19-10-2019 – EZRC Oemoemenoe 1 vs. Amstelveense RC 1
MATCH REPORT
| COMPETITION: | Ereklasse |
| HOME TEAM: | Amstelveen |
| VISITING TEAM: | Oemoemenoe 1 |
| VENUE: | De Sprong, Middelburg |
| DATE: | 19 October 2019 |
| REFEREE: | Sjoerd Wartena |
| TEAM: | Oemoemenoe Senior Heren |
| CAPTAIN: | Andictor Petelo |
RESULT
| HOME TEAM | VISITING TEAM | |
| HALFTIME SCORE | 5 | 13 |
| FULLTIME SCORE | 20 | 16 |
A game of two halves. That’s what best describes our home game against Amstelveen. Our team comprised of our more seasoned players and a young enthusiastic bench. Noting Carlos was making his debut in Ereklasse today. We had a good home crowd and pleasant rugby playing weather. A great start to what would be a very testing game. The first half was slow. Amstelveen dominated possession and territory. They gained early points by taking penalty goals and scoring a try. Two held up tries were testament that our boys were working hard on the field. We suffered injuries to three key players who all needed to leave the field for the rest of the game in the first half. We lost speed on the wing from Yedney, consistency in the back from Matthjis and absolute mongrel on the flank from Peter. After 40 minutes we were down, 13 points to 5.
During the half time break, Coach Monty and Coach Andi emphasised that we needed to be more patient. Major changes were made to ensure there was enough experience to support our reserves who were reminded that it was their time to ‘step up’. The second half started with another penalty goal to the opposition which seemed like a bad omen. But that was the last time they would score in the second half. Strong running lines from Devin served for inspiration for the rest of the team. Oumar crossed the line for our second try and later a penalty goal from Joey gave us the go forward that we needed. We then suffered another injury when Oumar made arguably a try saving tackle and had to come off. Consequently, all four of our fairly new Ereklasse players from the bench – were on the field. More positional changes with Swen moving to the centres and Bjorn taking up post as scrum back. Both teams then started an incredible onslaught of rugby.
It was fairly even in the final moments. Possession changed back and forth. A powerful try from Joey put us further in the lead, but not by much. The intensity of the game ramped up 100 percent as both teams played as if their lives depended on the win. The home crowd were willing on the boys to maintain their lead. The atmosphere was electric. Full credit to the forwards who maintained their composure and continued to defend, phase after phase. The defensive support was incredible. Then the Ref called final play. It was Amstelveen’s lineout 10m from the try line. Smart play from Alfie sealed our win when he sacked his opponent in the lineout! The final whistle blew, and feelings of relief and celebration were evident. 20 – 16 to Oemoemenoe.
Player of the day went to Peter. Despite being injured, he caused havoc for the opposition. Quick running from the set pieces, bold tackles and holding up tries to note some of his contribution to the team. He was a beast on the field! It was a great comeback in the second half. Respect to Amstelveen who played a full 80 minutes of grit and guts. We look forward to the next encounter with enthusiasm.