KC Blues Shine in the Sun
 
Saturday Aug 23 was our first venture on to a rugby field this season for the 2008-2009 season as we hosted a scimmage with the KC Blues. Under beautiful sunny skies for the spectators or a blazing hot sun for the players 40 players from the KC Blues and almost 30 Ramblers came together for our first scrimmage of the season. This was an oppurtunity to shake off the cobwebs from our cleats, discover if our old injuries had healed and bloody our new players.  The format was to be 4 x 30 minute "halves" and the first half started at a ferocious pace, with big hits from both sides, strong running and some great physical encounters.  The natural talents and skill of the Division I KC blues soon became evident as they capitilized on missed tackles and overloads. The Ramblers showed great persistence and heart as they fought for every ball and tried to make in roads in to the solid defence of the Blues. As the afternoon went on the Ramblers began to settle down and started seeing more of the ball and at times looked very cohesive and surefooted going forward, but small mistakes were quickly punished by some very impressive running. The scrimmage proved successful for both sides as we had the chance to try new combinations, new players and new plays, but all in all the winner of the day was the heat, as after 3 x 30 minute halves both teams had had enough. Some great positives were seen throughout the day, including both our scrums and our lineouts, how we quickly adapted to the new ELVs with minimal penalties, and how we competed throughout the whole afternoon.