Atlanta, GA, 3/8/08

The men of High Country RFC sealed a birth to the USA Rugby South Quarterfinals on Saturday by beating The Birmingham Vulcans 30-15.  The win also eliminated Birmingham from the playoff race.  Confirmed in the Quarterfinals from Pool C are High Country RFC and Huntsville RFC.  Still up for grabs is the Pool Championship and who will host a Quarterfinal and who will have to go on the road.

The showdown for that enchilada is Saturday, March 29^th @ 1:00pm, Atlanta.

An enormous effort was put forth by the men in blue Saturday as five tries hammered in. Tries were scored by Garrett (2), J. Fine, Leon and Benji. Also, Reid had 4 assists and a penalty kick was slotted by Matt H.

From a coach’s point of view, the rucking was superb as High Country consistently did the blue collar work necessary at the rucks.  The cleaning, by forwards and backs alike, was the best all season.  Benji had excellent presentation and time to think at the base of the breakdowns, which also allowed him to show off a little sniping ability.  Hats off to all the players for this effort – it was the difference in the game.

The running in traffic was superb and the support play in these situations was much improved.  Several breaks were made by our back row and followed by plenty of tight 5’ers who seemed to be hungry for a run.  Fitness seemed to be improved as nobody asked to be taken off (except Leon).  Maybe Leon played himself to a standstill because he was awarded man-of-the-match for an outstanding display of rugby fundamentals.

A special note goes to Matt H. who poached 5-6 balls at the breakdown – Outstanding.  Other notable efforts were Reid for cleaning up several loose balls and getting gain line, time and time again and running through tacklers.  Gabe for getting his sea legs back.  EJ for going the distance after a rough couple of weeks.  Liam and Trevor for settling the tight 5 down.  Harley for playing like a madman for 30 and not committing but one penalty. J. Fine for great support play. Benji for his ball service and sniping.  Kevin Stewart for being a constant threat and great tackling.  Garrett and Ben for hitting the line at pace.

Overall a great effort and party afterward (I think its still going on).  Gabe – any SA’s still on your couch?  Just remember:  A Little South African can go a long way.

Get fit.  The season is just beginning