OMBAC
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| OMBAC Sends Out Super League Warning (Pounds Perennial Powers Aspen 32-5) |
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17 March 2001 - San Diego, CA - The OMBAC rugby team kicked off its 2001 Super League campaign today with a comprehensive 32-5 victory over the Gentlemen of Aspen at the Little Q. The win was OMBAC's first victory over the four-time defending National Champions and 1997 Super League title holder since the 1996 National Championship semi-final match. It was just the third regular season loss that Aspen has suffered since the Super League was formed in 1997. Under sunny skies and in front of a large partisan crowd, OMBAC asserted themselves as the dominant force right from the opening whistle. The home side worked the kickoff into Aspen's end of the pitch and a series of ferocious charges were met by an equally ferocious set of tackles. Although the Gentlemen's defense stood firm under the onslaught, they could not clear their end of the pitch and the OMBAC pressure was rewarded at the ten minute mark as outside center Jason Harper put fullback Johan Claasen in for a clear run to the poles. The easy conversion by Alistair Steele put OMBAC up 7-0. More OMBAC force in the Aspen end resulted in another three points from a Steele penalty and with 15 minutes left before intermission, OMBAC closed out the first half scoring. From a scrum on the right hand side of the field and 22 meters out from the Aspen tryline, #8 Conrad Hodgson picked up wheeled scrum ball and charged ahead. The rucked ball was picked up by open-side flank Jay Wilson who thundered for more yardage. And in a replay of OMBAC's first try, Harper put away the dashing Claasen to give OMBAC the 17-0 score at the change. It was a dominating first half of rugby by OMBAC as not only did Aspen fail to threaten the OMBAC line, they rarely stepped foot on OMBAC's side of midfield. But the Aspen winter rust was getting knocked off with each movement and the second half saw a much improved effort. Down by 17, Aspen were running the ball from everywhere. Ten minutes in, an Aspen attack from their side of the midfield was snuffed out on a crushing tackle by Blair Cashmore. The spilt ball was toed ahead by Harper. He ran onto a nice bounce and when the coverage came up, he chipped a kick over the top of the onrushing defenders, received another charitable bounce and dove into the corner for the try of the day. Steele's conversion was no good but the game was as good as out of reach at 22-0. OMBAC put the game on ice on the ensuing kickoff as the ball was worked deep into enemy waters with second row Paul Jennings giving the forwards their only points on the day as he dotted down OMBAC's fourth try of the afternoon. Aspen were starting to put good phases of possession together but just failed to finish as knock-ons plagued them throughout the second half comeback bid. Their lone score came with ten minutes left in the match and it was a controversial score at that. Aspen won their own lineout ten meters shy of the OMBAC line and after a couple of recycles an Aspen player was over the line but it looked as if he had lost possession of the ball prior to grounding it. After consulting with his touch judge, the referee awarded the try, thus averting Aspen's first shutout in years. OMBAC finished off the scoring just before fulltime. Substitute scrumhalf Ghian Snyman took off on a quick tap penalty and found Nelo Lui with space ahead of him. Lui, who led OMBAC to the 2000 National Sevens title, raced in from the halfway line as OMBAC raced away with the 32-5 victory. "We played very well," said OMBAC coach Bing Dawson. "We did the little things well. We ran the ball hard. We retained possession. We played good defense. We just didn't hurt ourselves." OMBAC joins San Francisco Golden Gate, the Old Blues Griffins and Old Puget Sound Beach as Western Conference winners. In the East, Boston started out victorious while Old Blue and Philly-Whitemarsh played to an 11-all draw. OMBAC is at the Dallas Harlequins next week in Super League second round action. In Southern California First Division play, OMBAC defeated Back Bay 34-33, on a 45-meter try by Guy Dotan with no time left on the clock. OMBAC'S II's came back as well to win 17-15, in a match that saw OMBAC's 55-year-old coach, Lin Walton, come on in the second half to play on the wing. OMBAC's win keeps them atop the Southern California First Division table at 8-0. OMBAC hosts Santa Monica this week with the II's squaring off at 1:00 p.m. Following that match, OMBAC's I's take the field for a 3:00 p.m. kickoff. In OMBAC's other match today, the OMBAC's III's match with South Bay was called with 25 minutes left and the score tied at 10-10 as the match ended in a brawl. The Southern California Rugby Union has been informed of the incident and a decision regarding the outcome and punishment is expected soon. OMBAC Lineup -15-Johan Claasen |
