Gold Highlights

Highlights from today's Gold Side matches, fresh from YouTube.

First match, against King's Cross B, was a bit of a shocker. Lingering effects of jetlag? Nerves? The neverending steel-grey sky that threatened rain? The trauma of playing on grass? Whatever the reason, we didn't play as well as we could. King's Cross B kept their heads and took full advantage of our muddle. Final score: 0-40.



The afternoon was a different story. We used the downtime to get over the loss, and start to play smart rugby. Several of us went to watch the Northern Stags (a barbarians' side made up of guys from Edinburgh and Newcastle) play the Amsterdam NOP. The afternoon warm-up was tough, but put our heads back in the game. I sometimes think we feel like we don't deserve to be on the pitch. It's hard when B-side matches are usually against tired but skilled A-sides. But it worked. Out attacks gathered momentum and knocked the Stags back on their heels. Their defense was valiant, and we had a hard time taking full advantage of our growing strength and confidence. There is a weird feeling of dislocation when you realize, "Hey, that's US behind the other team's 22. Wow, they don't look very happy!" That kind of confidence and control will come with time. We were 2 tries to 0, before their flyhalf snatched the ball from his scrummy's hands and put it over the line. Halftime score: 10-5.

There's a rugby saying that I've heard English players shout from the pitch today, especially when their team is ahead: "The score is nil-nil!" It's a warning to keep your head in the game and not get overconfident. We were still playing well, but a breakaway from the Stag fullback evened the score and a well-placed kick put us behind. Where was the focus from the first half? Then, suddenly, it was there again. A series of thoughtful, determined plays pushed us from behind our 22 to behind their 22 in less than a minute, and the final battle was on. Would we put it over the line one more time and win, or would we say, once again, "Great effort, guys"? The latter was unthinkable. We traded scrums and lineouts, with neither side able to move the ball. One push over the line turned into a knock-on when it slipped from our player's hand. They won the scrum but a poorly-placed kick gave them little ground and the ball was back at the line. Finally, the ref announced that there were three minutes left. We took possession of the ball and with one mighty maul, pushed it into the try zone. Unbelieveable. The conversion was ours, as well. It is good to win. It is good to know that we can do it, that we proved we have every right to be on the pitch...if to ourselves, if to no-one else. Truth told, I think we learned that other people had known it long before we did. Final score: 17-12.