Rock Rugby

Recap

Rock Rugby rolled up at a cold and windy Nixon Lane looking for a good tough run out prior to next week’s league opener, and they certainly got that from a young but determined Huns side. The opening few minutes were full of hard running and equally hard tackling from both sides before lively scrum half Matthew Bruce exploited a gap on the blindside of a ruck to sprint away and open the scoring.

With second rows Nico Regalado and Jackson Bennett continuing to secure good lineout possession, Rock maintained the pressure in Huns territory, and good driving from the pack enabled prop Logan Hager to secure a brace of tries.

A Huns score almost straight from the restart reminded the Rock team that they needed to maintain concentration, and with halfbacks Matthew Bruce and Gavin Richards orchestrating some inventive play from the backline, more pressure resulted in Bruce going over for his second try.

The second half started with sleet, but the Rock boys continued to throw the ball around, with inside center Michael Garcia a constant threat and he crossed the line to score after a strong run. New player Lawson Weston came on to make his debut and showed up well with a number of strong runs, while outstanding back rowers Mason Gracian and Marcos Gonzalez continued to punch holes in the defense with some rampaging runs resulting in more tries (2 for Gracian and 1 for Gonzalez).

Despite the deteriorating weather, the Rock runners kept handling and moving the ball wide with confidence. From a scrum on the opposition 22, playmaker Richards made the break, drew the defense and offloaded the ball to put Michael Garcia into the gap for his second try and conclude the scoring.

While the coaches identified areas to work on ahead of next week’s game, it was an impressive performance from a young Rock team against a tough and well drilled opposition.

Guest judge Kadin Dyess picked Mason Gracian and Michael Garcia as forward and back of the match.

Tries: Matthew Bruce (2), Logan Hager (2), Mason Gracian (2), Michael Garcia (2), Marcos Gonzalez
Conversions: Gavin Richards (3), Ian Sadler