MEN v FINDLAY - LADIES v DENISON

A mixed bag of fortunes for the Black Rose rugbyclub this weekend. The men's team beat Findlay on a still muddy home pitch, where the ladies suffered a defeat on Denison's turf.

Still unbeaten
The men's game was a rematch of last weeks Toilet Bowl final. The tempers were expected to flare up again in an always spirited rivalry. The rain and sleet mixture and overall miserable conditions took the edge of of the pre-game preparations, and a bag full of early tries did the rest. This game was never really a contest.
Good, although sometimes illegal, rucking resulted in plenty of early possession for the men in Black. Having beaten the Findlay forwards up-close, the Black Rose backs shifted gears and sped past and around their opposite numbers for a total tally of six tries in the first half.
In the second half the tables were turned. Findlay changed their tactics to a more conservative 'stick it up the jumper' approach. They used their forwards to slowly but surely make yards up field with short bursting runs. Sustained pressure in the Black Rose twenty-two ultimately resulted in two close range tries for the visitors.
The home team's defense got breached for the first time this season, but their perfect eight-and-o record still stands strong.

Shorthanded
The ladies team was less fortuitous. Come kick-off they could only field twelve of their own players. With the help of three of Denison's replacements they still fought good and hard. The lack of cohesion and chemistry was apparent though. During the game it got fully exploited by the experienced home team, who ran in eight unanswered tries. Never discouraged the ladies played their harts out for the full eighty minutes.
After a break next weekend, they will be ready to take on Ashland in Ada; a game that is set to produce a much closer scoreline.