World Bowl XXV - Everything Thread

[Southern Democratic States]

Southern Democratic States beats Eritai again!

After beating Eritai 47-21 in the quarter finals of the Baptism of Iron XVII, the Southern Democratic States beats them again! The Southerners won 20-7 on the road in Eritai. SDS made a 37 yards field goal in the first quarter and scored a touchdown in the 2nd quarter. Eritai striked back at the end of the first half with their only touchdown of the game and SDs were leading 10-7 at the half time. After being scoreless in the 3rd quarter, SDS scored a touchdown and made a field goal in the 4th quarter. The Bears won 20-7. Clifford Jenkins completed 16 passes on 23 attempts for 248 yards with 0 TDs and 0 Interceptions. Coconut Riddick ran 24 times for 158 yards and 1 touchdown. Cornerback Antonio Irvin has 4 tackles 2 passes deflected and 1 interception for a pick six.

BOXSCORE

1st quarter
SDS: FIELD GOAL by Crockett Burkhead (37 yards) 4:23
2nd quarter
SDS: TOUCHDOWN by Coconut Riddick (7 yards run)
Extra Point by Crockett Burkhead good 11:48
ERITAI: TOUCHDOWN by Wide Receiver #1 (26 yards pass by Quarter Back #1)
Extra Point by Kicker #1 good 0:00
3rd quarter
no score
4th quarter
SDS: TOUCHDOWN by Antonio Irvin (Pass by Quarter Back #1 intercepted by Irvin and returned for 61 yards)
Extra Point by Crockett Burkhead good 9:27
SDS: FIELD GOAL by Crockett Burkhead (44 yards) 3:40


Next game

Next week, the Southern Democratic States will play at home against United We Stand 123, the game will be played at DynastyLink Field in Waddington, Wabash. Waddington is the 2nd largest city in the SDS and is home of the financial hub, Window Street.

[Allamunnic States]

Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage

Staalhelm saves the day
Defensive effort helps Regulars escape Jeckland with win

Defending their home turf, Jeckland did everything they could to pull the upset on the favored Regulars. Their defense stifled the Allamunnic offense, stuffing the run and putting Bryndyn Harlaw under siege, and holding them out of the endzone. The only reason the Regulars escaped with a win was an equally-fierce effort by their own defense, which mounted three goal-line stands to bail out the offense, finally culminating in a forced fumble and a scoop-and-score recovery by Maarkus Staalhelm in the fourth quarter.

Jeckland won the opening coin toss and elected to receive the opening kick-off. Zak Chadwick returned the kick to the Jecklander 34, but they were forced to punt after a quick three-and-out at their own 38. Anna Eriklunn took the punt at the Allamunnic 31 and actually managed a solid return, getting almost to the 49 before being taken down. The Regulars' first drive did not go much better than Jeckland's, getting to Jeckland's 43 before they were also forced to punt. The two teams traded punts two more times during the first quarter, and the quarter ended with the game scoreless, with the Regulars outgaining Jeckland 31-23.

A drive that started at the end of the first quarter for Jeckland at their own 26 would end up breaking the deadlock. Jeckland managed to drive down the field very slowly, gaining yards only in small increments, helped by a late hit and a defensive holding penalty that helped convert a few long distances. Jeckland got to the Allamunnic 3 yard line before the defense finally managed to stop them cold, stuffing three successive attempts to punch in the short yard touchdown. Finally, the Jecklander offense settled for a field goal from the six to give them the early lead, 3-0.

The Regulars were forced to punt after being held to a three-and-out on the following drive, a favor that they promptly returned to Jeckland. On their next drive, the Allamunnae seemed keyed to answer the score as Bryndyn Harlaw converted three passes of 15+ yards to move the Regulars down the field from their own 24. They actually reached the Jeckland 8 yard line, but came up short as Harlaw tossed an interception in the end zone. Using the momentum gained from stopping the drive, Jeckland managed a repeat performance of their other scoring drive, moving down the field to boot a second field goal from the 9 as the half ended to take a 6-0 lead into the locker room, having outgained the Regulars 173-115.

The third quarter was a similar defensive slug-out, with the teams largely punting, and each one turning the ball over once: Harlaw threw his second interception of the day (when he overthrew Edryk Waalturs), while John Reid had the ball stripped on a routine run up the middle. Neither turnover was turned into points, however, and the third quarter ended with the Regulars gaining 34 yards versus 28 by Jeckland, but no scores.

This continued through much of the fourth quarter, with both defenses playing well and both offenses sputtering. Solid punts on both sides pinned the teams deep, gaining a handful of yards before punting again. With only three minutes left in the game, Wyatt Skode pinned the Jecklanders at their own 4.

On first down, the run was stuffed at the 2. On second down, Maarkus Staalhelm blew up the run in the backfield again, nearly resulting in a safety. However, the ball came out of Reid's hands before he went down, and the live ball fell in the end zone. Staalhelm immediately dove on the loose ball, securing a touchdown for the Regulars and, after Justyn Kynyks' PAT, the lead as well.

The Regulars were able to force the Jecklanders to go for it on fourth and long at the Allamunnic 23 on the following drive, sacking Liam Simpson to take over on downs. On the ensuing drive, Graagur Baaltrsunn was able to break a few longer runs to pad his stats and put the game away, allowing the Allamunnic squad to run out the clock and escape with the win.

On the whole, it was a less-than-inspiring outing for the offense, which only amassed 207 total yards and was shut out. Part of that was an underwhelming performance from quarterback Bryndyn Harlaw, who ended up going 9/21 for 102 yards, with two interceptions. Meanwhile, Graagur Baaltrsunn was somewhat more effective, rushing 16 times for 50 yards. Daanyl Wyndhorst rushed 10 times for 31 yards, Brandt Hendriks rushed 3 times for 11 yards, and Anna Eriklunn rushed 3 times for 13 yards.

At the post-game press conference, Baeryk Vaalburger seemed rather pleased, despite the day's struggles.

"Don't get me wrong," he told reporters, "we need to look at what went wrong on offense. But this was a quality win. We went up against a tough opponent in a hostile environment on the road, and we managed to pull out what we needed to get the win. It was a good challenge for us, and hopefully it will serve notice that this is not going to be an easy road for us. We will absolutely have to fight for every win," he said. "Our defense stepped up quite well, though, and we have good reason for hope, there. Maarkus [Staalhelm] played absolutely lights-out, and his was simply the best of a considerable number of fantastic performances on our defense."

The Regulars will be on the road again next week against Mieraskya, who lost 20-0 on the road versus Farlandria this week.

[Free Republics]

Holy Republican Locker Room, Podvez Field, Yellow Bay, Vorita, Free Republics

Before the Holy Republican opener, the team was just hanging out in the locker room, waiting for Coach Allen to return from the concession stands with a pre-game meal for the linemen. The discussion turned to the controversy between Jonas Rasmussen and his wife Leah.

Drasko Pecar - Jonas, I can't believe the nonsense that the media put you through last year.

Jonas Rasmussen - I know, Drasko. Leah recognized that she had been a bad girl and accepted the consequences of her misbehavior. Yet, the media came after me.

Jake Willis - Fuck that Eric Guay dude, man. He was just some dumbass intern who had been brainwashed by his Republica-hating Feministvs Sanctvsterra sympathizing college professors. His opinion ain't mean nothing to nobody, man.

Jonas Rasmussen - Yeah, fuck him and fuck all of the sensationalistic leeches in the media. But thank God for that Consul Kulseth, man.

Drasko Pecar - I'm also a huge fan. I voted for his referendum to outlaw abortion.

Jake Willis - We can't let bitches kill their kids. Besides, the True Church is really good about keeping them in line.

Alfie Lord - If your bitch gives you trouble, give her a backhand.

Meier Pongor - I'm just here early so I don't get fined by Coach. Can we please punch our opponents in the mouth, not girls? You guys are treating the ladies as a bigger threat than they are.

Jake Willis - Meier, you don't have much room to talk. You had the worst yards per carry on the team last year! You should be riding the pine.

Meier Pongor - Jake, I was running with a pulled peroneous longus AND a hernia last year. I'll be the first to admit that I shouldn't have told Coach I was ready to go, but if Coach wants me to play, I'll play with 2 torn ACLs if I have to!

Drasko Pecar - Guys, stop the drama. You're all valuable parts of the team.

Jonas Rasmussen - Tell Meier to apologize to me.

Drasko Pecar - Meier, you should apologize. You should too, Jake.

Jake Willis & Meier Pongor - Sorry.

At that moment, Logan Allen walked back into the locker room, handed the food to the linemen and began his pre-game speech:

Logan Allen - Men, today you will began your 4th World Bowl together. Today, you will take on a minnow whom you should beat easily. I won't waste any time talking about them. However, I will tell you about our secret weapon. As you know, the World Bowl Vice President has forced through a new rule change permitting teams to supply their own balls for both home and away games. The team that is on offense will be permitted to use their own footballs. Now, the balls have to be inflated within a given range when the officials inspect them prior to the game, but that doesn't mean that we can't deflate them a little bit after the refs inspect the balls. Fortunately, under these new rules that Vice President Vasin pushed through, the officials have to inspect the home team's balls 90 minutes prior to kickoff and the away team's balls 60 minutes prior to kickoff. That gives us plenty of time to alter our balls. Now, you may ask why we are doing this. I'll tell you the answer to that question: We are using under-inflated balls because such balls reduce the likelihood of fumbles, which have been a problem for us in past years. If we cut down on our fumbles, we can be a lot better football team than we have been in the past. There's also another new rule change that will be of interest to the defense. The World Bowl President was insistent on bringing back the pre-World Bowl XXII rules, as the Equestrian States vehemently disagreed with the rule changes implemented by King Paulus XV of Saintland back when we co-hosted the World Bowl with the Sanctii. There are 2 major differences from the rules as you are used to. Now, you can rough up quarterbacks and you can interfere with passes. Unless you do something particularly flagrant, the refs aren't going to call anything. So, it is open season on their quarterback and receivers. Also, Pecar, you need to hand the ball off more frequently. I don't want you to put yourself in harms way against some of the nasty defenses we might end up facing. Stay safe, everybody, and win at any cost!

The Holy Republican National Gridiron Team would go on to crush Sereina by a 23 to nothing margin. Meier Pongor ran for both Republican touchdowns, but Rasmussen led the team with 189 yards of rushing on a day when they piled up over 300 rushing yards. Defensively, they held Sereina's quarterback to just 8 completions on 37 attempts. When Republican defenders weren't sacking the anonymous Sereinan quarterback, they were finding ways to "jack up" their wide receivers. With the win secured, Logan Allen's team moved on to New North Aqmuland to face the World Bowl XXIII semi-finalists in what was likely to be the most pivotal matchup of Group 1.

[The Fair Republic]

The Fair Republic Toucans shut out Britonisea 26-0 Today. The Toucans started off slow in the first quarter as they were unable to get into field goal range. Momentum started to swing after a botched punt snap by Britonisea led to a Toucans Saftey in the second quarter. A Brandon Yarlson kicked a 48 yard field goal gave the Toucans a 5-0 lead entering the half. Devin Jones ran the kick return back to make it 12-0 and Tom Smith ran an interception back to make it 19-0 not even 2 mintues into the 3rd quarter. Buck Naters then pulled out some starters after Jermichael V ran gor a touchdown to make it 26-0. The backups came in afterward and held the score to close out the Toucans win. Naters later said he was pleased but the Tocans had to start off faster if they were going to win versus Timbermunich and Val Halla

[Barunia]

"What about Ryan Dunne?"
"Who?"
"He plays for Dropshort Dragons."
"Wait, aren't they a cricket team? Not exactly the type of physical sport we're looking for."
"We need someone with good hands and a good arm for the quarterback. I can't think of any one better than Dunne."
" What do you mean?"
"I've seen him hit the stumps from eighty metres out. More than once too. As for his catching, I'd have to say he's one of the best in the country."
"Ok, we'll approach him. Now then, defence."

[Equestrian States]

MATCH DAY 2 RESULTS

Group 1
Yttribia 16–0 Sereina
New North Aqmuland 10–3 Holy Republican Empire

  Group 1                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 New North Aqmuland               2   2  0   34   3 +31    1.000
2 Holy Republican Empire           2   1  1   26  10 +16    0.500
3 Yttribia                         2   1  1   16  24  −8    0.500
4 Sereina                          2   0  2    0  39 −39    0.000

Group 2
Timbermunich 36–0 Britonisea
Val Halla 20–33 The Fair Republic

  Group 2                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Timbermunich                     2   2  0   65   7 +58    1.000
2 The Fair Republic                2   2  0   59  20 +39    1.000
3 Val Halla                        2   0  2   27  62 −35    0.000
4 Britonisea                       2   0  2    0  62 −62    0.000

Group 3
Southern Democratic States 24–7 United We Stand 123
Eritai 0–16 Osarius

  Group 3                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Osarius                          2   2  0   48   0 +48    1.000
2 Southern Democratic States       2   2  0   44  14 +30    1.000
3 Eritai                           2   0  2    7  36 −29    0.000
4 United We Stand 123              2   0  2    7  56 −49    0.000

Group 4
Cosumar 33–0 Walamzia
United States of Devonta 13–7 Azrea

  Group 4                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Cosumar                          2   2  0   64   3 +61    1.000
2 United States of Devonta         2   1  1   16  38 −22    0.500
3 Walamzia                         2   1  1   26  55 −29    0.500
4 Azrea                            2   0  2   29  39 −10    0.000

Group 5
San José Guayabal 0–3 Ko-oren
The Greater Vakolicci Haven 10–0 Qocaekia

  Group 5                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 The Greater Vakolicci Haven      2   2  0   22   6 +16    1.000
2 Ko-oren                          2   2  0    6   0  +6    1.000
3 San José Guayabal                2   0  2    6  15  −9    0.000
4 Qocaekia                         2   0  2    0  13 −13    0.000

Group 6
Super-Llamaland 30–14 The Babbage Islands
Taeshan 23–0 Barunia

  Group 6                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Super-Llamaland                  2   2  0   37  17 +20    1.000
2 Taeshan                          2   1  1   26   7 +19    0.500
3 Barunia                          2   1  1   20  29  −9    0.500
4 The Babbage Islands              2   0  2   20  50 −30    0.000

Group 7
Jecatria 0–7 Saintland
Schottia 10–30 Abanhfleft

  Group 7                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Saintland                        2   2  0   20   0 +20    1.000
2 Abanhfleft                       2   1  1   30  23  +7    0.500
3 Schottia                         2   1  1   33  40  −7    0.500
4 Jecatria                         2   0  2   10  30 −20    0.000

Group 8
German Zerabithea 3–10 New Nationale Einheit
Patistan 20–3 Wolfbenz

  Group 8                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 New Nationale Einheit            2   2  0   20   3 +17    1.000
2 German Zerabithea                2   1  1   10  13  −3    0.500
3 Patistan                         2   1  1   23  10 +13    0.500
4 Wolfbenz                         2   0  2    3  30 −27    0.000

Group 9
United States of Minton 0–3 HopNation
Coconutstan 17–0 Teague

  Group 9                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Coconutstan                      2   2  0   36   3 +33    1.000
2 HopNation                        2   2  0   20   7 +13    1.000
3 United States of Minton          2   0  2    3  22 −19    0.000
4 Teague                           2   0  2    7  34 −27    0.000

Group 10
Gustavpolis 16–0 Pacificana Islands
Kolmya 0–10 Karditan

  Group 10                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Karditan                         2   2  0   27   7 +20    1.000
2 Kolmya                           2   1  1    3  10  −7    0.500
3 Gustavpolis                      2   1  1   16   3 +13    0.500
4 Pacificana Islands               2   0  2    7  33 −26    0.000

Group 11
Mieraskya 0–23 Allamunnic States
Farlandria 0–26 Jeckland

  Group 11                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Allamunnic States                2   2  0   30   6 +24    1.000
2 Jeckland                         2   1  1   32   7 +25    0.500
3 Farlandria                       2   1  1   20  26  −6    0.500
4 Mieraskya                        2   0  2    0  43 −43    0.000

Group 12
Nukehavistan 13–3 Sheffland
DBostick 0–17 Gregoryisgodistan

  Group 12                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Gregoryisgodistan                2   2  0   27   0 +27    1.000
2 DBostick                         2   1  1   20  31 −11    0.500
3 Nukehavistan                     2   1  1   27  23  +4    0.500
4 Sheffland                        2   0  2    3  23 −20    0.000

Group 13
Zitru 13–17 Neu Engollon
Nassau Hessen 26–0 Hambeich

  Group 13                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Nassau Hessen                    2   2  0   46   0 +46    1.000
2 Neu Engollon                     2   2  0   29  23  +6    1.000
3 Zitru                            2   0  2   13  37 −24    0.000
4 Hambeich                         2   0  2   10  38 −28    0.000

Group 14
Aynard 12–13 Thereisnogodistan
Equestrian States 14–0 Estenia

  Group 14                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Equestrian States                2   2  0   27   0 +27    1.000
2 Estenia                          2   1  1   57  17 +40    0.500
3 Thereisnogodistan                2   1  1   16  69 −53    0.500
4 Aynard                           2   0  2   12  26 −14    0.000

Group 15
Estope 24–7 Gregoryisgodistan Special Administrative Zone
Vermark 7–23 Royal Kingdom of Quebec

  Group 15                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec          2   2  0   50   7 +43    1.000
2 Estope                           2   2  0   47  10 +37    1.000
3 Vermark                          2   0  2   10  46 −36    0.000
4 G.S.A.Z.                         2   0  2    7  51 −44    0.000

[Timbermunich]

Timbermunich Lore

World Bowl XXV
Spring

With a new day comes new life, responsibility, and even death. In Timbermunich as SPRING welcomes an abundance of new life, from the smallest birds to the largest beasts, we are seeing new members join families, this includes the villagers too but with humans it isn’t as regularly timed as the beasts of Timbermunich. Now is the time when nurturing instincts take over and both mothers and fathers within family structures take on new roles. For some this will be the first of many birthing’s to come, while others it may be their last. Taking a closer look: the Timberhound mother tends to have a good number of litters in her life time assuming she survives the everyday obstacles, while on the other hand a Timbernymph (large insect) mother will only breed once before her life comes to an end as her body is offered up to the hatching young so they may survive for a few years before the same fate takes her daughters in the same way.

Life within the villages differs greatly from the beasts; they don’t just procreate in order to sustain the blood lines and species, even though those are some of the reasons. They procreate for love of life and for love of each other. Because of this the Timbermünchner tend to have babies throughout the year and not simply in SPRING like many of the beasts. They bring life into the world when the cold of WINTER grips the lands or when the heat of SUMMER is welcomed by most. Many families hope to bring a GREAT into the world even though they know it is highly unlikely. They love life and everything about it and with SPRING bringing new life to everything around them they tend to share love and life with everyone with hearty hellos and friendly farewells at every opportunity. This time of year is truly special in Timbermunich.

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Timbermunich Tables

World Bowl XXV
Group 2

Stage 1
				Game 1					Game 2					Game 3			.
Team				Oppenent		Result		Oppenent		Result		Oppenent		Result
Val Halla (139)			Timbermunich		7-29		The Fair Republic	20-33		Britonisea		
The Fair Republic (13)		Britonisea		26-0		Val Halla		33-20		Timbermunich		
Britonisea (125)		The Fair Republic	0-26		Timbermunich		0-36		Val Halla		
Timbermunich (28)		Val Halla		29-7		Britonisea		36-0		The Fair Republic	

				Game 4					Game 5					Game 6			.
Team				Oppenent		Result		Oppenent		Result		Oppenent		Result
Val Halla (139)			Timbermunich				The Fair Republic			Britonisea		
The Fair Republic (13)		Britonisea				Val Halla				Timbermunich		
Britonisea (125)		The Fair Republic			Timbermunich				Val Halla		
Timbermunich (28)		Val Halla				Britonisea				The Fair Republic	



  Group 2                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Timbermunich                     2   2  0   65   7 +58    1.000
2 The Fair Republic                2   2  0   59  20 +39    1.000
3 Val Halla                        2   0  2   27  62 −35    0.000
4 Britonisea                       2   0  2    0  62 −62    0.000

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Gregoryisgodistan Wins Again

Gregoryisgodistan got their second shutout win in a row, knocking off DBostick 17-0. Gregoryisgodistan's defense was phenomenal, allowing just 97 total yards, sacking the quarterback 8 times, and forcing 6 turnovers. Enemy Crusher Carl Paladino had three of those sacks and crushed the quarterback to death after each one, meaning by the time the game ended, DBostick was forced to use their punter as a quarterback. Enemy Crusher Carl Paladino also crushed 7 fans to death after they began chanting a forbidden fruity word. It was glorious. Those fans had to die.

Enemy Crusher Yorgen von Streudel had two sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovered and ran back 23 yards for a touchdown. It was a glorious game for him as well. After the touchdown, he crushed some fans who were heckling him in the end zone. They died too. There were 23 of them and they all died. It was glorious.

Defected Chicago Bear Brian Urlacher and Military SuperGeneral Ichabod Luna each had an interception, and Military SuperGeneral Ichabod Luna returned his 97 yards for a touchdown with 4:01 to go to make the score 17-0 and seal the deal. DBostick had been driving inside the Grid Slaves' red zone, but their punter, who was in at quarterback by this time following the crushings, threw the pick six and that just about did it. The Enemy Crushers then celebrated by crushing the entire officiating crew, who hailed from Free Republics. Then an alternate officiating crew from Miley World was summoned but called no penalties on the Enemy Crushers lest they be crushed too.

After the game, Lord Almighty Gregory congratulated the Grid Slaves on the win and the crushings, saying "Today was a glorious day for the Grid Slaves. We won and we crushed our opponents. What more could we possibly ask for? I am giving all the Enemy Crushes a 1 billion greggygodbuck reward for their brave and noble actions today, plus an additonal 10 million greggygodbucks for everyone they crush for the remainder of the tournament. It will be a glorious payday for the Enemy Crushers to crush their Enemies. Crushy Crushy Coo Coo! Time to Crush!"

Today, Gregoryisgodistan will take on Nukehavistan in what many are calling the Nuke Bowl because both nations are known for their nuclear arsenals. Gregoryisgodistan possesses massive amounts of nuclear warheads and is not afraid to use them, Nukehavistan is presumably named because of their desire to nuke as well. Maybe there will be a nuclear war after the game. That would be fun. We nuke an enemy into oblivion once the Enemy Crushers are done crushing. It would be glorious. Amazing and glorious. At least that's what Lord Almighty Gregory said and I am inclined to agree with him, lest I be executed. And also because it's true. We would love to finally nuke someone into oblivion. We would rather it be Saintland, or Hicana, or the Unholy Repubican Empire, but we'll settle on Nukehavistan for now. Because nuking is what nukes do best. It's NUKEY TIME! And remember the classic song "Let's Blow Up Saintland" and the other classic song "Do You Want to Blow Up Saintland?" Well I want to blow up Saintland and everybody else. It will be a Holy War. The Republicans will die. The Nukehavistanis will die. The Hicanans will die. Everyone will die. And won't it be glorious? Again, I am just repeating what Lord Almighty Gregory said but I agree with him completely for he is God and his word is the Word of God. All hail Lord Almighty Gregory!

[HopNation]

apologies for any omissions or errors, if there are any please TG me so I can update/change them.

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HopNation Sports

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WORLD Bowl RECAPS

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Well we are off to a start at least and have stuck with the plan so far with two results in our favor. I for one would have liked to have some better scores so far and be in charge of first place instead of sitting in second after some trivial tiebreaker statistic. Then again we are by nature a defensive juggernaut so seeing lopsided scores in our favor tends to be sporadic rather than the norm. Unless our defense, The Malt Marauders, score for us we tend not to put up a lot of points and this has been the case so far this World Bowl. Sure, sure, we have some excellent players on offence but they just don’t put up the numbers we would like them to, at least from a fans standpoint. Our first match they did manage two touchdowns and a field goal which was a welcome surprise as The Malt Marauders didn’t score a defensive point but they did hold the opposition to zero points. The team in total that first game played very well but it was a Bradanning pick six that allowed Teague to even score. The next match we were much better in terms of turnovers where we were plus 3 on the day and allowed a big fat zero points against us. We were however almost shut out ourselves and thanks to an Anderson Gouldie 41 yard field goal we managed to get our second win. Next up we face off against Coconutstan and they are also sitting on two wins, but if my prediction goes as planned they will only win one more game and it will not be against us. They have managed to put up 36 points and only allow 3 against, which is why they are ahead of us on the current tables. We need both our offense and defense to show up for this match, more so to send a statement to the rest of this group that we mean business and we will win the group. We really do hold our own destiny in our hands this World Bowl so we cannot allows any slip ups if we want to advance in this somewhat crazy format.

In other news the World Cup of Hockey is slatted to get underway today and our very own Dortmunder Super Rink was selected as a venue to host 12 group stage games and then a round of 16 series. Hopefully our Mashers play well and we are able to make it into the playoffs. I know HopNation as a whole is honored to be hosting some of the games for this World Cup of Hockey and we hope we don’t let anyone down but we’ll have more the WCoH another time.

Let’s Go Malts!
Brew On! Brew Well Hoptonians!
Ringwald Griffinsmith
HopNation Sports Writer

[Allamunnic States]

Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage

Running game goes rampant
Regulars beat Mieraskya on the road, 23-0

Following what an anonymous source reported as a week of heated discussion, the Regulars came out against Mieraskya with a similar approach as had been used against Jeckland before shifting at the half to more emphasis to the ground game. The shift precipitated an ability in the Regulars to finish scoring drives, scoring 6 points before the half and 17 afterward.

The Regulars won the opening toss, but deferred until the second half, and so Mieraskya got the ball first. However, they were unable to get much going, punting after only moving 13 yards from their own 20. The Regulars got the ball at their own 28, and managed to move down the field steadily, if not terribly quickly, eating up 5:19 to reach the Mieraskyan 17. There, offensive coordinator Torren Waalturs, in a mystifying move, dialed up three straight passes after running on all but two of the drive's nine previous plays. Quarterback Bryndyn Harlaw missed a wide-open Braant Skyllur on the first, saw a throw to Hael Fokkenmaar get batted down on the next, and narrowly avoided an interception on the third by throwing the ball too hard to be catchable. On fourth down, Justyn Kynyks knocked in the 34-yard field goal to give the Regulars a 3-0 lead.

The next Mieraskyan drive bridged the first and second quarter, and they actually found some success, starting at their own 22 and reaching the Allamunnic 24 before a swatted pass was snagged by Belle Margusunn to give the Regulars the ball at their own 14. On the next play, Harlaw hit Edryk Waalturs for a 51-yard gain to reach the Mieraskyan 25. On the next three plays, Wyndhorst rushed for 4 yards, Harlaw threw an incompletion, and then a 3-yard pass to Skyllur, leaving the Regulars at 4th and 3. Rather than risk a turnover on downs, the Regulars had Kynyks hit a 35-yarder to extend their lead to 6-0.

The rest of the half consisted of the teams trading punts, and the Regulars attempted an unusual number of passes, often to their detriment. Harlaw cut a promising drive short by tossing an interception at the opponent's 40, and the clock ran out without either team able to score. However, as the Regulars headed to the locker-room, head coach Baeryk Vaalburger called OC Waalturs over and they walked into the locker room with Vaalburger looking irritated.

When the Regulars came back out and took the opening kickoff of the second half to their own 29, they came out with a firmly run-first philosophy. The Regulars drove down the field over the course of 12 plays, culminating in a 3-yard touchdown run by Graagur Baaltrsunn, who followed his blocks to run into the end zone almost untouched (apart from the defender he flattened at the goal-line). Kynyks' PAT widened the Regulars' lead to 13-0.

The teams traded punts for much of the rest of the quarter before the Regulars got the ball back with only a minute left in the quarter. From their own 25, they began a drive that would span into the early fourth quarter, where, once again, the Regulars ran on 10 of 13 plays to go 74 yards. The Mieraskyan defense managed to tighten up at the goal-line and stuffed the run twice before batting down a third-down pass. The Regulars opted to trust Kynyks and knocked in an 18-yard field goal to widen their lead to 16-0.

Mieraskya took over at their own 6 after a fantastic coverage effort from the kick-off team. They almost managed to convert a first down on the drive, but they were turned away on 3rd and 1 when Waldr Baersvylk bear-hugged the tailback and ripped the ball loose. Baeryk Skarrsunn dove on the loose ball at the 17, giving the Regulars the ball inside the red zone.

On the next play, a deflated Mieraskyan defense missed one tackle and saw another broken as Daanyl Wyndhorst broke a 17-yard run for a touchdown to give the Regulars the final margin of victory at 23-0. A promising drive by Mieraskya ended on an interception by Skarrsunn on their 42, allowing the Regulars to run out the clock and secure the victory.

The change of philosophy, in light of Vaalburger and OC Waalturs' interaction at half-time, was the subject of numerous questions at the post-game press conference. Asked what happened between the two, Vaalburger was somewhat vague in his explanation. "We had a discussion regarding our offensive approach at halftime," he said. "Obviously, the approach we were using was not working, and so it called for a change."

An anonymous source after the game, however, said the 'discussion' was less cordial than Vaalburger led reporters to believe, saying that Vaalburger "lectured" Waalturs and was visibly irritated. The possibility of a rift in the coaching staff is one that has some observers worried, and there is fear that such a rift might affect the performance of the offense, particularly if the Regulars go back and forth to and away the running game, which was very effective against Mieraskya.

Bryndyn Harlaw finished 8/19 for 107 yards and an interception, making it his second less-than-inspiring performance. By contrast, Graagur Baaltrsunn rushed 18 times for 95 yards and a touchdown, while Daanyl Wyndhorst rushed 15 times for 76 yards and a touchdown. Anna Eriklunn rushed 5 times for 23 yards, and Brandt Hendriks rushed 4 times for 13 yards. Maarkus Staalhelm widened his lead on tackles, adding 7 to his 11 from last week (including 2 more to his existing 3 for loss), as well as adding a full sack to his half sack from the previous week, and another fumble recovery.

The Regulars will come home this week to play against Farlandria in Staalburg. Forecasts are already calling for light winds and steady snow, as well as significantly sub-freezing temperatures.

[Walamzia]

Walamzia Blanked in Consumar

The ever-increasing problem of having offensive players also play defense are problems for Walamzia to overcome, and this game in Consumar was no different as the Lions lost 33-0. Mark Edgar was unable to complete a pass for more than 15 yards for the entire game. However, the game was turned on several key injuries, including one to Roger Wazzaniga and one to Ray Peters, leaving several holes for the team to fill. However, they should not be too distraught at the result as Consumar are ranked 12th in the competition. Wazzaniga will be out for the next game, while Peters will be out for the rest of the tournament. Replacement for Peters is none other than the former Pop Warner star Lionel Patterson, which comes as a shock to many, given the rocky relationship he and Edgar have had over the past few years.

[Southern Democratic States]

The Southerners wins again!

The Southern Democratic States won 24-7 against United We Stand 123 and the Southerners are now tied in 1st place of group 3 with Osarius. The game was played in front of a sellout crowd at DynastyLink Field in Waddington. The Southerners scored a touchdown in the first quarter on a 12 yard run by Coconut Riddick. United We Stand striked back in the 2nd quarter with a 21 yards pass by Quarter Back #1 to Wide Reciever #3 in the end zone. The score was 7-7 at the halftime. SDS scored a touchdown on their first drive of the 3rd quarter on a 38 yards pass by Clifford Jenkins to Demarcus Woods. The Bears added three more points on a 28 yards field goal by Crockett Burkhead and the score was 17-7 after 3 quarters. Coconut Riddick scored another rushing touchdown in the 4th quarter and the Southern Democratic States won 24-7. With 30 seconds remaining, United We Stand 123 were at the 1 yard line on a 2nd and goal and instead of running the ball Quarter Back #1 tried to pass but the ball was intercepted by Konrad Juszczyk. United We Stand 123's head coach just called the worst ever play in a world bowl. Clifford Jenkins finished the game with 16 passes completed on 22 attemps for 208 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interception. Coconut Riddick ran 24 times for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns.

BOXSCORE

1st quarter
SDS: TOUCHDOWN by Coconut Riddick (12 yards run)
Extra Point by Crockett Burkhead good 6:28
2nd quarter
UwS 123: TOUCHDOWN by Wide Receiver #3 (21 yards pass by Quarter Back #1)
Extra Point by Kicker #1 good 9:18
3rd quarter
SDS: TOUCHDOWN by Demarcus Woods (38 yards pass by Clifford Jenkins)
Extra Point by Crockett Burkhead good 12:31
SDS: FIELD GOAL by Crockett Burkhead (28 yards) 2:17

4th quarter
SDS: TOUCHDOWN by Coconut Riddick (3 yards run)
Extra Point by Crockett Burkhead good 8:48

[Thereisnogodistan]

CRESCENT NEWS NETWORK
SPORTS CHANNEL - OFFICIAL WEBSITE

THEREISNOGODISTAN SNATCHES VICTORY FROM JAWS OF DEFEAT AGAINST AYNARD
By Ilham Mezukov

FOUNTAIN CITY, AYNARD - After a massive 57-3 blowout loss against Estenia, Thereisnogodistan came very close to tallying yet another loss, and it was only thanks to kicker Einion Evans that they managed to edge out the unranked Aynardians (am I correct?) with a field goal in literally the last seconds of the game.

The game started off well for the Atheists, with Harrison Aumann throwing to Von Colone for a 4-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Aynard kicker Peter Duprey made a field goal in the second quarter from 39 yards, which was eventually answered by Einion Evans by a 24-yard field goal. In the third quarter, Duprey made yet another field goal, and in the fourth quarter he scored two in quick succession to give Aynard a slim two-point lead. With the clock running down, Thereisnogodistan tried to advance as far as they could, but they were eventually stopped at the 50-yard line on 4th and 4. However, instead of punting, coach Francois-Michel Nkong'o decided to go for the field goal. Evans had never kicked beyond 40 yards in his entire playing career, but the coach was confident in his kicker's ability to send the handegg through the uprights. And send it through the Welshman did. This victory is the first in Thereisnogodistan's official World Bowl career, and coach Nkong'o is optimistic that more are well on the way.

[Equestrian States]

MATCH DAY 3 RESULTS

Group 1
Holy Republican Empire 10–21 Yttribia
Sereina 7–6 New North Aqmuland

  Group 1                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Yttribia                         3   2  1   37  34  +3    0.667
2 New North Aqmuland               3   2  1   40  10 +30    0.667
3 Holy Republican Empire           3   1  2   36  31  +5    0.333
4 Sereina                          3   1  2    7  45 −38    0.333

Group 2
The Fair Republic 37–17 Timbermunich
Britonisea 15–3 Val Halla

  Group 2                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 The Fair Republic                3   3  0   96  37 +59    1.000
2 Timbermunich                     3   2  1   82  44 +38    0.667
3 Britonisea                       3   1  2   15  65 −50    0.333
4 Val Halla                        3   0  3   30  77 −47    0.000

Group 3
Osarius 13–0 Southern Democratic States
United We Stand 123 14–13 Eritai

  Group 3                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Osarius                          3   3  0   61   0 +61    1.000
2 Southern Democratic States       3   2  1   44  27 +17    0.667
3 United We Stand 123              3   1  2   21  69 −48    0.333
4 Eritai                           3   0  3   20  50 −30    0.000

Group 4
Azrea 6–7 Cosumar
Walamzia 14–6 United States of Devonta

  Group 4                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Cosumar                          3   3  0   71   9 +62    1.000
2 Walamzia                         3   2  1   40  61 −21    0.667
3 United States of Devonta         3   1  2   22  52 −30    0.333
4 Azrea                            3   0  3   35  46 −11    0.000

Group 5
Qocaekia 0–10 San José Guayabal
Ko-oren 10–0 The Greater Vakolicci Haven

  Group 5                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Ko-oren                          3   3  0   16   0 +16    1.000
2 The Greater Vakolicci Haven      3   2  1   22  16  +6    0.667
3 San José Guayabal                3   1  2   16  15  +1    0.333
4 Qocaekia                         3   0  3    0  23 −23    0.000

Group 6
Barunia 14–0 Super-Llamaland
The Babbage Islands 0–20 Taeshan

  Group 6                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Taeshan                          3   2  1   46   7 +39    0.667
2 Super-Llamaland                  3   2  1   37  31  +6    0.667
3 Barunia                          3   2  1   34  29  +5    0.667
4 The Babbage Islands              3   0  3   20  70 −50    0.000

Group 7
Abanhfleft 20–3 Jecatria
Saintland 17–0 Schottia

  Group 7                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Saintland                        3   3  0   37   0 +37    1.000
2 Abanhfleft                       3   2  1   50  26 +24    0.667
3 Schottia                         3   1  2   33  57 −24    0.333
4 Jecatria                         3   0  3   13  50 −37    0.000

Group 8
Wolfbenz 3–19 German Zerabithea
New Nationale Einheit 0–24 Patistan

  Group 8                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 German Zerabithea                3   2  1   29  16 +13    0.667
2 Patistan                         3   2  1   47  10 +37    0.667
3 New Nationale Einheit            3   2  1   20  27  −7    0.667
4 Wolfbenz                         3   0  3    6  49 −43    0.000

Group 9
Teague 10–0 United States of Minton
HopNation 7–0 Coconutstan

  Group 9                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 HopNation                        3   3  0   27   7 +20    1.000
2 Coconutstan                      3   2  1   36  10 +26    0.667
3 Teague                           3   1  2   17  34 −17    0.333
4 United States of Minton          3   0  3    3  32 −29    0.000

Group 10
Karditan 10–0 Gustavpolis
Pacificana Islands 6–3 Kolmya

  Group 10                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Karditan                         3   3  0   37   7 +30    1.000
2 Gustavpolis                      3   1  2   16  13  +3    0.333
3 Kolmya                           3   1  2    6  16 −10    0.333
4 Pacificana Islands               3   1  2   13  36 −23    0.333

Group 11
Jeckland 21–0 Mieraskya
Allamunnic States 17–3 Farlandria

  Group 11                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Allamunnic States                3   3  0   47   9 +38    1.000
2 Jeckland                         3   2  1   53   7 +46    0.667
3 Farlandria                       3   1  2   23  43 −20    0.333
4 Mieraskya                        3   0  3    0  64 −64    0.000

Group 12
Gregoryisgodistan 14–0 Nukehavistan
Sheffland 7–0 DBostick

  Group 12                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Gregoryisgodistan                3   3  0   41   0 +41    1.000
2 Sheffland                        3   1  2   10  23 −13    0.333
3 DBostick                         3   1  2   20  38 −18    0.333
4 Nukehavistan                     3   1  2   27  37 −10    0.333

Group 13
Hambeich 9–0 Zitru
Neu Engollon 0–17 Nassau Hessen

  Group 13                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Nassau Hessen                    3   3  0   63   0 +63    1.000
2 Neu Engollon                     3   2  1   29  40 −11    0.667
3 Hambeich                         3   1  2   19  38 −19    0.333
4 Zitru                            3   0  3   13  46 −33    0.000

Group 14
Estenia 23–7 Aynard
Thereisnogodistan 0–26 Equestrian States

  Group 14                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Equestrian States                3   3  0   53   0 +53    1.000
2 Estenia                          3   2  1   80  24 +56    0.667
3 Thereisnogodistan                3   1  2   16  95 −79    0.333
4 Aynard                           3   0  3   19  49 −30    0.000

Group 15
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 40–0 Estope
Gregoryisgodistan Special Administrative Zone 10–6 Vermark

  Group 15                       Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 Royal Kingdom of Quebec          3   3  0   90   7 +83    1.000
2 Estope                           3   2  1   47  50  −3    0.667
3 G.S.A.Z.                         3   1  2   17  57 −40    0.333
4 Vermark                          3   0  3   16  56 −40    0.000

[The Royal Kingdom of Quebec]

Royal Kingdom of Quebec National Collegiate Gridiron Team

Base Formation: Variable (Offense), 4-3 (Defense)
Style Modifier: +5
Colors: Blue, Red and Yellow (look at my flag)
Head Coach: Stephane Labadie, 52

Coaching Staff

Head Coach: Stephane Labadie, 52 (Universite St.Croix)
Offensive Coordinator: Louis Kim, 47 (Queen's University)
Defensive Coordinator: Alexis Inumuk, 69 (Nunavut State University)
Special Teams Coordinator: Kieran Hye Seok Gong, 74 (University of Manitoba)
Linebacker Coach: Dalton Donovan, 54 (Farrer University)
Quarterback Coach: Steve McLellan, 43 (Mount Ester University)

Offensive Starters

QB: #9 Jonathan Kennedy (Mount Ester University- Sr)
RB: #21 Louis Fortin-Lefebvre (Universite de Moncton- Jr)
WR: #15 Demetrius Boudreau (Universite du Saguenay- Jr)
WR: #81 Robert Niswayder (Universite St. Croix- Sr)
WR: #10 Frederick Williams (Farrer University- Sr)
TE: #42 Mathieu Chang (Queen's University- Jr)
LT: #52 William-Eric Gareau (Northwestern University- Sr)
LG: #61 Lucas Wolfenden (Nunavut State University- Sr)
C: #72 Consuelo Kim (Western University- Jr)
RG: #78 Ivan Samuelsson (University of Ottawa- Sr)
RT: #69 Devane Chun (University of St.Francis X- Sr)

In Offensive Rotation

RB: #33 Lawrence Bede (Universite St. Croix- Sr)
RB: #40 Andre Fraser (Carleton University- Sr)
WR: #11 Chad Cortez (University of Iqaluit- Jr)
WR: #14 Emeritus Seung Myeok Lee (Queen's University- Sr)
FB: #22 Matthew Kim (Queen's University- Sr)
3DB: #45 Simon Tardif (Universite de Montreal- Jr)
TE: #88 Samuel Iafrate (University of Manitoba- Sr)

Defensive Starters

LE: #70 David Quentin-Nobbs (Farrer University- Sr)
DT: #92 Demetrius Lee (Nunavut State University- Jr)
DT: #94 Dalton Ihanza (Bishop's University- So)
RE: #95 Gary Lebeaueme (Abitibi Institute of Technology- Sr)
LOLB: #96 Ted Maharaj-Stevenson (Mount Allison University- Jr)
LILB: #55 Connor Talbot (University of New Brunswick- Sr)
RILB: #57 Garth Chang (Universite de Montreal- So)
ROLB: #58 Samuel Parkes (St.Mary's University- Sr)
CB: #42 Jazz Sainvill (Farrer University- Sr)
CB: #31 Hyeon Min Nam (Northwestern University- Jr)
FS: #28 Kolo Adekele (Universite de Montreal- Sr)
SS: #27 Juan Iglesias (Samseonryeong College- Sr)

In Defensive Rotation

DT: #98 Jarome Diaby (University of Guelph- Sr)
Rush LB: #99 Gavin Lee (University of Iqaluit- Sr)
Nickel: #22 Herbert Chen (Farrer University- Sr)
Dime: #23 Jeremy Thouin (Membertou University- Sr)

Special Teams

K: #3 Yaya Adekele (Universite de Gaspe- Sr)
P: #15 Kevin Sanderson (University of Kingston- Sr)
Long Snap: #5 Min Seob Gong (Universite St.Croix- So)
KR/PR: #6 Trey Anderson (Universite du Saguenay- Fr)
PR: #7 Blyth Hardie (Queen's University- Sr)
Kick Cover: #8 Jean-Luc Bellair (Mount Ester University- Sr)
Kick Cover: #19 Mike Andrews (Central Honam University- So)

Backups

QB: #4 Spencer Richard (Universite St. Croix- So)
QB: #00 Clint Hyun (Mount Allison University- Sr)
RB: #26 Sang Taek Shim (University of Guelph- Sr)
WR: #43 Ethan Telfair (University of Iqaluit- So)
WR: #49 Boris-Abudou Haidara (Universite St.Croix- Jr)
TE: #44 Spencer Yim (Carleton University- Jr)
OT: #76 Patrick Richards (Samseonryeong College- Sr)
OT: #77 Freddie Beaumont-Richard (Universite de Moncton- Sr)
OG: #78 Gilbert Anderson (Bishop's University- Sr)
OG: #54 Milos Zacha (Queen's University- Sr)
C: #53 Marc-Antoine Landry (Universite de Montreal- Sr)
DE: #72 Clint Matterhall (Northwestern University- Jr)
DT: #90 Tristan Lamarque (Universite St.Croix- Jr)
DT: #91 Patrik Huus (Universite du Saguenay- Sr)
OLB: #51 Mathieu Korpikoski (University of Newfoundland- Sr)
OLB: #53 Tristan Burke-Ishongawa (Universite St.Croix- So)
S: #20 Craig Marchand (Nunavut State University- Sr)
S: #37 Hak Gyu Odell (University of Manitoba- Sr)
K: #1 Yvan Chung (Northwestern University- Sr)
P: #12 Chase Letourneau (University of Attawapiskat- Sr)


RP Permissions
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
Godmod injuries: Y
Godmod other events: No Killing or permanent dismemberment or anything like that. Otherwise, have fun

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Gregoryisgodistan 14–0 Nukehavistan

Grid Slaves Maintain Shutout Streak Against Nukehavistan

Gregoryisgodistan has maintained its shutout streak against Nukehavistan, winning 14-0 thanks to two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. After a scoreless first three quarters in which the Grid Slaves forced four turnovers but failed to score, Enemy Crusher Carl Paladino blocked a punt with 13:19 left in the fourth quarter, which was recovered by Military SuperGeneral Peter Smithbergs and run back 21 yards for a touchdown. The Grid Slaves celebrated by crushing all 200 of Nukehavistan's visiting fans. It was a glorious celebration for them as the Nukehavistan fans begged for mercy but received none. Then the Gregoryisgodistani fans raised a banner saying "NUKE NUKEHAVISTAN" as Mathematics Teacher 2737ASH nailed the extra point. That made it 7-0 and the fans were already going wild.

Later, with 7:02 left, Nukehavistan was inside the Gregoryisgodistan 1 with second and goal. For some inexplicable reason, the coach decided to line up in the shotgun with four wide receivers and throw a pass. Perhaps he expected Gregoryisgoditan to defend the run, but if so, there's a reason he expected them to do that. They had four chances to get one yard on the ground. Indeed, Gregoryisgodistan was lined up in a goal line defense with seven defensive linemen, three linebackers, and only one defensive back. The Nukehavistani quarterback threw a pass that was picked off at the goal line by the seldom-used Enemy Crusher Surly Paladino, who read the route perfectly. Enemy Crusher Surly Paladino saw open field in front of him and immediately tried to run full speed ahead. For an Enemy Crusher, especially a backup one, that wasn't much, but the play was so mangled he was immediately able to get into the open field. Several Nukehavistanis eventually reversed field and chased after him and one receiver seemed about to tackle him at midfield before Enemy Crusher Porky Fatana delivered a beautiful block. This allowed Enemy Crusher Surly Paladino to return the interception 99 yards for a touchdown. Enemy Crusher Surly Paladino previously had only two career tackles in the World Bowl, so this was certainly his biggest play ever. The kicker added the extra point to make it 14-0 and with that, the game was pretty much over.

Nukehavistan would turn it over once more, with three minutes remaining, after Enemy Crusher Carl Paladino walloped the quarterback and knocked the ball loose before Enemy Crusher Jurgen von Streudel fell on it at his own 30. Gregoryisgodistan would get a couple first downs on the ground then run out the clock, much to the delight of the assembled fans who had witnessed the Grid Slaves' third straight shutout. It was an absolutely glorious moment for them and certainly cause for celebration. Gregoryisgodistan was 3-0. Nobody else in their group was better than 1-2. They could easily, and indeed should, go through this group undefeated. Barring a collapse, they were going to win the group and get a Pot 1 seed, but the exact record mattered due to the weird format. They needed to finish in the top 16 overall between the first and second group stages, and a 6-0 record here would certainly help that.

[Estenia]

A stay at the haunted hotel
Chapter 1: The Visit

Darsev, Moronin Republic, Estenia
2200 local time, Weather 28 celsius
Location: Andriyas Street, Hotel Marauder

"Damn, it's very hot in here, I miss the swamps of the East the cold weather all time long and the 21 celsius that made us swim into a lake." said Maria, not a local of the region, she was an 18 year old woman, not knowing that her life was going to change... damn I cannot fix my RP, to be continued.

[Timbermunich]

Timbermunich Lore

World Bowl XXV
Spring

SPRING also brings a rare phenomenon to Timbermunich. The spectacle involves the TimberHeart, the life force driving all of Timbermunich, and it truly is something special. The occurrence can only be witnessed by the Greats and to this date has never been seen by a mortal of any kind.

Within the Heart of the Grove where the TimberHeart grows SPRING time life has sprung. The earth glows brighter with a quickening pace from the first of SPRING to the last before SUMMER. This pace starts very slow as the final ice of WINTER melts away and the power can be felt as it radiates up the Buttress into the trunk and flows out through each and every leaf as it sheds its power to the rest of Timbermunich. Near the end of SPRING, just before the first day of SUMMER, the TimberHeart seems to constantly glow in glorious light that ranges from a brilliant white to a spectacular illuminating blue. As the surge of energy reaches the tips of each leaf they wave outward with their release and only during this time can the force be seen in the air as it reaches out to the surrounding Great TimberOaks before being absorbed and distributed throughout the lands.

During the entire SPRING the Greats can feel the power emanating from the tree as it fills them with even more strength than they normally have. Using this extra power SPRING is a time when new Greats are often found within the common of Timbermunich (not that it is the only time), so great care is taken to feel and listen to the TimberHeart as its pulsating pace increases a little each day.

Truly the magic of the season, SPRING.

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Timbermunich Tables

World Bowl XXV
Group 2

Stage 1
				Game 1				Game 2					Game 3					.
Team				Oppenent		Result		Oppenent		Result		Oppenent		Result
Val Halla (139)			Timbermunich		7-29		The Fair Republic	20-33		Britonisea		3-15
The Fair Republic (13)		Britonisea		26-0		Val Halla		33-20		Timbermunich		37-17
Britonisea (125)		The Fair Republic	0-26		Timbermunich		0-36		Val Halla		15-3
Timbermunich (28)		Val Halla		29-7		Britonisea		36-0		The Fair Republic	17-37

				Game 4					Game 5				Game 6					.
Team				Oppenent		Result		Oppenent		Result		Oppenent		Result
Val Halla (139)			Timbermunich				The Fair Republic			Britonisea		
The Fair Republic (13)		Britonisea				Val Halla				Timbermunich		
Britonisea (125)		The Fair Republic			Timbermunich				Val Halla		
Timbermunich (28)		Val Halla				Britonisea				The Fair Republic	



  Group 2                        Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD    Win %
1 The Fair Republic                3   3  0   96  37 +59    1.000
2 Timbermunich                     3   2  1   82  44 +38    0.667
3 Britonisea                       3   1  2   15  65 -50    0.333
4 Val Halla                        3   0  3   30  77 -47    0.000

[HopNation]

apologies for any omissions or errors, if there are any please TG me so I can update/change them.

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HopNation Sports

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2-3HDT|15|v.034

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WORLD Bowl RECAPS

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Well we’ve managed to get through the first three games with little to no harm, which is where we need to be. I’d, for one, like to see our +- a bit better than it currently is especially if we want to be near the top of any overall table we are placed into. I can’t say that I’m overly surprised with the results so far, I mean look at our team and how they play. They rely on heavy defensive efforts to simply not allow points against us, while we place little to no emphasis on our offensive side. Sure we have some good players on the offensive side of things, but I’m not so sure they are multiverse class yet. They have come a long way since our very first World Bowl and they do excel in our HFL, they just have some more learning and skill building to do before I consider them multiverse class.

For instance, look at our last match against Coconutstan, we held them to just 87 yards of offense and 140 total yards (I think a record for the Malts). We also held them scoreless, not even letting them get within field goal range. However, we only score 7 points and that was done by our Malt Marauders on defense. We might have had 278 yards of offensive production (ground and air) and 380 yards of total production, but we just aren’t doing good things with the ball when need to. We put ourselves in the red zone 5 times and not once could we get the ball into the end zone, missing a field goal, fumbling once, and throwing three interceptions. We even had a punt return of 68 yards that put us in scoring range for Anderson Gouldie but his attempt hit the upright for a miss. AP Goreyou had two fumbles, while Bradanning threw four pics, so you can see why I think our offense needs some improvements. The Malt Marauders on the other hand caused three turnovers of their own and scored the games only points with a pic-six in the third quarter. I’ve got no issues with them as they continue to play extremely well when they are on the field. Maybe we should have them play both sides of the ball to score more points.

Eh, either way we are sitting in a good position and should look to match our first half of Stage 1 and finish 6-0. The other three teams of this group have taken their respective roles so far. I suspect that they will be playing even harder in the second half so anything can and probably will happen, but I still stick by my prediction and we’ll finish stage one in our current order on the tables. Then fate will shuffle us into a new group where we will need to prepare for anything.

Until next edition, Let’s Go Malts!
Brew On! Brew Well Hoptonians!
Ringwald Griffinsmith
HopNation Sports Writer

[Osarius]

Marius Rodgers exhaled slowly as he straightened his legs, pushing the weight upward. His breath hissed between his teeth as his muscles strained. "Come on, bro! You got this! One more rep!" His older brother, Gregorius always helped him with weights. Like practically everyone else in the family, Greg was an elite athlete; he'd won several medals in regional weightlifting competitions, and had even gone as far as trying to claim Aquilliano citizenship via their grandmother to enter the Rushmori Games a few years ago. Marius pushed out, encouraged by his brother's shouts.

Almost as soon as he was stood upright, Marius felt the weight lifted off his shoulders. Greg had it, and was slowly placing it on the mat. He made it look easy.

"New record, little bro! Four-sixty-five!"

Marius flinched at the "little". "Yeah, still not enough though."

"You'll get there, man. You're already in the top ten in the league for squat, right?"

"Yeah, but Alex is still beast." Marius replied, bitterly reflecting on his main rival for reps in the national team. Hayes was an athletic freak, everyone knew it. The guy squatted just under five hundred pounds, and was the leading power back in the country.

"He's got a headstart, bro. You'll catch him." Greg slapped a huge hand down on Marius' shoulder. "Wanna go find the others? D and Jon are probably sparring, always worth a watch, now that Jon is a serious contender."

"Yeah I heard he had a couple possible title shots coming up in the Champions' Carnival this year." Jonathan had risen to the top of the Osarian Combat Federation's wrestling rankings fairly quickly, and was well on his way to becoming a four-weight champion. "Has he managed to beat D yet?"

"Nope. Darion is still too quick for him. Jon hasn't figured that out though. Keeps coming to me for help bulking up." Greg laughed.

Marius hadn't seen most of his brothers in a long time, and started counting off his brothers in his head as he asked about them. "Amadeus back from camp?" Amadeus was the oldest, and a player/coach at Kart Hago Gladiators, one of the nation's leading GraviBall teams.

"No, I think they come back next week. Season starts end of the month. Benaiah is out there with them, too. Biggest bro got him a contract."

"Seriously?!"

"Yeah, I know, right? B's injury trouble doesn't worry them, apparently. Got a huge contract."

Marius whistled long and low. "Wish he could have got me a hookup like that, would make a lot more money playing GraviBall."

"Yeah but you've always played gridiron. Not really big enough for GraviBall anyway, little bro." Greg ruffled his hair, or would have, if it was long enough. "Not your fault you're the runt of the litter."

Marius scowled and slapped Greg's hand away. Greg in particular seemed to enjoy rubbing in the fact that he was the youngest of Reigner Rodgers' seven sons. As if it wasn't bad enough that he was constantly compared to his brothers all the time anyway.

"Sooo... what about Fulvius?" Marius paused, double checking to make sure he hadn't missed anyone. "Is he still wrestling over in Aquillian?" Wrestling in Aquillian was strange. It was like professional wrestling in that there were similar rules, and storylines developed outside the ring, but the matches were fought seriously. They didn't 'book' the results

"Yep. Still the undefeated 'Demonio Rojo', still the number one tecnico, still tags with Darion sometimes, actually."

"Didn't realise D still went over for luchas."

"Yeah, he's winding down, though. Moving into coaching for a couple OCF stables. Heard Henchman Factory were after him at one point, actually."

"Wow, that's huge!" Henchman Factory were a well-known boxing and martial arts gym in Osarius, owned by the legendary Osarian heavyweight boxing champion, Olufemi Kone. They'd produced several champions in multiple organisations, and if Darion got involved with them, he'd probably be set for life as wrestling coach. "Has he mentioned it?"

"He's keeping quiet, but I think it's because they want him to move up to Fourge, and he wants to take a role in Tubriss."

"Man, I miss so much stuff while I'm away for the gridiron season." Marius lamented. He spent six months a year with his team in Yurendam, down in southern Tubriss. Most of the family still worked in or near Cartagena, in the north. While on international duty, the team tended to hold training in Cartagena -- because the head coach was based there, luckily for Marius -- so he could visit his family more. Otherwise, he didn't see them much outside holidays.

"You gotta do what you gotta do, bro. We've all got our hustles. You're doing great."

"Ehh... I dunno. I've hardly had any snaps in the World Bowl so far."

"Yeah but you're on the roster. And you'll get more reps now the team is three-and-oh, Saint will rest the regular starters a bit more, won't he?"

"Hope so." Marius muttered. "You coming to the next home game?"

"Couple weeks, right?"

"Yeah, Eritai. Decent defense, should be a good test for us. Had trouble getting yards against them last time."

"Weren't you running behind the backup offensive line, though?"

"Yeah but-"

"You need to stop selling yourself short, Marius." Greg's tone suddenly got serious as he cut him off. "I get it, you're the baby, you feel like you have a lot to live up to. That was me for a while, remember? Don't let it weigh on you. Just do what you do, we're proud anyway. My son has six amazing uncles, just like we do. Nobody looks down on Uncle Teagan because he's not an athlete and writes poetry instead."

Marius was stunned into silence, and didn't speak again as they kept walking.

* * * * *

Yurendam's impressive runningback Marius Rodgers, who has made it into the Osarius national gridiron roster, coming off a strong rookie season -- or at least something resembling a season, given the continuing shambolic state of the OSAGIF League -- is tipped by many to eventually relieve current workhorse Alexander Hayes of much of his load, but the youngster from Cartagena is yet to live up to the hype in the red, black and gold.

In each of Osarius' three impressive games so far in this World Bowl cycle, Rodgers is yet to take more than a handful of touches, averaging just five carries and a little over twenty yards per game. In fairness to the youngster, the dual threat backfield of Hayes and Poynter has been superb so far, totalling just under four hundred and fifty rushing yards between them through three games. With Harrison Ryan remaining a reliable option on third down and in some goalline situations, Rodgers' opportunities have been limited.

For Yurendam, he exhibited his strength as a downhill back, ploughing through defensive lines of other, notoriously physical Crown Coast conference teams like Kart Hago and Burningham, earning him a reputation similar to that of Hayes' as a rookie. "He's got all the tools, just needs a little polishing, I think." His unit coach at Yurendam, Adrian Mendoza said. "He's hard to stop once he gets going, and has a nice, explosive first step. Sometimes he makes the wrong decision, but this will come with experience. I'm a little surprised he hasn't had more chances with the Firebirds, but they haven't dominated the scoreboard so I understand."

Rodgers' main rival in the team, Alexander Hayes, was also complimentary. "Marius is a good guy to have in the team, he can definitely step in and do what needs to be done if I'm not in there." Hayes conceded. "I'm just glad I'm not the one having to make decisions on who gets to play. We have five really good backs, and it's just unlucky for Marius in a way, that he's the youngest, the least experienced, so he's going to get left out the most perhaps."

The team's performances through the first half of qualifying have been impressive, as Camacho's defensive unit have managed three straight shutouts, and old concerns about the run seem to have been quieted considerably. "I'm not sure we can say we've fixed those problems," Camacho admitted, regarding the Firebirds' traditional issues with run defense. "But we're looking good. Maybe against tougher opposition, we'll see just how far off we are."

The Firebirds' toughest game of the first qualifying section is next up, a trip to Southern Democratic States, who look most likely to put points on the board. With Osarius not looking their old, ruthless selves in the red zone, defensive solidity -- coupled with a running game that consistently moves the chains -- has been their main strength so far. If the home team get some points on the board this time around, we could well get to see what Leon Saint's side are really made of.

[Walamzia]

Walamzia Wins

Walamzia won 14-6 in their first game at the Vrankel Motors Stadium in Calacea against the United States of Devonta. While we got to see the dynamic duo return to a football field, Ashley Tyler made little impact in the game, securing 2 receptions for a total of 10 yards. He did not do too much else as Coach Taylor did not put him in unless the offense ran a 4-receiver set. Coach Taylor spoke with Francis Coleman after the game on that subject, plus the subject of playing in front of a home crowd.

FC: Coach, I know it's hard to hear me now with all the celebrating, but what was the defining moment of this game for you?
BT: That we fought hard and got the win at home when we needed to.
FC: How was Ashley Tyler's presence in the locker room today?
BT: First, I'd like to personally thank him for coming on such short notice. Second, he played as well as I could've expected, all things considered. Wazza's back tomorrow, so it'll be a tough test for us.
FC: You have that confirmation for us?
BT: What did I just say? Of course I have confirmation.
FC: alright, thank you!

[Allamunnic States]

Allamunnic States Daily
Sports Section - World Bowl XXV Coverage

Regulars dispatch Farlandria
Win puts Regulars alone in first at 3-0

In front of a sell-out crowd in Staalburg, the Regulars started their three-game home stand by dismantling Farlandria (1-2) to move them to 3-0 and widen their lead in Group 11. The win sets up a high-stakes game in Dunnmaar against Jeckland (2-1), with the group being the winner's to lose, and with the Regulars able to clinch the group outright with a win and a Farlandria loss.

Farlandria tried to seize the momentum early using the element of surprise; after winning the coin toss, Farlandria's captains elected to defer to receive the second half kick-off. Then, on the opening kick-off, sprang an on-side kick on the Regulars. The return team was caught completely by surprise, and Farlandria was able to recover the ball at the Allamunnic 49. They were able to march down the field with the momentum firmly on their side until a defensive stand at the Allamunnic 21 forced them to settle for a 38-yard field goal to take an early lead, 3-0.

The Allamunnic offense struggled in the first half, after getting the ball back. In an odd case of regression, the Regulars came out attempting to throw the ball with only occasional runs to balance out the pass. They actually moved the ball reasonably-effectively until Bryndyn Harlaw tossed an end zone interception from the 8 to cut short a drive they had started at their own 26. The two teams spent the rest of the first quarter, and much of the second trading punts, with the Allamunnae out-gaining Farlandria 93 to 78.

Then, on their fourth possession since the interception, the Regulars looked primed to repeat the same futility. Until Harlaw bobbled the snap, and was sacked almost immediately, crumpling to the ground with a sickening crunch. Harlaw was helped off the field and taken to the locker-room, and Leif Eriksunn stepped in for the injured signal caller.

By all accounts the play-calling was almost the exact same, except that Eriksunn repeatedly called audibles to shift plays from pass to run. Suddenly the Allamunnic offense took over, ripping off chunks of yardage to move down the field. As time expired in the half, the Regulars settled for a field-goal as the final seconds ticked off, with Justyn Kynyks' 28-yarder tying the game at 3-3.

Once again, head coach Baeryk Vaalburger found offensive coordinator Torren Waalturs before going into the locker room at the half. When they came out, the Regulars kicked the ball off to Farlandria and promptly forced a three-and-out. A punt gave the Regulars the ball at their own 31. The offense took the field, and Vaalburger sent in the play-call to Eriksunn.

The Regulars promptly marched down the field on a twelve-play, 69-yard drive that culminated in a 1-yard dive where Graagur Baaltrsunn found the end zone to give the Regulars a 10-3 lead. Thereafter, the two teams traded punts, but where the Farlandrians were generally held to three-and-outs, the Regulars frequently managed to move the ball twenty or thirty yards before punting to pin the Farlandrians deep, running down the clock. Over the next 36 plays, the Regulars ran on 31, only throwing five passes (almost exclusively on third-downs), all but one of which Eriksunn completed.

Midway in the fourth quarter, the Regulars managed to put together another long drive, however, starting from their own twenty. Again, the Regulars did most of their damage on the ground, although with the ground game now reestablished, Leif Eriksunn was able to take advantage of the occasional play-action. Over fourteen plays, the Regulars ran on 9 and passed on 5 (all completions, although for relatively short yardage). The drive actually ended on a six yard scamper by Anna Eriklunn on a draw play. After Kynyks' PAT, the Regulars had their solid 14-point lead, and they were able to end a promising Farlandrian drive on a Junn Tanner interception before running out the clock with the back-ups in.

The running game was, once again, the strongest part of the offense, with Graagur Baaltrsunn rushing 17 times for 79 yards and a touchdown, while Daanyl Wyndhorst rushed 12 times for 61 yards. Anna Eriklunn also rushed 7 times for 36 yards and a touchdown, while Brandt Hendriks rushed 4 times for 14 yards. Through the air, Bryndyn Harlaw went 5/10 for 78 yards with an interception (and rushed twice for 5 yards), while Leif Eriksunn went 7/9 for 82 yards. Maarkus Staalhelm, Baeryk Skarrsunn, and Kyl Waalturs finished tied for the team lead with 6 tackles each. Danley Vicious recorded his fourth and fifth sacks of the tournament. Junn Tanner grabbed his first interception of the tournament.

The biggest story after the game, once again, was the offense. After Vaalburger was observed calling plays, it was widely speculated that Waalturs might be fired in the following week. Asked about the incident after the game, Vaalburger told reporters "We'll see what develops. We definitely need to evaluate our offensive strategy going into the game against Jeckland. We can't afford another slow start," he said with a shrug. "We'll keep you posted, if we remember."

The announcement was also made that Eriksunn would remain the starter at quarterback. "He came in and played well for us today," Vaalburger said. "There's no need to rush Bryndyn [Harlaw] back when Leif [Eriksunn] is perfectly capable of carrying the load."

The win sets up a high-profile match-up in Dunnmaar. Forecasts are for steady snow on the day of the game, although accumulation should be no more than a couple of inches. The Regulars are not taking any chances with their preparation, as they needed a late defensive touchdown to defeat Jeckland on the road earlier in Group 11 play.

[The Fair Republic]

The Fair Republic Toucans, facing their biggest test versus 28th ranked Timbermunich had to play a great game on the defensive side of the ball in order to defeat the high octane LumberKings attack. They won 37-17 and the Toucans finished the 1st half of the 1st group a perfect 3-0. Facing a hostile crowd the Toucans started off quick with a 75 yard touchdown throw to Gideon Clarke. The LumberKings responded with a pair of touchdown runs by Harry the Broad and a field goal by Kevin the Cleaver to make the score 17-7. Brandon Yarlson responded with a 55 yard field goal to bring the score to 17-10 at the end of the first quarter. Then the Toucans defense settled down and got to work. Vince Adams forced a fumble and Henry Jones ran it back to tie the score up at 17. Then on the very next possession, Djoti Itojda scored off an interception as the Toucans led 24-17 at the half. Two Yarlson field goals from 45 and 32 yards in the 3rd quarter made it 30-17 and Buck Williams had a rare running touchdown in the fourth giving the Toucans a 37-17 lead. Buck Natters admitted he was happy with the Toucans so far but warned that they could lose their lead in a blink of an eye. "It isn't over yet, we lose the next 3 games and we get placed into a bad pot for the 2nd group stage. We have to stay focused if we are going to put us into a position to go deep into the World Bowl."

Scoring Summary:
1st Quarter:
TFR: 75 yard touchdown throw to Gideon Clarke (14:07) 7-0 TFR
TM: 12 yard touchdown run by Harry the Broad (12:12) 7-7
TM: 21 yard touchdown run by Harry the Broad (7:34) 14-7 TM
TM: 43 yard field goal by Kevin the Cleaver (2:01) 17-7 TM
TFR: 55 yard field goal by Brandon Yarlson (0:19) 17-10 TM
2nd Quarter:
TFR: 35 yard fumble recovery by Henry Jones (14:49) 17-17
TFR: 72 yard interception return by Djoti Itoddja (14:33) 24-17 TFR
3rd Quarter:
TFR: 45 yard field goal by Brandon Yarlson (10:01) 27-17 TFR
TFR: 32 yard field goal by Brandon Yarlson (2:45) 30-17 TFR
4th Quarter:
TFR; 4 yard touchdown run by Buck Williams (13:59) 37-17 TFR

[Thereisnogodistan]

CRESCENT NEWS NETWORK
SPORTS CHANNEL - OFFICIAL WEBSITE

DEFEATED AGAIN! EQUESTRIAN STATES TRAMPLES THEREISNOGODISTAN IN WORLD BOWL SHUTOUT
By Ilham Mezukov

THEREISNOGODABAD, FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA - It's an expected loss for the Atheists of Thereisnogodistan against the Equestrian States, but the home crowd was certainly expecting more from their team than a pitiful shutout. Once the talking horses won the coin toss, the game was pretty much theirs already.

In the first quarter, Pegasus quarterback Score (yes, that's his real name) threw a pass to human running back John Erwin (looks like they've got humans on their team too for whatever reason) for a 9-yard touchdown. The second quarter saw a field goal from kicker Blackstone (who according to the EQS roster is an Earth Pony, whatever that means) from an astounding 60 yards! If you've ever seen a horse kick somebody, then you'll know how this Earth Pony made a 60-yard field goal. Nothing of importance happened in the third quarter, except that Thereisnogodistan came awfully close to scoring a field goal of their own, only for Einion Evans' shot to just go the wrong way beyond the uprights. And then, in the fourth quarter, sensing that the Thereisnogodistani defense was beginning to falter, the Equestrians took full advantage and landed two touchdowns, and then opting for the two-point conversion both times. In the end, Thereisnogodistan lost in front of a 12,000-strong home crowd 26-0, and their chances of qualifying for the World Bowl itself is looking more doubtful by the day. But coach Francois-Michel Nkong'o doesn't look to be as perturbed by this loss as when Thereisnogodistan lost against Estenia.

"Our college's intent was just to get some experience in the international field before we are finally integrated into the Fleftic NCAA," he said in an interview. "So it's not a really big loss if we're eliminated from the qualifiers already."

[Barunia]

Ignatius Mori had been given the task of coaching the Sea Cows. Well, it was to be expected really. It had been his idea, after all, to join the tournament. Hard to believe it had all started with a conversation in a pub.

It had been the George, only half a block away from the Department of Sport's head office in Porthaven. All the guys from the department went there for drinks after works. Ignatius had been to the Department on business, seeking more funding for the rugby program he ran at Karl Marx University. He hadn't gotten it, of course - the usual line of "but you already have sufficient funding for your needs" had been trotted out. Ignatius disagreed of course, but what was he to do? He'd written off his funding bid as a lost cause, and decided to ease his troubles with a quick pint before heading home.

He ran into Clancy Griffin at the pub. He knew Clancy a little bit, because Clancy had worked in the department that funded community sports projects like Ignatius's university rugby program. The two men exchanged pleasantries, and Ignatius asked Clancy what he had been up to lately. Clancy explained that he had moved to the International sports department, which handled the various national teams that represented Barunia. Ignatius remarked that that sounded interesting, and Clancy responded that it was actually pretty dull.

As far as Ignatius could recall, the conversation went something like this:
"It's pretty dull," said Clancy, sipping his beer. "Barunia doesn't participate in a lot of sports, so there isn't many competitions to handle."
Ignatius handed the bartender the cash for his pint. "I thought Barunia were heavily involved in international sports?" he asked Clancy.
"The problem isn't that we don't have the teams, it's the lack of competitions. We've got one of the best hockey teams in the world, but the last World Championship of Field Hockey was over a decade ago. There is a distinct lack of international interest for the sports we like."

Ignatius took a swig of his beer, allowing Clancy to continue.
"I've actually been tasked with exploring new avenues, new sports for Barunia to compete in."
Ignatius put his beer down.
"Ever considered rugby?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't have much of an international presence either. Worse, they alternate between League and Union, and as we've only got Union here that means eight years between competitions."
"Pity. Are you sure you wouldn't consider it?"
"Maybe, but right now I'm looking at the big five. Wondering if we could teach our hockey players to skate."
"What's the big five?"
"Well, there's football of course. The biggest one, and the only one we actually do compete in. Wish I handled the Suns, but only the best guys get to touch them. The others are Basketball, Baseball, Ice Hockey and Gridiron."

Ignatius took another drink. "Gridiron," he said, "thats kind of like rugby, isn't it?"
Clancy looked surprised. "Well, yeah, I suppose."
"Why not send a rugby team there?"
"Well, because it's not rugby, really. It's actually very different!"
"Well, if it's got to be one of the big five, then you'll have to adapt anyway. You'll have more chance going from rugby to gridiron then field to ice hockey."
"You have a point. But we'd need players, and gridiron has no presence here."
"Well, get rugby players, like I said. Maybe not just rugby. We're looking for talent, there are plenty of guys out there with the skills it would take. When's the next tournament anyway?"
"About six months time."
"A month to find them, five months to train them. It could work."
"It could. You know, I should run with this. I might head back up the office and start on a proposal right away."
"You want a hand with that, give us a call. Here's my number." Ignatius scribbled his number down on the reverse of a cardboard bar coaster. Clancy nodded and put it in his pocket. Downing the rest of his beer, he shook hands with Ignatius and exited the bar.