Atlanta Cup Changes Hands to Start Spring Matrix
by: Jonny Rea
Old White began its Spring matrix campaign two Saturdays ago with a chance to defend the Atlanta Cup against cross-town rivals, Atlanta Renegades. In a hard-hitting match slowed by a soft and wet pitch, the Renegades were able to outlast the home team and finish with a 20-12 victory, hoisting the Atlanta Cup for the first time in half a decade.
Right from the start, both teams made it very clear what their gameplan was: defensive pressure. It would be 20 minutes into the match before the Renegades would open things up with an unconverted try, scored directly off an Old White knock-on. That was the story of the day. Atlanta Old White’s sustained pressure made sure the Renegades never really got their structure going. Meanwhile, the Renegades’ pressure was not enough to keep Old White’s structure from forming and looking strong, but it put the visitors in position to capitalize on Old White’s mistakes in the soggy conditions.
The Renegades would score a second try, this one converted, in the 28th minute, before Old White built a long series of phases, capped off by lock Sean Hunt crashing through the defense to score on the line. An early second half penalty and unconverted try from the Renegades in the 48th minute put the score at 20-5. This would be the last time the Renegades would score, as Old White’s defense continued to be strong throughout the match. Despite the sustained pressure and two Renegades yellow cards in the final minutes of the match, Old White was only able to add 7 more points at the death, with flyhalf Jarryd Dick cutting through a scrambling defensive line after several pick-and-goes by the forwards close to the line.
Atlanta Old White’s forward pack was able to overcome the soft footing and dominate scrums, while both teams suffered from the conditions a bit more in lineouts.
Tries were scored by Sean Hunt and Jarryd Dick, while Dick was 1-for-2 on conversions. The roster for the match was as follows:
Zach McAfee
Mitch Shea
Jack Jessell
Sean Hunt
David Rogers
Caleb Lindsay
Derek Grant
Joe Christian
Jarrett Gartin (c)
Jarryd Dick
Derrick Keyoga
Jon Garbin
Tyler Goosen
Gio Douyon
Joshua Federico
CJ Anderson
Tim Moody
Jose Barrera
Jonny Rea
Tune Ashaka
Alejandro Ospina
Mike Young
Lutisone Tupua
Atlanta Old White’s D3 side took the field afterward for a friendly against the Georgia Tech Men’s Rugby Club. The sunshine all day did very little to dry the field, as the temperature never climbed to 60 degrees, so the boys played another scrum-heavy, mistake-laden match in the mud. Georgia Tech showed impressive discipline and chemistry, coupled with the leadership and strong right boot of their flyhalf, and managed to win the match 24-7. Adam Satz, coming off injury, played one half and scored the lone try for Old White, converted by Ike Owens. It was a great effort from a group of players, many in new positions or still getting their feet wet. A few players from the D2 game decided to get a few extra minutes in, as well.
Darian Blanchard
Matt Vera
Mike Williams
Ken Korcak
Brandon Corbitt
Tune Ashaka
Zach Price
Adam Satz (c)
Ike Owens
Alejandro Ospina
John Correa-Eagle
Sheldon Kelly
Harlan Faddis
Menelik Zafir
Harrison Duncan
Tim Moody
Kenny Crist
Taner Guven
Jonny Rea
Ben Simone
Alex McCurley
Michael Annis
Eric Ombasa
David Goossens
Shaquille Desouza
