AOW D2 Moves to Top of Table with Win in Charlotte
by: Jonny Rea
The D2 men travelled to North Carolina on Saturday to take on regional rivals Charlotte Rugby Club. Atlanta battled through tough conditions and a few injuries but ultimately controlled the game throughout and came home with a 24-12 victory, putting them at the top of the Carolinas Rugby Union table halfway through the season.
It was a shaky start. Charlotte suffered heavy rains in the days leading up to Saturday, leaving the field very soft and muddy. On top of that, immediately before kickoff, it was discovered that the trainer hired for the match had not arrived and the referee warned that this would lead to a cancellation of the match. Despite these obstacles leading up to the match, the rugby gods decided such a massive clash must go on. The sun came out and a last-minute trainer substitution was made and kickoff was not delayed.
Throughout the first half, Atlanta controlled much of the pace. The sunshine did little to harden the pitch, leading to a large number of set pieces. Despite this, Atlanta was still able to put together several dynamic bits of high-flying rugby, scoring 2 first-half tries through wings Gio Douyon and Drew Moyes. Flyhalf Rowan Gouws converted both and added a penalty. The final 2 minutes of the first half saw Atlanta making a stand at its own try line, preventing the score and winning the turnover to finish the half with a 17-0 advantage.
All smiles with Coach Francesco Balsas
The second half was a different story, bogged down by penalties, mistakes, and sloppy play from both sides. Charlotte managed to spend more time in Atlanta’s half, earning 2 tries powered by heavy forward work. Atlanta’s lone second-half try came on a long snaking run by replacement flyhalf Pierre Wansbury. Atlanta made a couple more defensive stands to finish the scoring at 24-12.
Both teams will come away feeling they hadn’t put forth their best performance. Perhaps a combination of the sloppy field conditions and the sudden uptick in opponent competition caught both teams off-guard. Rest assured that all 46 men who saw the field Saturday will be putting in the work over the next few weeks to come out stronger when these teams meet again in Atlanta on March 23rd.
With the win and the earlier bonus point win over the Renegades, Atlanta moves to first in the CRU with 9 points. Charlotte, having earned a bonus point victory over the Renegades, has 5 points, while the Renegades hold 1 losing bonus point against Charlotte. All 3 teams play each other once more in the regular season.
Tries were scored by Gio Douyon, Drew Moyes, and Pierre Wansbury. Rowan Gouws was 2-for-2 on conversions and slotted his only penalty attempt. Wansbury converted his own try. The lineup for Saturday was as follows:
Zach McAfee (c)
Mitch Shea
Matt Rosso
Jonny Rea
Derek Grant
Mike Young
Fred Ajudua
Jon Garbin
Alejandro Ospina
Rowan Gouws
Drew Moyes
Harlan Faddis
Bautista Tejerina
Gio Douyon
Tim Acker (vc)
Jose Barrera
Kenwyn McComie
Oumar Diouf
Joe Christian
Lucas Obara
Tim Mmasi
Pierre Wansbury
Zach Miller
UP NEXT: Atlanta OWRFC travels as a club to Savannah to compete in the Premier Division of the 45th Annual Savannah St. Patrick’s Day Tournament on March 9th and 10th.
