[LRF] URSA Sevens 2

[Lisander]

Cutoff for round 3.

[Lisander]

Round 3

Pool A - URSA Park
Hutanjia 43–7 Northwestern Kalactin
Mattijana 0–38 Elejamie
Alpine Union 29–14 Kita-Hinode

Pool A                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Elejamie                     3   3  0  0  100  29 +71    9
2 Alpine Union                 3   2  1  0   72  45 +27    8
3 Hutanjia                     3   2  0  1   88  43 +45    7
4 Mattijana                    3   1  1  1   36  72 −36    6
5 Kita-Hinode                  3   0  0  3   43  72 −29    3
6 Northwestern Kalactin        3   0  0  3   29 107 −78    3

Pool B - St. Helen's Park
Natanians and Nosts 31–7 Velstrania
The Kiaser Colonies 0–39 Frenline Delpha
Alice Bay 38–14 Al Qurija

Pool B                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Frenline Delpha              3   3  0  0   98  19 +79    9
2 Natanians and Nosts          3   2  0  1   70  40 +30    7
3 The Kiaser Colonies          3   2  0  1   73  56 +17    7
4 Alice Bay                    3   1  1  1   67  61  +6    6
5 Velstrania                   3   0  1  2   33  83 −50    4
6 Al Qurija                    3   0  0  3   28 110 −82    3

Pool C - URSA Park
Neu Engollon 43–7 Greater Vakolicci Haven
Islana Lunigo 12–26 Abanhfleft
Darmen 38–12 Aquitayne

Pool C                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Darmen                       3   3  0  0  109  31 +78    9
2 Abanhfleft                   3   3  0  0   90  54 +36    9
3 Neu Engollon                 3   2  0  1  104  45 +59    7
4 Islana Lunigo                3   1  0  2   45  67 −22    5
5 Aquitayne                    3   0  0  3   31 104 −73    3
6 Greater Vakolicci Haven      3   0  0  3   40 118 −78    3

Pool D - St. Helen's Park
Bvriania 15–17 Copper Cuprum
New South Munster 14–22 Lisander
Savojarna 28–14 Filindostan

Pool D                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Lisander                     3   3  0  0   83  33 +50    9
2 Savojarna                    3   2  0  1   66  50 +16    7
3 Copper Cuprum                3   2  0  1   48  60 −12    7
4 Bvriania                     3   1  0  2   46  64 −18    5
5 Filindostan                  3   1  0  2   45  67 −22    5
6 New South Munster            3   0  0  3   46  60 −14    3

[Neu Engollon]

“Hello Neu Engollon and to our international viewers. You’re tuned into the NETV 7 Sports Update and I’m your host, Karl Demais with my co-host, Magda Wertauer, in beautiful URSA or Soria Park in Soria, Lisander."

"Not only are we covering the URSA Sevens tournament where our national sevens teams is taking part, but as part of the overall Lisander Rugby Festival, Neu Engollon is also being represented by three other teams in the LARFC Lions 7s - The NECA All Stars, The BDI All Stars and the AVRU All Stars, which has a heavy roster of foreign nationals that play for Neu Engollon's domestic Alpen Valley Rugby Union, who, while disqualified from playing for the Goats sevens or full fifteen side, were able to sign up for the AVRU All Stars, which many did."

"That's right, Magda. Later on, we'll highlight some of those players playing for the LARFC Lions Sevens teams, but for the moment, let's re-focus on the URSA Sevens portion of the Festival...
Rugby fans, as you know, the Goats sevens squad are duking it out in Pool C right now to try to redeem themselves after a lackluster performance in Burgunden at the AVBF Sevens. They seem to be holding on, but just slightly..."

"Yes, Karl, after a solid win over Aquitayne 40-7, we saw the Goats take a close loss to Abanhfleft. Which might have been expected with the top ranked team."

"They did come back with a triumph over the Greater Vakolicci Haven tonight 43-7, a similar scoreline to the Aquitayne match."

"Alex Renvier kicked it off with his score in the first 3 minutes when a turnover from the GVH fly half was picked up by Usadino and worked towards the outside. Hoerner with the final pass to Renvier who touched it down in the corner of the tryzone. Willi had the conversion, despite a tough angle."

"Next up was Johann Dorff's turn. There was actually a bit of rucking going on with this, which you don't see that often in sevens."

"Not as sustained as it was, no. Dorff made the break and got this one down in the center. Willi again with the magic foot."

"Greater Vakolicci Haven got their small revenge just before the half. Their winger pulling his weight, but then...well, it was just a scoring hey day for the Goats."

"That it was. Paticci, Venmont, Koernsoff, Emmett. Missed the extra points on that last one, but a rare drop goal from Venmont made up for it in the last two minutes."

"It was a bit of a walkover, but not a total shut out. Now we look to the future."

"We just need to see Darmen or Abanhfleft take a loss, or both of them, and Neu Engollon has a shot at moving on from group play. But we also have to see the Goats hold steady and not take another loss."

"I think the toughest competition they have coming up now is Darmen, who while not a pushover, haven't been back in the rugby in general for some time."

"Oh I think it's been long enough that you can't say they're rusty."

"Well, we'll see. After this sponsor break, we'll be back to look more indepth at the LARFC Lions sevens competition and the Neu Engollian contribution to that part of the Festival and tournament."

"Stay tuned and thanks for watching the NETV Sports 7 Update. We'll be back after this..."

[Mattijana]

Dominika Simonic was not a happy woman.

Her team was smarting from a 38-0 rout at the hands of Elejamie and looking destined for a place scrapping for the minor trophies, and world cup qualifying points, unless they could somehow turn around their form and beat 8th ranked team Hutanija and rookies Northwest Kalactin.
There was no shame in losing to Elejamie of course. The world's second-ranked team had been ruthlessly brilliant and were clear tournament favourites. But the manner of defeat, conceding 38 points without reply and exhibiting a number of horrific defensive and handling errors was particularly unforgiveable. Captain Katarina Ljubjevic had already had the unpleasant task of doing the media rounds and had given a typically honest assessment of the performance.

"They're a great-quality side and we knew we had our work cut out before the match, but to not get any points on the board is criminal. Our handling under pressure just wasn't good enough and if you concede that much possession against a team like Elejamie, you're going to get hurt and that's what happened. "

Mical Caerofim was in particularly rampant form for Elejamie, running in 3 of the team's 6 tries and generally looking dynamic and difficult to pin down on the touchline. But as well as individual brilliance, a number of Mattijanan errors whenever they got anywhere near the Elejamie 22 were also culpable for the ugly scoreline.

"We've still got a couple of big matches left to play including Hutanija. We're keen to get one back on them after the AVBFs, so that should be a competitive match and we want to post a big score against Northwest Kalactin as well. We've got a lot of work to do in training tomorrow morning before the next match, but we're very keen to hit back as I'm sure you understand."

Although the scoreboard didn't look too bad after the first two matches, a draw with the Alpine Union and a win over Kita-Hinode, the performances, particularly in the 17-15 win in match two, had been brutally underwhelming. A tight 24-19 loss to Elejamie in Neu Engollon at the AVBF tournament had provided hope for the Mattijanan team going into the third match, but the first 5 minutes had quashed that.

With pressure mounting, particularly due to the importance of the world cup qualifying campaign, the slide in form would have to be arrested. Yet with short turn-rounds between matches, which were usually used for recuperation, she would only have around an hour's session before the next match to try and turn things around.

Psychologically, her team would have to take their weight. Play under defensive pressure had been especially poor in the tournament so far. She had a couple of changes in the pipeline. Jelena Dragovic was to come in for Danil Pecirep at hooker and kevin Xhaka would replace Jessika Vrisilic at fly-half. Other players would need to up their game.

Bring on match 4.

[Lisander]

Cutoff for Round 4.

[Lisander]

Round 4

Pool A
Northwestern Kalactin 26–26 Kita-Hinode
Elejamie 19–21 Alpine Union
Hutanjia 26–14 Mattijana

Pool A                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Alpine Union                 4   3  1  0   93  64 +29   11
2 Elejamie                     4   3  0  1  119  50 +69   10
3 Hutanjia                     4   3  0  1  114  57 +57   10
4 Mattijana                    4   1  1  2   50  98 −48    7
5 Kita-Hinode                  4   0  1  3   69  98 −29    5
6 Northwestern Kalactin        4   0  1  3   55 133 −78    5

Pool B
Velstrania 31–12 Al Qurija
Frenline Delpha 38–5 Alice Bay
Natanians and Nosts 12–24 The Kiaser Colonies

Pool B                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Frenline Delpha              4   4  0  0  136  24 +112   12
2 The Kiaser Colonies          4   3  0  1   97  68 +29   10
3 Natanians and Nosts          4   2  0  2   82  64 +18    8
4 Alice Bay                    4   1  1  2   72  99 −27    7
5 Velstrania                   4   1  1  2   64  95 −31    7
6 Al Qurija                    4   0  0  4   40 141 −101    4

Pool C
Greater Vakolicci Haven 24–28 Aquitayne
Abanhfleft 34–0 Darmen
Neu Engollon 32–14 Islana Lunigo

Pool C                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                   4   4  0  0  124  54 +70   12
2 Neu Engollon                 4   3  0  1  136  59 +77   10
3 Darmen                       4   3  0  1  109  65 +44   10
4 Islana Lunigo                4   1  0  3   59  99 −40    6
5 Aquitayne                    4   1  0  3   59 128 −69    6
6 Greater Vakolicci Haven      4   0  0  4   64 146 −82    4

Pool D
Copper Cuprum 24–14 Filindostan
Lisander 28–12 Savojarna
Bvriania 35–14 New South Munster

Pool D                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Lisander                     4   4  0  0  111  45 +66   12
2 Copper Cuprum                4   3  0  1   72  74  −2   10
3 Bvriania                     4   2  0  2   81  78  +3    8
4 Savojarna                    4   2  0  2   78  78   0    8
5 Filindostan                  4   1  0  3   59  91 −32    6
6 New South Munster            4   0  0  4   60  95 −35    4

[Union of Socialist Alpine Republics]

The Alpine Union shocks the world of rugby!

Soria, Lisander - (NAP) The Alpine Union shocked the world of rugby by beating Elejamie 21-19 on matchday 4! Elejamie were dressed in green while the Bisons wore their light blue and white uniform. Elejamie scored first at the 1st minute when Gary Toda crossed the goal line and grounded the ball. The conversion was good and Elejamie were leading 7-0. The Alpines answered back with a try by Jack Banahan at the 3rd minute and the score was 7-7. The Reprezentacja Alpejski scored another try at the 6th minute, thanks to Philipp Schweinsteiger. The conversion by Serge Dusautoir was good and the Alpine Union was leading 14-7 at the halftime.

The Elephants started strong in the 2nd half with a try by David Kramer at the 10th minute. The conversion was succesful and the game was tied at 14-14. The Bisons took the lead at the 12th minute when Alasdair MacIlleMhìcheil scored a try. The Alpines were leading 21-14. At the 14th minute the time expired but Elejamie kept moving the ball forward and Mical Caerofim finally scored a try. Unfortunately for the Elephants, Gary Toda missed the conversion and the Alpine Union won the game 21-19!

The Alpine Union is actually 1st in group A ahead of Elejamie, Hutanjia and Mattijana. On the final matchday the Bisons will play the Spiders while the Elephants will face Kita-Hinode. We can expect Elejamie to bounce back against Kita-Hinode and qualify for the Cup. The winner between Alpine Union and Hutanjia will also qualify for the Cup, while the loser and Mattijana will play for the plate.

[Lisander]

Cutoff for round 5.

[Lisander]

Round 5

Pool A
Mattijana 22–14 Northwestern Kalactin
Alpine Union 19–21 Hutanjia
Kita-Hinode 7–33 Elejamie

Pool A                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Elejamie                     5   4  0  1  152  57 +95   13
2 Hutanjia                     5   4  0  1  135  76 +59   13
3 Alpine Union                 5   3  1  1  112  85 +27   12
4 Mattijana                    5   2  1  2   72 112 −40   10
5 Kita-Hinode                  5   0  1  4   76 131 −55    6
6 Northwestern Kalactin        5   0  1  4   69 155 −86    6

Pool B
The Kiaser Colonies 45–5 Velstrania
Alice Bay 12–29 Natanians and Nosts
Al Qurija 7–38 Frenline Delpha

Pool B                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Frenline Delpha              5   5  0  0  174  31 +143   15
2 The Kiaser Colonies          5   4  0  1  142  73 +69   13
3 Natanians and Nosts          5   3  0  2  111  76 +35   11
4 Alice Bay                    5   1  1  3   84 128 −44    8
5 Velstrania                   5   1  1  3   69 140 −71    8
6 Al Qurija                    5   0  0  5   47 179 −132    5

Pool C
Islana Lunigo 21–17 Greater Vakolicci Haven
Darmen 21–19 Neu Engollon
Aquitayne 5–33 Abanhfleft

Pool C                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                   5   5  0  0  157  59 +98   15
2 Darmen                       5   4  0  1  130  84 +46   13
3 Neu Engollon                 5   3  0  2  155  80 +75   11
4 Islana Lunigo                5   2  0  3   80 116 −36    9
5 Aquitayne                    5   1  0  4   64 161 −97    7
6 Greater Vakolicci Haven      5   0  0  5   81 167 −86    5

Pool D
New South Munster 35–7 Copper Cuprum
Savojarna 12–40 Bvriania
Filindostan 14–24 Lisander

Pool D                     Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Lisander                     5   5  0  0  135  59 +76   15
2 Bvriania                     5   3  0  2  121  90 +31   11
3 Copper Cuprum                5   3  0  2   79 109 −30   11
4 Savojarna                    5   2  0  3   90 118 −28    9
5 New South Munster            5   1  0  4   95 102  −7    7
6 Filindostan                  5   1  0  4   73 115 −42    7

---

Knockouts:

Cup Quarterfinals:
Frenline Delpha (1) v (8) Bvriania
Abanhfleft (2) v (7) Darmen
Lisander (3) v (6) Hutanjia
Elejamie(4) v (5) The Kiaser Colonies

Plate Quarterfinals
Alpine Union (9) v (16) Alice Bay
Neu Engollon (10) v (15) Islana Lunigo
Natanians and Nosts (11) v (14) Savojarna
Copper Cuprum (12) v (13) Mattijana

Bowl Quarterfinals
Velstrania (17) v (24) Al Qurija
New South Munster (18) v (23) Greater Vakolicci Haven
Filindostan (19) v (22) Northwestern Kalactin
Aquitayne (20) v (21) Kita-Hinode


I'll need a third-party scorinator for the games in bold.

[Elejamie]

---

Dave Carrey's Pool A Roundup
Dave Carrey - Soria, Lisander

Apologies for not really posting about yesterday's games, I was feeling a little bit iffy. But I still managed to attend the matches and jot down notes for what to put in my reports. I didn't make it to the LARFC sevens games, though, since I didn't want to get a ride from Soria to Linville and back again, only to find out that one match has already started. Fortunately, the matches were on TV so I was able to watch them back in my hotel room in between games.

Now that's out of the way, let's get into why I'm writing this. Yes, the pools are closed and everyone's been sorted into what piece of silverware they'll be competing for. We've had plenty of great matches and a few that could've gone better. We've had Frenline Delpha thrashing the Kiaser Colonies 39-0, we've had Bvriania destroying Savojarna 40-5 in their last game, we've had Neu Engollon surprisingly falling 31-21 to Abanhfleft and we've had Copper Cuprum narrowly beating Savojarna 19-17. But what about our side? "How well did we do?" I hear you ask. Well, let's not waste any more time, let's get into some rugby roundup action.

Mical Caerofim's picture from the
Wyverns' website. And given his
performance during the tournament
so far, let's just say he's had plenty
to smile about.

So let's talk about the first game. An absolute demolition of Northwest Kalactin. 40-10. That's right, forty points to us versus their ten. Almost as impressive as that 49-0 thrashing of the Natanians and Nosts back in the 10th Olympics, back when it was a demonstration sport. But that was a few years ago. We got off to a great start, leading 23-0 at the break thanks to a try from Mical Caerofim, a try from David Kramer, two conversions from Toda and three penalties, also from Toda. They scored a try after the break but they were unable to convert it for an extra two points. Shortly afterwards, Toda would go on to score a third try, which he converted, followed by a fourth and final penalty. Although they went on to score a second penalty, they were also unable to convert it. Eventually, in the dying minutes, Mical Caerofim decided to rub salt into their wounds by scoring a fourth and final try, which Toda would successfully convert to make it the aforementioned 40-10 score. It wasn't the biggest win of the day, as that honour went to Neu Engollon's 40-7 thrashing of Aquitayne, but it certainly paved the way for what to expect.

Then there was the game against Hutanjia. Which was an absolute heart-stopper if you were watching it on TV, especially when you consider that they beat us the last time we played. But, believe it or not, we managed to pull off a win. They got the first set of points, with a try from Vladimir Sokota, which he managed to easily convert. Gary Toda scored a try for us shortly afterwards, which he also managed to convert. Just before the break, Hutanjia managed to get back out in front with a try from Monterrey Apegku; although Sokota wasn't able to convert it, the Spiders still had a respectable 12-7 lead at the break. Mitchell Zangaka came on for them after the break and scored a thrd Hutanjian try, which Sokota then converted to make it 19-7. It seemed like the match was out of reach for us. But then Mical Caerofim scored a try for us, which Toda converted to make it 19-14. Then Paul Koppel scored another try for us; although Toda didn't convert it, he did score a drop goal past the 14 minute mark to give us a 22-19 win.

Afterwards, there was that monster game against Mattijana. Yes, THAT one. 38-0 to Elejamie. Yeesh. From what I understand, Coach Kim told his team to slow things down after the break in an attempt to give Mattijana a chance to catch up. To be fair, Elejamie were leading 26-0 at that point, thanks to two tries from Caerofim, one from Kramer and one from Tim Crespin, with Gary Toda converting all but one try (Caerofim's first try). However, things didn't exactly go to plan as they were still fumbling around inside the 22, accidentally giving the ball to our players and the less said about their defending the better. Caerofim topped off his hat-trick with an amazing dive under the posts at the ten minute, which Toda converted with ease. And, two minutes later, Crespin scored a second try, although Toda were unable to convert it. Still, you have to admit they weren't so good out there. They might bounce back but, even if they don't, here's hoping they get a good amount of points from this, enough to keep them in the running for a spot in the R7WC.

Sadly, we didn't follow it up with another win. Instead, we lost to the Alpine Union. And to give them some credit, they played brilliantly in that game. We took an early lead, thanks to a Gary Toda try and conversion. Sadly, we weren't able to keep that lead as Jack Banahan scored a try a couple of minutes later, followed by another try from Philipp Schweinsteiger near the end of the first half. Both tries were converted by Serge Dusautoir. We managed to level the scores thanks to a try from Kramer and another conversion from Toda, although again the Alpine Union would storm ahead. This time, it was thanks to a try from Alasdair MacIlleMhìcheil, a guy whose name I have to keep copying and pasting because for the life of me I can never remember it, followed by a conversion from Dusautoir. Although Caerofim scored a try in the dying seconds, Toda was unable to convert it and, as a result, we lost 21-19. I could give excuses like how the team was partied out from the massive win over Mattijana or they underestimated their opponents. But I'm not going to. The Bisons were simply the better team on the day.

And, to round things off, there was the win against Kita-Hinode. We were still reeling from that loss, to the point where they managed to score an early try against us, which they managed to convert because the try was scored behind the posts. I can't remember who scored it or who converted it, though, which won't really haunt me but is still a minor worry. Fortunately, we didn't dwell on it for too long, as shortly afterwards, Gary Toda scored a couple of penalties. Then Paul Koppel scored a try, which Toda converted. After a Mical Caeorfim drop goal to end the half, the score was 16-7 to us. The second half didn't see us let up, as Caerofim scored a try and Koppel his second; both were converted by Toda. Toda would go on to score a final penalty from 30m out to give us the 33-7 win. Four wins and a loss from five games? Could be better but it's still a decent end result.

David Kramer, also smiling.
Probably because he also
did fairly well during the
pool stage.

So where did we come at the end? We were top of the table, although sadly we were the only group winners who didn't sweep their group as a result of that loss to the Alpine Union. Joining us in the cup stage will be the Spiders of Hutanjia, who also finished 4-0-1 but had a lower PD (+95 to +59). The Alpine Union came third, with three wins, a draw (19-19 against Mattijana on the opening day) and a loss (21-19 to Hutanjia on the final day), followed by Mattijana, who came fourth with two wins, a draw and two losses. Kita-Hinode and Northwest Kalactin both finished with 0-1-4 records (and even drew against each other; 26-26 in their fourth game), but in the end KH finished fifth and NK finished sixth, also thanks to PD (-55 as opposed to -86). And to stop you guys sending me e-mails: I know I could just link to the official tables or even write them out as my own but I prefer to write them like that. Makes it seem a bit more imaginative.

So who'll be playing who later this evening? In the Cup quarter-finals, we have Pool B winners Frenline Delpha taking on Pool D runners-up Bvriania; a Pool C rematch as Abanhfleft face Darmen again; hosts and Pool D winners Lisander will be playing Hutanjia; and, of course, it'll be Elejamie vs the Kiaser Colonies, who will be looking to get revenge after their semi-final exit back in Neu Engollon. Over in the Plate section, the Alpine Union will be up against Alice Bay; Neu Engollon, whose narrow defeat to Darmen saw them missing out on a spot in the Cup stage, will face Islana Lunigo in another Pool C rematch; the Natanians and Nosts will play Savojarna; and Copper Cuprum will take on Mattijana. And, over in the Bowl, we've got a Pool B rematch for a change as Velstrania will play Al Qurija; New South Munster will face the Greater Vakolicci Haven; Filindostan will be up against Northwest Kalactin; and, last but not least, we have Aquitayne vs Kita-Hinode. Plenty of good games there, dear readers.

OK, quick predictions even though I don't like making them. Not just because they're not exactly accurate but also it seems like I'm pressuring the teams mentioned. Lisander or Elejamie for the Cup, although I won't be surprised if we get another EJM vs LIS final. Neu Engollon will bounce back from that defeat to Darmen to win the Cup, although I won't be surprised if the Alpine Union win it instead. And New South Munster are the only team I can see winning the Bowl; if I had to guess another team, I'd probably go with Aquitayne but even then that's a bit of a stretch. Alright, I'm going to end this abruptly so I can post it onto the site, then I'll be off to watch the Elejamie-Kiaser game. After all, it's going to start shortly and I don't want to miss the kick-off. Dave out.

---

More from Dave Carrey:

• Dave Carrey's Quicker-Than-Normal Guide to LARFC Lions Sevens Group A
• Dave Carrey's Quick Guide to Group A
• Dave's Carrey's Incredibly Quick Guide to the LARFC Lions Sevens
• Dave's Blog: Fleur-de-Lisander

[Lisander]

Cutoff to Quarterfinals. Third-party scorinator for this round is The Kiaser Colonies, many thanks to it.

[Lisander]

Quarterfinals

Cup
Frenline Delpha 47–7 Bvriania
Abanhfleft 24–14 Darmen
Lisander 21-33 Hutanjia
Elejamie 41–0 The Kiaser Colonies

Plate
Alpine Union 12-31 Alice Bay
Neu Engollon 28–19 Islana Lunigo
Natanians and Nosts 24–12 Savojarna
Copper Cuprum 17–21 Mattijana

Bowl
Velstrania 17–31 Al Qurija
New South Munster 33–5 Greater Vakolicci Haven
Filindostan 40–0 Northwestern Kalactin
Aquitayne 26–19 Kita-Hinode

[/hr]Semifinals
[b]Cup
[box]Frenline Delpha - Abanhfleft
Hutanjia - Elejamie

Plate
Alpine Union - Neu Engollon
Natanians and Nosts - Mattijana

Bowl
Al Qurija - New South Munster
Filindostan - Aquitayne

[The Kiaser Colonies]

Lisander 21–33 Hutanjia

Alice Bay 12–31 Alpine Union

[Hutanjia]

Coach Jaunders Malaptra stood watching as the Spiders...his Spiders...continued to clash with the hosts, the Lisanderians, on the pitch. The Hutanjian national rugby team played both major codes, as well as the Union offshoot of sevens, with little confusion most times, when it came to representing the Republic. That being said, they weren’t as well adapted and fast as some other teams when it came to the rapid running game of sevens. Hutanjians tended to be squatter and thicker with muscle, creating a lower center of gravity, than your average, wiry, top rugby sevens players.

Simply, they had to overcome and defeat the other teams’ speed by using a lot more strategy than counting on lucky breakaways for their fast backs like other successful teams did. Also, defensive tackling. Lots and lots of tackling. That also meant using that low centered power to drive through the opponent’s tacklers. That’s where the Hutanjian tries were coming from here. Sheer brute drives hammering back the line. They hadn’t earned the nickname ‘Little Brown Tanks’ for nothing.

Conversely, when the other team, in this case the Irises of Lisander, made anything close to an obvious move to drive on the try line, they were going to be slammed to the ground every time and rucked over. That is what they were witnessing now out on the pitch.

When Castell, Lasses or Stadler were passed the pill, the Spiders were on them. Put them on the pitch and drive over, or quickly reset if the Irises popped the ball out in time and try it all over again. Keep their line flat, keep yours in the classic lopsided arrow, that was always key. These were elemental components of the rugby game that all players and management knew, but there were times you had to fall back on that.

No fancy tricks. No grandiose plays. Just plain, gritty, hard work to get the job done. Get to the next match, get a few steps closer to grasping the Cup. Still, they should work on their speed as some of the other finalist teams were by all accounts, twice as fast...

Samson Wakala, Captain of the team, ran up and startled Malaptra out of his reverie.
“Ya okay, Coach? Ya checked out on us der fer a pop…”

“Yeh, um...what are ya doin’, Sammy? Git back out der!”

“It’s over, Coach. We won. Emmett got that last penalty kick in and that was time.”

The score board said it all. 33 points in 14 minutes full time.
The Coach looked beyond and around at all the steely glares and dejectedly hung heads from the home crowd. The Irises had been stomped on in their home stadium. They had nothing to be ashamed about as they had still only lost by 12 points.
“Oh! He he...Sorry. Good show. I was already thinkin ahead to de next match. De Semi.”

“We be ready. We jes need ta regroup and use dis next break well.”

“Keep de boys close, I ginna give a talk in a few.”

“Will do, Coach.”

He went out to shake Coach Bernauer’s hand. The Lisanderian shrugged and patted his shoulder.
“Well done. Grand match. I don’t know if you heard, but your boys will be facing Elejamie now. They took down the Kiaser Colonists a little bit ago and Abanhfleft is going to take on Frenline Delpha. Good luck. You’re going to need it.”

“Thank you. Well done to your boys as well. We’ll be ready for Elejamie.”
One could only hope that the Elejamians were as run down as the Spiders.

[Mattijana]

Mattijana Edge Past Copper Cuprum Into Plate Semis
Mattijana 21-17 Copper Cuprum

Mattijana booked their place in the plate semi-finals at the URSA sevens in Lisander with a tight win over Copper Cuprum at the URSA Park. Both sides scored three tries, but two successful conversions from Katarina Ljubjevic were ultimately the difference between the two sides.

Having thrown the head of a rubber chicken around the team before the match, as dictated by bizarre Copperite tradition, both sides were ready to go. The ritual had clearly fired up the Copperites and Mattijana had no answer to their opening onslaught, conceding after just a minute and a half of play. The only mercy was the missed conversion by the boot of Banunu Honele.

Mattijana nearly went behind for a second time as some space behind the line opened up and a kick from Irakta Kasugna threatened to pick out Vobeda Polema. Fortunately for Mattijana, stand-in full-back Jasmin Simonič was able to get back and gather the ball.

Having calmed the initial rush from their opponents, Mattijana's backs started to settle into their own rythm and quickly strung together a try to take them into the lead. Simjonič picked up a flat ball from Maria Uranj and beat the full-back Polema for pace to score under the posts.

Just two minutes later, Mattijana further increased their advantage as a brilliant offload from Uranj sent in Simonič for her second try of the match. An easy knock over the posts from Ljubjevic made the score 14-5 and after a nervy start, Mattijana looked to be in control as the half time whistle blew.

A stiff talking-to from the Copperite head coach once again seemed to get them off to a bright start and the chicken-lobbers narrowed the gap with a brilliantly worked try to send Vobeda Polema into the corner. Another tough conversion was pulled wide, but with the scores back at 14-10, things were a little less comfortable for the green and yellow-clad supporters surrounding the North and Eastern ends of the pitch.

Mattijana warmed up again though and scored their third converted try of the match as a missed tackle enabled Jelena Dragovic to go through one-on-one with the full-back Polema. Short on pace, the Hooker threw a pass to captain Katarina Ljubjevic who touched over, before chipping another two points over the posts.

With 4 minutes still left on the clock, the game got cagey, with the Copperites knowing they were running out of chances and the Mattijanans shutting up shop to try and see-out the win. Cuprum eventually managed to get through a determined defence, squeezing over the line and this time scoring the conversion to make things tighter again at 21-17. With under a minute remaining, the Copperrites still had the chance to get ahead, but a forward pass ended the match, sending Mattijana into the plate semis.

The team will face Natanians and Nosts in the Semis, after they beat Savojarna 24-12 in their quarter-final tie. Mattijana will take a minimum of 5 points from the URSA sevens, adding to the two they won in Neu Engollon earlier in the season. They could still take 8 however, depending on whether they can win the plate, the secondary tournament in international Sevens. Either way, this victory is another big step towards World Cup qualification.

[New South Munster]

Numerical Predictions from New South Munster's Rugby Sevens Form

Here I present a full mathematical proof of New South Munster's fate in the upcoming URSA Sevens bowl semi-final, based on some key values taken from stats from the tournament so far.

NEGATIVES (-):
4 - The number of games that New South Munster lost in the URSA Sevens.

33.3% - Their win percentage, including the bowl quarter final win.

5 - Their position in Pool D

8.75 - Their average losing margin over the course of the competition so far

3 - The number of tries they conceded in the final minute of games.

2 - Games lost from a winning position


POSITIVES (+):
2 - number of consecutive wins for New South Munster

21.3 - average number of points scored per game

+19 - Total points differential after Bowl Quarter final

1.13 - Ratio of points scored in last 2 games to the previous 4

3 - 3rd best attacking record in Pool D

3 - 3rd best defensive record in Pool D


THE MATHS:
p = sum of positives = 49.467
n = sum of negatives = -56.083
x = product of positives = 8231.6
y = product of negatives = 34965
x̅ = positive average = 8.244
Ȳ = negative average = -9.347

A = (x̅+Ȳ)[(p+n)/(x+y)]

A = 0.00017

This low, positive value obtained from the Cartwright-Gepetto equation indicates that New South Munster will just about win the tie against Al Qurija, and that the Rapture will occur on the 17th of the next month.

[Neu Engollon]

“Hello Neu Engollon and to our international viewers...You’re tuned into the NETV 7 Sports Update and I’m your host, Karl Demais. My co-host, Magda Wertauer, is off for the night. We are still here in Soria, Lisander where the Goats are competing for the URSA Plate and the BDI Breu Demons and AVRU All Stars were competing for the LARFC 7s Lions Title. Tonight, we will see the Goats clash with the Alpines of Alpine Union in the semifinals for the Plate.

Meanwhile, the BDI Breu Demons played extremely well, but it wasn't enough to get them into the semi finals. However, the AVRU All Stars record in Pool C was enough to get them there. They will be facing off with the Cork Crusaders of New South Munster tonight. I think you big rugby fans back home in he Confederacy will have quite a show for you. A double header with two teams of the best that the AVRU rugby has to offer. We predict the best outcome, but with the competition they're both up against, it can't be such a sure thing.

What we can tell you is how the opponents have panned out throughout the tournament..."

[OOC: To Be Continued. Ran out of time and energy, hoping to finish before the next scoring.]

[Natanians and Nosts]

Maybe?

Natanians and Nosts once again is at the plate semifinals.There was a rock in the middle of the way,called Savojarna,in the middle of the way there ws a rock.There was a rock.And we deviated from that rock.After another deceptionating group stage,where we once again,by a few,failed to qualify for the cup,we went to the plate and now we're at the semifinals.
The game was hard,specially because Kaeso Nínnio,who had injuried himself against the Kiaser Colonies and will not play in this tournament anymore, wasn't present,Gabriel Mihai Ognek socred the only drop goal and on of the tries,the other tries were scored by Logan Márcus Hûs and Lucas Lúcius North.
The team will play against Mattijana to decide who will be at the final.And hoplefully we'll win and next time qualify for the cup.

[Lisander]

Cutoff to Semifinals.

[Lisander]

Semifinals

Cup
Frenline Delpha 22–14 Abanhfleft
Hutanjia 14–24 Elejamie

Plate
Alpine Union 14–26 Neu Engollon
Natanians and Nosts 26–12 Mattijana

Bowl
Al Qurija 17–22 New South Munster
Filindostan 29–21 Aquitayne

---

FINALS - Sunday

Cup
Frenline Delpha - Elejamie

Plate
Neu Engollon - Natanians and Nosts

Bowl
New South Munster - Filindostan

[Elejamie]

Welcome back once again to the URSA Sevens in Soria, Lisander, for your third and final match of the day: The big quarter-final between Elejamie and the Kiaser Colonies. Both sides hoping to capitalise on their good pool stage runs; Elejamie finishing top of Pool A with a 4-0-1 record, whereas the Kiaser Colonies finished second in Pool B with the same record. Both sides have a bit of history, with Elejamie winning their last bout back in Burgenden 35-7, so the Kiaser Colonies are hoping to get their revenge.

...

And the two teams are making their way out of the dressing room. And, as you can see here, both sides have made a few changes from their last games. Elejamie coach Aaron Kim has replaced Marcus Ruiz up front with Riley Kroger as prop, as well as Adam McCracken starting instead of Mical Caerofim; whereas Ken Ainsley is replacing James Watson as centre of the Colonists. And here's the coin toss... and it's the Kiaser Colonies to start. Both captains shake hands with each other and the referee as we all get ready for the kick off.

---

0:00 - And we're underway! Beale kicks and it's caught by Diego Molina. Molina passes it over to Decker. Decker goes up the field and passes it to Kroger. Kroger goes down, Decker collects and passes it to Kramer. Kramer passes it to McCracken. McCracken makes it up the pitch, where he's brought down by Corey Barnett. Now it's over to Toda. Toda dodges Maloney. Dodges Oliver Paul. Will he make it? He certainly does as he puts the ball down past the line for a try. 5-0 to Elejamie thanks to a spectacular early effort from Gary Toda.

...

Toda to convert his own from 30m. Not exactly the best angle to work with but he's wasted no time in kicking. It sails through the air. And it's through! 7-0 to the home side. Simply brilliant.

>2:00 - Beale to attempt a penalty for the Kiaser Colonies. 40m out, so there's a chance he might not make it, but it would mean some much-needed points for his side if he does. He kicks... and the ball falls short and ends up caught by David Kramer, who boots it into touch. Elejamie to restart. Unlucky.

>3:00 - ... Beale. Beale passes it to Ainsley. Ainsley over to Naisarani. Naisarani gets tackled by Molina. Mike Decker managed to beat Beale for the ball and passes it over to Kroger. Kroger passes it all the way back over to Decker. Decker goes down but offloads it to Gary Toda. Toda speeds ahead. Passes it over to Paul Koppel. Koppel gets tackled, Toda recovers and passes it to McCracken. McCracken advances up the pitch. Passes it to David Kramer. Kramer's in the clear! Could this be another try for Elejamie? Wait, he's passed it to Adam McCracken. McCracken dives underneath the posts for try number two! A brilliant play there means the home side are now 12-0 up.

...

Toda to convert McCracken's try from 33m. He's right in front of the posts, so this should be an easy conversion. And indeed it is, as the ball sails through the posts to make it 14-0 to Elejamie.

>5:00 - ... And the ball goes into touch for a line-out. Both sides get themselves ready and David Kramer picks it up. He wastes no time and throws it. Caught by Decker. Decker passes it to Toda. Toda makes his way up the pitch but is brought down by Arthur King. Koppel grabs the ball and passes it over to Adam McCracken. McCracken makes his way up the pitch. Passes it to David Kramer. Kramer makes his way into the Kiaser 22 but he gets tackled by Maloney. Gary Toda grabs the ball and passes it over to Paul Koppel. Koppel's been caught by Corey Barnett, but still managed to make it past the try line and put it down for another set of five points. And the Kiaser Colonies are starting to hope for a miracle, now.

...

Toda to convert from 31m. He gets into position, picks a good angle, lines up his shot. And now he kicks. It's sailing. And it is good. Elejamie 21, the Kiaser Colonies 0. Another set of two points for the home side, who seem to be utterly dominating their opponents.

~7:00 - ... We're just coming up to the seven minute mark, which as we all know means the next time play stops means the end of the half. Kramer gets the ball after a kick from Naisarani and advances up the pitch. Over to Toda. Toda offloads the ball over to Koppel. Koppel makes his way up the pitch. He gets tackled but McCracken gets a hold of the ball. He passes it over to Toda. He's now coming up to the Kiaser 22. Will he go for a second try? No, he's decided to go for a drop goal! And it's good.

And on that note, we've reached the end of the first half. The score? Elejamie 24, the Kiaser Colonies 0. An excellent first half for the home team, an excruciating first half for the away team. Three tries for Elejamie; one from Adam McCracken, one from Paul Koppel and one from Gary Toda. Three conversions and a drop goal, also from Toda. Both teams now heading back into the dressing room for a quick breather and a word from their coaches as we head back to the studio for some quick highlights...

---

7:00 - And we're back for the second half. Toda kicks the ball up and it lands in the arms of Corey Barnett...

>8:00 - Gary Toda with a penalty after that particularly bad challenge from Naisarani on McCracken. He's 35m out. He's got a good angle and he's lined up his shot. He kicks. And that is good. Elejamie 27, the Kiaser Colonies 0. And the home side keeps piling on the pain.

>10:00 - ... Beale kicks it up the pitch to clear it. Caught by Kroger. Kroger begins the attack. Passes it to Decker. Decker passes it all the way back to Gary Toda. Toda goes down. Koppel retrieves and passes it to Kramer. Kramer makes his way past the Kiaser defence but gets tackled by Rhys Skelton. Toda recovers and passes it to McCracken. McCracken beats Skelton, beats Maloney. McCraken's in the 22! Will he make it? He dives past the Kiaser try-line for his second of the evening. A brilliant play makes the score 32-0 to Elejamie. And the Kiaser Colonies are in serious trouble now; they desperately need their offence to wake up and get some points on the board to save face.

...

Toda to convert from 39m out. He's right in front of the posts. A bit of a stretch for him but he seems confident that he can make it. He kicks it and it just about makes it through. 34-0 to Elejamie now. The Kiaser Colonies are really feeling the heat; they must get some points on the board if they want to survive.

>13:00 - Now a scrum in the Kiaser 22. Arthur King feeds the ball into the tunnel. Elejamie win the scrum, David Kramer passes it over to Toda. Toda gets brought down just a few metres short. Koppel retrieves the ball and passes it to Kramer. Kramer barges his way past the Kiaser defence and puts it down for try number five for the home side. Elejamie 39, the Kiaser Colonies 0. And, barring some sort of miracle, it's extremely unlikely that the Kiaser Colonies will get back into the match.

...

Toda to convert from 33m. He's got a good angle, he's lined up his shot. He kicks. And it sails through the posts. And now it's 41-0 to Elejamie. I think it's all over for the Kiaser Colonies.

~14:00 - ... And we're just coming up to the fourteen minute mark. Next play stops everything. Beale. Beale passes it over to Ainsley. Ainsley gets tackled but Beale recovers and passes to Naisarani. Naisarani advances, he just about makes it into the 22 but gets tackled by Mike Decker. But what's this? Riley Kroger manages to recover the ball! Will he begin a counter attack and add a final try? No he doesn't, he boots it into touch instead.

And on that note, the ref blows the whistle for full time. The final score: Elejamie 41, the Kiaser Colonies 0. Absolutely humiliating for the Kiaser Colonies as they fail to answer five tries, a penalty and a drop goal. Elejamie now advance to the Cup semi-finals, where they'll play the winner of the big game between hosts Lisander and Pool A runners-up Hutanjia. Both captains now shaking hands with each other and with their coaches as everyone gets ready to go back to the changing room. I've been Matt Holland and, as everyone here gets ready for the aforementioned game, back to the team in the studio.

[Lisander]

Cutoff for Finals.

[Lisander]

Finals

Lisander Princess' Cup Final
Frenline Delpha 17–21 Elejamie

Plate
Neu Engollon 7–31 Natanians and Nosts

Bowl
New South Munster 26–10 Filindostan

Congratulations to Elejamie, the URSA Sevens 2 champion!