this Leading Article is Filipe Deville, currently a rugby analyst and three times champion of the Imperan Cup with the Irises. At his request, we added some of his words about the disparate situation of National Rugby, the almost insurmountable chasm that divides big clubs from small clubs.

"While Harlequins made the biggest contract in the history of Lisander Rugby by taking Lock Marcel Lebrun out of Nova Anglicana at a gold price, teams like RC Asti and Morian XV from Division 3 North must make raffles to buy new sets of uniforms because there is insufficient support from the Union.

I remember watching a game of Torneio do Interior, between Saracens and Sainte Justine XV, at the Sainte Justine Community Stadium. It was one of Kevin Armada's last games before he went to Neu Engollon. When the two teams took the field, the difference was clear. The team that wore the brand of a big, rich sponsor, EON, was clearly better than what a billboard had to do over its colors. Between shirts and shorts, I was able to count seven different sponsors. He had a sponsor on the back of his shorts. God, small teams need to sell advertising space on the players' butts to make ends meet. How absurd is it?

When I asked a SJXV member about this, he laughed and told me that this was a good place to put advertisements, because it was filmed at the moment of the scrums. He further said that they were looking for some sponsor for the collar, a company interested in appearing when the cameras focused on players' faces.

I am not here to go against the free market. Each team does what it can to keep up. But the fact is that large investments in national rugby seem restricted to two areas: Irises and TOP12. And that complicates the life of the little ones.

Is the rest of the country not interesting for business?

And worst of all, this is decided vertically. The LRU has the unrestricted support of its strongest regional union, the powerful URSA. Without the historic, financial and human power of URSA, Lisander's rugby is simply nullified. Two thirds of the RWC starter 15 plays or were playing for URSA teams in last two seasons. Suffice it to see that a threat of exit from URSA teams from TOP12 was enough to end the league's "ring fencing" plans.

There seemed to be extra care with the LRU Championship when Linville Athletic, one of the most traditional teams in the country, which delayed their professionalization, was in that championship. After the Lions came to the elite, the amateurism kind of came back.

And Lisander goes around with it. Strong team, weak league."

Strong team and weak league is not exclusive to Lisander. On the other side of the world, Alice Bay has the same problem.

Strong unions (Newport and Osea) monopolize investments and players of the national team, while others constantly suffer. TRZ.AB has more data on this, but there are alarming data. Already occurred games were delayed because the Union forgot to provide bottled water to the referees.

If in the fields of Ko-oren, the nations go very well, thank you ... In the smaller fields we can not yet say the same.

As always, we remember that TheRugbyZone is a site that values respect, multiple opinions and fairness between them. All the teams, people and organizations that have been quoted have themselves the right of reply in this same website, as long as they respect our editorial principles and the values of rugby.

More from TRZ.ls:

Predicting the future: Alice Bay joins Elite. Is the wall too big to Imperan Tier 2 nations now?
URSA Roses will tour Alice Bay again, after 21 years
World Cup doesn't mean total interruption. Keep track of local games!
Toa vs. Merina, Merina vs. Toa: Covering the Grand Merina National Championship two matches

© 2019 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.

by **Darmen** » Mon May 06, 2019 9:19 pm

Darmen into Knockouts
Only team to advance with no Bonus Points

AUBURY, KO-OREN - Darmen will face Kelssek in a Round of Sixteen matchup between the #4 and #13 seeds, with a spot in the Quarterfinals at stake. Kelssek finished second in Group G, losing a single match to Lisander while scoring 59 points and allowing 45. Darmen meanwhile won all four of its matches in Group E, scored only 35 points, but allowed just six, the best defensive record of any team in the group stage. Darmen's kicking game repeatedly kept the opposition playing much of the match in their own half of the field.

The Ko-orenite organizers of the Rugby Union World Cup awarded bonus points for winning by 15 points or more, an admirable accomplishment, or for losing by seven points or less, which is more of a pity point than a bonus point. Darmen took the more traditional route — not in game strategy, but in results achieved — not losing a single match (pity points are EW!) or winning by 15 or more (Darmen's largest winning margin was 10 points, against Logria).

There will be no bonus points in the knockouts, having a winning margin is the only thing that matters. Rugby, in its purest form.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Tue May 07, 2019 6:33 am

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Rugby Rundown
with Graham O'Doherty

Rugby Coalition Alternate History Playoffs Season 5: Finally
Welcome back guys to the fifth and final edition of the Rugby Coalition Alternate History Playoffs! Yes, you read that right. We are now in the fifth and final season of the Rugby Coalition in which, in our reality, it still didn't have any playoffs to determine its champion. But as you've seen in the past few days, we've taken the liberty of going through the wormhole into an alternate timeline in which the Rugby Coalition did have playoffs from the get-go. If you're still unfamiliar with the rules of this game (and I'm not sure how you can be since we're already four seasons in), here's a handy link that will take you back to the very first post of this series so you can get yourselves acquainted with the rules. And now, that being said, let's take a look at our field of competitors for the fifth and final edition of the Rugby Coalition Alternate History Playoffs.

   Rugby Coalition              Pld    W   D   L    PF   PA   PD   Pts   TB   LB  Ttl
 1 Haranguer Death Worms         30   19   3   8   458  358 +100    82    5    5   92     Minor premiers, Qualified for playoffs
 2 Oshkosh Dnistrosh             30   18   1  11   568  376 +192    74    6    9   89     Qualified for playoffs
 3 Tikrit Oilers                 30   18   1  11   439  329 +110    74    4   10   88     Qualified for playoffs
 4 San Seriffe Bad Hombres       30   18   2  10   601  442 +159    76    5    5   86     Qualified for playoffs
 5 Ken Deg Rooks                 30   18   0  12   508  450  +58    72    5    6   83     Qualified for playoffs
 6 Red Deg Red Bulls             30   17   2  11   508  410  +98    72    5    5   82     Qualified for playoffs
 7 Bytuch Feld Dinosaurs         30   15   1  14   439  406  +33    62    4   10   76     Qualified for playoffs
 8 Nineveh Whales                30   15   3  12   359  330  +29    66    1    7   74     Qualified for playoffs
 9 Wa Deg Carabiners             30   14   0  16   307  294  +13    56    2    8   66
10 Kesselburger Packers          30   14   0  16   448  439   +9    56    1    9   66
11 Sasmuan Supermen              30   13   1  16   467  523  −56    54    2    4   60
12 Jasvirabad Titans             30   12   1  17   462  531  −69    50    2    6   58
13 Zheleznogorsk Atomsplitters   30   12   3  15   380  517 −137    54    1    3   58
14 Bierburg Sentinels            30   10   1  19   277  450 −173    42    1    8   51
15 Albatross Bed Deg             30    9   1  20   433  604 −171    38    4    8   50
16 Manitogoro Madness            30    7   2  21   374  569 −195    32    2    7   41

Anyway, as you can see, once again our defending premiers the Red Deg Red Bulls are going to have an uphill battle with regards to defending their premiership. Will they want to though? I assume that they would. It's still a premiership after all, no matter where in the table you end up finishing in, but their path back to the Grand Final just got that little bit harder. Will the Haranguer Death Worms be the second team in this alternate history of the Rugby Coalition to secure a double, or will another team come out of the shadows and finally claim that top prize in the rugby union land?

And once again I return to my criticism of some of these scores being more appropriate for a game of league rather than union. I mean, I know how you can get a 6-8 score in union, or even a 20-18 score. Just don't overdo it. And you know what, guys? My friends just overdid it. But, if I may quote a certain science fiction franchise, this is getting out of hand. Now there are two of them! Oh, all right, maybe I exaggerate a little bit. But really, a lot of these scores you will find more commonly in league rather than union.

Now, that being said, Red Deg have not fallen for the trap that the previous premiers Kesselburg did in falling at the very first hurdle and have advanced to a semifinal meeting with the losers of the second qualifying final, the Tikrit Oilers. Now that's going to be a tough match for our premiers no matter how you look at it. Having said that, Red Deg barely squeezed past the Bytuch Feld Dinosaurs themselves. Just two points separated the two sides, according to my panel of "expert" judges. In case you haven't noticed, my "expert" panel of judges is really just a bunch of my friends who try to come up with results while high on weed and drunk on pale pilsen beer. So maybe the results I post up here may not be an actually accurate reflection of a potential reality. But if you really want to think that hard about it, there is potentially a universe out there where all of this, everything that I have just laid down for you to read (and maybe laugh at) actually happened, and our alternate versions are all reeling about all that had just happened. Something to think about.

Back to business. The semifinal is only as far as Red Deg's title defense will go though because they have been beaten by the Tikrit Oilers. I mean, that's reasonable, I guess. And 16-13 is a reasonable enough scoreline for a game of rugger. But check out that absolute unit of a semifinal between Haranguer and Nineveh. I am in awe of the size of that scoreline. Now that is a proper game of rugger! And it's a little neat underdog storyline as well! Nineveh, the lowest possible seed in this playoffs series, has managed to both outscore and outlast the reigning minor premiers Haranguer! If that isn't a compelling story for you then I don't know what is. Unfortunately, because this didn't actually happen, I can't give you a lot of details except that it ended 49-40 in favour of the Whales. Sucks, I know. But just imagine that there's a universe where this actually happened. Now that's crazy.

And it only gets better from there. Well, maybe not from the perspective of Nineveh fans because they've been edged out of the competition by Oshkosh Dnistrosh who, for the first time ever in this alternate history, finally advances to the Rugby Coalition Grand Final. And who else should be there to meet them than their eternal rivals (in our timeline at least) the San Seriffe Bad Hombres. It's just like that one match between those two very famous boxers that everyone wants to see fight each other but circumstances always seem to keep them away from the ring, but now no longer. This is what we are here for. This is what we want to see. Finally, the great rivalry of the Rugby Coalition will be contested in the field of battle, aka the Grand Final.

And will you look at that. True to form, Oshkosh Dnistrosh have triumphed over the San Seriffe Bad Hombres. The Bad Hombres matched Oshkosh score for score, except for every converted try that Dnistrosh scored, San Seriffe responded with only a penalty goal. Which is a bit of a waste if you ask me, and a bit like San Seriffe practically handing the premiership to Dnistrosh on a plate. But Dnistrosh are not the kind of team to refuse such an opportunity, and they gleefully took it, and now they are the premiers of the fifth season of the Rugby Coalition Alternate History Playoffs.

And that is the end of the series! It's been a bit of a slog, bit of a long run, but we finally made it to the end. And we have learned that in this alternate history, while Dnistrosh do not become the all-conquering side that we all know them to be, they will manage to make their way back to that status in a few years. Specifically five. But it's still going to happen, so all of my "expert" panel's attempts to derail their rise have been all for naught. Still, it's been a fun journey. And now, I don't know when I'll be back again. But rest assured that I, your favorite gay rugby union fan and sometimes commentator, will be back. I just don't know when, but I will be back. XOXO from Graham....

by **Ko-oren** » Tue May 07, 2019 9:26 am

Two converted tries and a bonus try - for a win by 16 points. That's a bonus point! Of which Ko-oren has amassed three, with only five nations making it to three bonus points. There has been some consternation about the different structure of bonus points - for the first time ever, they're tied to the point differential of the winning and losing team. We can't say that this has hurt our team! Until this point, the Greenblues only received points for close losses - point scoring isn't our thing.

Another team we expected would take advantage of the new BPs, is our All-Green group mates, Darmen. However, in four games, and four wins, they have never breached the 15-point difference needed for an extra point. At least we've had some superfluous tries scored. Darmen will go into the knockouts on next to no superfluous points, as one of just four 'perfect' nations - Lisander, Barunia, Abanhfleft and Darmen. Two more nations end the group stage undefeated: Hutanjia, on three wins and a draw, and Devonta, on two wins and two draws. It would not surprise you to know that the latter are the worst group winners of the tournament - but group winners nonetheless. They, as the eighth seed, face the best runner up of the tournament. Which are, to go full circle, yours truly.

Only one team makes the knockouts having lost as much as they've won: Neu Engollon. In a cutthroat group with hopefuls Sajnur, Romanovskaya and Thaulandi, they ended up on two wins, two losses, and advance on bonus points (1 versus 0) over Sajnur and Thaulandi.

That brings us to the best teams of the group stage that didn't make it: here's our personal top 10.

10- Thaulandi
9- Filindostan
8- Kita-Hinode
7- Romanovskaya
6- Geektopia
5- Aimena
4- Sajnur
3- Pratapgadh
2- Alpine Union
1- Savojarna

The Thaulandians are new to the RUWC, and depending on the state of their local Union, we might or might not see them again. It seemed like a stretch that they could even send a team here, but they held up very well in this RUWC's best group, group D.

Filindostan - what went wrong? They started the Cup with some sort of hype that they could go places, and it's really not all that bad. It probably didn't work in their favour that they were grouped with the best 1st and 2nd seed duo, in Barunia and Alice Bay.

Kita-Hinode is a team that we've really wanted to see more of. This nation is so diverse in terms of sports they play, we basically see them in every tournament we're in and then some. Adding a well-structured Union to their incredible portfolio is just another step, and hopefully there's more to come.

Romanovskaya, what a great first performance. Again, they're from Group D so it was open until the end. They were dead-set on digging in and not letting their status get the better of them, but they were outclassed in the end. Rugby is only getting more traction there, so who knows what happens next.

Geektopia, entering the World Cup with a squad that could be anything from second rounders to, well, a nearly winless team, just couldn't get anything going against the better teams of the group but destroyed Saladistan at least. That one huge win alone is something to build on.

Aimena topped the group (including Darmen and us) as late as MD3. One by dropped them to third, but in perfect position to challenge either one of us, but then went down in some sort of nerve-induced off-day against Ko-oren 3-19. The sole drop goal was added late in the game, but couldn't change their fate. Had they kept it together, and not let home advantage get into their heads, this could've been a very, very different team.

Sajnur is probably the fans' choice for team they could see more of. Their entire group either features in the Round of 16 or in this top 10. They beat Neu Engollon in one of the tournament's largest upsets (and nearly getting a bonus point for a big win out of it too!) and this team has shown to possess multiple ways of getting their way. Unfortunately, an early loss to Thaulandi blocked them from going into the knockouts, but there is some serious talent here. Any other group would probably let them advance.

Pratapgadh started off brilliantly, fighting off the other lower ranked sides before hitting a brutal stretch and getting both Elejamie (huge loss) and Natanians and Nosts (an unconverted try away from victory) in a row... then falling behind considerably. This could've been so much more. They're in the process of setting up a domestic championship, so there's so much more to grow. A 48-13 loss to Elejamie really stifled their aspirations, and maybe even broke their spirits.

The top two on the list, Alpine Union and Savojarna... what went wrong? Savojarna went into the tournament expecting not much, but why not? This team didn't dare to dream and was overtaken because of it. A bigger surprise came from Group G: the Alpine Union. They flew very high for a long time, only getting struck down by a sublime Lisander squad. They managed 10 points against Aels and Rakivland, securing bonus points twice. A four point loss to Kelssek ended their tournament so prematurely.

Meanwhile, the Dragonflies are preparing for Devonta, finding some sort of strategy at the very last second. Ko-oren had all the trouble in the world finding a rhythm against their four group stage opponents even if it looks like they cruised on through. The home advantage really did carry the team to the knockouts, but from here on out that won't be enough to go on. So many teams found competitive advantages over their opponents, and the Greenblues were sitting here trying to beat the rest by basically doing the same thing as they always have, with a simple formation used by nearly every team coming into this RUWC as if it were their first.

The team's weak scrum was now mitigated by spectacular back play, playing Bebenna as a winger, Sheehan as the other winger, and moving Finnerty to fullback. Three excellent runners, quick, agile, and dedicated to scoring. There's enough at centre to get excited about, so yPhwgaragh and yHardyllyn did their thing knowing there were equally talented guys further towards the sideline. These five players were ready for the post-scrum play thrown at them by Aimena, and look ready to do that again in the following game. The halves have shown just enough consistency and creativity to keep their jobs. There has been no movement in the forwards, except that they have been asked to show up in defence at the very least. There wasn't much there in attack, but the five backs (minus the passers, that is) covered for that more than enough. The forwards stifled most of the Aimenan progress, and this seems to be something that the team can keep doing.

by **Elejamie** » Tue May 07, 2019 10:03 am

Murgon Bullfrogs 30-23 Iceland Panthers

Murgon Bullfrogs
TRY: McCracken (3) 24' c, 41' c, 76' c
CON: Westwood (3/3) 25', 42', 77'
PEN: Westwood (3/5) 11', 58', 67'
Iceland Panthers
TRY: Gates 19' m
Koppel 37' c, 50' m
CON: Breguet (1/3) 38'
PEN: Breguet (2/4) 7', 30'

ERC titans and minor premiership winners Murgon faced off against minnows Iceland, who managed to squeeze into the playoffs despite a loss to the very same opponents in their last game (21-5 to Murgon); fortunately for the Panthers, they made it through for the first playoff since 2005 after Avon were unable to overcome Rosetta, also making it the first time a team has played back to back games against the same opponent since 2007, when the Davenport Commandos beat the Avon Knights 13-11 on the last day of the season before losing to that same team 24-21 in the ERC Semi-final.

The first half saw Iceland get a very early lead thanks to fly-half Nelson Breguet's early penalty followed a particularly bad challenge from Ryan Morris. However, Doug Westwood would score a penalty of his own a few minutes later to level the scores. It wasn't long before the first try of the evening was scored when Adam Gates slid down past the line for a try; although Breguet's conversion missed the mark, it still gave Iceland a respectable 8-3 lead. A lead they'd lose five minutes later thanks to a try from Adam McCracken and a conversion from Westwood. Breguet would regain the lead for his side with a well-placed penalty before national sevens team player Paul Koppel went on to score his first try of the evening, which got converted to make it 18-10 to the away side, a score that would remain until the break.

The second half saw Murgon make a massive comeback. Roughly a minute after the half started, McCracken would get his second try of the evening and, aided by a successful conversion from Westwood, pushed the deficit to a single point. Although Iceland were able to extend their lead again thanks to a Koppel try, that wasn't converted and they had to settle for a six point lead. Which then became three following a successful penalty by Westwood. As time withered away, it'd seem like the Iceland Panthers would come away with a shock win. But the status quo made its way to the forefront when Westwood scored his third and final penalty to bring the scores level. And then, shortly before the end, McCracken completed his hat-trick with a late try to push his side ahead, with Westwood converting that too to make it 30-23. Despite a valiant effort from the Panthers to push it into overtime, the Bullfrogs managed to put the ball into touch past the 80 minute mark to make it through to the Grand Final.

Auckhampton Birch Trees 0-11 Coventry Wyverns

Auckampton Birch Trees
N/A
Coventry Wyverns

TRY: Ruiz 60' m
CON: Debenham (0/1)
PEN: Debenham (2/2) 34', 66'

Meanwhile in the south of the country, a rain-soaked affair saw Auckhampton's bout against Coventry delayed for fifteen minutes as they tried to make the pitch playable. Although there were concerns about whether or not the match that the SkyBlue Stadium would be allowed to continue due to the flooding going on in certain areas of Birch State, which fortunately haven't claimed any victims but still racked up several sofanc of damage and left a number of people without power or clean water. In a display of good faith, the Birch Trees and Wyverns announced that all the revenue gained from this match would go towards helping people recover.

That was where the positives ended as the first half of the match itself was a drab and dull affair which saw neither side able to crack the others' defence. The ball was turned over numerous times. Players kept forcing errors onto their opponents if they didn't commit one themselves. There was controversy 27 minutes in when a Diego Peguero try was disallowed due to a suspected forward pass, although both the TMO and the Elejamian Rugby Federation confirmed that Tavarez did indeed pass the ball forwards, there were still a number of Auckhampton players and supporters alike who believed the call was biased in Coventry's favour. The only set of allowed points came from a Paul Debenham penalty 34 minutes in, which lead to the score being 3-0 going into half-time.

The second half was, by comparison, a more action-packed affair. While both sides kept turning the ball over or forcing errors onto their opponents, they both seemed hungrier for point. Especially Auckhampton, who were desperate to get a set of points no matter how they got it. However, it was Coventry centre (and sevens team prop) Marcus Ruiz who would get the only confirmed try of the match about sixty minutes in, although due to the weather conditions coupled with the location of where the ball was grounded Debenham was unable to provide a conversion. Fortunately, he made up for it with his second and final penalty from 36m out to make it 11-0. Despite the best efforts of both sides, which lead to Bruce Hernández getting sin binned for nearly the last ten minutes, neither side were able to score and after a dismal display, Coventry won 11-0 to make it to the ERC Grand Final.

Murgon Bullfrogs 19-7 Coventry Wyverns

Murgon Bullfrogs

TRY: Debenham 18' c, 78' m
Caulden 65' c
CON: Debenham (2/3) 13', 66'
Coventry Wyverns

TRY: Ruiz 39' c
CON: Debenham (1/1) 40'
PEN: Debenham (0/1)

One of the biggest rivalries took centre stage at the 2019 ERC Grand Final at the Laneriti Stadium in Coventry, AVEN. With no clear favourite, with Murgon having a powerful offence but Coventry having the better defence, it seemeed like it would be a very close game. Coventry won the toss and kicked off first, coming close to conceding an early try when they managed to force Murgon fullback Paolo Andretti into touch 12m from the try-line, before winning the line-out and beginning their assault. Despite going back and forth between the two try-lines, coming close but not succeeding, Paul Debenham opened up the scoring when he not only gave the first try of the match but also the first conversion to make it 7-0 to the home side. Despite the best efforts of the Murgon defence, they conceded a late try in the first half when Marcus Ruiz slammed the ball down past the try line to give his side a couple of points, with Paul Debenham's conversion pulling the score level. The whistle blew for half-time shortly after and, with the score being 7-7, things looked like they could go either way.

Following an electrifying half-time show by Electric Blue, who played a medley of songs from their latest album as well as a couple of classics, the second half got underway. The Wyverns came close to gaining the lead when Paul Debenham had a penalty just outside of the Murgon 22, though he fluffed the kick and ended up sending it wide. Fortunately, his side was able to hold off the strong Murgon offence, right up until the 65th minute when John Caulden scored a try to give the Bullfrogs the lead again, with Westwood scoring the extra couple of points to give Murgon back their seven point lead. While things did get heated following a bad tackle on Debenham by Dan Mitchell, neither side saw a player sin binned or sent off, although there were a few warnings given out by referee Yevgeni Kolyanov followed by a scrum inside the Murgon 22. Not only did Murgon manage to prevent a potential equaliser but they confirmed their victory with a second try from Debenham a couple of minutes from time; while he was unable to convert it, it was enough to eventually give his side a 19-7 win and the trophy.

by **Ko-oren** » Tue May 07, 2019 11:53 am

Rugby Union World Cup 27 @ Ko-oren

Round of 16 Results

Lisander 12–3 Neu Engollon

Barunia 13–0 Nova Anglicana

Abanhfleft 10–13 Mattijana

Darmen 10–0 Kelssek

Elejamie 5–0 Natanians and Nosts

Apox 22–10 Juvencus

Hutanjia 19–22 Alice Bay

United States of Devonta 0–17 Ko-oren

Host cities: Llandy, Mawrystwyth, Maynard, Aubury, Idyllwild, Ansonville, Eaglebury, Willowbourne (in no particular order)

Quarterfinals

#1 Lisander vs #14 Mattijana
#2 Barunia vs #10 Alice Bay
#4 Darmen vs #9 Ko-oren
#5 Elejamie vs #6 Apox

Host cities: Eaglebury, Mawrystwyth, Willowbourne, and Greencaster

by **Apox** » Tue May 07, 2019 1:17 pm

Apox 33-17 Thaulandi
APX: Castro try 17', Lockwood con 17', Lockwood pen 22', Lockwood pen 31', Hape try 42', Newbury try 47', Lockwood con 47', Lockwood pen 56', Eudora 77'
THA: Mikumo try 5', Menedemos try 35', Iarundssan 35', Scribonius 54'

One-line match descriptor: Free flowing game sees Apox eventually triumph against Thaulandi strength.

Neu Engollon 11–3 Apox
NEG: Callenzo try 22', Hoerner pen 29', Hoerner pen 62'
APX: Lockwood pen 46'

One-line match descriptor: A stern test against the ever strong Neu Engollon is too much for an Apoxian side with much still to improve on to beat.

Apox 17–0 Romanovskaya
APX: Gutierrez try 18', Lockwood con 18', Mildred 57', Vermillion 74'
ROM:

One-line match descriptor: Apox approaching top form as they brush aside Romanovskaya.

Sajnur 7–24 Apox
SAJ: Kurba try 33', Juricev con 33'
APX: Oakes try 6', Lockwood con 6', Lockwood pen 19', Lockwood pen 42', Castro try 67', Durrell con 67', Durrell pen 74', Durrell pen 78'

One-line match descriptor: Sajnur prove to be a stubborn test but Apoxian grit prevails to see the team through to the Round of 16.

Apox 22–10 Juvencus
APX: Hunter try 5', Lockwood con 5', Lockwood try 22', Lockwood con 22', Eudora try 54', Durrell pen 63'
JUE: Di Caprio 39', Tremblay 39', Landolfi pen 58'

One-line match descriptor: Juvencus are a firm test indeed but Apox march on into the Quarter-Finals as this team's good run continues.

by **Ko-oren** » Wed May 08, 2019 11:08 am

"Utilising two fullbacks might be the defensive (and therefore right) thing to do, it would also directly rip off Darmen. So they probably know most about that system - if we ever run into them again, that's it for us."

Ko-oren 17
tries: Bebenna 1, Finnerty 1
conversions: Whithingham 2/2
drop goals: 0/0
penalty goals: Whithingham 1/1

Devonta 0
tries: -
conversions: 0/0
drop goals: 0/0
penalty goals: 0/2

There was some luck involved as the Greenblues destroyed their opponents, Devonta, 17-0 at Mawrystwyth. The Hertfield saw a complete performance from the home team, even if there were discipline issues that could have put Devonta at an early 6-0 lead. Instead, both kicks missed the posts and anywhere near it, and Ko-oren continued with a clean slate. Not much later, the Greenblues claimed the ball and began a buildup towards the midway line. The halves were involved after every single tackle, with the forwards on the left side of the field, attracting attention and being very hard to bring down, and the backs on the right side of the field, looking for an overlap. Devonta brought too many defenders in, Whithingham and French spotted the error, and three passes out right got Finnerty, Bebenna and Sheehan in possession against two defenders. This was an easy exercise, and Bebenna ran the ball in for five points, grounding around the right goal post. An easy kick, and Ko-oren was ahead 7-0.

There were constant wing changes, with most of the bulk staying inside. Every now and again, the dangerously quick trio of Bebenna, Finnerty and Sheehan were found on the same side, and this was the kind of play Whithingham saw to exploit. Every single time, the ball went out wide within seconds, and it is to Devonta's credit that they saw it coming after that first try. Still, there was just too much talent on the wing and some crafty switches later, yPhwgaragh, Bebenna and Finnerty were open on the left side of the field. Again, there were just two defenders there, and that made 14-0 to the Greenblues. Afterwards, the team slowed down to preserve energy, try different things, but only racked up a penalty goal as the match went on. The centres (actually playing as centres, as opposed to Bebenna acting as fullback) were responsible for kick chasing, especially after long runs that left the wingers more and more tired. This is an area to address, Devonta managed to play itself open from pressure after deep kicks every so often.

Mind the top quote. We called it: copy the two fullback system, and you're done for if you ever see them again. It happens earlier than we expected: Darmen is back on the menu in the quarterfinals. And that's why we're glad that the staff found a different way, utilising the immense talent shared between just five players (three centres and two wingers), and making them count towards the attack as well as the chase. The forwards will have to pick up every single tackle after that, but saving your best and fastest players for these high-impact situations worked out so far. Let's see if it sticks.

by **Ko-oren** » Wed May 08, 2019 11:36 am

Elejamie's RP was included for this matchday.

Rugby Union World Cup 27 @ Ko-oren

Quarterfinal Results

Lisander 19–3 Mattijana

Barunia 6–0 Alice Bay

Darmen 7–19 Ko-oren (3rd party scorination by Osarius)

Elejamie 18–6 Apox

Host cities: Eaglebury, Mawrystwyth, Willowbourne, and Greencaster

Semifinals

#1 Lisander vs #9 Ko-oren
#2 Barunia vs #5 Elejamie

Host cities: Willowbourne and Greencaster

Rugby Union World Cup 27 | Everything Thread

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