|
||||
| Caymans U21s Edge South u21s in Thriller |
| Clubs - All-Stars |
|
The South took a total of 33 players, along with coaches and family members plus several new rugby fans from their cruise ship to the game, the culmination of a nine-day tour. Just shortly after kickoff the Caymans went ahead 5-0 on a well placed kickoff followed by a handling error by the South. The South soon found themselves getting comfortable and managing to stick to their game plan. At the 12th minute the South's Nick Vigder converted on a penalty kick to bring the score to 5-3. Minutes later Michael Sapp appeared have scored only to get the penalized by the referee for diving over while grabbing the ball for the score. The South found themselves easily dominating lineouts and scrums, however they had many problems gaining momentum and found themselves penalized or coming back to a scrum due to handling errors. At the 25th minute Dillon Sauerwein slid through the Cayman defense to put the South ahead 10-5. Another penalty against the South led to a Caymans penalty to make it 10-8 South at halftime. The second half started much like the first with the South again getting penalized and the Caymans taking the lead 11-10. The South then played some good error free rugby for 10 minutes and worked the ball well with the forwards before sending it wide to Tristan Gray on the wing to put the South ahead 15-11. The Caymans came back, using their smart kicking and the wind to pin the South back. With just 10 minutes left in the game the Caymans appeared to have scored, however the referee once again awarded a penalty, this time in the South’s favor. Within minutes yet another penalty occurred followed by lack of discipline on the South side. The Caymans took full advantage of this and with just two minutes left in the game the Cayman scrumhalf ducked under the South defense for a well-earned score. This would be the last score as the game ended 16-15 in the Caymans favor. It was an exciting game and both teams earned a standing ovation for their performances. The South learned a lot, undercutting their own result with handling errors and penalties. The Cayman Islands kicking game was the decider. |






In front of a capacity crowd the USA Rugby South U21 All-Stars met a Cayman Islands U21 team in the program's tour of the Caribbean.




















