Salvia Posted December 6, 2019 Posted December 6, 2019 (edited) The Six Nations Rugby Tournament is an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of Batengdei [@Bulgenstaz], @Eulycea, @Gallambria, the Sanctum Imperium Catholicum, @Seylos, and @Oyus. The 2019 version of the Six Nations tournament will be hosted by the reigning champions, Gallambria, in Cobram Park Stadium. The competition will begin Sunday, December 8th and will end on January 13th, after each team has played every other team. The team with the most amount of points* after the last game will be declared the winner of the competition. Not only is the championship trophy on the line, but so is the prestige, glory, and bragging rights that come with winning. The first matchups are as follows (all times local): Seylos vs. Salvia- 11:00 AM Eulycea vs. Oyus- 3:00 PM Gallambria vs. Batengdei- 7:00 PM Good luck to the competitors, and we hope you enjoy this year's installment of Six Nations Rugby! *0 points for a loss, 2 for a draw, 4 for a win, 1 for scoring four or more tries in a match, 1 for losing by 7 points or fewer, and 3 points for a Grand Slam (when a team beats every other team) Edited December 7, 2019 by Sancti Imperii Catholico (see edit history) 7
Salvia Posted December 8, 2019 Author Posted December 8, 2019 (edited) December 8th, Cobram Park Stadium- Week 1 The Lead: Seylos defeats Salvia in tough defensive battle, Eulycea takes down Oyus in offensive showdown, Gallambria fall to underdog Batengdei Seylos Defeats Salvia in Tough Defensive Battle, 12-3 Seylos and Salvia fought a tough defensive battle that the former would eventually pull out as victorious. The first half was dominated by Seylos as they were able to shut down any offensive potential Salvia had, especially their backs and lineout set pieces. However, Seylos would continue to struggle with turnovers, turning the ball over six times in the first half alone. This would serve to cap Seylos at one try with a conversion, ending the half at 7-3. The second half would turn out to be even more of a defensive slog then the first half, with Seylos’s only other try (without conversion) coming early on in the 46th minute. Salvia failed to start anything offensively, and the game would soon end 12-3. Eulycea Takes Down Oyus in Offensive Showdown, 38-26 An explosive first half by the Oyusards would turn into a dominant Eulycean perfomance as Oyus would lose by 12. The two sides scored often and fast in the first half, with a mix of tries and penalty kicks. Oyus initially had the upper hand in the scoring, being up by a try and a penalty kick in the 25th minute before Eulycea would go on a 31-9 scoring run in the remainder of the game. Eulycea’s front 8 would soon find their rhythm after being down by 14 to the islanders, dominating both the lineout and scrum. This, in turn, allowed Eulycea to execute set pieces effectively and control the ball as they drove down the field. Eulycea was also able to reliably generate quick ball, keeping the Oyusards on their toes, and successfully link the forwards with the backs, allowing for the offense to spread the defense before cutting in or running up the wing. Gallambria Fall to Underdog Batengdei, 11-15 A critical turnover and penalty in the 75th minute gave Batengdei a 4-point lead and the ball as the Gallambrians fell in an upset victory for the reds. The game started out with the Gallambrians shooting out in front, with a try (without conversion) and a penalty kick putting the home team up 8 in the 13th minute. The rest of the half would become a grueling forward battle as any set pieces and plays were snuffed out and shut down. Towards the end of the half, the reds were able to pin the Gallambrians into their own 22 and force a turnover, scoring a try and converting before the end of the half, 8-7. The second half saw Batengdei see a resurgence on offense, continuously striking the Gallambrian defense hard. The effort would not see points scored, with the ball still going back and forth between the two sides. The Gallambrians would extend their lead to 4 after another penalty kick in the 59th minute, yet the reds continued to dominate the game; it was only a matter of time before they scored. Batengdei would soon score a try (without conversion) in the 63rd minute. A point down and 6 minutes left in the game, the Gallambrians possessed the ball at their own 22, however they would soon turn it over and then commit a penalty. The reds would then kick a penalty kick to extend the lead to 4 and chew up the rest of the clock, claiming victory 15-11. Standings after Week 1 Edited December 8, 2019 by Sancti Imperii Catholico (see edit history) 5
Eulycea Posted December 8, 2019 Posted December 8, 2019 (edited) Eulycea Defeats Oyus 38-26, Lining Up for Rugby Championship Edited December 8, 2019 by Eulycea (see edit history) 3
Salvia Posted December 13, 2019 Author Posted December 13, 2019 After a week of rugby competition, our next matchups are set. Sunday. Week 2. Who wins? Seylos vs. Eulycea Batengdei vs. Salvia Oyus vs. Gallambria 4
Salvia Posted December 15, 2019 Author Posted December 15, 2019 (edited) December 15th, Cobram Park Stadium- Week 2 The Lead: Eulycea, Batengdai, Oyus Cruise to Victory as Salvia and Gallambria Continue to Struggle Eulycea vs. Seylos, 35-11 The powerful Eulycean offense continue to dominate after a strong performance last week with a win against Seylos. Eulycea proved to be effective as ever against a Seylosian team that seemed unprepared for much of the game. Despite a close 15 minutes, the Eulycean side would pull away with a 21-0 scoring run that started with a try from captain Louis Pagani, who had an extraordinary game against the Oyusards last week. Eulycea ended up dominating both sides of the ball throughout the game in what quickly became a one-sided affair. Batengdai vs. Salvia, 25-8 After an upset victory over the home team Gallambria last week, the reds continued their good form Sunday as they cruised to an easy victory over a Salvian team that looked lost and without identity. The only try that the Salvians scored would be in grudge time as Batengdai would easily control the flow of play throughout the game. A frustrated Salvian side seemed to have no answer to the reds as they ran circles around them and crushed any offense the Salvian side attempted. Oyus vs. Gallambria, 22-9 A week after being upset by Batengdai, the Gallambrians have struggled once again and fell to the islanders. The only points the all-blacks stumbled across were from penalty kicks, unable to convert opportunities in the opposition’s 22 into points. The islanders, on the other hand, rebounded from their tough loss to Eulycea from last week, having little trouble against a deflated Gallambrian offense. However, the Oyusards struggled on offense at points, something that they may need to fix before they finish the season. Standings after Week 2 Edited December 22, 2019 by Sancti Imperii Catholico (see edit history) 3
Eulycea Posted December 20, 2019 Posted December 20, 2019 Eulycea Rugby Continues Winning Streak, Defeats Seylos 35-11 "...[Eulycean team captain] Pagani told reporters that 'things were heated on the [Eulycean] bench,' after the rough tackle the Seylosians gave Bercator without penalty from referees. 'But we tapped into that anger for the rest of the game and it fueled us all the way to the end.'" 2
Salvia Posted December 20, 2019 Author Posted December 20, 2019 (edited) A reminder to all of our viewers that there will be no rugby games next Sunday, December 30th to allow the players time off during Christmas week. Week 4 will instead be on January 5th, 2020. Two weeks of competition past, three more to go. Week 3 begins Sunday. Who wins? Seylos vs. Batengdei Salvia vs. Oyus Eulycea vs. Gallambria Edited December 28, 2019 by Sancti Imperii Catholico (see edit history) 2
Salvia Posted December 22, 2019 Author Posted December 22, 2019 (edited) December 22nd, Cobram Park Stadium- Week 3 The Lead: Upsets Sweep Tournament Favorites, @Eulycea and @Batengdei Remain on Top of the Standings Seylos Score Last Second Try to Top Reds, 13-8 A tough defensive battle saw all of its points scored in the second half, save for a penalty kick from Seylos in the 17th minute. Those three points would be mirrored early in the second half by the reds and then followed by a try shortly after. Down now by 5, Seylos would respond with a try of its own in the 68th minute. Following kickoff, Seylos would kick the ball back to Batengdei. Down around midfield, the reds would soon turn it over with a knock on. Seylos would then go on to score a try in the 77th minute and would hold on to its 5-point lead as time expired, winning 13-8. Salvia Find Stride Against Oyus, 25-7 Who said prayers went unanswered? The Struggling Salvians finally looked like a complete team as they went on to win against the islanders by 18. The Salvians played consistently good rugby, scoring points while disabling the Oyusard offense. A standout performance from Salvian eight-man Kevin Bartelladi played as a critical piece for the Salvians as they capitalized on an islander offense that struggled last week and failed to recover this week. Eulycea Stunned by Gallambria in a Nailbiter, 24-26 A game that was kept close would be stolen by Gallambria in the final minutes as a tournament favorite would fall to Gallambria. A back and forth first half would slow down in the second, with the game being very physical and somewhat unclassy at times. The two sides would be shown a combined 3 yellow cards, with 2 of those cards coming from violent play. The two teams seemed hardly separated throughout the match, with the largest lead of the game (7 points) coming in the first half and being held only for 6 minutes before being cut to 2. Eulycea would exit the first half up 14-12 with the ball, but a turnover would give the Gallambrians the ball and eventually a 14-19 lead. Following a minor injury on a Eulycean player that would give the two teams a break, Eulycean captain Louis Pagani would fire his offense up, scoring a quick 10 points in a try and a penalty kick. With 7 minutes on the clock, Gallambria would find itself with the ball pinned near its own touchline. Gallambria would drive down the field in those 7 minutes and enter the try zone, however it would be held up by the Eulcyean side. The resulting 5-meter scrum would see the Gallambrians finally score and convert, soon ending the game 24-26. Standings After Week 3 Edited January 10, 2020 by Salvia (see edit history) 3
Salvia Posted January 10, 2020 Author Posted January 10, 2020 (edited) January 5th, Cobram Park Stadium- Week 4 The Lead: Eulycea Comes out of ‘Battle of the Favorites' Victorious, Standings See a Shuffle @EulyceaTops Second Place @Batengdei, 29-16 After a close 30 minutes with the score tied at 10-10, Eulycea would distance themselves from their second-place counterparts over the course of the rest of the game, ending in a 29-16 Silvers' victory. Despite the Batengdeian defense being able to shut down any impressive performance from Eulycean captain Louis Pagani and the rest of the backs corp, the front row was able to grind out several key tries that put points on the board while keeping the defense strong. With the win, Eulycea are now guaranteed locks for the Championship Game, while Batengdei will have to win by four or more tries to gain enough bonus points to tie Gallambria in the standings. @Oyus Hold off @Seylosian Comeback, 20-16 The Islanders were able to distance themselves from the Sandwiches after a hot first half, which ended with a lead of 17. The Seylosians were able to claw their way back into the game in the second half, holding the Islanders scoreless while scoring 13. The comeback wouldn't be enough however, as the Oyusards were able to gain possession of the ball late in the game and run out the clock. While Oyus are not technically eliminated from the Championship game, NSBN SportsCenter computer simulations give the Islanders a <0.01% chance of qualifying, needing to overcome point differential and unlikely results to place second. Seylos needs a win against Gallambria and a Batengdeian loss to qualify. @Gallambria Continue To Find Success Against @Salvia, 30-22 A pair of 1-2 teams faced off in the form of Gallambria and Salvia, both coming off of their first wins of the season. While the game remained close as reflected by the score, Gallambria was never behind in their 8 point win on Sunday. A strong offensive performance combined with a defense that stopped the Salvian side when it meant most resulted in a win for the Lions, but one that has lessons that need to be learned if Gallambria want to find success in their next game and qualify for the Championship Game With the loss, Salvia is unable to qualify for the Championship Game, while Gallambria just needs a win to qualify. Standings after Week 4 Edited January 15, 2020 by Salvia (see edit history) 2
Salvia Posted January 15, 2020 Author Posted January 15, 2020 (edited) January 13th, Cobram Park Stadium- Week 5 The Lead: @Gallambria Qualify for the Championship Game with Help from Bonus Points over @Batengdei @Eulycea Triumph over Salvia, 29-13 Little to say about this game, other than the Silvers continue to show their dominance. They end the season with a point differential of +63 (the next closest being Batengdei with +19) and an average game score of 31-18. Hopefully the success can continue into the Championship Game, this being their first appearance since 2012. Despite the 8 year drought, Eulycea are still favored over Gallambria by NSBN sports analysts and computer simulations, with a 64% chance of beating Gallambria. Gallambria Win Close One Against @Seylos, 13-6 While the Gallambrian offense was only able to score one try in 80 minutes, the defense was able to hold firm and hold the Seylosians to only 2 penalty kicks. A grueling game made even more brutal by poor weather was filled with knock-ons and penalties. Despite losing their first two, Gallambria were able to qualify with their three wins and two bonus points, one of which came from their loss to Batengdei for losing by under 7 points. The Lions will hope to replicate last year's Championship Game victory over Eulycea despite being underdogs. Batengdei Beat @Oyus, 22-6 The reds, with 3 minutes left and a try away from getting their most-needed bonus point to qualify for the Championship Game, would fall just short of the mark. With already a minute past the 80-minute mark, anything that made the ball dead would end the game. 11 meters away, an event that would cause just that happened as a Batengdeian player dropped the ball forwards, resulting in a knock-on. As the whistle blew for the end of the game, the Batengdeian players hung their heads in defeat despite their 16-point victory over the Islanders, aware that they did not qualify. Standings after Week 5 Championship Game will be played on Sunday, February 9th Edited February 9, 2020 by Salvia (see edit history) 2
Salvia Posted February 10, 2020 Author Posted February 10, 2020 (edited) OOC; Somewhat based off of this video, feel free to watch this to get a feel about what I'm talking about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ5R-0l7wdY ______________________________ February 9th, Cobram Park Stadium- CHAMPIONSHIP GAME @Gallambria vs. @Eulycea The two teams, 23 men each, walked side by side out of their locker rooms and onto the pitch, the referees right behind them. Greeted by fireworks and a roaring crowd, the stage was set for the Six Nations Championship Game to begin. PREGAME “Welcome ladies and gentlemen I’m Dan Smith and this is Adam Martin joining me for the 2020 Six Nations Rugby Championship Game between the Eulycean Silvers and the Gallambrian Lions. Teams are walking out of the locker rooms right now so let’s review the lineup.” (C)- Captain GALLAMBRIA Forwards 1 Opi Teira 2 Rory Fisher 3 Noel Davis 4 Waiapi Karaka 5 Caleb Richards 6 Olly Harper 7 Zac Lloyd 8 Eti Taimona Backs 9 Patrick Adams 10 Matthew Fox (C) 11 Edward Fraser 12 Jacob Butler 13 Patariki Raharuhi 14 Tate Matthews 15 Sam Gallagher EULYCEA Forwards 1. Adrian Morus 2. Philip de Forgia 3. Benedict de Campania 4. Lucas Maino 5. Sebastian Puteo 6. Julian Armiger 7. John Canti 8. Quentin Ponte Backs 9. Francis Batoni 10. Louis Pagani (C) 11. Marc Valle 12. Hilary Magnavilla 13. Christian de Lega 14. Paul Mileti 15. Laurence Peccatus “Solid group on both sides, excited for the next 80 minutes of rugby we’ll be getting from these two sides.” 5th MINUTE: Score 0-0 “Lions in Eulycean territory for the first time, Adams from the breakdown to the backs, Fraser passes it across to Matthews as they reach the 22 line, Matthews is tackled by Valle. As a ruck is formed it appears Adams is yelling at the ref behind it and the whistle is blown, Valle called for not releasing. Gallambria will take the kick… ...Fox hits it solidly, and it’s good.” 38th MINUTE: Score 9-3 “Gallambria’s past the 22 now, Patrick Smith from the breakdown passes it to Patariki Raharuhi, Raharuhi finds a hole! Offloads as he’s tackled to Tate Matthews and that’s a try for the Lions! Typical Gallambrian work and it’s the first try of the evening.” 40th MINUTE: Score 16-3 “Gallambria now at midfield, attempting to maybe get something before halftime. Adams, tosses it to Davis from the breakdown, Davis is held up and pops off the ball behind him to Butler and he finds a hole! Butler down to the 22, dodges a man and it’s a footrace to the tryline! Butler wins it, another try for the Gallambrian side and the home crowd is loving it!” 52nd MINUTE: Score 21-3 “Silvers get a lineout at Gallambria’s 5 meter line, they win it, form a maul. That forward pack is just moving that thing a meter at a time, de Forgia in the back with the ball. The Gallambrians just can not stop that maul and they push over the try line, de Forgia touches it down and that’s Eulycea’s first try!” 62nd MINUTE: Score 21-10 “Near midfield, Batoni with a little box kick that hits near the edge and he’s found a bit of room with that kick! Mileti is able to catch that with the Lion’s winger out of position, beats him to the middle as he races down the pitch! Offloads it to Valle and that’s another try for Eulycea, they’re back in it!” 78th MINUTE: Score 27-21 “Eulycea with the ball near the Gallambrian 22 in the middle of the pitch, some pick-and-goes from the forward pack before Batoni gets it out to the backs, Magnavilla passes it further out to Mileti and he muffs it, Gallagher picking it up and just sprinting down the wing! Gives it a little boot over midfield, Fraser and Valle in a footrace to it, Fraser’s got the speed. He catches it mid-bounce and dives over the try line! Surely that secures the Gallambrians the Championship and I think the crowd thinks that as well, absolutely electric!” 80th MINUTE: Score 34-21 “Gallambrians now just trying to get it out of bounds to end it, just running some pick-and-goes with the forwards moving it towards the right side. Adams passes it to Fox who just punts it right out, the final whistle blows and that’s the game. Gallambria, the home team: back to back Six Nations Champions!” Edited February 10, 2020 by Salvia (see edit history) 5
Salvia Posted December 20, 2020 Author Posted December 20, 2020 (edited) December 6th The Six Nations Rugby Tournament is an annual rugby union competition between the national teams of @Batengdei, @Eulycea, @Gallambria, @Salvia, @Seylos, and @Oyus. The 2020 version of the Six Nations tournament will be hosted by Salvia in Borosalvo Stadium, located in Deopolis. The competition will begin Sunday, December 13th and will end on January 31st, after each team has played every other team and a championship game has been played. The two teams with the most amount of points* after the last game will face off in the championship game, the winner of which will be declared the winner of the whole competition. Not only is the championship trophy on the line, but so is the prestige, glory, and bragging rights that come with winning. The first matchups are as follows Oyus vs. Batengdei Seylos vs. Gallambria Salvia vs. Eulycea Good luck to the competitors, and we hope you enjoy this year's installment of Six Nations Rugby! *0 points for a loss, 2 for a draw, 4 for a win, 1 for scoring four or more tries in a match, 1 for losing by 7 points or fewer, and 3 points for a Grand Slam (when a team beats every other team) Edited December 20, 2020 by Salvia (see edit history) 6
Salvia Posted December 24, 2020 Author Posted December 24, 2020 December 13th, BoroSalvo Stadium - Week 1 The Lead: Batengdei cruises to victory as Gallambria, Salvia secure tough wins Reds conduct strong showing against the Islanders in a 37-9 bashdown Last year’s fifth and third faced off in a matchup experts were largely unsure of. The lack of player or coaching swaps meant these teams were, at least on paper, very similar to themselves last year. However, the Reds quickly proved this label wrong with a smashing 28 point win over the Islanders. A combination of stellar offensive and defensive performance for the Reds and a sloppy game from the Oyussards contributed to the huge victory. Batengdei now tops the league table at the end of Week 1. Lions win fifth straight with win over Sandwiches, 20-12 Having not dropped a game since 22 December 2019, the reigning champs came into this game confident, and it showed. The Seylosian side put up a tough fight as to be expected, but intelligent design and raw talent were enough to carry the Gallambrians to their fifth straight Six Nation win. Salvia erases memory of last year with win over Silvers, 31-29 Having only won a single game last year, the Salvian side conducted numerous coaching changes to secure Salvia’s best rugby coach Antonel Satino. The changes seem to have paid off as the Doves took down last year’s tournament sweetheart, Eulycea, in a 31-29 nailbiter. Finding initial success in the first half, the Silvers stalled as the Salvians began to exploit their defense to put up 24 points in the second half. Standings after Week 1 4
Salvia Posted February 26, 2021 Author Posted February 26, 2021 December 20th, BoroSalvo Stadium - Week 2 The Lead: Gallambria and Seylos achieve victory as Eulycea recovers from Week 1 disaster Eulycea recovers from Week 1 with a victory over Reds, 27-17 Red fans were amped to see this game after Gallambria stole their ticket to the finals last year with bonus points. Finally, they could prove that they too would have beaten the Silvers. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Eulycea’s drop last week was covered up with a textbook win over Batengdei. The Silvers were able to capitalize on a lackluster Reds’ offense who, despite having just under 70% possession, were unable to show many flashes of production with the ball. Gallambria continues streak as Oyus drops its second, 24-10 The Gallambrian Lions are continuously looking impressive as they continue their winning streak, this time against the Islanders. The Oyussards, on the other hand, have looked lost without a rallying focus on either side of the ball and were only able to provide meaningful attack and defense after the Lions had already shot to a 17-0 lead in the 39th minute. Credit where credit is due, the Islanders played smart rugby in the second half, but there’s a reason a game is two halves, not one. Old cracks appear in Salvia as Seylos capitalizes, 0-16 A victory over Eulycea last week was enough to hype up the host team and crowd to a frenzy. Yet hopes were quickly dashed as old mistakes and ailments plagued the Salvians in their loss against the Sandwiches. Poor offensive production, the same as last year’s, would prove lethal once more as the Seylosian side took their time in establishing a solid defensive front. With the Doves rarely getting it beyond their own 22 the Seylosians simply counterattacked with ferocity against a tiring Salvian squad. While the defense proved valiant, it was inevitable for it to give and it soon did after halftime in the 50th minute. Beyond the first twenty minutes the game was solidly in Seylosian favor even if the score didn’t mirror that. Standings after Week 2 3
Salvia Posted March 27, 2021 Author Posted March 27, 2021 January 3rd, BoroSalvo Stadium - Week 3 The Lead: Salvia drops two straight while Silvers, Reds capitalize on opposition's mistakes Salvia continues losing streak against Islanders, 14-19 The Doves' Week 1 win over the Silvers continues to feel more and more distant as the Oyusards snap a losing streak of their own with a win over Salvia. A close game throughout, the Islanders scored a try out on the wing 78th minute to dig themselves out of a 2-point deficit and put them in the lead. A desperate Salvian counterattack proved fruitless as a knock-on ended the game by midfield. Reds pull upset against Gallambrians, 21-18 The kings of the league were unseated by the Reds in a game that seemed settled in the first half, with Batengdei entering the locker room up 14 at 21-7. And while the Lions held them scoreless, the Reds still secured the win with Gallambria struggling to finish their offensive drives. Still, a win is a win, and while Lions fans might argue that they only lost because it wasn't their day, they still lost their position at the top of the table. Eulyceans push through slog against Seylosians, 17-8 The usually dashing Silvers were caught in a grueling slog against the Sandwiches. The usually high-octane offense was caught in a stalemate with both sides eking out points wherever possible. The first try of the game would only come in the second half in favor of Eulycea, but not before the Silvers scored 4 penalty kicks. The game lacked any elegance the Silvers usually strive for, but they were still able to beat the Sandwiches at their own rough-and-tough game. Standings after Week 3 January 10th, BoroSalvo Stadium - Week 4 The Lead: Salvia, Seylos recover as Eulycea takes the top of the standings Salvians dominate the Reds in strong showing, 23-3 The first upset of the day was over by midday as the Salvians dominated their Tenaruan counterparts in the form of Batengdai. Starting strong from the outset, the Doves seemed to have an answer for everything the Reds could throw at them, and every aspect of their offensive attack, from the scrum to the ruck to the lineout, seemed unstoppable. The win puts them at third in the standings, looking in, while the Reds fall to from first to fourth. Sandwiches thrash Islanders in 26-0 victory From start to finish the Oyusards looked like they had no plan for winning - the game was less about Seylosian dominance than Oyusard confusion. Even after a Week 3 win, the Islander's coach remains on the hot seat. For the Sandwiches, the game was a nice recovery from last weeks brutal slog. Lions drop second to Eulycea, 20-25 Gallambria continues to slip away from its dominant form with another loss to the Silvers, who have now gotten their revenge against the Lions that took the championship from them last year. A close game throughout, the Silvers were only able to grab victory through their usual flashy offense, which the Gallambrians struggled to contain at times. Eulycea and Gallambria now hold one and two in the standings, a position that will become harder to hold as we enter the final two weeks of the competition. Standings after Week 4 2
Salvia Posted April 3, 2021 Author Posted April 3, 2021 January 17th, BoroSalvo Stadium - Week 5 The Lead: Gallambria to face off with Eulycea in Championship Game after nail biter with Doves Islanders grab their second with an upset over Silvers, 24-22 With 13 points in the standings, Eulycea needed only 1 or 2 points to essentially guarantee an appearance in the Championship Game. This mindset, some may say, affected their performance against the Islanders as throughout the contest they seemed sluggish compared to their Oyussard counterparts. Compared to their previous form, the offense seemed sloppy and the defense were lazy, fatal mistakes against any team, even one with coaching problems and historically bad times against the Silvers. Eulycea was only able to tighten the game in the second half, probably as the realization that they might not get a spot in the Championship if they don't come out of this with at least one point sunk in. None of this is said to take away the win from Oyus - they played tough and played good ball, but still struggled with defense against an offense that itself was not performing its best. Seylos humbles Reds in dominant fashion, 24-9 While it was unlikely, there was still potential that the Reds could find themselves in the Championship, provided certain conditions met. Unfortunately, one of those conditions was winning. In traditional fashion, Seylos humbled a team without flashy offense and a high score. No tries were allowed as the only points came from penalty kicks, slip-ups on the Seylosian defense once the Reds were in the Sandwiches' 22. Otherwise, a tight ship meant that solid play was found on both sides of the ball for Seylos, who rocket up to third in the standings after the win. Despite missing the Championship once more, there is much to be happy about as a Sandwich fan as they continue to play good, fundamental rugby. Lions secure Championship Game berth over Salvia with 'the closest game in the last decade', 19-16 Not many people expected that the Week 5 matchup between the Salvian Doves and Gallambrian Lions would turn out to be the contest that would send one to the Championship Game, but that's what it became as number two faced off against number three. The energy was absolutely electric as the crowd, with a sizable showing from the visiting side, watched their boys play for a playoff berth. The usual flashy Gallambrian offense was muted by a strong and united Salvian defense, which seemed impenetrable, yet Salvia was unable to conduct much offensive production of their own. With three penalty kicks to each side, the score was 9-9 as the two sides entered the locker room for halftime. Receiving the ball to begin the second half, Gallambria found a chink in the armor and were quickly able to score a try in the 47th minute with a beautiful run down the side. With a 14-9 advantage, the two sides returned to their grueling stalemate, with neither side finding openings. Finally, in the 73rd minute, the Doves put together an excellent offensive drive that began from their own 22, and with a lineout on the Gallambrian 5 were able to score on the wing with a successful maul. The conversion put the score at 14-16 in favor of the Salvians, and upon scoring the kick the crowd went absolutely wild. The Gallambrians, with 5 minutes left after forcing the Doves to kick from their 22, began a slow but steady drive down the pitch. Within 15 meters of the try line and at the 79th minute, Salvia knocked on, resulting in a Gallambrian scrum. From this the ball was executed perfectly towards the backs, who in the trademark Gallambrian flashy fashion ran it down the wing and scored. A controversial TMO review ensued after the Salvian side argued their 15 had held up the ball, but the referee called it a Gallambrian try and the game was ended. The Salvian coach, Antonel Satino, has refused to concede, but the Lions have punched their ticket to the Championship Game, a rematch with Eulycea. Standings after Week 5 4
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