Somebody asked me to write an account of the Rats v Two Blues game; so I'll post a few notes here.
Warringah Rats vs Parramatta Two Blues
It didn't look like a great night for Magners Shute Shield rugby with fine and not-so-fine drizzle during the night, but both teams had a go.
Parra, playing with the drizzle started the scoring with a Tom Woods penalty goal but a snipe by Rats scrummie, Josh Holmes, had defenders looking at each other as he scored. When Hamish Angus converted it was 7-3 to the Rats.
Woods slotted another penalty goal for the visitors midway through the half to bring the score to 7-6, but his team wasn't taking full advantage of the southerly breeze, a Rats Park staple.
They paid for it too when Warringah camped in the Two Blues 22. The Rats turned over the ball but got it back after a great scrum near the Parra line The Two Blues defended like demons when the Rats peppered the goal-line with pick and goes; but eventually the defence was broken and the Rats no. 8 Sam Crompton dotted down near the corner.
Then Angus made the score 14-6 with a cracking conversion from near touch and across the drizzle.
But the Two Blues recovered a superb short restart kick and swarmed through down the grandstand side of the park. After a few glitches hooker Liu Taituave scored their first try near the posts and Woods converted it. The Rats were still ahead but only by 14-13.
Then just as I went to get my half-time pie. Warringah took their turn to attack from a restart when Parra took the kick into touch. When the Two Blues came up too quickly the Rats took the three points on offer because time was running out.
Half-time score 17-13 to the Rats playing against the breeze.
The Two Blues started strongly after oranges and skipper Andrew Cox got held up over the line. But Woods kicked another penalty from in front of the posts when the Rats infringed at at the scrum—back to a one-point ball game.
They were up near the Rats goal line again soon after, but a timely intercept against the run of play had Warringah raiding to the other end of the park. This led to the ball through hands beating the out-numbered defenders wide out. The Rats led 22-16 at 52 minutes as the rain was coming down harder.
Then it was the visitors turn: it was like watching a tennis match with the serve changing. The Rats lost a lineout and Parra flooded through the middle of the park to get good field position. After some enterprising play flanker Sakaria Noa scored for Parra near the 15 metre line. The conversion to take the lead missed and the Rats still lead 22-21. Game on.
That's when the tennis match stopped because the Rats used the wind better than the Two Blues had done in the first half and finished all over them in the last ten minutes.
The teams swapped penalty goals, but when the Two Blues were untidy at a lineout on the grandstand side in the Rats' half, Holmes swooped on the ball. After after a few passes to the right the Rats scored on the beach side, running at pace. Soon afterwards the Rats took up time with a successful penalty goal attempt and ended up with a four-try bonus point win 35-24.
Well done to both teams for playing attacking games in wet conditions which entertained the patrons, and for the good spirit in which the match was played.
Warringah 35 (Josh Holmes 2, Sam Crompton, Michael Adams tries; Hamish Angus 3 cons, 3 pens)
d Parramatta 24 (Liu Ataituave, Sakaria Noa tries; Tom Woods con, 4 pens)
