July 21th 2007

Good performance by the Premier Ladies

Last Saturday, we hosted Quebec City in a very important game. Both teams featured a different starting lineup from that game last may so it was going to be interesting to see who was going to be affected the most.

The Town took matters into their own hands right away, dominating the loose play area and forcing Quebec City to kick a ball out of bounds inside their 10m. The lineout was well executed and we scored our first try courtesy of MJ “Freight Train” Blais.

Some ball handling errors on our part allowed Quebec to gain territory but our defensive resolve kept them out of the end zone. The main issue of the day was in the scrums area. It seems that Quebec’s young loose-head was content at not closing the gap and since their hooker had difficulty hooking the ball it kept popping out of the scrum, a situation which caused many resets.

It wasn’t long before the pack took matters into their own hands and managed to steal and deliver a clean ball to the backs which Julianne “Speed Freak” Zussman turned into a great 60m run to score a try.

Quebec City fought back and thanks to some solid runs by their fly-half, they were able to close to gap to 14-7. Not to be outdone, the Town forwards started delivering some punishing hits courtesy of Ashley “The Punisher” Rycroft and rookie Chantal “The Silent Assassin” Morin. A few breakdowns later, Zussman converted a penalty to give us a 17-7 halftime lead.

The second half was pretty choppy because of handling errors from both sides and the multitude of scrums that had to be reset. Though we played solidly, some of our errors were costly and one of them would result in Quebec’s second try of the game. We were making things a bit difficult for ourselves. Regardless, we kept our composure and managed to produce some solid defense which set up back to back tries by Zussman and MJ. Quebec had a lot of ground to cover if they were going to win the game and though they did manage to score a try with 3 minutes to go, the result was always going to be a win for us. We just really wanted the win and we didn’t give up on ourselves.

Overall, it was a solid outing for the Town. Several players experienced their first game for the Prems and that bodes well for the future of the club. Player of the match: Julianne Zussman

Final score TMR 29 Quebec 19
Tries: Julianne Zussman (2), Marie-Josée Blais (2)
Conversions: Julianne Zussman (3)
Penalty: Julianne Zussman  

TMRII 10 - RCM 5

Going into Saturday’s game, the TMR 2nds didn’t know what to expect of RCM, except that they’d be a tough opposition. Taking the game lightly when first stepping on the field, we ended up in our own 22 within minutes of the game because of a soft start on defence. RCM’s aggressive straight arming was like a smack in the face. But it was Amy “I actually fly” Q that pulled the TMR girls back into the game, receiving our backs’ quick passes and taking yard filled runs down the field, one after the other. After having penalty after penalty called against them, RCM had something to growl about when Sarah “All I want is the ball” Scanlon took a pop pass over the try line to make it a 5-0 first half.

RCM made a strong comeback in the second half, causing a yo-yo effect with the ball going back and forth from one end of the field to the other. With TMR’s consistent lack of defence, RCM created an overlap off of the scrums and finally scored a try in the beginning of the second half. After a quick water break and pep talk, the TMR 2nds decided that they were not going to let RCM straight-arm-but-really-punch their way to a win.

Fed up with their overlapping business, Zoe “Oops I thought you were the ball” Briscoe anticipated their backs’ move and threw the RCM wing to the ground in a surge of anger, making it clear that there was no longer a right of passage on her side of the field. This forced their backs to pass the ball back to the inside, where Jill “Eat my dust” Quenneville intercepted their pass and made a 50 yard dash for the try line, with RCM … well … eating her dust, behind her.

For the last play of the game, TMR found themselves on the defence, right on their own try line. It was a Final Countdown moment, as they all chanted their “Ready!”s and flew up together as a flat line, to hold RCM off until the final whistle.

Congratulations to Amy Q for being chosen as player of the game!

Score: Sherbrooke 17 TMR2 17
Tries: Robin Hunter, Meghan Whyte, Cindy Lafontaine
Conversion: Jill Quenneville

On a day featuring a triple header for the Town at the Rec, we knew the task at hand would be a difficult one. How would we cope with so many players missing because of provincial duty against a very physical Sherbrooke side? Led by stand-in rookie captain Laura "what me...I'm captain" Ng, we took the field determined to avenge the heavy defeat we suffered when we met them last.

The game was so physical that at times, it seemed as though both sides were trying to kill each other. Their pack was bigger but thanks to a makeshift front row featuring Amy "Don't you dare sub me off" Buckland, we were holding our ground in the scrums and our commitment to tackling was much improved from our last outing. Robin Hunter opened up the score for the Town and a few minutes later, scrum-half Meghan Whyte touched down as well. After Jill Quenneville's drop-kick conversion, we had a solid 12-0 lead at the half.

Sherbrooke would not give up though and came back roaring in the second half scoring a quick try to reduce the lead to 12-5. TMR again took the initiative and responded with a try of their own courtesy of Cindy "Coeur-de-Lionne" Lafontaine. But even with that try, the momemtum had clearly shifted to Sherbrooke who tied the game with 2 more tries.

We then introduced rookie Amy Q who allowed Erica Shaheed, who had played her heart out, to sub off. The Town regained a bit of composure to finish the last 10 minutes of the game strongly but unfortunately we couldn't solve Sherbrooke's defense.

In the end the tie was a fitting result as both teams deserved to win it. Kudos to Player of the game Meghan Whyte. Very honourable mention to Jill Quenneville, Erica Shaheed and improving Chantal Morin.

TMR IIs 0  Sherbrooke IIs 50

Our first question on Saturday morning was "Do we have to forfeit?"  With only 11 girls, we were ready to accept defeat and hit the bars early.  But Ron "I ain't scurred" Chiasson had brought his go-get-em attitude with him, and was eager to hit Sherbrooke with 11 frightened, hesitant second team ladies. 

We spent our long car ride to Sherbrooke figuring out where to put the few girls we had.  In the end, it was impossible not to place a few girls out of position.  Luckily, we were able to obtain uncontested scrums based on our lack of players and our inexperienced hooker.

And so it began.  The ball started in their hands with kick-off, and we were hard up on defense.  Sherbrooke's backs were feeling the pressure from our centers  Lana "I threw-up a little there" Burton and Chantale "second game" Morin.  Not only were Sherbrooke's backs being knocked on their butts hard, but the speed of our centers forced them to play hot potato with the ball and they made mistakes left and right.  We were able to go for some great runs off of scrums, and our recycling of the ball was spectacular. But as soon as the ball went down into contact, we simply did not have the numbers to retain it. Despite Meaghan "the biceps" White's efforts to get her hands in there, Sherbrooke won every ruck.

It wasn't long before Sherbrooke realized that they could beat us on the outside.  Even with the Briscoe twins at fullback and wings running back and forth, Sherbrooke had the overlap and became unstoppable.  Although we were able to hold up our fair share of tries and Jacqueline "I'm learning so much!" Landry made a couple of huge hits off scrums at the 5 meter line, Sherbrooke managed to score 5 tries in the first half.  Meanwhile, Hayley "the piggyback" Smirnow was having serious trouble with a previously injured ankle, but continued to make her trademark tackles and hit the rucks with all she had. 

At the half, we were treated to sliced oranges thanks to Brianna "the soccer player" Gibson's  thoughtful soccer mom.  These little pieces of vitamin c -filled heaven did the trick, and we got right back out there for our second half with renewed energy and heart. 

Our amazing defense improved even more by the second half with better communication, with our girls calling their man and shutting Sherbrooke down early.  Our defense on penalties improved also with less hesitation, and Sarah "the scan" Scanlon was laying down Sherbrooke players before they could get anywhere.  Unfortunately, Sherbrooke's fly half started taking advantage of the Briscoe twins being tied up with tackles by making a few very deep kicks.  With a couple more runs on the outside, Sherbrooke managed to score a few more tries in the second half.

Despite our loss, we walked off the pitch with smiles on our faces knowing that we had played hard until the end.  All we could think of was what the game will be like when we have 15!

June 9^th 2007
Lots of heart and little rest in the Nation’s Capital

Ottawa Irish 26, TMR 12
Julianne Zussman: 1 try, 1 convert
Jesse Tomalty: 1 try

We headed out to play the big bad Irish that, for those of you who do not know, has been a perennial thorn in the side of TMR for the past few years.  This year seems to be different with quite a few new faces on the Irish and a new feel and excitement in the Town.  So we headed past Herb’s and Ottawa to Twin Elm for the showdown.  We knew that we were going to be 14 to start and we had all come to grips with the fact as Shelly “the skip” Carpenter had to sit this one out.  What we were not prepared for was both MJ “le feu” Blais and Syd “the kid” Theriault to have to leave the game with serious injuries within the first 15 minutes.  We were down to 12 for the remainder, but those 12 made adjustments as necessary.  Some thought of it as a really long sevens game, others (Cathy “the analyzer” Nichols) chose to think of the game in little individualized sections – a rationale she shared with all of us: what ever it takes to get you through…

Our first over the line came from a scrum with newly placed Robin “the hunter” Hunter at 9 and Jocelyn “the utility” Barrieau now over at 10.  The ball got wide to a Julianne “the finisher” Zussman who fought her way across the try line for our first try of the game which she converted herself.  Half time came and went and we were still in this game down by only one try, I must admit that this was greatly due to the superb defensive work put on in the backfield by Zussman.  At this point we need to acknowledge our pack, down to 6 at some points they not only did great work in the scrums but really hauled ass across the field all day long knowing that we had to keep the ball alive at all costs to avoid turnovers.  Strong defensive work also lead to many of the Irish’s balls getting held up in contact which not only gave us a bit of a rest but great positioning for scrums.  An Irish player went down in the first 5 minutes of the second half and that light a mini fire in the Irish who scored 2 quick tries – but there was no relent in us today.   We continued pressing and were in their 5 multiple times unable to finish.  We eventually did score bringing the game a little closer with Nesi getting the ball out to Jess “the birthday girl” Tomalty getting across the line in the corner.  The whistle blew time’s up – what a way to finish!  A special thank you to Erika and Adara who played in both the pack and with the backs on Saturday, great work!

Yes we missed opportunities especially when we were close to the line but that is not the major headline to remember from this game folks.  It was the sheer determination and ability of the Townies to work together and for each other that made us leave feeling ok about ourselves, if any of you have any doubts about the facts in this story please feel free to consult Amy “the seasoned veteran” Buckland.  As an aside there were quite a few Ottawa fans at the game that were in disbelief when we said that we were only 12 on the field they were shocked and said that they did not even notice – great work Town, now lets take it to the Barbs!

TMR Prem-24 Banshees-23
tries: Zuss (1), Sydney (1), Ashley (1)
converts: Zuss (3)
penalty: Zuss (1)

Holy shit was this a nail-biter or what?  A one-point game full of ups and downs for the Town and a try and converted kick in the last minute of play to seal the deal for a W.  Let me break it down for ya boys and girls.

In the beginning there were forwards and these marvelous creatures were created in order to take care of backs.  And on this warm June day they did, thankfully.  Our backs had a rough start, we made serious gains in the back line but dropped a few for sure tries.  The patience of the forwards at this time in the game is to be commended and I will be nominating you as a unit for the Nobel Peace Prize for not having killed us right then and there.  But the Banshees kept it together and sunk a penalty kick, first blood drawn – Townies down by 3.  Our try in first half came when Ashley “the muscle” Rycroft dove over the line after a quick tap.  The battle went back and forth for the first 40 minutes-steadfast and physical play from our pack kept us in this one.  At half time it was all up in the air and either team’s game with us sitting behind by one point 7-8.

The second half is one of those things that legends are made of.  Ok that was a bit of an exaggeration but let me explain.  The Banshees came out on fire and it took us a while to meet their ferociousness, but we did.  MJ “all over the field” Blais gave the backs an extra attacker on everything that wasn’t first phase and made a huge impact while Jess” look me in the eye” Tomalty was mashing it up and banging heads and taking care of business you-know-where.  One sequence of play was especially note-worthy being down by as much as 15 in the game Tomalty took matters into her own hands literally, she was tackled she picked the ball up and went again, she was tackled she picked the ball up and went again and then she was tackled she picked the ball up and went again; this insanity was followed by keeping the ball alive to the extreme about 10 passes later (literally) Julianne “I am so fast that everyone freezes on defense” Zussman blazed across the try-line for a wicked try.*

With less than five minutes left the Banshees chip and chase game plan had them boot one out of bounds.  Jocelyn “I can’t believe I thought of this” Barrieau hit Zussman on a quick line-out and we were off to the races.  Zussman’s break was supported by Barrieau and Susy “the ruck winner” Binstock a quick pick and go from the forwards and then out to the backs where Zussman set up brand spankin’ new Townie Sydney “twinkle toes”  Theriault for the try.  Zussman conversion – we win by 1.  What a game.

 And thanks to all the men who showed up to cheer us on!

PS: I LOVE FORWARDS!!!!

June 2nd 2007
Fresh faces and talent – TMR IIs down Barbs II

TMR II-29 vs. Barbs II-0
tries: Cindy (3), Mary (1), Lana (1)
converts: Adara (2)

Every team has a certain amount of uncertainty before the first game of the season.  Will we gel?  Will we work together?  Will we stay positive with each other?  For the team in question the win over the Barbs this weekend has set a solid standard for the rest of the season.  Full of new young recruits and talent this seconds team is the best TMR has seen in years.  Starting off with strong leadership of co-captains Ciara “all legs” Briscoe and Adara “back row” Borys we kicked off the 2007 season at Westwood.

The first 15 minutes of the half were scoreless, it was looking like this game was going to be a close one.  Relentless defense from both squads and a few miscalculated passes left these teams at a deadlock.  Then the composure set in.  Our scrums began not only dominating on the engage but also driving the black and white pack back, and not only once but on multiple occasions.  Strong forward play paired with the vision on Brianna “the foot” Gibson, the amazing work of Robin ”ain’t gettin’ by me” Hunter and Lana “the flanker” Burton finally lead us to the try line.  Touching the ball down for her first of three on the day was Cindy “ hat trick” Lafontaine.  Not too long after that one of our very own was sent to the bin for a high tackle after both teams had been warned, even with 14 we maintained clam and covered the field very well.  The first half ended with another marvelous try by Mary “not so timid when diving for the line” right at the whistle and we headed into the next 35 with a confidence unmatched by our opposites.  The tension mounted as the Barbs offense was starting to kick into high gear but Zoe “who knew” Briscoe was laying people out on the outside!  She also added some timely runs to march us down the field. 

All in all the Townies emerged with a more than solid victory in our first showing of the year.  We all know that the win is a good story and great to write about but the real story is the future of the Town and this team lead by an unbelievable performance by the forwards is looking good my friends…

*note the author will be paying more attention to chronology at the next game, trying to get the rust off.

May 26th 2007
Disappointing road trip to Quebec city
TMRRFC 5 - CRQ 34

About the only thing that went right for The Town on that day was the weather. Quebec came out roaring and took advantage of our defensive breakdown and indiscipline to score an early try after less than 3 minutes played. They did not relent as again another penalty against The Town proved to be costly. Less than 10 minutes played and we were already down 12-0.

The Town fought back and it looked for a while that we would recover from the shock only to have the ball turned over in contact followed by bouts of strong allergies to tackling. The CRQ took advantage of their physicality, and would score 2 more tries before we would finally respond with one of our own, courtesy of winger Cindy Lafontaine, which brought some brief measure of hope that we could turn things around.

Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. The second half was basically a case of us being too undisciplined and unable to retain possession of the ball. Too many penalties and we would either drop our passes or lose it at the ruck or tackle. In the end, Quebec scored 2 more tries in the last 20 minutes to seal our fate. They played very well, we didn't. Our lone bright spots were our much improved line-outs and the play of Ladies of the match: Erica Shaheed and Cathy Nichols who showed a true never say die attitude and were our most physical players.

Final score: TMR 5 CRQ 34
TMR Try: Cindy Lafontaine

Squad: 15- B Gibson 14- L Burton 13- J Quenneville 12- S Bienstock 11- C Lafontaine 10- S Carpenter (c) 9- R Hunter 8- J Tomalty 7- E Shaheed 6- C Nichols 5- S Nesi 4- L Ng 3- L Rudko 2- L Garland 1- A Buckland 16- A Borys 17- C Morin 18- J Landry 19- H Smirnow 20- MJ Blais

May 5th 2007
Solid start to the season by TMR Prems
Mtl Irish 3 – TMRRFC 22

It was a sunny day in Ste-Julie though the windy conditions kept things on the chilly side for most of the day. Lead by new captain Shelly Carpenter and Amy Buckland up front, we took on last year’s division champions. We had a bit of a shaky start but we never wavered defensively, instead conceding the first points of the game, a penalty, and what would be the Irish’s only score. From that moment on, our defensive resolve took over. Though their pack was more organised in the scrums, we managed to eventually hold them off and thanks to some imaginative scrambling by Ashley at 8-man, the backs got their share of the ball. The Irish seemed content in mauling at every possible opportunity but turnovers at the tackle would prove their undoing while probing runs by Susy Bienstock and Robin Hunter would create opportunities. One of those probing runs eventually would lead to our first try courtesy of Susy who ran well in support. The Irish came back with more fervour after our score but the forwards were up to the physical challenge. Julianne Zussman, playing at fullback, would still have to make a phenomenal try saving tackle not long before halftime, against the Irish inside center who had managed to break a few tackles and had some try-scoring ambitions. We repelled the pressure and marched it downfield until eventually the Irish conceded a penalty for Julianne to convert. Half-time score 8-3.

The first 20 minutes of the second half were mostly a case of the Irish trying to be physical and us neutralising their efforts. The play was pretty slow and error-ridden and the referee seemed very eager to penalize body positions at the ruck. It was about that time that Vice-captain Amy took over that aspect of the game. Her leadership through example was quickly followed by all and suddenly the game opened up for the Town. Support was coming from everywhere, the ball was kept alive in multiple phases and some nice ball handling led to Julianne’s try on the left corner which she masterfully converted. The Irish tried to come back but their faint hope were shattered by another great display of skill and hard running in the backs that lead to Susy’s 2nd try of the game. Congratulations go to Mary Redpath and Laura Ng for playing their first Premier game. Lady of the match: Amy Buckland. Honourable mention: Robin Hunter. Final Score: Mtl Irish 3 – TMRRFC 22

Tries: Susy Bienstock (2), Julianne Zussman Conversions: Julianne Zussman (2) Penalty: Julianne Zussman

Squad: 15- Julianne Zussman; 14- Ciara Briscoe; 13- Robin Hunter; 12- Susy Bienstock; 11- Cindy Lafontaine; 10- Shelly Carpenter (c); 9- Jocelyn Barrieau; 8- Ashley Rycroft; 7- Marie-Josée Blais; 6- Cathy Nichols; 5- Samantha Nesi; 4- Mary Redpath; 3- Lauren Rudko; 2- Leigh Garland; 1- Amy Buckland (v-c); 16- Laura Ng; 17- Lana Burton.