McGILL VICTORIOUS OVER MONTREAL RIVAL CONU

A tense but jovial mood was set in the change room of the local all-boys Catholic High School. Whether it be the upcoming game or the pubescent dance going on up stairs we knew that some Maroon was going to be torn tonight...hopefully by the McGill Rugby Team...

Despite the expectation set for the place of employment by our mighty coach, Craig Beemer, there was little one could do about the administrivia completed (or lack thereof) by one Jon “I Got My Forms In” Lee, who, on this night was expounding prophetic quotes as systematically as his patented “Pillage of the in-Ruck Ball.”

As the warm-up commenced, there was an ubiquitous air of self-assurance. This, unbeknownst to the Redmen would be a detriment to the initial stages of the game.
“So we caught the fist kick off.” - Jon Lee. Well, it’s a start.
After Mat Sidoti’s Danny Cipriani-esqe boot put the Redmen up three. The yellow-jackets tied it right back up. the game was knotted and in serious need of some Alexander the Great-style untangling. Unfortunately, the Concordia team proved to be something else than our supposed Gordian Knot.

There were the breaks, the steals, turnovers and penalties that one would find at most any Rugby game, but there was also something that game, almost entirely out of the blue. The in-game front row tutorial. You try to tell me this is not a game between high-level education institutions. I don’t think we could have ever figured it out.

The sanguine nature of the game turned distinctively melancholic as a torrent of whistles and canary coloured cards reigned down upon both teams. Was it the warning signs for a positively disastrous game? Or simply the subterfuge of a false retreat. I’ll go with the latter.

“Stephen Albers goes in at touch judge” - Jon Lee

There were hard tackles and screaming Ballochs alike, an antsy Jon Lee questioning to whether Valentin will ever fulfill the hearts of optimism in the McGill bench. Fresh legs hit the turf, a veritable fountain of youth, tapped from the private schools of Vancouver Island.

From the Perch of Overconfidence came the bombardment of guile and wiles from the opposing contingent of players that has not been seen in this part of Canada since the Plains of Abraham... Wolfe won.

What we really needed was a Balloch infusion, with one of the twins already on IR, this was one of the first times in recent (or at least this writer’s) memory that a Balloch had not been in. This east-meets-west fusion of play was just the remedy we needed to break this game open. It was so sweet, Red Bean custard tasted bitter.

A flick? A glimmer? A spark of change? What could this game turn into? Finally, Senior 8-Man Anton Nestle and the Redmen forwards used their Creeping Barrage to break this battle of Attrition and score the game’s first try. Exhalation?

BrendO’Sullivan, I guess a whole term in Australia and endless hours of kicking practice really do pay off. And we thank you dearly for it. 13-6 McGill RFC.

Finally, our prayers were answered with the resounding stiffy from Colin Gallacher. Simply marvelous one of the best i’ve seen in quite some time (how are you feeling Devin?). That fend/try was the crown jewel on an absolutely fantastic piece of Rugby. And a great way to end the game.

Final Score: 18-6
Half-Time Score: 6-6

Quotes:
“ARE YOU WRITING DOWN WHAT IS COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH?” - Liam O’Briain

Yes, Liam, I am.

write up by Trevor Clarke.