Another test of Roast Beef and three veg against Bife con guarnicion. These Universitario de Rosario U17s were all born in 1993 and their U16 colleagues in 1994. The year difference was measurable in height and weight. Let's see, the average Argentinian eats 60kg of red meat per year according to Wikipedia; I wonder how much above average a 17 year old rugby player eats? The loosehead prop (No.1) bore a suspicious resemblance to Peter Avery, who was seen desperately trying to remember how long it was since he was in Argentina... These boys were the real deal. We discovered later that the No.13 was going to training later, for the Rosario, Santa Fe and Parana provincial U18s.
Uni pushed Maidenhead off the first scrum. They packed down low and shoved hard. Later Mark Hine said these were the first scrummagers to impress him so far. Both sides started at a furious pace, Uni clearly wishing to avenge their younger brothers' defeat, Maids playing as As for the first time and determined to show it.
Uni drew first blood, that No.13 outflanking the defence around the left with sheer pace from a tap near the right touchline. Three minutes later it was 12-0, a flyhack and chase after a Maidenhead midfield move broke down with a missed pass. The score was not a reflection of the game, Maids now holding the scrums steady and looking for gaps in open play. Maids tried and missed a penalty kick, then Bart broke from a maul, popped inside for Basson running clear but the ball went agonisingly forward. Uni swept left and right with real menace and would have scored again if not for a fantastic covering tackle by Leo Smith on the flying 13. Stopped in the backs, the home side rumbled up with their big forwards, twisting and rolling, driving and setting with great control. The massive No.1 was somehow held up over the line and Maids drove the 5m scrum back and splintered it for the first time. The danger area was not cleared though and Uni scored twice more in quick succession. The inside centre this time ran a devastating reverse line from left to right across the posts and then No.13 stepped off his right foot and accelerated through the narrowest of gaps.
26-0 after half an hour looks like a thrashing but it did not feel that way. Maids were still in it, more than competitive at the scrum, winning lineout ball despite the Uni front jumper closing the gap all game, and both forwards and backs threatening in the loose with ball in hand. It was much more even than the score suggests. Maids almost opened their account with a trademark DAJ line break, the offload just failing to go to hand. They finally got in the points though with a Sam Balfour pickup from a scrum against the head. Big handoff on the scrum half and sheer pace to go outside the blindside winger. Bart's conversion made the half-time score 26-7.
Maidenhead started the second half as they had finished the first, firmly on the front foot. Pressing forward and recycling more effectively, the reward came quickly. Slow ball, slow ball, quick ball to Smith going right, draws the cover and offloads from contact to Greg McHugh, pace and power into the corner with the last two defenders hanging off him. McHugh thereby scored in both games on the day.
The middle fifteen minutes of the half passed in a flash. Uni were on the attack, battering big forwards and hard-running backs. Maids' defence was magnificent, bodies on the line tackle after tackle, running hard, mauling, rucking, covering. The vocal encouragement and leadership on the pitch was astonishing and the organisation under pressure impressive.
Defence can be offensive sometimes. After a quarter hour of rope-a-dope it was Maids who scored next. Jamie Tolan snaffled a ball from a ruck 5 metres out and bulled through and over. Converted, the score took Maids' unanswered points to 19 since just before half time.
Unfortunately the last five minutes were marred by a simply terrible refereeing decision. I know it is customary to glide over these things and to maintain the pretence that everything is fine but sometimes the offense is so egregious it cannot pass without notice. Iain Whiteford was taken out in the air while catching a high ball. Although there was nothing malicious about it (indeed, while both games were hard-fought, there was no hint of dirty play in either), this sort of reckless contact must be penalised for the protection of players. The referee did not even stop play and allowed Uni to go through four or more ruck and maul phases within 10m of the prone player and attending physio and coaches. Only when the defence had definitely prevented a try did he stop proceedings.
Uni pushed Maidenhead off the first scrum. They packed down low and shoved hard. Later Mark Hine said these were the first scrummagers to impress him so far. Both sides started at a furious pace, Uni clearly wishing to avenge their younger brothers' defeat, Maids playing as As for the first time and determined to show it.
Uni drew first blood, that No.13 outflanking the defence around the left with sheer pace from a tap near the right touchline. Three minutes later it was 12-0, a flyhack and chase after a Maidenhead midfield move broke down with a missed pass. The score was not a reflection of the game, Maids now holding the scrums steady and looking for gaps in open play. Maids tried and missed a penalty kick, then Bart broke from a maul, popped inside for Basson running clear but the ball went agonisingly forward. Uni swept left and right with real menace and would have scored again if not for a fantastic covering tackle by Leo Smith on the flying 13. Stopped in the backs, the home side rumbled up with their big forwards, twisting and rolling, driving and setting with great control. The massive No.1 was somehow held up over the line and Maids drove the 5m scrum back and splintered it for the first time. The danger area was not cleared though and Uni scored twice more in quick succession. The inside centre this time ran a devastating reverse line from left to right across the posts and then No.13 stepped off his right foot and accelerated through the narrowest of gaps.
26-0 after half an hour looks like a thrashing but it did not feel that way. Maids were still in it, more than competitive at the scrum, winning lineout ball despite the Uni front jumper closing the gap all game, and both forwards and backs threatening in the loose with ball in hand. It was much more even than the score suggests. Maids almost opened their account with a trademark DAJ line break, the offload just failing to go to hand. They finally got in the points though with a Sam Balfour pickup from a scrum against the head. Big handoff on the scrum half and sheer pace to go outside the blindside winger. Bart's conversion made the half-time score 26-7.
Maidenhead started the second half as they had finished the first, firmly on the front foot. Pressing forward and recycling more effectively, the reward came quickly. Slow ball, slow ball, quick ball to Smith going right, draws the cover and offloads from contact to Greg McHugh, pace and power into the corner with the last two defenders hanging off him. McHugh thereby scored in both games on the day.
The middle fifteen minutes of the half passed in a flash. Uni were on the attack, battering big forwards and hard-running backs. Maids' defence was magnificent, bodies on the line tackle after tackle, running hard, mauling, rucking, covering. The vocal encouragement and leadership on the pitch was astonishing and the organisation under pressure impressive.
Defence can be offensive sometimes. After a quarter hour of rope-a-dope it was Maids who scored next. Jamie Tolan snaffled a ball from a ruck 5 metres out and bulled through and over. Converted, the score took Maids' unanswered points to 19 since just before half time.
Unfortunately the last five minutes were marred by a simply terrible refereeing decision. I know it is customary to glide over these things and to maintain the pretence that everything is fine but sometimes the offense is so egregious it cannot pass without notice. Iain Whiteford was taken out in the air while catching a high ball. Although there was nothing malicious about it (indeed, while both games were hard-fought, there was no hint of dirty play in either), this sort of reckless contact must be penalised for the protection of players. The referee did not even stop play and allowed Uni to go through four or more ruck and maul phases within 10m of the prone player and attending physio and coaches. Only when the defence had definitely prevented a try did he stop proceedings.
It left a sour taste after a largely fair and competent performance heretofore. Whiteford was taken to hospital and scanned and thankfully his concussion was mild and without complications.
The last few moments in the game were played out in a difficult atmosphere. To their great credit, the Maids players offered freely their congratulations to the winners at the end. It had been an epic fightback but ended up just short. This was a level of rugby that the touring players had never experienced or achieved before, way above their domestic league and, according to some who should know, well above county in intensity.
Squad: O'Callen-Smith, Jones (VC), Hine, Baxter, Whiteford, Bart, O'Flaherty, Balfour, Thomas (Capt.), Smith, Reid, MacSwan, Andrews-Jones, Anderson, Basson, Trevena, Tolan, Avery A, McHugh.
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