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OMBAC Finishes Off Season Third In The Nation (Split a pair of close matches in New Hampshire)
4 June 2000 - Manchester, New Hampshire – The OMBAC rugby team gave it a good try but came up just short, a foot short, against the Hayward Griffins on Saturday to end their title hopes for the 2000 season. The loss knocked OMBAC into today’s consolation match where they were successful in their comeback bid to pip Golden Gate and finish third in the country. Against Hayward, OMBAC clawed back twice from large deficits to thrill the crowd, including those fans making the trip from San Diego. But in the end, the length of the rugby ball was all that separated OMBAC from a possible win, and a trip to the championship match. Kyle Aspinall put OMBAC up early 3-0 but the powerful Griffins came storming back with two tries to grab a 12-3 lead. Aspinall’s second penalty made it 12-6 but another try by the Griffins made it 19-6. OMBAC wasted the wind at their back in the first half as the only other score they could muster was another three-pointer by the flyhalf. Who needs the wind? OMBAC came out early in the second half to tie the match on a Blair Cashmore try and an Aspinall conversion and penalty. But then OMBAC went into a tailspin allowing the hard-running Samoans to run right through their defense as missed tackles led to two converted tries and a drop goal to give the Griffins a 36-19 lead with just fifteen minutes left on the clock. But OMBAC dug deep and weren’t about to go down without a struggle. Aurelio Perez got things going with a short range run-over. Johan Claasen scored OMBAC’s third try of the match to make it interesting at 36-29. With the crowd cheering them on, OMBAC dug a little deeper and made another deep penetration into the Griffin half. Time and again they threw themselves at the Hayward line but each time the defense held. Finally, with the tryline just a foot away, scrumhalf Ghian Snyman tried to worm his way over, but was held up in the tackle and penalized for not releasing. The Griffins kicked to touch and that was the ballgame. "We were just too inconsistent," said a drained Bing Dawson, OMBAC’s DOR. "We talked and talked about making the tackles against this team but we didn’t do it and that’s why they were able to score all those tries." The loss meant OMBAC would play Golden Gate for third place and it too went down to the wire. Only this time OMBAC came out the victors. The Northern Californians got on the board first with a converted try but a reply, in the form of a Nate Gallow try, tied things at seven. OMBAC furthered their lead on a J. Wilson try and an Alistair Steele penalty to make it 15-7. Another lapse in defense cost OMBAC as a Golden Gate penalty kick was followed by two Gate tries to make the halftime score 24-15 in favor of Golden Gate. The two kickers traded penalty kicks to start the second half and Golden Gate increased the lead to 16 points with a converted try to make it 34-18. OMBAC saved their best for last again as with ten minutes left they poured it on. Steele’s third penalty made it 34-21. Veteran Scott Bracken barged over to trim the arrears to 34-28. Down by six and now in injury time, reserve back Aspinall sold a dummy and slithered in to make it 34-33 with no time left on the clock. It didn’t take an Einstein to figure out the consequences of the Steele attempt at the conversion. He makes it and he’s a hero. Misses, and he’s got to buy the drinks on the flight home. The young South African calmly slotted the difficult conversion to give OMBAC the exciting win 35-34. "It was a good way to finish off the season," said Dawson. "We got to play everybody who made the trip and we still got the win." The Gentlemen of Aspen won their fourth straight National Championship with an exciting win over the Hayward Griffins.
Source: OMBACRugby.com
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