TMR 16 vs Wanderers 0

On Saturday, TMR defeated cross-town rivals the Montreal Wanderers by a score of 16–0.  The win secures TMR a home playoff match and ends the regular season on a five game winning streak.

Saturday was “Family Day” at the Rec Centre and it started well for the club with a mini-rugby camp for the kids in the morning, followed by two men’s games.  A lot of fans turned out to see the second division team get the day rolling with a victory over Trois-Rivières.

In the premier division game, the Town started slowly but only allowed the Wanderers a minimal incursion into TMR territory.  Ten minutes in, the Town turned the game flow around, pressed deep into the opposition’s end and kept the play there for the majority of the first half. 

Playing on the back foot, the Wanderers continually killed the ball and game flow by illegally entering rucks and mauls from the side.  After one too many, TMR was awarded a penalty near the Wanderers 30 metre line and Steve McNeil converted it for three points.  McNeil missed the next kick but slotted the third and the Townies went into half-time up 6 points to nil.

Alun “The Rock” Phillips defined the second half as he consistently speared kicks out of the sky and punched the ball back down the pitch with a scathing, running attack.  Ten minutes into the second half, TMR converted another penalty kick to go ahead 9 – 0.

For the next five minutes, the Wanderers pressed TMR with some impressive running in the back line.  It was only through strong tackling from the forwards and backs – especially by Kurt Bittner, Adam MacLellan, Mike Mooney, and J.P. Martineau – that stopped the Wanderers from breaking through for seven points. 

About midway in the second frame, TMR attacked out wide with Adam MacLellan putting Bobby Swail into space at midfield. Lacking the pace to take it the distance, the lock forward astonished the crowd with a beautifully-weighted kick that came to rest just shy of the goal line. The Wanderer winger could only manage a haphazard kick under pressure that was field by JP Martineau inside the 20m, but his ensuing chip kick was late and blocked into touch. As Number Eight Kurt Bittner commented at the clubhouse “Not since I’ve been out East have I seen such a sublime kick. No doubt.”

With about 25 minutes to go in the game, the Wanderers received a yellow card and TMR capitalized.  After winning a lineout near the 40 metre line, the Town marched a driving maul down to the try line but a tough Wanderers defence stopped them short.  After a few rucks and scrums – and hard runs by Phillips, Rob Grodinsky and Mitch François – Yacine Drinali lunged across the line for a TMR try.

For the last ten minutes of the match, the Wanderers unleashed a running onslaught from their own end, but TMR’s consistent tackling held up in the late afternoon heat.

Final score: 16 – 0 to TMR.  Notable performances:  Steve McNeil was awarded man-of-the-match so he could finally get his turn to wash the jerseys.  Etienne Bouchard-Claisse adapted well at scrum-half as he replaced the injured Pat Ghattas.  Yacine Drinali put in another amazing performance with engaging, attacking rugby and a solid tackle count.  Congratulations to Yacine for scoring his first premiership try. 

The win elevated TMR to a tie with RCM for third place in Québec, but the Town ultimately place fourth as RCM won the head to head match up this year.

TMR’s annual Family Day was a resounding success as fans, family and friends enjoyed the beautiful weather and rewarding rugby action.  Lions Mini-Rugby is over for the year, but if anyone is interested for next season go to www.montrealminirugby.com for more info.

Another good day for TMR. Not too hot, not too cold (25 deg). This time TMR had a full complementary of subs. Starting lineup was Fitness - PO - David, Martin + Dan, Patrizio + PP+ Laurent back row, Morgan, Igor, Sabri, Mark backs, Phil, Paul, Darcy wingers/ fullback. One sub was made during the 2nd half - Hadriane for Fitness.

PP's 5 man lineout's were exemplary (none stolen). In the first half, TMR scored 3 penalty kicks for 3-rivers' careless errors (there were quite a few) on their side of the field. Morgan got 6 points and Paul got 3. However, 3-rivers scored 2 tries for 14 points for a score of 14 - 9 3-rivers at halftime.

But TMR didn't give up and it's forwards refused tries to 3-rivers as 3-rivers drove to the 5 meters several times. Then our backs started breaking the 3 -rivers line. Sabri had an important try (he could have had 2 if he didn't straight-arm a player). Then Igor saw a gap and zigzagged for a try.

Man of the match was Igor, with honorable mention to Morgan for leading the forwards and putting down "killer" (No-one's hits will ever be forgotten!) and to Paul for performing well under pressure with such a close game.

TMR secured a much needed win on the weekend with a victory over the Quebec City Rugby Club. Edging out Quebec by a score of 12-7, the Townies showed some spirited defence in a wet and windy battle on the Plains of Abraham.

Quebec started the half with some punch by continuously running the ball at TMR. The forward pack and some smaller backs played attacking north-south rugby but the Town held their initial barrage and managed to send Quebec back into retreat. Yacine Drinali and J.P. Martineau, most notably, made several excellent tackles to prevent Quebec from breaking through the TMR defensive line.

After 10 minutes, the Town counterattacked and forced Quebec to the defence of their goal line. Continually gaining ground, the Town launched an assault from the left flank and Mitch François charged the line, scoring a try in corner. TMR 5, Quebec 0.

At the restart, Quebec mobilized a counterattack of their own and bombarded the Town backward. But the Town wall held the Quebec encroachment and sent the fight back to the other end.

Gaining strategic ground from a solid line-out win by P.P. Gros, TMR pushed deep into Quebec territory and the ball found its way into the hands of Rob Grodinsky. Assaulting with ferocity, Grodinsky cut and assailed the Quebec lines, attacking like a wolf, leaving a trail of missed tacklers in his wake as he juked to the line and scored a try under the posts. Pat Ghattas beat the convert attempt through the posts and the Town went up 12-0.

Reeling from the raid, Quebec stormed down the pitch and began a fierce onslaught. Beginning with a penalty, Quebec blitzed the TMR try line and wave after wave of combatants smashed together on the one metre line. But TMR dug in and amazing try saving tackles were made by: Morgan, Bob Miller, Dion Varvarikos, P.O. Phan Lachapelle, Gros, Michael Mooney, Drinali, Laurent Peshel, Etienne Bouchard-Claisse, Adam MacLellan, Ghattas, Martineau, François and Sebastien Vittecoq. After a violent 15 minute battle, François, Drinali and Gros helped to hold up a Quebec player who had pounced across the line, thereby preventing the try. Quebec was then awarded a scrum and after the first breakdown TMR stole the ball and the half was over.

Despite Quebec’s best efforts in the second half, they were only able to score one try – and intercept try from 70 metres. The second half was ugly as both teams were hurt and tired, suffering many casualties. Among them was Ghattas, who was invalided midway through the second frame with a knee injury.

However, a last minute incursion by Quebec held the game in doubt as the score remained at 12-7. Quebec rushed the TMR line with striking running and barely missed touching down a try in the corner after a goal line knock-on.

A win’s a win and TMR held out victorious on the Plains of Abraham. The match was a good warm-up before the playoffs as TMR’s first round opponent may be a home encounter against Quebec.

Final score: 12 – 7 to TMR. Notable performances: Man of the Match goes to Rob Grodinsky for an outstanding game offensively and defensively. Bob Miller, for excellent scrummaging and open field play. Yacine Drinali for pounding, consistent tackles in the forwards. Yacine continually turned over opposition ball through those punishing tackles. And congratulations go to P.P. Gros for getting his first full premier division game in for TMR – for winning his second cap – and for making 16 tackles in Quebec City.

Another good day for TMR's 2nd team! (out of the many we had this year!) This time TMR showed Westmount it could ruck, possess the ball, and intelligently pass the ball to the backs after 1 or 2 phases. TMR's starting lineup was Ferrazano, Milad, David then Dan, Oliver then Martin, PP, Patrizio, then Glen the General - Adam the Conquerer, Sabri the Barbarian, Marc the Maniac, wings Alec the Spongemaster, Smiley (Mr. Peebles), and J.P. the Commander. With this lineup, there was no stopping TMR.

The first try was done by Patrizio the Italian Stallion as he broke through 2 tackles and ran 20 meters from the outside to score. Then J.P. , kicking the ball to Westmounts' Fullback and winger, was able to scrounge up a mishandled ball from Westmount for a try. Adam also wanted some, so he got some. As he yelled "Want Some?!" at Westmount, he zigzagged through Westmount's backs to show them they couldn't have none of this. But then Westmount responded by putting a 3 inch gash on the General's head. Thanks Adam!

Westmount responded with 2 tries as they were rallying themselves for the 2nd half. But then Ghattas, the Egyptian Magician, came in for Smiley and pulled through with an amazing 3 pointer. Yessin the Destroyer also came in the 2nd half for Ferrazano. Westmount tried to dominate our rucks, but to no avail. Finally, Oliver had an amazing breakaway and passed off to Spongemaster (Alec) for the last try of the game.

J.P. the Commander was man of the match for outperforming and finding the weak link in Westmounts' backs.

After the game, honorable mention goes to Glen the General for letting Dr Scutt stitch him up in a drunken state.

TMR III in the semis. Who could of expected that in the beginning of the season. Boys, you all did a great job, but it had to end somewhere and considering the complete different back line we had against Ste-Anne, I believe it was a great game.

Kick-off took place at 6:30. Winning the toss up by calling heads, I chose to have the sun in our back during the first half. Wasn’t really worth it since those huge trees hid the sun at the Ste-Anne’s field 10 minutes after kick-off.

Here was the line up in position order.

Forwards: Hadrien, Milad, Ferezano, Matthieu, Dave, James, Dan, Nick, (Patrizio, Martin subbing)
Backs: Alec, Paul, Mehdi, Smiley, Josh, Percy, Francis (Glenn subbing)

As you can see, the forwards we’re relatively the same pack as previous games, but the back line was totally different. Marc Dakermandji, the inside centre, was sick and couldn’t come to the game. Francis, the flyhalf, had a neck injury so he played fullback instead. The players replacing them did a great job, but they were out of position.

Back to the game now, TMR started strongly, with a lot of pick and goes, and we came close to scoring a couple of times but the Ste-Anne defensive line didn’t budge. Ste-Anne scored twice in the first half; missing the two conversions while TMR’s Paul Timperley got one kick for points. First half ended with a 10-3 score.

The scrums weren’t that bad. We won our own ball, but didn’t steal any. Being the hooker, I can tell you the scrum in this game was much softer than previous games.

 Lineouts are in the same boat; we won our balls, but didn’t steal any.

Tackling, instead of bringing the tackled player down, we did that thing that some of us call hugging, myself included. That resulted in a lot of mauls that weren’t always to our advantage.

During second half, Ste-Anne scored twice again, with one conversion. They were able to run trough the back line and have those long runs. On our side, we did have a couple of great plays. Francis earned himself man of the match doing a great job at fullback and doing those great runs on the side of the pitch, often dodging two or three tackles.

Penalty wise, I would say it was fairly good. We did get called as much as previous games. Ste-Anne’s scrumhalf (that kid that looks like Gollum) got a yellow card.

It wasn’t the best season for the third team but the improvement that we showed in the end of the season and the playoffs cannot be ignored. This year’s third team was very young and is only going to get better with time and experience. I only see better days for us in the next seasons.

Final score: 22-3

Man of the match: Francis

P.S. Guys, I’m sorry for loosing it in the beginning of the game and maybe costing us the first try. It had to take Alec and Dan to stop me from retaliating against Dirty Sanchez who punched me in the back of the head. He did apologize after the game and told me that he thought I was number 9 (Sponge).

The Wanderers with a 6-1 winning record, and TMR III with a 6-0 loosing record; we were definitely considered as the underdogs in this game. Moreover, we had played the same team a week ago and the Wanderers won that game 45-17. (See recap august 8^th) All this made us want to win even more. I was a long time since I saw a team so pumped up to play and win.

So we all met at the Douglas hospital. Very sunny day and the pitch was great since it had rained a bit during the day so the ground wasn’t rock solid. Starting line-up, in position order, was: Hadrien, Milad, Fitness, David, Dan, James, Patrizio, P-P, Sponge, Francis, Mehdi, Mark, Josh, Percy, Paul. This left us with two subs, Bob Miller and Hichem. (special thanks for Hichem for being there, he came in 10 min after the half and got injured maybe 10 min after, we appreciate that Hichem). Other injury was mainly Hadrien that split his nose and left blood all over the field, that really needed a picture, it was gold.

So the game started, we were kicking to them, Sponge kicking. We brought it to them from the start, keeping the intensity up, pushing them backward, winning the rucks, and stealing some balls. We got close enough to kick for point, which was good, thanks to Paul Timperley. After that, we came back even more rucks, mauling, and with great plays and ball handling in the backs. (by the way, the Wanderers wrote in the previous game recaps that our backs we not match to their angle running and crisp passing, whatever that means, well I guess our backs showed them wrong). So yeah, awesome picks and go by Hadrien, Dave, Fitness, Dan. Then, we got close again to kick for point, and again, Paul’s kick was good. With a lead of 6-0, we were feeling pretty good. That’s when, I believe, Hadrien split his nose and we had to blood sub him for Miller.

We have to mention the lineout; I wrote in the last recap that P-P’s performance was great, we this game was even better. The timing between him and myself was great, we got all our balls and P-P stole most of their balls, which was brutal for them. Thanks to that and his performance in the game, P-P got man of the match.

The Wanderers then, after a fierce fight, manage to do a try, but missed their conversion. (6-5 TMR). After another couple of plays, TMR drove the Wanderers to the try line, and Patrizio picked and go, and was able to score. Good conversion by Paul Timperley. First half finished 13-5 for TMR.

Second half arrived, the Wanderers made some substitution, with a completely new front row; I was it first hand being hook. So a big chunk of that half, about 10-15 min, was playing right next to our try line. The Wanderers kept on crashing and crashing but TMR was able to always stop them and prevent tries. Problem was that the ref kept on giving scrum on every penalty; there were no options whatsoever. He said since he only gave scrums in the first half, it would be unfair to change that. During the second half, Sponge also got a yellow card and was sent to the sin-bin for being offside and sacking the scrumhalf. (Sponge was also scrumhalf for the whole game; he did an incredible job).

With three minutes left to play, the Wanderers scored again, and again, no conversion. (13-10). They got pretty close of scoring a third time, but unfortunately for them, our defensive line was well positioned. And that is when the game finished, TMR III winning the quarterfinals and going to semis next game.

1 try by Patrizio (5) – 2 kick for point and 1 conversion by Paul (8)

Man of the match: P-P

We arrived at St-Julie; it was a beautiful day to play rugby. The pact was fairly similar as the 4^th division game the previous Tuesday except for a couple of players such as Glen and Ferezano. Game started well, we could see that it was going to be a great game since the teams level was about the same. The Locks didn’t look much bigger than us except for that big black guy that run me over (I know you all had a good laugh on that one). So early on in the first match, we got close enough to try a kick for point. We didn’t have a tea, so Glen had to drop kick it. It real close, but it was still a miss. The rucks went really nicely, we won ours, and we stole a couple of their rucks. The maul didn’t go as smoothly, even though we always manage to bring it to ground, the Locks always won a lot of yards with the mauls. More than anything, what was really brutal for us is that we kept getting penalties for being offside. The ref was really hard on that (last foot + a foot). I feel I have to mention the great performance of P-P as a jumper in the lineouts. As the hooker, I saw firsthand how well he jumped. We did have a hard time with the 5 men lineouts but as soon as we went to full lines, we were rolling. P-P managed to steel a lot of the Locks balls. Now if I remember correctly, the try for TMR went as follow, it was either a drive after a lineout or a maul, in any case, we were driving them backward real hard. Then, when we got close to the try line, Patrizio took the back from the rear of the drive and scored. It ended 3 tries to 1 for the Locks. Man of the match: Francis (you know, the blond kid, kind of looks like an emo).

Well well, TMR vs Wanderers was a very interesting game. Putting together a team in the same day since the game was confirmed at the last minute, well called the 4^th division players telling them we had a game Tuesday instead of a practice. The team was very young, except for a couple of players, but it was a very legitimate 4^th division team.  First two minute were awesome, we completely dominated them. It seemed that it was going to be an easy game. We got close enough for Alec to kick for point and give us 3 points. After that in the first half, even though we played well, the Wanderers still managed to make some tries. Second half arrived. We dominated that half with ball possession most of the time. James Baker and myself, Milad Al-Jawabra did a try. We got both conversions by Glen I believe (who was playing flyhalf). The backs did a great job but it seemed that our picks and go were brutal for the Wanderers. Special mention to Mark and Patrizio also doing an amazing job tackling and to Alec, who sacked the scrumhalf with a dive tackle. It was crazy. Special thanks to Bob Miller that helped us a lot in that game. Even though the final score was 42-17 for the Wanderers. It really doesn’t reflect how we played the game. We now have a chance to prove that we were indeed better than them since we are playing them again this Tuesday. Man of the match: Milad Al-Jawabra

The first half was undeniably mistake-filled and somewhat disjointed for both teams, with TMR coming into the half with an unimpressive 14-7 edge. Overall the rucking had been poor and and ball retention suffered as a result. Passing and decision making had been poor and despite some individual brilliance, team cohesion was left wanting. Coach Nic Clapinson rallied the troops at the half with a few choice words. The players responded with up-tempo, attacking rugby in the second frame for which the Blues had no answer. TMR's injury-plagued backline came alive, with standoff Steve McNeill making his share of breaks inside getting support from forwards or spreading it wide to centers Grodinsky and Vittecoq. Wingers JP Martineau and Adam MacLellan represented nicely, with Adam notching 3 tries with some impressive pace, while JP proved he still has a few tricks in the bag with a clever chip and chase off the outside of his right boot.  He recovered and held off pursuit to score in the corner. Halfback Patrick Ghattas recycled quickly and reliably to his standoff and engineered a wonderful try of his own off a probing blindside run that caught the Blues off guard and Ghattas took it the distance down the wing.

Number 8 Kurt Bittner led the re-surging pack all over the field with hard ball running and tenacious support play. Alun 'Commando' Phillips played his usual destructive defensive game but also was an active ball carrier in tight. The front 5 supplied a solid scrummage platform that became increasingly dominant in the second half.  Dion in particular had some barnstorming runs off the ruck, but got off a shocking pass that he attributes to watching too much archived Zinzan Brooke footage. Bob Miller defended ferociously off the ruck along with fellow prop Dion. Malin Jordan also linked up with the backs on several occasions, showing the kind of support play that TMR desperately needs going forward. Algerian Hooker Yazine Drinali continues to scrummage and strike effectively and the fast paced rugby was a good fit for his speed. Mike Mooney shrugged off a lackluster first half and cranked up his work rate to put in some solid support play and his trademark disruption of opposition ball.

The positive result has to be tempered with the knowledge that a young, rebuilding Blues side is far off the standard of the better teams in the competition. The space in attack simply won't come as easily when TMR faces cross-town rival RCM next week, who are coming off a huge win on the road against the Ottawa Irish. This game will be a sterner test in all areas of the game and the challenge will be for TMR to raise its level higher still.

Recap: TMR 52 Tries: MacLellan (3), Martineau, Ghattas, Vittecoq (2), Varvarikos. Conversions: McNeill (6 of 8). Penalties (0/0)
Blues 7

It was a beautiful day for TMR (overcast and 23 deg, perfect for rugby) as TMR IIs change their record. With the help of Alun Philips leadership, it was a sure win.

The Barbs score the first try with an overlap after a scoreless 15 minutes in the first half. The scrums were wellmatched, with TMR stealing one or two. The starting lineup was Hadriane, Miller, Superfitness Martin, Laurent Hichem, P.P., Alun backs: Glen, Adam Sabri Rob wings Alec + Darcy, JP fullback.

The Barbs pushed TMR well to almost score another 2 tries, but TMR resisted. Sabri pushed through the backs line on the outside for TMR's first try. Then 3 more tries (2 in first half, 2in second half) Were they by Alec, Glen, and J.P.? (I called several players, no one knows)

Special thanks to Kurt, Bob Swail, Ferrazano, and Percy for popping in the second half.

This game showed that by staying motivated and aggressive on defense, anything can be accomplished.

by: Martin Scutt

TMR started the first half with our forwards dominating with the pick and gos. Starting forwards were Frankie, PO, Fitness Oliver, Martin Louis, Nick, P.P. Our backs were Percy (with Morgan in 2nd half), Shawn, Sabri, Clemont, wings Alec +Francis, Paul - fullback.

As TMR approached their try line early in the first half, Shawn successfully got 3 points(and later one conversion), for the first score. Our forwards were driving theirs down the field with 3 or 4 phases of pick and go (for 50 - 60 yard gains) Finally, Fast Frankie (he lost his shorts, his spandex showing) bulldozed through their forwards for 5 points. Notorious hits were made by Oliver, Louis, and Sabri. The referee had to give TMR a late hit warning.

Early in the 2nd half, the referee refused a seemingly fair try to TMR. Then TMR lost steam. Laval succeeded on the overlaps or outrunning our wingers. They liked 5 man lineouts, TMR was ill-prepared for the overlap they caused. Also it was a basic lack of fitness. In hot ,humid weather, TMR was less fit. Our smaller backs and forwards, to win games, must overcome their smaller size with increased fitness. Got it Fitness?

TMR 2 vs Laval Nomades
Saturday, June 17th, 2006
By Milad

June 17^th, we arrived at the clubhouse with few people and not knowing really what to expect for our lines. Nevertheless, once we arrived at the field, we found ourselves with a very decent pack and back line, which many did not expect to see the day before. Anyways, pleased with the players we had, we headed to the pitch, on a sunny day, and a very dry field. (The same field where we won the cup last year by the way.)

Early in the game, after an awesome burst through by Olivier, we got close enough in the Nomades half to kick for points, which Shawn Blair did and which resulted in an early TMR lead (TMR 3 – Nomades 0).

Olivier, consistently proved that he could burst through the opposition. A couple of rucks later, a 5 meters scrum was formed. Unfortunately this attempt did not succeed and resulted in a turnover where the Nomades ran, rucked and finally scored, no conversion. (TMR 3 – Nomades 5).

Not long after that, we got close again and kicked for points but this time we didn't make the kick. At this point of the game, we were winning a lot of rucks but losing a lot of lineouts.

Shawn Blair then kicked for touch, (awesome kick which got us very close to the goal line) .This set us up for a driving lineout. The drive did not make it, in fact the Nomades gained possession of the ball and kicked it. Francis caught the ball and sent it out wide to the other wing where Alec (SpongeBob) had a long run. The ball was recovered by Frankie Spera and Frankie scored a try, no conversion. (TMR 8 – Nomades 5)

After a missed tackle and rucks lost by TMR, the Nomades used a rolling maul and a drive. They managed to score for the second time, no conversion. (TMR 8 – Nomades 10)

TMR had a brilliant first half where we dominated with the ball possession and the plays being mostly in the Nomades half of the field.

The 2^nd half, was not so brilliant. The Nomades scored again, no conversion (TMR 8 – Nomades 15) and again, good conversion. (TMR 8 – Nomades 22) Both those tries were early in the 2^nd half.

Later in the 2^nd half, the Nomades scored again, good conversion (TMR 8 – Nomades 29) and again, good conversion. (TMR 8 – Nomades 36)

Final score was TMR 8 – Nomades 36
P.S. I might of forgot one conversion so the score might have been 8-38.
Man of the match, Frankie Spera

It was a raining Saturday June 3^rd. After meeting at the club house and getting directions we all headed off for CEGEP Maisonneuve. Once there we looked for a dry place to change and found it inside the CEGEP. Our line up was set and we headed out into the wet to warm up for our impending match. The pitch was vacant and seemed something was a miss. Our opposition was waiting for us at Park Laurier, so in full kit we loaded into our vehicles and scattered. Madly off in all direction some arrived at the pitch in good time. Due to a few missed turns and general lack direction some arrived a little later, so without a warm up to speak of fifteen proud and somewhat car sick townies took the pitch.

Although we were all wearing the same coloured shirts (Yes Nick socks and shorts too; honest francis was just kidding with his posts on the message board) none of us were to familiar. Many old team mates had not been together for a long time or were playing out of their regular positions. To add to all the flavour of the game we were joined by gusty winds and a steady downpour. As expected the first few minutes were a little disorganised, but as the game progressed we began to gel.

After the a few mishaps the forwards came together to produce some the ball for our 9 Glen Imperial. The ball was bulleted out to the backs and TMR began to play rugby retaining possession and attacking the opposition from many angles passing and catching in the rain. Dan Fox broke the gain line on several runs as did Sabri the natural inside center. Supporting the runner and retaining the ball after the gain line has been broken to arrange another phase of play will come naturally now that we have started to prove we can run with the ball.

The forwards would not be left out of TMR’s sudden capacity to break the line and put Park O on there heels. Pick and goes and rolling mauls started rolling. With spirit we crashed into our opposing forwards pushing them backwards causing the opposition to take a few steps backwards. This phenomenon of TMR moving towards our goal line at will is due to some spirited runs from Louis, Frankie, Nick, and Goldberg.

 After putting some multiple phase ball into place we came down to Park O’s goal line on a few occasions. Putting down for the five never came for us but we proved we can put hard pressure upfront and swing the ball wide.

In the second half we showed that we can execute set plays wheeling scrums at will. With Sabri the natural center stepping way out of position to play tighhead. The pack wheeled scrums at will due to perfect execution by Sabri and the two second rows Daniel Letendre and Fitness.

The ability to follow a good run or a hard tackle with ball retention eludes us. Now that we are breaking the gain line at will support play will come naturally. We need practice and the realisation that the support runner is more important than the runner who breaks or makes the hit.

TMR’s first home game of the 2006 season was a rainy encounter against perennial rivals Ste-Anne de Bellevue.  Knock-ons and penalties permeated the game and each side had a tough go at building any kind of momentum.  Chippy at times (four yellow cards were handed out) Ste-Anne scored three tries to TMR’s one and won the game 22 – 14.

Ste-Anne opened the scoring from the kick-off, capitalizing on two consecutive errors by TMR.  First, the kick-off went out of bounds and Ste-Anne attacked from the centre of the pitch.  Then a subsequent penalty afforded Ste-Anne a lineout deep in the TMR end where they used a driving maul to score a try.

The Town took the lead as Patrick Chikhani put the team up 6-5 with two penalty goals.  However, the lead was short-lived as Ste-Anne answered with their own penalty to go up 8-6.  The game seesawed back and forth as the wet weather helped countless passes on both sides mutate into knock-ons and backwards fumbles. 

A few minutes into the second half, Alun Phillips was sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes and Ste-Anne took advantage of their opportunity by scoring a try under the posts.  The conversion sent the 11-time league champs up by 15 – 6.

Trading punches, Sebastien Vittcoq was the next to be sent off along with a player from Ste-Anne.

Narrowing it to 15 – 9 on another Chikhani three-pointer, Ste-Anne pulled away for good when a deliberate missed-penalty kick was struck by the Ste-Anne kicker.  The ball was purposely sent wide right of the TMR posts and Jazz, the Ste-Anne winger, streaked down the pitch in an attempt to dive on the bouncing ball.  However, Daniel Fox knocked the ball on in the TMR tryzone and Ste-Anne was awarded a five metre scrum, which they converted into seven points.

With the score 22 – 9, Ste-Anne were assessed another yellow card and the Town scored their first and last try of the game to pull within eight points.

Final score: 22 – 14 to Ste-Anne.  Notable performances:  Patrick Ghattas for directing a good attack despite the inclemency of the weather.  Pat’s passing and loose ball pick-up around the breakdowns was exceptional.  Dion Varvarikos for solidifying the scrums and for providing the essential punch that substituted players have to produce.  On one play (Neon) Dion powered the ball into contact and knocked two Ste-Anne players out of the game.  Also, congratulations to John Bell for getting his first premier division cap for TMR.

TMR Comes Through With Comfortable Victory
TMR RFC hosted the Bermuda Mariners RFC for a match at McGill University’s Molson Stadium Saturday May 6th, 2006.

The game kicked off under threatening skies at 4.30PM. “The Town” played the match with instructions from coach Nic that there was to be no kicking under any circumstance and the ball was to be kept alive and run from all corners of the pitch. The Mariners agreed in principal to the spirit of the directions but as guests did reserve the right to kick if needed.

The match was a fairly wide open free running affair with a fair share of errors. This of course wasn’t surprising with TMR playing their first game of the season and the Mariners having been enjoying the attractions of our city non-stop since their arrival on Thursday evening.

In the end TMR’s fitness, using the term loosely, speed and youth won the day. Highlights included Darcy Helmkay(winger) making a break to avoid being run down from behind, most likely from a Mariner prop, offloading to another prop; Bob Miller for the try. Other notable news was a try for Clemont Bathezier in his TMR debut and the appearance of Alun “Old Man Rugby” Phillips as an inside centre in the second half. As well youngster John Bell turned in a strong performance at fly-half.

The post match BBQ was in the words of 1st XV captain “fantastic, there was plenty of food for everyone, and salads could have fed a regiment for the rest of the week!” A huge thank you to Sabri Yuzgulec and in particular Mrs. Yuzgulec for providing the food. A good time was had by all who showed.

TMR Squad:
1.Bob Miller
2.Yacine Dinali
3.Dion Varvarikos
4.Bob Swail
5.Nick Prudhomme
6.Martin Scutt (captain)
7.Dan Letendre
8.Kurt Bitner
9.Glen Imperial
10.John Bell
11.Josh Meloul
12.Sabri Yuzgulec
13.Etienne Bouchard-Caisse
14.Alec Montealegre
15.Clemont Bathezier

Reserves(all played):
Darcy Helmkay
Olivier Lavigeur
Laurent Peshel
Hadrian Bois
Marc Ferrazzano
Alun Phillips

Tries: Clemont Bathezier, Bob Miller, Kurt Bitner, Etienne Bouchard-Caisse