By Justin Rutledge | 08.31.15
Division II
On Saturday the Crusade continued as Cleveland hosted Pittsburgh in the first league match for the Division II side and a second warm-up match for the Division IV side. The Crusaders took two convincing wins away from the day’s competitions and made further improvements on their overall performances.
The day opened with the Division II side making its Midwest debut in a match every player, coach and spectator wanted to win. In the time of Cleveland rugby BC – before Crusaders – Pittsburgh had proven to be a nuisance for both sides. In the past Pittsburgh had been known for its sizable forwards and crushing, plodding play. Saturday, that was neutralized by the Crusaders’ defensive pressure. The Cleveland side chopped runners down to halt their offensive progress and flooded the breakdowns to affect turnover ball, or at least make life difficult for the yellow-and-black scrumhalf.
The Crusaders’ stifling defense made it easy for players to unleash the offense. Where the visiting side had big runners for the most part, the Crusaders’ big men had speed to showcase as well. One such player was Joe Brown, who was integral in two of the team’s tries, palming off and laying out defenders before passing off to supporting back line members to let them finish off the offensive movement. First he unleashed Steve Burke, who ended the day with a pair of tries. Then, Nick Musarra was the beneficiary of Brown’s rampaging run. Musarra ended the day with four tries.
Speed kills, and that was proven to be true in spades Saturday. Where the pack members made the hard yards and sucked in defenders, the backs far and away outmatched their opposite numbers. Whenever the ball got past the centers, the Crusaders’ backs were off to the races. In the opening minutes it was clear that the Cleveland line had more than enough speed to get the best of the opposition; and in the waning minutes it seemed as though the Pittsburgh backs didn’t want any part of the Crusaders.
The first side’s performance Saturday wasn’t perfect, though. The intense defensive pressure of the players led to a number of penalties for creeping offside, among other infringements at the breakdown. These penalties gave Pittsburgh free yards, free yards they converted into points on a number of occasions as the got down and dirty to drag the ball over the Cleveland line. Set pieces were points of contention during the match as well. The scrums were very back-and-forth, with the visitors exerting a bit of force on the Cleveland pack, more so in the beginning of the match than the end. The lineouts were highly contended as well. Each team had jumpers in the air and hands in the tunnel to try and get the ball as it went through the air. The lineouts were very heavy on the drives Saturday as well. Both packs pushed each other back and forth in order to make some hard yards while holding the opposition pack in.
At the end of the first match, the Crusaders had the first league win secured. The final score was a staggering 53-17 in favor of the Cleveland club.
FIND FULL MATCH STATISTICS AND DETAILS HERE.
Division IV
After the first side finished the Division IV from Cleveland, dubbed the BlueSaders because of the new blue kits they wore, took on the Division III side of Pittsburgh. The result was more of the same. Power and pace played in favor of the BlueSaders and the visiting side struggled to keep up. From the very first whistle the BlueSaders’ pace put Pittsburgh players on their heels and points on the board for the hosts. Preston Lowden and Steve Fritsch terrorized the Pittsburgh line, hitting with purpose every time and getting behind the defense more often than not. Just like with the first side, quick ball movement often led to the undoing of Pittsburgh during the second match. After one quick move to the weak side, the BlueSaders ran down the field in a movement that involved a number of players, including rookie Mike Baratz, before leading to another five points for the Cleveland side. As time wore on, Pittsburgh closed the gap a bit with a few close runs at the BlueSaders’ goal line but powerful defensive play led by Scrum-Half Mark Staron secured the 49-25 win.
The Crusade takes a pause next weekend for the USA-Australia match in Chicago but kicks back into gear the following Saturday when the Division II side travels toe northern wilds of Michigan to address the challenge of the Detroit Tradesmen.
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