Rugby Union World Cup 29 Everything Thread

by **Hutanjia** » Tue Nov 17, 2020 8:57 pm

RUWC 29
HUTANJIA

ROUND OF 16 RESULTS

Darmen 15 – 6 Neu Engollon

Elejamie 31 – 0 Sajnur

Alice Bay 3 – 14 Quintessence of Dust

Busoga Islands 15 – 18 Lisander

Hannasea 8 – 15 Hutanjia

Abanhfleft 8 – 12 Kelssek

Ko-oren 10 – 0 Savojarna

Aji No Moto 15 – 36 Nova Anglicana

QUARTERFINALS MATCH UPS

Elejamie v Darmen (King Otumlo Stadium, Chastille, Nevorn)

Ko-oren v Quintessence of Dust (King Popilu I Stadium, Molnitha, Nevorn)

Kelssek v Hutanjia (Fera Darjugko Stadium, Jotaku, Nevorn)

Lisander v Nova Anglicana (General Wakala Stadium, Vesselle, Nesselberg)

by **Ko-oren** » Wed Nov 18, 2020 3:25 am

It's tough to see the Dragonflies as completely 'on top of things' in this edition of the RUWC, but even in a down year, the team doesn't settle for anything less than the quarterfinals. Amidst the other big tournaments that go on and compete with rugby union for airtime, the team does exactly what is necessary for a win. It's not to the tune of Elejamie's massive win over Sajnur, or Nova Anglicana's offensive explosion to kick out Aji no Moto, but the stout defence does its job again to stifle Savojarna for a 10-0 victory. Kicking was a bit of a problem as the opponents were entirely prepared for it, but individual class on the wings, both speed and power to overcome the weak defence on the edge, was enough to see Ko-oren advance. The forwards set up both tries, with endless phases trying to march down the centre of the field, until Bebenna and yHardyllyn shifted gears to set up the dynamic duo of Warmeling and Alardice. The team was a little more fluid in its formation, often putting both wingers and centres on the same half of the field, for instance, or lining Bebenna up as a de facto second fullback, taking a note from the Darmeni playbook. All in all it was just enough to confuse the opponents, who eventually let in Warmeling for the first try after 20 minutes and Alardice for the second after 72. Both were scored on the touchline, setting up difficult conversions that would both be missed. Savojarna had its chances sprinkled throughout the match, getting dangerous on scrums and rucks, but ultimately couldn't find a player to punch in the try. Even the rare foul on the Ko-orenite side wasn't punished as the Savojarnans pursued a try at all costs instead of going for easy penalty goal points.

Further pressing the RUWC for airtime is the slight political turmoil going on on the archipelago. And that's aside from Ko-oren being a meritocracy, in which dissent is permitted provided it's well presented and motivated. Some periodic reviews of policies, ministers, and secretaries is coming up all at the same time, which could allow for the biggest political shift in the last century or so. Often, the reviews and tweaks are presented one at a time, with a year or more in between. As always, the discussions are the same: should Ko-oren remain meritocratic or allow a democratic system a way in? Should the government decide on everything centrally or allow some devolution to the regions? The nation's various cultural and linguistic influences make it hard to decide anything on a national level - but never has Ko-oren favoured states and municipalities over the federal government. Some minor issues include foreign investment over domestic economic development, the large role the environment plays in decision making, and whether Atlantian Oceania, as a region, should step up and become more involved in the various nations in it.

by **Quintessence of Dust** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:02 pm

OOC: This assumes the quarterfinal proceeds with Ko-oren as listed, though I restate my objection to the seeding of the bracket.

Posted on the In Brief section of the QBS website.

Defensive slugfest beckons as All Greys prepare for quarterfinal

Alice Bay 3 (0)
Penalties: 1/1 (60’)

Quintessence of Dust 14 (7)
Yamada (Fox 72’); Cockburn (Orlov 69’), McNee, Koizumi, St. Martin; Lennon (Dexter 74’), London; Sugiyama (Kamiya 52’), Bellamy (Shvets 62’), Bishop (Daugherty 52’); Wortham (Sigurðsson 48’), Zhu; Echeverría (Chevalier 56’), Feldt, Rosenfeld
Tries: Zhu (29’), Daugherty (78’)
Conversions: Koizumi 2/2 (29’, 78’)

by **Elejamie** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 4:10 pm

Quick and Brief Group A Round-Up
Dave Carrey - Chastille, Hutanjia

That was a good group stage run wasn't it? Yes, unsurprisingly, we've made it out of the group stage. Once again, we finished top of the table with four consecutive wins. While some fans would point out how hardly surprising it is, I still say that we must always be prepared for just in case that never happens. Not only is it the luck of the draw but also the conditions of the pitch and how complacent our players get. But still, we did a very admirable job in the group stages and, without any further ado or pictures due to time constraints and not really enough good ones to use, I will give my usual roundup of how we did.

So let's dive right into our first match, against the United States of Devonta. And it was an absolute bloodbath, figuratively speaking. Devonta may not have been the best team out there but I didn't expect us to win 41-14. And they didn't seem particularly sluggish either, as they had gotten a repectable 24-7 win over the Fancy Bois to kickstart their campaign. In fact, they managed to hold their ground for the first 20 minutes, stopping us when we came close to scoring a try and breathed a collective sigh of relief when Paul Debenham's penalty bounced off the posts and into touch. Then for whatever reason Devonta just seemed to collapse. 22 minutes in, we won a vital scrum inside their 22 and Jorge Torres managed to push his way past the Devontan defence to score the first try of the match, with Debenham converting. Then seven minutes later, Eddie Campbell proved why he's the fastest person in Elejamian rugby as he dashed down the pitch and grounded the ball behind the posts before any of the opposition were able to catch up to him, thus setting Debenham up for a second, easy conversion. And 35 minutes in, Armando Tavzarez scored try number three not long after a lineout just metres away from the Devontan 22, with Debenham converting THAT try as well. In short, 40 minutes in and already the score's 21-0. Not necessarily that bad but you'd expect the opposition to put up more of a fight.

The second half saw Paul Debenham score a try of his own fairly early on, about four minutes into the half to be precise. And it wan't a particularly easy feat, as it took about 15 phases and several back and forths between himself, Brandão, Armando Tavarez and Diego Peguero before the ball was finally grounded. And even then they had to resort to the TMO just to check if it was grounded properly. Once they revealed that it was, we went 26-0 up and Debenham went on to convert his own try to add two more onto the board. Shortly afterwards, he was substituted and replaced by Guinho, presumably so he didn't tire himself out before the next match. Indeed not long after his introduction Guinho would get three penalty attempts in around seven minutes, scoring his first in the 47th minute, scoring his second in the 51strd minute but missing his third in the 54th minute. Regardless, Devonta would eventually get a break eventually. David White was sent to the sin bin in the 61st minute after a particularly bad tackle and Devonta would use those ten minutes to score and convert two tries. It may have been too little, too late but at least it gave the fans something to cheer about. Too bad those cheers would soon be silenced as Johnny Pernet (who came in to replace Eddie Campbell during that period) would score the fifth and final try for his side 76 minutes in, just managing to get himself clear before diving past the line, before Guinho would add the finishing touched to this 41-14 bloodbath. Yes, I cannot emphasise that scoreline enough.

Next up came Aji No Moto. They were hot off the heels of a 9-7 win against the Fancy Bois and a 21-0 shutting out of Baggieland the day before. They had been absent for a couple of competitions but they proved that they still had it. I can tell, they managed to keep us closed down for most of the match. Whenever we pushed forwards, they tried their hardest to push us back. It's why they kept the scoreline to 3-0 at the end of the first half, simply because they managed to close us down inside the 22 and either force an interception or force the ball into touch whenever it looked like we were going to score. The only time we did manage to put a score on the board was 23 minutes in when Paul Debeham's penalty easily found its way in between the posts as if they weren't even there. But other than that, it was a fairly defensive first half without much to comment on.

The second half was a bit more action packed, albeit not by much. Adam Gates ended up scoring a try 57 minutes in after a long and arduous series of phases that even had to restart at some point because Aji No Moto intercepted a pass before we closed them down and started again. Even so, he was forced to ground the ball in a less than opportune spot, though fortunately Debenham was still able to get it converted. It wasn't an easy feat as it looked like it was about to miss or even hit the post but it just managed to scrape its way in. Aji No Moto were quick to respond, though, as they'd get a try of their own eight minutes later courtesy of Naoki Kagabu, who just managed to push his way past Enzo and Logan Mankiewicz before he just managed to put the ball past the line. It was at a bit of an angle for Ajian kicker Sumiko Fukunaka but she easily managed to get the extras. Both teams would carry on their stellar defending, with Debenham getting another penalty and thus another set of three points, but we would emerge the eventual winners. 13-7. Not as good as the Devonta game but Aji No Moto played an excellent game and thus deserve the extra point for keeping it as close as it was.

Afterwards, we had our first newcomer to the competition in Baggieland. They actually weren't doing too badly; sure they lost their opener against Aji No moto 21-0 but they came back after their bye day with a 6-3 win over the Fancy Bois, with their two sets of threes coming from a couple of penalties from John Pilkington. They were even hoping for an upset and delivered a powerful haka before the match even started, which makes me wonder why the national team doesn't do the caeli the Sparrows and Elejam Iyilim team uses, just to let us know they meant business. Only to go 7-0 down inside five minutes when Brandão took advantage of a poorly-timed recovery following a ruck inside the Baggielandian 22 and buried the ball past the line for a try. Paul Debenham managed to convert despite the wind making it look like his kick would be going wide. They had some stellar defending for the rest of the match so I'm going to put that down as a lapse in judgement, especially when Diego Peguero would score our second try 28 minutes in but they managed to force him to ground it in a way that Debenham would miss the conversion, making it the first time this tournament he'd fail to get the two-pointer. He did, however, more than make up for it with a stellar penalty right in front of the posts with less than a minute to go, meaning we'd have a 15-0 lead going into the break.

The second half was a more defensive affair. They'd consistently close us down, force us to make errors or just intercept passes. We were still fortunate to prevent them from doing anything with those chances but they were still hungry, as they desperately wanted to get their first try of the tournament. It's a disappointment that they weren't able to do so until their last match but I still give them credit for a good show. Especially their defence, when in the 66th minute they would again make Brandão score his second try in a place where Debenham was again unable to convert it. But their offence was unable to get the job done, which was why the final score was 23-0 to us. It's a shame we gave them their new biggest defeat but for a bunch of newcomers they still played an excellent game and we here at DG hope they make a return.

And finally, we had the Fancy Bois. The obligatory one-and-done team, the sort of team that would only manage one tournament before fading from everyone's memories. And their matches essentially reflected that. A 24-7 defeat to Devonta on the opening day, a 9-7 defeat to Aji No Moto the day after and a 6-3 loss to Baggieland before their bye day. From what I understand the odds were massively stacked against them but that didn't stop a few people putting a couple of sofanc on them. A bit of a bad bet but hey, that's the fun of it. Let's just say that it probably would've been a good idea to cash out after the first fifteen minutes, when they slipped up quite badly and allowed Armando Tavarez to score a try six minutes in with Debenham getting a conversion before allowing Jorge Torres to score an unconverted try eight minutes later. Yikes. They did get a penalty attempt not long after but that went wide. Fortunately, a second one came 20 minutes in and that was successful. We'd get a set of three of our own about ten minutes later, when they essentially formed a wall of defenders and Debenham pretty much tried to make a kick to clear them from 41m out only to somehow get it in between the posts and just over the bar. We'd score one more try in the 37th minute, courtesy of Terry Huang (who had started this game instead of Gates), though Debenham was also unable to convert it. It still gave us a decent 20-3 lead at half-time, though.

The second half was a bit more of a surprise. Not really enough to turn the tide in their favour but at the same time they didn't roll over and die as easily as you'd expect. They still managed to close us down a number of times and they even managed to score a couple of tries while we were at full strength, one in the 53rd minute and the other in the 64th. Both tries were converted. But it wasn't enough to worry us. Paul Debenham would score a penalty 55 minutes in to make the scores 23-10. Then about five minutes later Huang would score his second try of the evening, even managing to ground the ball when the time exactly read 60:00. Debenham would not only convert that but he'd also convert a try from Eddie Campbell 67 minutes in. Much like the opening game against Devonta, he would be substituted not long after that kick to keep him fresh, though looking at him as he came off I wouldn't be surprised if Guinho would go on to start instead. They had a second penalty attempt with about two minutes left on the clock but they missed it. They even tried to get a try past the 80 minute mark but by the time 85:31 rolled around the players were probably too tied to go for even more points so Cerin Saetilor just ran into touch to end the match. Still, even if we could've gone on to get another try and possibly a conversion too, 37-17's still a respectable scoreline.

So where did everyone end up? As I previously said and as you probably gathered from the results of our games, we were top of the table with four wins, no draws, no losses and a cool 16 points. As a result of that offensive overload of Devonta and Fancy Bois to a lesser extent, we also had the best points total with 114 of them. However, second through fourth had the same record: 2-0-2. In fact, second and third both had a game where they lost by 7 or fewer points, meaning they had 9 points instead of 8. But in the end, it would be Aji No Moto who'd be going through to the next round instead of Devonta, +7 as opposed to -7. Baggieland would finish fourth but since they put in plenty of effort I won't be surprised if they not only return but also get more tries scored. And as expected the Fancy Bois turned out to be anything but as they finished dead last with no wins, no draws, four losses and 34 points for and 76 points against making a differential of -42.

So who else made it out of the group stage? Unsurprisingly our reigning champions Ko-oren made it out of the group stage, tied with Neu Engollon for points but finishing first thanks to point different (+47 compared to +23). Abanhfleft and Lisander both finished top of their groups with perfect records, as did Darmen (who also had the best defensive record with only three points in total conceded over all four games), Alice Bay and our hosts in Hutanjia. Our fellow East Pacificians Kelssek also managed to get out of the group stages. Savojarna were lucky for their 7-6 defeat to Rwekazaland, as it gave them the extra point they needed to put themselves ahead of Quebec in Group E. The Busoga Islands are the only team with a minus point differential to make it out, as they finished with a -7 when they came second in Group D. Other teams to make it out are Sajnur, Neu Engollon, Nova Anglicana, Hannasea and the Quintessence of Dust (who had a solid defence at the expense of a strong offence).

But what about notable teams that didn't make it out? Let's get the obvious name out of the way, Oscioru. By far one of the weakest teams in the competition as they were only about to score THREE points in the entire tournament, courtesy of a single drop goal in their last game against Sajnur. Placely Placington, the team made up of those clones that keep dying and yet they somehow did well at the Rugby League World Cup, also failed to make it out of the group stage despite a few signs of strength. Pratapgadh also failed to make it out, though considering they weren't playing to the best of their abilities it wasn't much of a surprise. Terre Septentrionale also got eliminated early, which is a shame because they're a decently solid team that should be capable of greatness but the universe just wants them to suffer for some ungodly reason. Port Ember and its colony Port Arthur also played their hearts out but they too failed to finish in a knockout round spot. And Kriegiersien failed to make it out, though hopefully their beer companies will hopefully finance another go around for next time.

And let me finish with who will be playing who in the round of 16. Darmen and their spectacular defence will be taking on Neu Engollon, whereas we will be playing Sajnur. Alice Bay will face off against the All Greys from the Quintessence of Dust, whereas the Irises of Lisander will face the Busoga Islands. The hosts Hutanjia will play Hannasea while it'll be Abanhfleft vs Kelssek. Ko-oren will carry on their title defence as they play Savojarna. And, finally, Nova Anglicana will take on Aji No Moto. Eight spectacular games but there can only be eight winners, sadly. Let's just hope you make the right predictions, dear viewers. And, above all, let's hope that they're all as action packed and fun-filled as most of the matches we've had so far.

More from Dave Carrey:

Dave Carrey's Guide to the 29th Rugby World Cup

Dave's Blog: Who-tanjia?

Group B Round-up

Dave Carrey's Brief Guide to the Sixth AVBF Rugby Sevens, Group B

OOC: This would've been posted before the Ro16 games but I had too much on my plate at the time so I got out a quick Placely Placington RP instead. Unless something comes up this will also be the last OOC bit in my RPs for this tournament. Sorry about them being here.

by **Hutanjia** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 6:43 pm

RUWC 29
HUTANJIA

QUARTERFINALS CUT OFF

by **Kelssek** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 6:44 pm

RUGBY WORLD CUP
Kelssek holds fast for upset win against Abanhfleft

Kelssek held out against a hard assault from a team they'd lost to already in Hutanija to progress to the quarterfinals of the Rugby World Cup. It was a hairy final 15 minutes as Abanhfleft threw the kitchen sink at the team in blue but a spirited effort saw them hold on for 12-8 victory.

Mikkon Bradley darted diagonally and broke through a tackle to race downfield and score the first try after a high-octane but scoreless 34 minutes. Abanhfleft struck back almost immediately but a missed conversion saw Kelssek lead 7-5 after the first half.

Asked what they'd learned from their earlier loss to the world's number three team, head coach Leigh Kirwan deflected the question and began babbling about heart, desire, grit, determination, and claimed "there are no magic beans when it comes to war or rugby", words certain to inspire.

Captain Martin Tang, meanwhile, suggested it was simply a matter of knowing what to expect and "this time we defended even better and were tackling much sharper. I think knowing the stakes gives you that added force. We were really unhappy with how we let up on them when we got the first try, and in the room guys were all determined we're not going to let this slip away."

The pack battered away from a line-out to push the ball over the try line with Jourdain Boules-Bédard being the one to make it through after a tenth phase. Then it was Abanhfleft who hit back hard but staunch work to resist the tide meant the most their opponents could get was a late drop-goal which had an air of desperation about it.

by **Hutanjia** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 8:04 pm

RUWC 29
HUTANJIA

QUARTERFINAL RESULTS

Darmen 3 – 12 Elejamie

Ko-oren 26 – 0 Quintessence of Dust

Nova Anglicana 17 – 6 Lisander

Kelssek 13 – 16 Hutanjia

SEMIFINAL MATCH UPS

Ko-oren v Hutanjia (King Popilu I Stadium, Molnitha, Nevorn)

Nova Anglicana v Elejamie (King Otumlo Stadium, Chastille, Nevorn)

by **Hutanjia** » Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:11 pm

RUWC 29
HUTANJIA

SEMIFINAL CUT OFF

Hutanjia 0 – 7 Ko-oren

Elejamie 10 – 0 Nova Anglicana

FINAL MATCH UP

Ko-oren v Elejamie (King Otumlo Stadium, Chastille, Nevorn)

by **Ko-oren** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 5:37 pm

The Quodites were fairly simple in their gameplan. They already managed to get the jump on teams that were three times their size on paper, and instead of high-energy, attacking opponents, they were almost relieved to see Ko-oren as their next fixture. Quodite prop Bishop even commented ahead of the game that "it would be fun to see two teams with a similar outlook" on the field, and both teams expected a firmly defensive match. The All Greys dug themselves in on their side of the field, protecting the deep kick receivers and London and Lennon, who would often be returning the kicks to the Ko-orenite half. Both teams tried to place their kicks so that their forwards could chase down the ball at least a little bit, but to no avail. Lennon especially could place the ball with more accuracy than anyone else among the 30 on the field, yet both teams were so deep on their side of the field that rucks and mauls just failed to develop. Neutral fans of the sport already saw this coming and responded pre-emptively by leaving the King Popilu I Stadium somewhat empty, especially compared to how full the stadiums in the other three quarterfinals were.

Unfortunately, these neutrals would miss the second highest scoring test among the four. As kicking helped nobody advance, yTebetwd attempted shorter and shorter kicks, baiting the opposition to receive them, while actually kicking them high up for our own wingers. Alardice picked up on this and caught the ball, and without looking passed it behind him. Bebenna was here, and with the forwards arriving, the centre planted himself firmly, awaiting impact. Finally, the ball was on the ground long enough for play to develop, and the Dragonflies inched closer and closer to the All Grey try line. Now that it had come to this, Warmeling danced around a defender, offloaded to yHardyllyn, who jumped over the try line to deliver Ko-oren its first points. Right between the posts, French made no mistake, and Ko-oren were up 7-0. The Quodites knew that the typical kicking game wouldn't work, and tried to involve the entire team in about a dozen phases which led them well into the Greenblue half. A knock on there would give Ko-oren the ball back with enough time before the half to make it work. This time it was French's grubber kick that sent Holden over the line with the ball, in between several stunned defenders.

14-0 up at the half, the Ko-orenites geared up for 40 minutes of trench warfare. This time it would be QoD's turn to surprise, finding the agile St. Martin once or twice on weaving runs, but ultimately failed to score. Lennon did see if he could kick a field goal here or there, but 14-0 down he also knew that his team wouldn't be able to kick five of those for the 15-14 lead as well as to keep Ko-oren from scoring for the rest of the second half. He opted not to kick for the posts, and instead directed his troops once more to get a try - no matter how. Some lapses of judgment later saw Ewell score the third Ko-orenite try after a few handy passes between him, Alardice, and Connor. This time French would miss the easy conversion - it was far from a touch line attempt - but the 19-0 lead looked daunting. The Quodites fell back to score on some opportunistic intercepts, which never came as now the Dragonflies' forwards were in charge of keeping the ball low and safe. With a minute or so to go, yTebetwd dove over the try line himself for a final try, and kicked the conversion himself: 26-0. A much larger scoreline than the match deserved, and with it the Dragonflies move to the semifinals.

In there, the Greenblues ran into the hosts themselves, the first test against a fellow title contender. Not to sell either Savojarna or the Quintessence of Dust short, but they weren't among the powerhouse teams that were tipped to compete in the final ahead of the tournament. "Imagine allowing points," said Weddall tauntingly ahead of the match, "it'll be hard for Hutanjia to go to a final at home if they can't score." Weddall's words proved prophetic as the fifteen indeed kept Hutanjia to a zero on the scoreboard. The further the tournament goes along, the better prepared our team looks, even if they cut it very, very close. Warmeling got his first try of the knockouts, diving across the line uncontested: a fantastic high kick by French landed exactly where only the Wanderers-Vulpecula winger could grab it, and then punch it down for the score. French was back on conversion duty, made no mistake, and set the final score to 7-0.

This means that Ko-oren will go to a third consecutive RUWC final. Which sounds like it could be a record number of consecutive appearances (alongside Rhodesia's triple from RUWC 19 to 21), if it weren't for our opponents (and the opponents of the last two World Cups), Elejamie. They'll be going to their fourth straight RUWC final, going 1-2 in their attempts (among which are one win and one loss versus us). This match probably couldn't get more storied and anticipated - and for neutral fans, this match probably couldn't get more predictable. I'm sure that if we weren't Ko-orenite ourselves, we'd be hoping for any combination of teams in the final, as long as it's not again those damn Dragonflies and Elejamians. We're sorry, but not that sorry, and we couldn't be more hyped for what's probably rugby union's most hated matchup by now. But we're sure that in a few years, fans from all over the multiverse will be looking back at this unusual stretch of finals with a sense of nostalgia.

Could Elejamie go 2-1 over us in three consecutive finals? Could Ko-oren win another back-to-back title? Will Elejamie get their second title, or will Ko-oren get their fourth?

by **Elejamie** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 6:21 pm

Here they were again.

Hot off the heels of a 10-0 win over Nova Anglicana, Elejamie had made into their fourth straight final. Unfortunately, it was their third straight final against an all-too-familiar opponent. Ko-oren. It was yet another battle between the top two teams in the world. One lacks an official nickname but is usually referred to as the "Elephants" in foreign media, something the ERF has no issues with whatsoever, due to the creature being displayed on their jerseys. The other is known as the Dragonflies, mainly because it's their national animal, as well as the Greenblues due to their colour scheme. One currently rests at #1 in the rankings, whereas the other sits at #2 but has three times as many trophies. Both very excellent teams playing one last match against each other even though it won't be THE last. But how did they reach this stage?

Flash back to the Round of 16 game against Sajnur. Elejamie had finished stomping two teams offensively during their group stage run and unfortunate Sajnur were about to become the third. They held strong for the first thirty minutes, with the only set of points allowed being a penalty fron Guinho 21 minutes in. The first signs of weakness came 31 minutes in when Diego Peguero was merely inches from the line before some strong Sajnuran defending managed to push him and his side back. They conceded a try 35 minutes in, thanks to some back and forths between Adam Gates (who scored the try), Armando Tavarez and Guinho, with the latter adding the necessary two points to make the score 10-0 going into half-time. The second half showed off the might of the Elejamian offence when Tavarez scored a try of his own 44 minutes in, with Guinho converting. Jorge Torres scored try number three 56 minutes in, with that one also being converted. And, finally, Guinho would score and convert a try of his own 67 minutes in to round off the scoresheet. Sajnur, meanwhile, were continuously frustrated with the closest they came to scoring a try being in the 77th minute when they managed to get 10m before Marcel Blanchet picked the ball up and began a counter-attack. All three of their penalties missed, with their closest just scraping against the wrong side of the post. And they were only win a handful of scrums, though fortunately for them most of them were in areas of little to no importance or lead to Elejamian attacks that were stopped dead. Final score. 31-0 to Elejamie.

And then came the Quarter-final against Darmen. A team with an almost-impenetrable defence. We should know, as they had only conceded nine points in total coming into our match. Three came from their game against Saint-Domingues, where Christiaan Cocu would score a penalty for Les Oranges, whereas the other six came from their 15-6 win against Neu Engollon (with Wilhelm Hoerner scoring both penalties for the Mountain Goats). Indeed, they had a spectacularly tough offence that Elejamie's backs were just unable to crack. However, Elejamie's defence was just as good as they also prevented Darmen from scoring any tries. Due to some sloppy plays from the home side, Elejamie were given more penalty opportunities which they were able to capitalise on, with Paul Debenham scoring three out of six of them. He would also get a drop goal with 70 minutes on the clock to round off his kicking display. Not to say they weren't faultless either as they did allow a fair amount of penalties. It's how Darmen got their set of points, with their captain Connie Fitzroy nailing a penalty from 34m out with, fittingly, about 34 minutes on the clock. But one of the best defensive teams in the competition couldn't get their offense started in this game and they fell to a 12-3 defeat.

Finally, there was Nova Anglicana. If rugby union matches had nicknames as much as gridiron games, then this would've gotten a name somewhere along the lines of the "Rain Bowl". After all, it had been pouring it down heavily and the winds had picked up a bit. While the pitch was fortunate enough to have been fake turf, meaning it wouldn't end up being a Mud Bowl, the poor visibility and bad weather meant that the match was a low-scoring game. Not a repeat of the no-try game (which, to some Elejamian fans and players, reminded them of the 1992 ERC Grand Final which was the only tryless one) but defending seemed to be the order of the day. The first half-ended up being scoreless and it felt like the match should've been called then and there but referee Alexander Rovatanka had other plans. The weather did clear up a bit for the second half but it still put a literal dampener on things. With 63 minutes on the clock, Debenham scored the first set of points in the match with a penalty that seemed to have used the wind instead of went against it. With 69 (nice) minutes on the clock, Eddie Campbell scored the only try of the match, just grounding the ball as he too was being grounded by Lions props Michael Pearson and Guy Dupont. Nova Anglicana, meanwhile, bore the brunt of the bad weather as they were unable to score a try, penalty of even a drop goal. Fullback Darren James did get a bit hurt in a tackle late in the second half but it wasn't anything that his side needed to worry about. The only thing they had to worry about was the 10-0 defeat they just received at the hands of Elejamie.

Return to the present. Everyone was getting ready and getting kitted up for the upcoming final. They had analysed their opponents, the same ones they had faced for three finals in a row now. They went on a shut-out streak for their knock-out games. Savojarna left disappointed after their 10-0 defeat, the Quintessance of Dust were routed 26-0 and the hosts Hutanjia were fortunate enough to allow only a single try and conversion in their 7-0 loss. Their defence was strong and disciplined enough to prevent any tries or penalties being scored in even the most uncomfortable of areas, their kicking had been on point and they had worked together as a team. It's why they're one of the best teams out there. It's why they've won three trophies. And it could be why they might win a fourth if Elejamian coach Pablo Cartagena wasn't as lucky.

Much like the animals emblazoned on their chests and the animals that represent their nation, Elejamie were pretty much centred around two main things: speed and strength. Eddie Campbell was their main speedster but even Terry Huang, Adam Gates, Diego Peguero, Johnny Pernet and Paul Debenham could boast a decent time in the dash. Their first three (Enzo, Dan Mitchell and Dominic Devries) were essentially free-moving wrecking balls. But they had to utilise a new strategy, something they had been lax to do in their past few meetings with the Dragonflies.

HIGH PRESSURE.

Plenty of kicking is the key to Ko-oren's success but ideally it could also be their weakness. Crowd the kicker and make either Linwood French or Jinnamoora Amaranga as claustrophobic as possible. Get Saetilor or Finney to block them off, they're tall players and they're the most ideally suited to the task. Another thing to do would be to concentrate on their wingers and centres. They seem to be the backbone of the team and if the Elejamian squad immediately crowds around them, with a few players in the right positions to go for an intercept, then any potential tries could be prevented and counter-attacks could take place. Bring some forwards up with the backs whenever we're on the attack. Make them into bodyguards and possibly sacrificial lions to try and prevent any tackles, especially since Ko-orenite forwards tend to have that edge to them. Give the opposition no breathing room and make them as miserable as possible.

Nearly everyone was ready. They were waiting on Joey Viljoen to finish psyching himself up. Once he did that, everyone lined up. They breathed deeply and, upon the signal, ran out onto the pitch. They did some warm-ups, they waited in line and they sang both the anthems with pride. Elejamian captain Bruce Hernández, playing what might be his last RWC final, stood toe to toe with his opposite number. Referee Stefan Caron stood in between them and tossed. It was Elejamie to kick-off. The two captains shook hands and wished each other luck before going back to their players. Deep breaths abound as Paul Debenham got into position. Staring intently down the pitch and the Ko-orenite players, most of whom he had played against in previous finals, he quietly said something under his breath to try and calm his nerves before giving the ball a powerful boot that landed in the arms of Merrill Connor.

"Eighty more minutes. Keep the faith."

by **Hutanjia** » Sat Nov 21, 2020 7:31 pm

RUWC 29
HUTANJIA

FINAL
(King Otumlo Stadium, Chastille, Nevorn)

Elejamie 8–14 Ko-oren

3 PPO

Nova Anglicana v Hutanjia @ (King Otumlo Stadium, Chastille, Nevorn)

[*To add to my errors I did not announce this. I will give the 3 PPO another day in order for Nova to RP and me to line up an available 3rd party scorer. Cut off will be 2200 US ET tomorrow.]

by **Nova Anglicana** » Sun Nov 22, 2020 7:45 am

Lions slop their way to third-place matchup with hosts

It seems like so long ago since the Nova Anglicana Lions national rugby team were able to compete in the Rugby Union World Cup, and even longer than that since they have had any success. They have competed since RUWC 21, but despite their top-10 ranking, they have only two fourth-place finishes and two quarterfinal exits to show for it. But things seemed to be looking up in RUWC 29. The Lions got through the group stage at 3-1-0, then swept past Aji no Moto 36-15, and handled fifth-ranked Lisander, 17-6. Then the Lions ran into Elejamie. Elejamie, the #1 team in the world, have appeared in the last three RUWC finals, losing to Barunia 12-10 in RUWC 26, defeating Ko-oren 7-3 in RUWC 27, and being defeated by Ko-oren again, 9-0, in RUWC 28. It would be an extremely tough matchup. Were the Lions up to the task?

Under heavy rain and whipping winds,the Lions played Elejamie in a game marked by poor visibility and low-scoring. After a scoreless first half, which saw a couple of missed drop goals on either side, but no tries, the teams headed into the locker rooms for some well-deserved rest and shelter. Give credit to Elejamie, who took no penalties in the first half, or else the Lions may have scored. Give credit to the Lions pack, who tackled and rucked ceaselessly to keep Elejamie off the scoreboard. The weather cleared up somewhat in the second half, but it wasn't dry or calm. After the second half was more than halfway over, Elejamie fly half Paul Debenham knocked a penalty through the posts to make it 3-0, driving it home despite the driving wind. Six minutes later, outside center Eddie Campbell scored a try, just as he was being brought down by Lions props Michael Pearson and Guy Dupont. A fearsome tackle, but they could not stop Cambell from scoring. After the conversion, the Lions trailed 10-0 with fewer than 15 minutes to go. At that point, all of the air seemed to go out of them, and they sleepwalked through the rest of the game. They did manage to prevent any more scoring, but they prevented it on both sides, barely managing any offense when they touched the ball. To add injury to defeat, fullback Darren James sprained his ankle on a late tackle. James insisted it was nothing and surely wants to be back on the field, but coach Errol Anderson has already indicated that Ben Gordon will replace him at the back for the third place game.

Following their defeat, the Lions dropped into the third place game. In the other semifinal, Ko-oren defeated Hutanjia 7-0 to set up a third straight matchup between Ko-oren and Elejamie in the final. This meant that the Hutanjia Spiders, the hosts of the competition, would take on the Lions in the third place game. It just doesn't get any easier for the Lions. They will play the hosts in massive King Otumlo Stadium, which holds more than 87,000 spectators, more than 90% of them cheering lustily for their beloved Spiders. It sure looks like the Lions are headed for their third fourth-place finish, but perhaps they'll pull off the upset and improve in some small way. In any case, scoring at least three points would be a victory.

by **Hutanjia** » Sun Nov 22, 2020 11:07 am

RUWC 29
HUTANJIA

3 PPO MATCH
(King Otumlo Stadium, Chastille, Nevorn)

[* Much thanks to Busoga Islands for scoring the match. In agreement with Nova, we called the cut off early as he was satisfied with his time to RP.]

Rugby Union World Cup 29 Everything Thread

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