April 18, 2004
In our Sunday match against the Cleveland Rovers Saint Paul came out strong after a tough Saturday match. 5 minutes into the first half a Bill Bridgeman kick was chased down and the Rovers wing tackled into touch inside the 22. Off the ensuing lineout the Pigs pack set up a driving maul that rolled all the way into the try zone where Matt Sonnek touched down for the game’s first points and a 5-0 Pigs lead. The pressure continued, and minutes later after a series of 5 or 6 phases near the try line Mike “Muddy” Hankee took the ball off the back of the ruck, went weak, and broke a tackle to touch down for the try. Naber’s conversion was good this time, and it was a 12-0 lead to the Pigs. A defensive lapse on a wide ball then hurt us, as the Rovers swung the ball out to their wing who ran in a long try to cut the lead to 12-7. Saint Paul came right back, however, as Naber touched down and then converted his own try for a 19-7 advantage. Finally, just minutes before half time Brett Carter scored, and we went in to the break with a 24-7 lead.
The second half, unfortunately, was a different story. The Rovers made some changes in their back line and started getting a lot more good runs and scored a quick try to cut the lead to 10. A penalty soon followed, and then another converted try, and the score was tied. At this point the long travel as well as the second game in two days began to show as we tired and began missing tackles and showing a lot of defensive lapses. This eventually allowed Cleveland to run in three more tries and come out on top.
Nevertheless, it was a good weekend for the Pigs, and a step in the right direction.
Man of the Match: Ike Muringai
Lineup:
1. Troy Midboe 2. Matt Sonnek 3. Luke Utting (Chris Griffith) 4. Ike Muringai (Ben Hanson) 5. Grizzly Malchow (Mike Soucheray) 6. Zac Bauer 7. Mike Hankee (Captain) 8. Jason Naber 9. Jason Rombalski 10. Bill Bridgeman 11. JR Burgess 12. Kris McCoy (Danny Kieffer) 13. Jamarr Johnson (Jaffrey Blanks – Blood Sub) 14. Brett Carter 15. Ernest Wayde (Steve King)
Scoring:
Tries: Sonnek, Hankee, Naber, Carter
Conversions: Naber (2/4)