Tigers Rugby Football Club, with a 3-0 league record, used the momentum gathered with a home league win over Northside Vikings to come from behind to defeat Ridgeview Academy, 22-12. Colorado Youth Rugby held their annual Rocky Mountain Classic rugby tournament with a pool play format. The streaking Tigers Rugby Football Club met the even hotter Ridgeview Academy. Having just beaten Regis Jesuit and Denver East, the reform school team from Watkins, Colorado met their match at Robert Easton Park.
After an even exchange with both teams making ground with each possession, Quincy Anderson (of Holy Family HS) put the Tigers ahead, 5-0. Ridgeview Academy stormed back to even the tally and Markus Harvey made his presence known immediately with a go-ahead try for the Tigers. Ridgeview took control with a hard running lot of forwards and backs to bring the half time score to 12-10, making the conversion kick to get the edge.
In the second half, Charles Martinez, leading form the Fly half position, put Tigers Rugby up for good at 15-12, the conversion kick by Lewis Rosenberg (Ralston Valley HS) was wide left. With help from grubber and pop kicks by Justin Thunell (Ralston Valley HS) at Full back, the Tigers kept the Ridgeview Academy Rams in their end, setting up a door slamming run by Quincy Anderson. On an 8-man take, the traditional Tigers' "Hamburger" call, Anderson caught the Rams napping and took it 40 meters for the final try, then made his own conversion kick for the 22-12 victory.
With the first round win in the White Pool, the Tigers were matched up with state runner-up, Denver East for the second time this year. East, the perennial powerhouse has never lost to the Tigers A-side. Tigers Rugby got knocked off 24-0 by their nemesis with a dominant kicking and mauling game. Tigers held East Rugby to a 5-0 half time score, and though the match was closer than the score might indicate, the well coached East Rugby squad turned opportunities into gold, taking home the pool play trophy for their alertness and discipline. Tigers Rugby has a 9-8-2 overall club record in 2008. They face the Aurora Saracens in a league game on Wednesday, April 9th at Broomfield County Commons Park. Kick off is at 5:00 pm.
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http://tigersugby.com