After taking first place in the Frontier League Conference the Bombers would make it to the Elite 8 held in San Francisco on May 30th.
The Bombers would face Life West Gladiators in the first match, the winner would move onto the final 4 on Sunday and then to the Championship round in Glendale Colorado, June 13th.
The weather was cool with partly cloudy skies and made for a perfect day of rugby. The match began with Life West kicking to the Bombers and Colin Fitzhenry receiving. The key to this match was going to be ball control, but unfortunately the Bombers would struggle to get and keep the ball away from Life West.
Life would score four tries in the first 20 minutes of the match. Their ball movement and open field off loads were very quick making for a lot of overloads that the Bombers had trouble covering. The Bombers set pieces were very effective against Life West, but small errors kept the ball out of the Bomber’s hands. The Bombers did control the scrums taking the majority of them. Drives off of line-outs were very strong and the Bombers would have a couple that would go at least 10-15 meters.
Despite their best efforts the Bombers would struggle to get the ball in the try zone and keeping Life West out. The final score was 17-72 and Life West would move onto the Final Four.
The weekend still wasn’t over for the Bombers as they would have to face Dallas Reds for the standings. The Bombers did not want to end the season on a sour note and were quick to score three tries against Dallas early in the half, but Dallas didn’t give up. At half the Bombers were only up by five in what would turn into a tough match of “who wanted it more”.
Midway through the second half Dallas would take the lead over the Bombers. The Bombers knew they had to bear down and give everything they had to walk away with a win. The defense for the Bombers picked up and some tough offensive running would propel the Bombers to a 41-29 win over Dallas. With that win the Bomber’s would finish 5th in the Nation for DII.
It was a long hard fought season and everyone put a lot of time and dedication into the club and helped us get to where we are now. It’s now time to rest our battered bodies and prepare for next season.
The Bombers would like to thank our sponsors, wives, girlfriends, families, and everyone else for supporting us throughout this season. The Old Boys have been a big part of unifying the club and sponsoring club cookouts and events.
I know I said it’s time to rest but the Summer 7s in Forest Park have started back up and so far the Bombers A are undefeated and the Bombers B are 1-1. We have practice every Tuesday and Thursday at Steger Middle School starting at 6:30pm, and the games are every other Thursday at Forest Park.
If you are thinking of playing rugby I would highly suggest coming to watch a match or better yet attend a practice season and learn the sport.
The Bomber’s Open is August 8th at Crescent Farm Golf Club course. Anyone is welcome to play and you can register online or contact Bob Jones. More info can be found @ www.stlouisbombers.com/golf
We are always looking for more sponsors and the golf tournament has some great exposure for your business or work. This is our biggest event and helps offset cost to players on travel, gear, and other expenses. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Keep checking back on our website and Facebook page for updates and announcements.