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Written by Mike Loader
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Saturday, 10 May 2008 |
Match Report by Mike Loader, the reluctant journalist and enthusiastic coach
We
traveled to the Woodsmen with 29 players and the expectation of our
toughest competition of the spring. The Woodsmen were undefeated and
from all reports had a strong forward pack with a weapon at number 8
and a backline to finish the task. We fielded a starting team with
changes in the forwards and backs from the previous Saturday, an
indication that starting spots on the team are becoming hotter
commodities.
The ingredient that is becoming a common staple in
our team make up is confidence. 20 minutes into the game leading 5-3,
there was no frustration from the lack of points on the scoreboard. Our
lone try, the product of a controlled maul after a series of backline
movements demonstrated that we were not a one-dimensional team and
would exploit every hole in the defense we could. We had opportunities
to convert possession into points only to have a missed pass or knock
forward thwart us. The forward pack had begun to wear the opposition
down with controlled scrumming and tight defense at the scrums and
rucks. The woodman number eight was having an unsuccessful time making
the gain line from scrums and their back line was contending with
rushed passing from the base of the rucks.
The continued
pressure on defense paid dividends in the last 10 minutes of the half,
as more opportunities opened in the Woodmen’s defense and we were able
to capitalize on breaks in the line and great support running,
resulting in three tries and a half time score of 22-3.
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Read more... [Quins axe Woodsmen on the road]
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Written by Mike Loader
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Sunday, 04 May 2008 |
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Match Report, sponsored by Jim Harings
by Mike Loader, the reluctant journalist and enthusiastic coach
Finally a home game! It always feels good to look outside in the morning, see a beautiful day and think ‘what a great day for rugby’. Then you arrive at the pitch and the son of a bitch turns into a rainy cold piece of crap. These are the conditions in which The Harlequins welcomed the Lake County Gladiators to the second division.
I want to thank the Gladiators for making the trip up to Milwaukee. Especially after the previous tough weekend they had at the Midwest Playoffs. For a club less than five years old, they demonstrated on Saturday that they will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming years.
Our goal for the weekend of developing on our game, tightening up around the ruck and looking to make better tactile decisions came up against two obstacles. The first obstacle was the weather. The cold, wet conditions, led to both teams dropping balls and having issues with their footing.
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Read more... [Harlequins grind out wins in tight contests with division II debutantes]
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Written by Vic Drover
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Monday, 28 April 2008 |
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The Harlequins extend their unbeaten streak to five matches with success on the road vs. Lincoln Park in Chicago. Final scores were 49-12 (First XV) and 27-10 (Second XV). More to follow (if coach ever writes that match report that is ! ! !).
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Written by Mike Loader
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Sunday, 20 April 2008 |
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by Mike Loader, the reluctant journalist and enthusiastic coach
 Yesterday we went up to Fond du Lac for the goal of demonstrating Harlequin rugby. We achieved this goal in aces and it was apparent from the very outset with 30 players making the trip up to Fond du Lac. For many players this was their first appearance in the Harlequin colors. This, after an excellent turn out to Thursday nights training. Unfortunately, our opponent was short numbers and they weren't able to field two sides. However, they agreed to at least play 3 "halves" to give our 2nd team some playing time. Looking forward in the schedule, this should not be a problem for the next three games as we are playing clubs that will have the numbers and the experience to challenge us in both the A and B games. We will be able to give everybody more time to develop the cohesiveness of playing together on the field. I'm excited by this, as I'm seeing many players put forward good arguments as to why they should be on the A side and great strides in performance of new players to the game. Not to be left out, experienced players are demonstrating the cohesive play we are striving for as a club.
We used the 3 halves that Fond du Lac were able to provide as follows:
- the first for the starting A side.
- the second to bring in players we wanted to see run with the A side.
- the third for the full B side.- I would like to thank Sharpo for coming out and helping to coach and prepare the B side while Ray and I were watching the games. Thank you.
It was apparent from the kick off who was going to dominate possession and control of the game. We can credit Fond du Lac with throwing everything they had at us. Even though we easily dominated line outs and scrums, Fond du Lac made good inroads in the contesting around the ruck. This is one area we need to work on before Lincoln Park this Saturday. We can present the ball better at the breakdown and, once it is available, redistribute the ball more effectively.
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Read more... [Quins extend winning record to 4 matches]
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Written by Joe Cunningham
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Sunday, 13 April 2008 |
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 Match Report, sponsored by Anything-Digital.com
by Joe Cunningham
Conditions were awful, particularly for an April match, but we were
fortunate that Waukesha County allowed us to play at Nagawaukee this
weekend when Minooka was flooded. Although Captain Ben Smith scored
the first try off a penalty just 3 minutes into the match, we came out
slow and let Fox Cities dictate pace early on.
We were slow in support,
soft on defense, and sloppy with the ball and we allowed them to tie
the match 5-5 with their aggressive play. This woke up our team and we
reeled off 4 unanswered tries including 2 by flyhalf, Sands Falk, 1 by
fullback, Dom Singleton, and 1 penalty try. Most of these scores were
setup by strong support and good ball possession by the forwards, and
we held a strong 31-5 lead at the break.
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Read more... [Harlequins hang on for win despite conditions]
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Written by Joe Cunningham
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Saturday, 05 April 2008 |
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Match Report
The Harlequins were invited to play the Wisconsin Collegiate
U23/Select-Side at UW-Platteville Mudfest to assist in their
preparation
for Collegiate LAUs. The one hour kickoff delay appeared to affect the
Harlequins as they made frequent passing and handling errors in the
first few minutes of play. Even with these mistakes, however, solid
defense and stolen possession at breakdowns by the Harlequins kept the
U23 players on their heels. The 0-0 deadlock was broken 15 minutes into
the match by winger, Romain Vende'. Despite another broken play due to
handling errors, Vende' managed to scoop the ball and get past several
defenders with some very elusive sidesteps before touching the ball
down under the posts. Inside center, Dominic Kasten, converted to make
the score 7-0. The Harlequins continued to threaten the U23 squad, but
were frequently stymied by lost possession or handling errors, only
some of which were caused by backfield pressure defense . The scoring
drought was again ended by Vende' who managed to touch the ball down
just before halftime. Kasten converted and the Harlequins went into the
break with a 14-0 lead.
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Read more... [Harlequins win second straight match]
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Written by Vic Drover
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Sunday, 30 March 2008 |
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The Harlequins kicked-off the 2008 Spring Season with a strong showing in Chicago against the the Griffins B-side in windy, cool but dry conditions. Three, 30-minute periods were played as no second-match was scheduled.
Travelling with a full 22, the Harlequins started very strong with a few quick tries off some well executed ball distribution among the backs and lots of hard work at the break-downs all around the pitch. Although playing with a roster of just 17, the Griffins mounted a strong come-back and were down by just one try
at the first interval.
The Harlequins took a commanding lead in the second period, leading 34-17 at the second interval. The third period saw both teams score 2 unconverted tries resulting in a final score of 44-27. Dom Singleton lead the scoring with a hat trick and 15 points.
The Griffins A-side fell to Boston Rugby 5-14 in Superleage action.
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