AVBF Rugby Sevens IV Everything Thread

[Elejamie]

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Dave Carrey's Super Duper Extremely Late Guide to Group A
Dave Carrey - Murgon, BNTT

Now, some of you may be wondering why I took a while to get this written up. And some of you may be wondering why I'm at home in Murgon instead of over in Burgenden over in Neu Engollon for their Brew Festival. The truth is that I've been a bit ill these past few days. Nothing super serious other than a migraine yesterday that meant I nearly had to miss all of the matches that day; I was only able to force myself to watch all of Elejamie's games and even then that was easier said than done. Fortunately, the tickets I had weren't wasted as I gave them to my neighbour (due to the fact that I'm not exactly sure where my fellow DG contributors live) and I'm feeling well enough to watch some more games, though I will still need lengthy periods of rest so I won't be watching all of today's games. And I should be feeling a lot better by the next one. I've explained more in my blog, which will be linked to at the bottom of the page, if only because I go more in depth there and I don't want to clutter this up.

With all of that said, let's look briefly at the last Rugby Sevens World Cup, which was also the first one after a lengthy dormancy (and, since I don't know what other tournaments there'll be as everything is quiet on that front, probably the last one as well). Due to the fact that we finished top of the table at the end, which meant we won some sort of Minor Premiership award, we were able to qualify for the R7WC, which is essentially a tournament for the top sixteen teams on the table once the Sevens Series is over. However, due to numerous issues, a few countries that didn't qualify originally (one of which were the hosts Alice Bay) had to take the place of those who did. But let's not talk about that, let's talk about the tournament itself, which doubled as Mical Caerofim's swan song as he retired from international rugby after the tournament. Drawn into Group B, we won our first game against the Main Nation Ministry and our second game against Nova Anglicana, both by the same score: 26-12. We then lost our third game against the Alpine Union but not by much, 24-21, and unlike that World Cup of Hockey game where they beat us 3-2 in OT there doesn't seem to be any stupid conspiracy theories about us being "jobbed" by the hosts behind the scenes. Fortunately, we bounced back with yet another 26-12 win, again against Nova Anglicana, before losing two in a row; 26-19 to Hutanjia and 29-19 to Darmen.

The outgoing Mical Caerofim, who announced his
retirement from international rugby shortly before the
start of the last Rugby Sevens World Cup. He will play his
last season with the Wyverns before calling it a day
with rugby altogether.

Disappointing, yes, but we could bounce back from that. After all, we're in a new tournament and quite possibly a new Series. And we return to the Alpen View Brew Festival Sevens, or the AVBF 7s for short. There's not much to say about it, other than the fact that we've been at every single one ever since the Festival started having a sevens tournament. We went out in the Cup quarter-finals in the inaugural tournament, won the Cup the second time round and finished runners-up to Lisander in the last one, so it's somewhere where we've been consistently good. And with XV-a-side player Adam Gates joining us (albeit as a substitute rather than a starter) it seemed like we'd be a tough side to beat. That hasn't exactly happened but more on that later.

Our first game was against Blaneu, one of those one-tournament wonders that only appear once and then bail. I don't remember too much about this game, especially who scored for our opponents and I'm too lazy to look up the results just to check. All I know is that Gary Toda scored the first try of the tournament early on, which he converted beautifully to give us a good 7-0 start. However, a particularly bad tackle gave them a penalty, which they scored to make it 7-3. Fortunately, a penalty by Toda, followed by a drop goal from Adam McCracken just past the 7-minute mark gave Elejamie a 13-3 point lead going into half-time. A little while after the start of the second half we got another penalty, which Toda was just able to score, to make it a 16-3 lead. And while they were able to score a try, which was converted, we were too ahead to be worried. Especially when captain Diego Molina of all people managed to put it down on the ground and Toda converted the try to extend our lead even further; 23-10. Towards the end Toda managed to score a third and final penalty to make it 26-10, which was the final score. Not a bad start if I say so myself.

That afternoon we had Savojarna in a game that we were really unlucky in. Seriously, turnover after turnover. In the bits I could watch, though it was more due to illness than suspense, you could clearly see Coach Kim looking like his job was on the line. It didn't start off too badly, as McCracken was just able to score a try; however, due to him being a bad angle Toda was unable to convert and so the score was 5-0. Fortunately, he made up for it a minute with a successful try and penalty making it 12-0. However, it went downhill rather quickly as Rolf Eythorsson got the first set of points for his side with a try, which Kristjan Niskanen converted to make it 12-7. Eythorsson and Niskanen would both score and convert again to give Savojarna a 14-12 lead at the break. And things seemed to get worse when Kirill Rajanov would score a try; however, much like McCracken, he was at a bad angle and therefore his side was unable to convert. And while Paul Koppel managed to score a try, which Toda converted to level the scores, it wasn't enough to put the pressure off. We could've done with a draw but, sadly, it wasn't meant to be. Due to some bad luck in the dying seconds, Niskanen managed to take advantage of some sloppy defending to score a try by himself, giving his team the win just past the 14-minute mark, with a successful conversion being the cherry on the top. Final score? 26-19 to Savojarna. Ouch.

Fortunately, that evening we had Natanians and Nosts, a team that's super good but is currently losing momentum at the minute despite the best efforts of Captain Kaeso. And indeed, Kaeso Nunnio dos Santos managed to get an early lead doing what he did best, a couple of drop goals to give his side a 6-0 lead. Which was then swiftly followed by a try from Adam McCracken and a conversion from Gary Toda to put Elejamie out in front 7-6. Indeed, Toda would score a try himself shortly afterwards, although he'd sadly fluff the kick to make it 12-6. After one more successful drop goal from Kaeso just past the 7 minute mark, the score was 12-9 going into half-time and it seemed like it was going to be close. Except that's not what really happened as, shortly after the start of the second half, Patrick Hayden made it 17-9 thanks to a try under the posts, with Toda getting an easy two-pointer. This was then followed by yet another try, this time from vice-captain David Kramer, with Toda getting yet another conversion. Sure Kaeso would score a try for his side in the 11th minute, which got converted, but by then the match was long out of their reach. Especially when Gary Toda managed to make up for his missed conversion earlier by scoring a penalty from 32m out to make it 29-16 for Elejamie. And then just before time, Captain Kaeso scored one last drop goal just because. Final score? A 29-19 win for us.

Newcomer Adam Gates, seen here waiting for the
kick-off in Murgon's first game against Auckhampton
last season.

A new day and with me feeling a lot better, I'm able to not only get this report up but also tell you who we'll be playing this morning and this afternoon. And first up it'll be Barunia. At the minute they're top of the table, level with Savojarna but only ahead by points difference (+53 compared to +39). And, indeed, they've won all of their games so far, grabbing a narrow 19-17 win against the Natanians and Nosts in the morning, beating Blaneu 29-7 in the afternoon and rounding off their first day with a 36-7 demolition of Apox. They're going to be a tough opponent, no doubt about it, but we should hopefully manage to limit their scoring chances.

And who will be our last opponent? Apox, who are more well-known for their cricket side but still have quite a storied rugby sevens side. They were at the last AVBF Sevens after all, where they finished fourth in their group with two wins to their name (a 40-0 demolition of Borxinoia and a surprising yet narrow 19-17 win over Darmen), which resulted in them having to compete for the Bowl thanks to the "five group" scheme the tournament had. Unfortunately, they didn't get very far, as evidenced by them falling 24-19 to eventual Bowl runners-up New South Munster. That might've been their only one, though, as I can't seem to find any other sevens tournaments they've been in.

So where do I think everyone will end up? We'd probably claw our way back up for a Cup spot, albeit in second place, with Barunia joining us. Savojarna and the Natanians and Nosts will have to compete for the Plate and Apox and Blaneu will have to play for the Bowl. Rather than go into the different groups (especially since Lisander and Neu Engollon are both sharing a group, which will definitely be worth keeping an eye on), I'll go into who I think will be playing for the Cup in each group based on how well they're doing so far. Obviously Lisander and Neu Engollon will be the top two teams in Group C but I meant the other two group. Alpine Union and maybe Hutanjia for Group B and Darmen and quite possibly one of the newcomers (either Tolol or Alenburg) for Pool D.

Anything else I should mention? Not particularly, no. Lisander has a brand new kit just for their sevens games courtesy of Valls Rugby, which actually looks pretty decent even though normally I wouldn't be that keen on that shade of green. Indeed, Hutanjia's also got a new kit, also made by Valls, which also looks pretty good, especially the away kit. That's pretty much the main highlight. That and a shock win from Greythrone when they beat the Alpine Union 29-21. I haven't had much to go on due to my illness and it's been a fairly quiet tournament so far. I'm going to get some rest and hopefully catch the last two group stage games, as well as the quarter-finals of whichever silverware we're competing for. I should do since I've set an alarm but we'll wait and see.

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More from Dave Carrey:

• Dave's Blog: Ill, Yo
• Dave Carrey's Guide to the 2018/19 ERC Season
• Dave Carrey's Full Review of the 2018 ERC 7s
• Pool B Roundup

[Neu Engollon]

This is the Cut Off
for Group Match Day Two Morning Round
Let me see your war face

[Neu Engollon]

CONFEDERACY PARK, BURGUNDEN
RUGBY EXHIBITION PITCHES

GROUP A
Blaneu 19–19 Apox
Elejamie 29–19 Barunia
Savojarna 24–10 Natanians and Nosts

                           Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Savojarna                4   4  0  0  102  49 +53   12
2 Barunia                  4   3  0  1  103  60 +43   10
3 Elejamie                 4   3  0  1  103  74 +29   10
4 Natanians and Nosts      4   1  0  3   82  82   0    6
5 Blaneu                   4   0  1  3   51  95 −44    5
6 Apox                     4   0  1  3   41 122 −81    5

GROUP B
Kelssek 12–24 Greythrone
Hutanjia 26–10 Alice Bay
Abanhfleft 19–19 Alpine Union

                       Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Hutanjia             4   3  0  1   92  58 +34   10
2 Alpine Union         4   2  1  1   99  67 +32    9
3 Abanhfleft           4   2  1  1   97  73 +24    9
4 Greythrone           4   2  0  2   79 101 −22    8
5 Alice Bay            4   2  0  2   67  89 −22    8
6 Kelssek              4   0  0  4   54 100 −46    4

GROUP C
Retricoal 7–31 Kyrjasmark
Lisander 36–7 Saint Agnesia
Neu Engollon 26–14 Northwest Kalactin

                          Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Lisander                4   4  0  0  114  45 +69   12
2 Neu Engollon            4   3  0  1  125  45 +80   10
3 Northwest Kalactin      4   2  0  2   85  67 +18    8
4 Kyrjasmark              4   1  1  2   60 118 −58    7
5 Retricoal               4   1  0  3   48 102 −54    6
6 Saint Agnesia           4   0  1  3   53 108 −55    5

GROUP D
Tolol 14–24 Alenburg
Darmen 29–5 Logria
Copper Cuprum 31–7 United States of Devonta

                                Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Darmen                        4   4  0  0  109  52 +57   12
2 Alenburg                      4   2  1  1   72  83 −11    9
3 Copper Cuprum                 4   2  0  2  102  66 +36    8
4 Tolol                         4   2  0  2   87  74 +13    8
5 United States of Devonta      4   1  0  3   71  90 −19    6
6 Logria                        4   0  1  3   36 112 −76    5

[Greythrone]

__________

Kelssek 12–24 Greythrone

Good news that The Gambits manage to beat Kelssek 24-12 with four tries and two conversions, with half of them accomplishing by Rusty Destefani. Greythrone now at the fourth place in Group B with two wins and two losses with eight points. This is the first time the national rugby squad joined this tournament. Its head coach, Mike Limpoon, said the target was beyond the group stage and was aware of facing a tougher challenge from other teams.

He said the strength of other teams was also unknown but his team would give the best. Team manager, Lee Aboncock said he was confident the team coached by Mike Limpoon was able to step up to a higher level according to their current performance.

[Neu Engollon]

This is the Cut Off
for Group Match Day Two Afternoon Round
Speed is important in sevens

[Neu Engollon]

CONFEDERACY PARK, BURGUNDEN
RUGBY EXHIBITION PITCHES

GROUP A
Natanians and Nosts 38–0 Blaneu
Barunia 14–24 Savojarna
Apox 5–31 Elejamie

                           Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Savojarna                5   5  0  0  126  63 +63   15
2 Elejamie                 5   4  0  1  134  79 +55   13
3 Barunia                  5   3  0  2  117  84 +33   11
4 Natanians and Nosts      5   2  0  3  120  82 +38    9
5 Blaneu                   5   0  1  4   51 133 −82    6
6 Apox                     5   0  1  4   46 153 −107    6

GROUP B
Alpine Union 40–7 Kelssek
Alice Bay 10–22 Abanhfleft
Greythrone 14–26 Hutanjia

                       Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Hutanjia             5   4  0  1  118  72 +46   13
2 Alpine Union         5   3  1  1  139  74 +65   12
3 Abanhfleft           5   3  1  1  119  83 +36   12
4 Greythrone           5   2  0  3   93 127 −34    9
5 Alice Bay            5   2  0  3   77 111 −34    9
6 Kelssek              5   0  0  5   61 140 −79    5

GROUP C
Northwest Kalactin 21–19 Retricoal
Saint Agnesia 7–31 Neu Engollon
Kyrjasmark 7–34 Lisander

                          Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Lisander                5   5  0  0  148  52 +96   15
2 Neu Engollon            5   4  0  1  156  52 +104   13
3 Northwest Kalactin      5   3  0  2  106  86 +20   11
4 Kyrjasmark              5   1  1  3   67 152 −85    8
5 Retricoal               5   1  0  4   67 123 −56    7
6 Saint Agnesia           5   0  1  4   60 139 −79    6

GROUP D
United States of Devonta 34–14 Tolol
Logria 7–47 Copper Cuprum
Alenburg 14–26 Darmen

                                Pld   W  D  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Darmen                        5   5  0  0  135  66 +69   15
2 Copper Cuprum                 5   3  0  2  149  73 +76   11
3 Alenburg                      5   2  1  2   86 109 −23   10
4 United States of Devonta      5   2  0  3  105 104  +1    9
5 Tolol                         5   2  0  3  101 108  −7    9
6 Logria                        5   0  1  4   43 159 −116    6

Cup Seeding

#1 Lisander vs. #8 Copper Cuprum
#4 Neu Engollon vs. #5 Elejamie
#2 Darmen vs. #7 Alpine Union
#3 Savojarna vs. #6 Hutanjia

Plate Seeding

#1 Abanhfleft vs. #8 Kyrjasmark
#4 Alenburg vs. #5 Natanians and Nosts
#2 Barunia vs. #7 Greythrone
#3 Northwest Kalactin vs. #6 United States of Devonta

Bowl Seeding

#1 Tolol vs. #8 Kelssek
#4 Saint Agnesia vs. #5 Blaneu
#2 Alice Bay vs. #7 Logria
#3 Retricoal vs. #6 Apox

[Lisander]

The moment of truth for the Academy
Catarina Scott, from Burgunden, NEG to therugbyzone.ls

The closer we get to the peak of our international dream, the Rugby World Cup title, the harder it is to deal with the difference between professionals and amateurs. "Amateur" comes from Latin. And it means, in the purest sense of the term, "he who loves something." Who had a Latin class at school, you know. Amo, Amas, Amat. Our headlines below show a sad fact: We are stopping playing in the parks, in the small fields. We are going to see Saracens v Victorian on Saturday, but we are no longer occupying the "non-league sunday". Something new is emerging. The phenomenon of the academies of players. Harlequins, Saracens, Victorian and Linville already have theirs, and to be honest, I do not like them at all. They came up on the occasion of the Rugby U-20 Cup, and I do not believe after two years that it was the best option.

I asked a little rugby fan the last time I covered Victorian - Linville:

"Do you play in Lions?"

"My father is an associate, but I do not like the Mini, so I play for the school team. But in three years, when I'm fifteen, I want to go to the Academy." he answered me, with an acquired naturalness I do not know where or why.

My Brother, Cássio Scott, playing for Linville 3rd XV, years ago.
Linville 3rd XV was not formed this year, by lack of players.

When do we change? Does becoming professional make us forget that we need to continue playing for love? I'm myself a proud Leonessa. I played with Clare Graad in the Minis and in Female U-20, before. This post is illustrated by a photo of my brother, who played for Linville 3rd XV, the Jets. Jets was a victim of Academy system.

The academy system is facing its principal test now. Players from these places are representing Lisander in this tournament. Ricardo Porto, Lucas Savi, Hugo Pilar, Tomás Antos, Charles Lorens. Near a half of the team comes from this system, and with the rotation proposed by Mr. Morian, everyone is getting chance to play.

After a great group stage, this new generation will face a somewhat "ominous" wallpaper. The chicken-killers of Copper Cuprum. Last time Lisanderians and Copperites played, the Irises have been defeated. I hope this time they don't underestimate the opposite side. I bet LRU have something in mind to players to do when Copper Cuprum players start their "ritual".

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• More from TRZ.ls:

Leader: Why a culture of always wanting to be winners is possibly killing local rugby?
Amateur rugby on brink of extinction? LRU is taking steps
Lisander Rugby Festival: all you need to know to join the Open Tournament
Lisander Teams to join Super8?

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© 2018 TRZ Alice Bay and TRZ Lisander are brands of Newport Rugby Media Holdings. Alice Bay and/or Lisander laws may apply. Dale a tu cuerpo alegria macarena. For further information and commercial contracts, contact promo(at)trz.ls or ad(at)trz.ab.

[Elejamie]

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Not as Late but Still at Home Group A Roundup
Dave Carrey - Murgon, BNTT

Well that was a bit of a mad dash to the finish, wasn't it? Yes, I'm well enough to get this article up on time but also I'm well enough to catch today's games with little to no difficulty. Other than what to write, of course. Yes, we're at the end of the group stage, everyone's been sorted into what silverware they're playing for and the quarter-finals for the Cup/Plate/Bowl stages will be played this evening. And, as predicted, we managed to make it into the Cup stage, even managing to make it into second place as I said we would. However, it would be Savojarna joining us in competing for the cup (as they finished top of the group) rather than Barunia. Not much else to say really, other than I'm rushing it a bit and my memory's still not as good as it should be (which is why I probably won't be putting in any opposing players' names, as I forgot them already), so let's get on with it.

Gary Toda, seen here in his first game for Davenport against
Iceland all the way back in 2010, was Public Enemy #1 for both
Barunia and Apox due to him racking up 2 and 3 pointers for
Elejamie.

Speaking of Barunia, they were our first opponents of the day as our main rivals for the group. While Savojarna was a much more viable target, as they had beaten us, not only were we not playing them today but also they'd probably be very hard to dislodge from a spot in the top two. Either way, we had to win this game just so we'd have a chance of making it through to the Cup; while a draw could've worked, a loss was definitely out of the question. Fortunately luck was on our side when we managed to score within the first minute due to some sloppy defending, presumably because the Barunian players hadn't woken up properly yet, as well as David Kramer putting the ball down past the line for a try, with Gary Toda converting it to make it 7-0. Although they'd score a try for themselves shortly after, they were unable to get it converted, meaning we had the 2 point lead. Toda would score a brace of penalties shortly afterwards to make it 13-5. However, just past the 7 minute mark, they'd go on to score a try which, unlike their first one, was converted. With a 13-12 lead going into half-time, we really needed to catch a break just so we won't be feeling the heat as much.

Luckily, we did get that break in the second half. Toda would nail his third penalty to give us a bit of breathing room before a try from Adam McCracken completely took the pressure off, especially when Toda converted it to make it 23-12. And while they did score a try shortly afterward, as well as a conversion, it wasn't enough to worry the home side. Indeed, shortly afterward, Toda would annoy the Barunians even more as he scored his fourth consecutive penalty, though fortunately for his opponents that would be the last time he was put on the scoring sheet. After plenty of good defending from both sides and the end of the match dawning, it seemed like that would be it. However, just past the 14 minute mark, Paul Koppel would nail the drop goal to not only extend his side's lead but also give Elejamie a 29-19 win. Not bad.

And finally, we had our last group stage game against Apox. Going into this match, they were dead last in the group and needed a win or a draw to qualify for the plate stages. Meanwhile, we needed another win and preferably a Barunian draw or loss just to make it into the Cup and continue the streak, which meant a lot of pressure and possible screwups. Fortunately, we managed to kick things into overdrive and thrash the Apoxian side quite badly. We got the ball rolling early when, 30 seconds in, Gary Toda opened up the scoring with a penalty. And then another one a couple of minutes later. Followed by him converting a try scored by Paul Koppel. Meanwhile, Apox kept turning the ball over and over again, with the closest they came to scoring in the first half being when they made it into our 22 before Mike Decker forced a turnover. After yet another successful Toda penalty, not much else happened and the first half ended 16-0 in our favour.

Not the most flattering picture of him
but here's Mike Decker being
substituted in Davenport's game against
Murgon from a couple of seasons ago.
Here because I couldn't think of a good
second image for this article.

The second half began with them getting a try; I can't remember who scored it but all I know is that, due to them touching the ball down in a very bad place for them, they were unable to convert it. It wasn't anything for us to worry about, as by that point we were already ahead by 11 points and they were only just able to score; a pace or two to the right and the ball probably would've gone into touch. Fortunately, we managed to make up for that bit of shoddy display with a try of our own from Adam Gates, who replaced McCracken during the break, but Toda's conversion attempt hit the post and bounced out into touch. Luckily he more than made up for it with a successful penalty shortly afterwards, scraping the post but fortunately making its way through the upright and out the other side. Towards the end of the match, David Kramer would score another try, which was also converted by Toda to make it 31-5, which would also be the final score. Impressive, especially considering how the other games so far came across as a bit weak for me.

So where does this leave everyone? Savojarna rounded off their perfect group stage run with a 24-14 win over Barunia, meaning they finished top of the table with 15 points. We came second with 13 points thanks to those four wins and the disappointing loss. Barunia slipped down to third place as a result of the two losses so far today resulting in them getting 11 points and a spot in the Plate stage. There they'll be joined by the Natanians and Nosts, who finished in fourth place with two wins and three losses setting them 9 points. And not only are Blaneu and Apox both playing for the Bowl but they also finished with a draw (19-19 against each other) and four losses, resulting in six points each; however, Blaneu finished ahead of Apox on point difference (-82 compared to -107).

So who'll be playing who in the Cup stage? Lisander, who had an amazing group stage in Group B and very nearly came close to having a PD in three digits, will be up against Copper Cuprum, runners-up over in Group D; Group D winners Darmen will take on the Alpine Union, who finished second in Group C; and Savojarna will take on Hutanjia, the only Group winners (Group B in this case) who didn't win all of their games. Not to forget that we'll be up against Neu Engollon, who also finished in second place over in Group B, in a game that'll probably be incredibly tough for both sides and a win for whichever side will be well-deserved. Seriously, I'm looking forward to it. There'll also be a couple of good Plate games, such as Barunia vs Greythrone (a team that I'd like to see again in the next sevens tourney) and Devonta vs Northwest Kalactin, but I'm probably not going to watch the Plate and Bowl games like I'd normally do.

Anything else I can think of? Yes, predictions. Lisander would probably win the Cup here as they did the last time they were in Burgenden, though I'm not going to rule out Neu Engollon winning on home soil; while I could pick Elejamie to win it, they haven't been performing as well as they should be and I have a feeling they'll crash out here in the quarter-finals, if not the semis. And Alice Bay has the best shot of winning the Bowl, although I'll admit that I'd find it interesting if any of the "one and done" teams end up with some silverware. But the Plate's a bit more tricky since I can't decide who will win it, which is why I put it last. So pick your favourite out of Abanhfleft, the Natanians and Nosts and Barunia, maybe Northwest Kalactin if you're feeling brave, and that'll be my prediction. Yes, the Plate is that stacked, ladies and gentlemen.

And that's your lot, ladies and gentlemen. Not much else to add, nothing else I should let you know about the national squad or any rugby matters over here. And I should be feeling a lot better tomorrow, though that's hardly relevant since we might not have a game tomorrow, let alone have one or two. So I'm going to sit back and cheer on the boys as best as I can while I'm ill. I'd recommend you do the same, especially since you'd probably do a better job than me.

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More from Dave Carrey:

• Dave Carrey's Super Duper Extremely Late Guide to Group A
• Dave's Blog: Ill, Yo
• Dave Carrey's Guide to the 2018/19 ERC Season
• Dave Carrey's Full Review of the 2018 ERC 7s

[Neu Engollon]

This is the Cut Off
for Group Match Day Two Evening Round
Live and die in 14 minutes

[Kelssek]

"They get to play for the bowl now. I suppose it's good for putting soup in, hey." Sarah rolled the new keg into position.

"I reckons," said Hearn, fumbling with the carbon dioxide connector. Despite the best efforts of the staff at the extravagantly-titled Kelssek Beer Adventure stall to encourage punters towards a greater sense of, well, adventure, another keg of Latrobe Bitter had been emptied. It was in the end the internationally-marketed, no-risk option for getting lubricated at a rugby match.

At the bar, Tricia was explaining the concept of wort to someone holding a flight of tasters in one hand and the head of an inflatable moose in the other.

"...yes, so if that's what you like, you could try this one. The joke, if you can call it that, is kinda lost when you only have one of their beers on the menu."

Hearn assumed Tricia was referring to dogebrew much hop ipa. He twisted the coupler into place on the new keg.

"You know which one we've not had to change yet?" Sarah pointed at the one labelled Sunshine Grapefruit Peel Marzenschiber as they went back out onto the floor.

"Huh. Never heard of that style, either."

"I actually think the dude what runs the place just came up with a random German-sounding word."

[Neu Engollon]

CONFEDERACY PARK, BURGUNDEN
RUGBY EXHIBITION PITCHES

CUP QUARTERFINALS AND SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS

Copper Cuprum 19–21 Lisander
Darmen 24–14 Alpine Union
Hutanija 31–19 Savojarna (*Scored by Apox)
Elejamie 21–19 Neu Engollon (*Scored by Apox)

For the Upcoming CUP Semifinals:
Lisander vs Darmen
Hutanjia vs Elejamie

PLATE QUARTERFINALS AND SEMIFINALS MATCHUPS

Kyrjasmark 0–34 Abanhfleft
Natanians and Nosts 28–12 Alenburg
Greythrone 26–19 Barunia
United States of Devonta 26–31 Northwest Kalactin

For the Upcoming Plate Semifinals:
Abanhfleft vs Natanians and Nosts
Greythrone vs Northwest Kalactin

BOWL QUARTERFINALS AND SEMIFINALS MATCHUPS

Kelssek 26–14 Tolol
Saint Agnesia 26–22 Blaneu
Logria 0–36 Alice Bay
Retricoal 0–38 Apox

For the Upcoming Bowl Semifinals:
Kelssek vs Saint Agnesia
Alice Bay vs Apox

* Much thanks to Apox for 3rd Party scorination!

[Lisander]

"Here they go." - Gaetan Latta said. That was the signal. Copperites was about to start their obnoxious ritual of chicken killing.

The five reserves entered the field and joined the starters in the 22 line by the same moment the Copperites picked up the dead chicken. Shoulder to shoulder, they kept watching. When the blood of the poultry spilt to the grass, Gaetan Latta advanced with the team to the midfield line, completely silent. They stood there, together, and while the barbaric Copperites finished the ritual, they kept there, silent as they started, like a wall. When Match Official Erhard De Boule entered the field, the Irises was still in the midfield line.

"Move away, I'll start the game." - the Official said.

No responses, except for the crowd going mad.

"Green, move away" - De Boule said to Gaetan Latta.

But he didn't answer, just nodded with the head, showing Copperite players still were there. De Boule looked back.

"Black too. Move away! I'll start the game now."

When the Copperite reserves moved away from the field, taking with themselves the decapitated poultry, the Irises finally made the same and the match was ready to start.

[Natanians and Nosts]

Plate again.The national squad defeated Blaneu and went to the plate.They defeated Alenburg at the first match of the Plate and will face Abanhfleft.The coach's head is at the confederation's aim,if the team does not advance to the Cup the next championship,his job may be at risk.

[Greythrone]

__________

Greythrone 26–19 Barunia

Plate QF has more difficult for The Gambit when they facing more stronger, Barunia. Reaching this stages was a bonus to the team after the first attempt to play in an international tournament. But, luck is on their side after beat Barunia 26-19. The Greythrone able to make five tries and three conversions. Head coach Mike Limpoon line up Minh Koetje and Charlie Snyder as a prop, Emory Maltba as a hooker and Eusebio Mucha, Rusty Destefani, Everette Hokanson and Octavio Zieba in back.

The Gambit schedule to facing Northwest Kalactin in AVBF Rugby Sevens IV Plate Semifinals.

[Elejamie]

Welcome back to the fourth AVBF Sevens here in Burgenden, Neu Engollon, for the Maracalo Cup quarter-finals. And while we're concentrating on this match-up between Elejamie and Neu Engollon, we are covering the other quarter-final games in full on our website: therugbychannel.ej. Just to confirm: the quarter-final match-ups between Copper Cuprum and Lisander, Darmen and the Alpine Union, and Hutanjia and Savojarna will all be shown live on our website therugbychannel.ej due to the way the AVBF Sevens are set up, meaning we can't cover each match at once.

Anyway, we've got a good show for you this evening, ladies and gentlemen, as Elejamie will take on the hosts Neu Engollon. Elejamie are hoping to bounce back from their disastrous 4-0-1 campaign whereas Neu Engollon are hoping to carry on their run of good fortune even though they finished their group with the same record. There hasn't been that much history between the both sides, as the last time the two teams faced each other in union or sevens was at the second AVBF Sevens a long time ago, a game which Elejamie won 24-19 thanks to a late try from David Kramer and a conversion by Gary Toda.

...

And now both teams are making their way out of the dressing room and getting ready for their game over on Exhibition Pitch D, while. And, as you can see here, both sides have made a few changes from their last games. Not much seems to have changed on the Elejamian side with the same line-up as the earlier bash against Apox, whereas with Neu Engollon usual starting centre Johann Dorff is on the bench while Primo Serrofino starts in his place. And here's the coin toss... and it's Elejamie to start. Both captains shake hands with each other and the referee - Stefan Caron from Lisander, for those wondering - as we all get ready for the kick off.

---

0:00 - And we're underway! A good kick from Toda lands in the arms of Felix Marten as Neu Engollon advance up the pitch...

>1:00 - Neu Engollon now with an early penalty thanks to that bad tackle from Mike Decker. It doesn't help that Giannaro Caravolo is right in front of the posts from 27m out. If he misses he'll have egg all over his face... and luckily for him, he won't as it easily goes through the upright. Elejamie 0, Neu Engollon 3. And the Goats have opened up the scoring.

>3:00 - Another penalty now to the hosts now due to a collapsed scrum inside the 22. Not the best of moments from Marcus Ruiz there. Caravolo now with the kick. Not the best of angles but could still make it. He kicks... and it's through. Elejamie 0, Neu Engollon 6. And the hosts have now doubled their lead.

>5:00 - Yet another penalty for Neu Engollon. Let's hope Elejamie don't make a habit of this. Caravolo now from 31m out. He's got a decent angle to make it 3 out of 3. He lines up his shot. He kicks it. Will it make it through? He makes it through. Elejamie 0, Neu Engollon 9. And it's starting to look like a bad day for Coach Aaron Kim's men as the host nation gets another set of three points on the board.

>6:00 - ... Koernsoff turns over the ball and Elejamie begins their counterattack. Ruiz passes it over to Decker. Decker over to Molina before he gets tackled. Kramer recovers and passes it over to Ruiz. Ruiz passes it back over to Toda. Toda now sprinting all the way up to the pitch. Will Gemmel stop him? No! Gary Toda passes the ball over to McCracken. McCracken's all clear. He now makes his way under the posts. And Adam McCracken manages to get it down for the try. Elejamie 5, Neu Engollon 9. McCracken there celebrating as he puts some points for his team on the board while we get set up for Toda's conversion.

...

Toda to convert from 32m out. A slightly tricky angle but those who have seen him in previous games know he could easily get this done. Some deep concentration there as he punts it. Looks like it won't make it... but it just manages to fit itself in there. Elejamie 7, Neu Engollon 9. And Neu Engollon's lead has been cut down to two.

~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. Gemmel receives the ball from Venmont before he passes it over to Paticci. Paticci then passes it over to Giannaro Caravolo. Caravolo gets tackled but what's this? David Kramer manages to grab the ball in time and passes it over to Gary Toda. Toda makes his way down the pitch before he is brought down by Patacci. Venmont manages to end a potential Elejamian assault recover the ball and passes it over to Marten. Marten then gets brought down by Kramer. Koernsoff retrieves the ball and gently boots it into touch.

And Caron blows his whistle for half time. Your score, ladies and gentlemen: Elejamie 7, Neu Engollon 9. What started off as a blowout quickly managed to recover and become a close game. A try from McCracken and a conversion from Toda for the home side, three straight penalties from Caravolo for the hosts. And now as both teams return to the dressing room for a quick break and a word from their coaches, we too head back to the studio for some quick highlights and a brief discussion...

---

7:00 - And we're back for the second half, with one Adam coming off and being replaced by another; in this case McCracken being replaced by Gates. And now, as Caron blows his whistle to start, it's Caravolo to kick now as he boots it up the pitch into the waiting arms of Elejamian skipper Diego Molina...

>8:00 - Now a scrum on the edge of the Elejamian 22. Marten feeds the ball through the tunnel and the Goats have won the scrum. Marten collects it and passes it over to Caravolo. Caravolo makes his way down the pitch before he is stopped by Kramer. Marten recovers and passes it to Koernsoff. Offloads it to Serrofino. Serrofino just manages to get over Marcus Ruiz and he's just able to put it down past the line to give his side their first try of the evening. Elejamie 7, Neu Engollon 14. And once again the hosts have double the score of their opponent.

...

Caravolo now with the conversion from 29m out. Should be easy for him since he hasn't missed a kick all game. Lines up his shot. Boots the ball. And he's carried on with the streak as he makes it another two points for his team. Elejamie 7, Neu Engollon 16. And Elejamie desperately need a miracle to get back into this.

>11:00 - ... Conrad Gemmel receives the ball and boots it up the pitch. Looks like Caravolo's going to catch it... Wait, what's this? Intercepted by Mike Decker and Elejamie begin their counterattack. Decker passes it to Molina. Molina passes it to David Kramer. Kramer now storming down the pitch, dodges Marten, dodges Paticci. Fails to dodge Venmont as the Eagles scrum-half is brought down. Toda recovers the ball and passes it to Koppel. Koppel pushes his way past Venmont but Guillaume Venmont's not having any of that! He's just grabbed onto Paul Koppel. Koppel offloads it to Adam Gates. Gates rushes past and he puts it down for a try! Elejamie 12, Neu Engollon 16. And there's still some life yet in the Elejamian offence.

...

Toda to convert from 35m. He's at a good angle, could easily get it through the upright. He lines up his shot, gets a feel for it and he boots the ball. It's sailing, it's sailing and it's through. Elejamie 14, Neu Engollon 16. It's not over yet, we could be seeing an amazing comeback.

>12:00 - ... Caravolo recieves the ball from Marten. Passes it back to Marten. Gets tackled. Caravolo retrieves and passes it to Serrofino. Serrofino makes his way down the pitch but he's being pushed back by Decker and Ruiz. Serrofino's down, Caravolo recovers and passes it to Koernsoff Is he going to attempt a try? No, he's going for the drop goal! Will he make it? He does. Elejamie 14, Neu Engollon 19. And it looks like it's all over for the home side and it looks like the host nation will carry on their run of good luck.

~14:00 - ... And we're just coming up to the fourteen minute mark. Elejamie now desperately need to score a try to force a replay or get a win. Molina now with the ball. Passes it to Kramer. Kramer offloads it to Toda. Toda gets tackled. Koppel gets the ball and passes it to Gates. Gates rushes down the pitch until he is blocked by Paticci. Gates is dragged down onto the floor but fortunately Toda manages to recover the ball. Passes it over to Koppel. Koppel makes his way into the Engollonian 22. Venmont and Gemmel are trying their best of block him and they just manage to bring him down a couple of metres short. Gates recovers, passes it to Toda. Toda's just over the try line. He needs to press it down. And he does! The touch judges confirm it, there's no need for the TMO, that is a definite try. Elejamie 19, Neu Engollon 19. It's not over yet.

...

Toda to convert his own try from 33m out. He's in a good position but anything can happen. A deep breath from the Davenport fly-half. He lines up his shot. He kicks... and it's good! It cleanly sails through the posts and out the other side.

That's it, that's the match. The ref's blown his whistle to signal the end. Your final score: Elejamie 21, Neu Engollon 19. And the hosts are out of the competition whereas Elejamie will advance to the next stage. Both captains shaking hands with each other and exchanging pleasantries as they applaud to the crowd watching them both at the festival. I've been Matt Holland and now we go back to the team in the studio for highlights, analysis and a look at the upcoming Plate quarter-finals.

[Neu Engollon]

This is the Cut Off
for Semi-finals Match Day Three Morning Round
When it is down to the foot

[Neu Engollon]

CONFEDERACY PARK, BURGUNDEN
RUGBY EXHIBITION PITCHES

CUP SEMIFINALS

Darmen 12–33 Lisander
Elejamie 17–19 Hutanija (*Scored by Apox)

For the Upcoming CUP Final:
Hutanjia vs Lisander

PLATE SEMIFINALS

Abanhfleft 21–19 Natanians and Nosts
Greythrone 33–19 Northwest Kalactin

For the Upcoming PLATE Final:
Abanhfleft vs Greythrone

BOWL SEMIFINALS

Alice Bay 24–17 Apox
Kelssek 31–5 Saint Agnesia

For the Upcoming Bowl Final:
Kelssek vs Alice Bay

* Much thanks to Apox for 3rd Party scorination!

[Hutanjia]

Shock. All it could be described as was shock. A hard fought victory pulled from the very real jaws of defeat. At the whistle, the Spiders stood around, mingled with the players from Elejamie. All but Vlad Sokota who had nailed the ball through the sticks on the conversion kick to bring in the winning points after Harry Nepedku's try. Vlad was on his knees, not at first comprehending what he had done, but knowing he had broken the draw and there was nothing the Elejamians could do about it.

The fierce fight on the back 20 of the Elejamians had been like nothing either side had experienced before and the Hutanjians had beaten Elejamie on more than one occasion, but also suffered on the sharp end as well. They struggled for a turnover or even a chance to boot the egg to touch, but to no avail as the Hutanjians excelled in mauling through, both in union, and on the rare opportunity such as this, when it was called for in sevens. Kramer, McKracken and Molina, especially, got almost frenetically violent as they clawed their way towards the ball across the Spider passing line. They knew that if the Spiders were to score this try in the dwindling minutes, the conversion was almost assured. Vlad had missed it on the second try, that from Lintanu, just on the heels of Molina's try, but the Hutanjians were doing well to keep the attack near the center, knowing as well that it would come down to the angle for the conversion.

It was fortuitous, really, that it came down to strength rather than speed, the usual key factor in sevens. Speed was not something the Hutanjians were always known for, but for a couple players like Wakala and Nepedku, and that went for both union and sevens. So that they could fall back on muscle on their way in over the try line one last time, a succession of looping plays continued, feeding the ball out from rucks to the sides that would angle back in towards the center.

They snapped out of it to realize they had another chance. They had a shot at the Maracalo Cup final. As they went down the line extending hands and slapping backs with the Elejamians, they were already mentally preparing for the match with the Irises of Lisander. This time, they would have to pick up the pace and not count on grinding down the other side close in. They could make fast breaks, or they could suffer from their opponents'. The former was the goal, the latter was the fear.

Wakala took them all in off the side of the pitch and they huddled, muddy but exuberant and tapping into whatever hidden strength they possessed to play their final match of the tournament in the next half hour.

I'm giving myself minimal RP bonus, but felt that with the Spiders going this far, I owed it to my opponent, Lisander, as well my past opponents, to put in some bit of RP before the big match.

[Neu Engollon]

This is the Cut Off
for the Finals; Match Day Three Afternoon and Evening Rounds
Speed, drive and endurance

[Neu Engollon]

CONFEDERACY PARK, BURGUNDEN
RUGBY EXHIBITION PITCHES

CUP FINAL

Lisander 19-17 Hutanjia (*Scored by Apox)

PLATE FINAL

Abanhfleft 12–24 Greythrone

BOWL FINAL

Kelssek 12–31 Alice Bay

* Much appreciation to Apox for 3rd Party scorination throughout the tournament.!