An action-packed Saturday at Europa Sports Park saw spectators return for the first time and they had a full card of entertainment. First up was the Women’s section with a tightly contested Red v Black fixture, followed by the Straits Sharks and Buccaneers in the first #umeeGRC match, an enthralling U16s game with evenly matched teams, and finished with the Rock Scorpions against Europa Stormers.
With both the Buccaneers and the Stormers winning their respective matches, it’s nicely set up for a top of the table clash next weekend – 3:00pm Europa Sports Park!
InLine Framing Straits Sharks 24 – IBEX Bay Buccaneers 74
Using that old cliché, this was a game of two halves. Hardly a cigarette paper separated the two teams in the first half with each trading scores and neither managing to break free. The Sharks were ruthless with their forward drives, and got their scores following a series of tap penalties when they got close to the Buccaneers line. The Buccaneers, on the other hand, got their scores by choosing to spin the ball out wide to their speedy backs, with their forwards dominating the set piece. It was a fascinating first half and Buccaneers went into the break narrowly leading by 22 – 19.
I’m never sure what is said in these half time team talks but a different Buccaneers took the field in the second half and within ten minutes had sealed the game with four wonderfully created scores. Despite this, the Sharks continued to battle and there was a slight glimmer of hope when debutant Luke Manley crashed over from another quick penalty to give them their fourth try and with it a bonus point. However, as the game opened up in the last ten minutes the Buccaneers drove home their second half dominance with three more scores to round off a convincing win and maintain their unbeaten record.
Luke Payas of IBEX Buccaneers was took home the Spirit of the Rock Man of the match award.
Sovereign Scorpions 12 – DHL Europa Stormers 39
Another game of two halves with the Stormers out of the blocks quickly and running in two scores before some of the players even had time to break sweat! Things calmed down as the Scorpions got into the game, but they were strongly on the defence and had to make their tackles count. Fly half Chuqi Cruz kept the scoreboard ticking over with a penalty before a lovely handling move from the Stormers backs gave Shày McDonnell the opportunity to go in at the corner for his second try and the Stormers third.
And there it stayed, and with a comfortable half time lead of 20-0, the Stormers must have felt the game was there for the taking. But no one told the Scorpions that and they came out for the second half with renewed vigour. At times it was fractious and both sides traded possession and territory until the start of the final quarter when the Scorpions finally broke the deadlock, spinning the ball wide to score in the corner. They continued to pressurise the Stormers defence and inside ten minutes they were over the line again with fly half Tom Tom Turagabeci throwing his trademark dummy before waltzing under the posts. It was a fitting score in his last outing for the Scorpions, and his presence in the team will be sorely missed.
That score, however, was the wakeup call the Stormers needed and stepping up a gear, they won a penalty in the Scorpions 22 and off the quick tap, Aidan Beazley took a short ball to crash over for their fourth try and with it the bonus point. That was enough to take the game and as the Scorpions tired, two more scores in the dying minutes made the result look more comfortable than the game itself.
Oscar Cruz of DHL Europa Stormers was awarded with the Spirit of the Rock Man of the Match award at the final whilst.
Here’s a look at the league table after two rounds of the u-mee Gibraltar Rugby Championship:
All match reports written by Iain Ross.
u-mee Gibraltar Rugby Championship 