Claremont Univ Defeat Devils In Tour Opener

- 22/05/08

On a warm Wednesday evening at the International School of Beijing, Claremont McKenna University won the opening match of their China tour against the Beijing Devils in convincing fashion, scoring seven or eight tries to the Devils’ two.

The jetlagged student side, just off the plane after flying to China from southern California, took about 30 minutes to get into groove. The match kicked off at 8:15pm following a two-minute silence for the Sichuan earthquake victims.

During the first half-hour, the Devils looked to have the upper hand, with a slight territorial advantage and a very strong showing by their forwards. The latter’s support and driving play in the loose was particularly notable, while they held their own in the set-pieces against a bulkier opposition.

Useful breaks by centres Hutchy and Mik pushed deep into the Claremont half, while the forwards’ driving mauls were also impressive. But the Devils failed to convert this pressure into points. With the match scoreless after 30 minutes, Claremont started to get some momentum and clawed their way back into the game.

The student side’s defense was well-organized and difficult to break down, particularly because of the way their forwards didn’t over-commit in the loose and fanned out across the pitch. It limited the options for the Devils backs, closing down space and putting on a lot of pressure.

With about 10 minutes to go before half time, the Claremont backs countered from deep finding gaps outside. They came perilously close to scoring on a couple of occasions, with last-gasp tackles or final passes going astray saving the Devils.

But their speedy centres and elusive full-back eventually broke down the defense to score in the corner. A couple more tries followed in relatively quick succession to leave the Devils well behind at the interval.

Half-time saw a string of substitutions – the match was a friendly and rolling subs were order of the day. The Devils switched their entire back division, except at scrum-half where Hadz continued for another 20 minutes.

By this stage, the students had built up a head of steam. They continued to dominate the scoring, if not the territory, during the second half.

The Devils forwards played with stamina and aggression to hold their own against a bigger set of opponents, which meant that territorially the half was even. But while the Devils midfield was normally able to close down the student attacks off first-phase ball, in open play when running from deep, the Claremont backs continued to find gaps and overlaps out wide. They scored another two or three tries in the second half.

For the Devils, forwards Chris E. and Sam stood out. Chris with is rampaging runs and hand-offs that were a joy to watch – especially for his teammates. On numerous occasions, he led the attack in this way and at least twice the

Devils came very close to scoring.

Finally this pressure paid off. Another strong run by Chris created a hole, through which Sam in support was able to take it on for the touchdown. It was a deserved try for Sam who had excellent match.

The Devils backs meanwhile were able to cause problems for the Claremont defense, with Tristan normally getting over the gain-line off first phase, while Konrad and Ben on several occasions made ground with forceful running in tight situations.

A second try ultimately came when the ball was moved out to the right where Wason on the wing was able to break a tackle, make ground and then provide an inside pass. Tristan had the strength to plough over.

With time out, the Devils tried running out of their own twenty-two for a last hurrah, but it came to nothing. The final whistle went and Claremont were worthy winners.

The post-match social look place at The Den, with beer flowing and steady flow of pizzas. In the boat race, the students were… well… typical students… and continued their winning ways. A good time was had by all. Thanks again to The Den for its great organization and support.

Vermilion Beijing Devils Rugby Club is supported by Guinness