Outdoor practice has begun for the spring season but the boys never really stopped training during the winter break.
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Saturday is Rugby Day
Whether you believe it or not spring has officially started in the Midwest. Saturday was a big day for the St. Louis Bombers with both sides having league matches. With the regional playoffs looming for each side, both teams knew they needed a strong showing.
The Bombers DIII side, having lost by one point last Sunday, needed to build some momentum heading into the playoffs against the Hornets. The first half proved to be a defensive struggle with both teams refusing to give an inch. The Bombers had the lion’s share of possession while playing in the Hornets half for most of the opening period but were unable to punch in a try. The Hornets ended up being the first on the board with a penalty kick slotted through the uprights. The Bombers were able to drive down the field and #10, Jim Morrison, was able to answer with a penalty of his own, tying the score going into half time.
As the second half began, the momentum was on the side of the Bombers. They were able to add another penalty kick and then scored 3 tries in quick succession by Morrison, centre Justin McKay, and Fullback John Pauley, bringing the score to 25-3. It appeared to the Bombers were going to cruise to a victory, but the Hornets had other ideas. The Hornets were able to stop the flood of points and turn the Bomber’s momentum on its head. Rallying with some long scores and closing out the game on a 26-0 run. It was a hard fought game from both teams with the final score being 29-25, Hornets. The DIII side will still make the tournament this weekend and will surely be training hard all week to right the ship before Saturday’s first round of the playoffs in Forest Park.
Following the first game, the Bombers DII side had a tough and must win game against the Omaha G.O.A.T.S. As Omaha and St. Louis took the field you could see the determination from both teams, each desperately needed to win this game to improve their chances of moving on to the playoffs. From the opening kickoff you could sense the urgency of the Bombers players as they set out to take control of the game. Luck would be on their side it seemed, as an Omaha knock-on fortuitously bounced to inside centre Ryan McDonald’s chest, corralling it in and scoring the game’s first try. As play went on, the Bombers defense took over. A big play by Matt Skarin getting his hands under the ball stopping a try, and the continuously punishing the GOATS runners as they tried to break the gain line.
Omaha seemed to be building momentum until, hooker, Matt Brotemarkle, kicked the ball from the deck down the center of the field as Mark Menne raced under it, scooping and scoring a long try. The Bombers would remain in the driver’s seat the rest of the game, taking penalty points whenever they were available and adding tries from forwards Dave Klug and Alex Ochoa before the final whistle blew. However, the defensive effort out of the Bombers was the story of the day as they cruised to a 36-0 victory and were able to keep their season alive when their backs were against the wall. After a few weeks of rest, the DII side will be back in action when they travel to take on Palmer in Iowa.
Despite this victory and the Bombers ending 6-2 in league play it is still uncertain who the top two teams will enter the playoffs in Glendale. The Bombers have finished league play, but both Omaha and KCRFC have 3 and 2 league matches left, respectfully. More info can be found on RugbyMag.com- Logjam Atop Mid-Ameria DII
This upcoming weekend is the DIII playoffs and those games have been announced. The Bombers will take on Franklin County for the third time this season. Both teams are 1-1 against each other with Franklin County taking the recent victory. Saturday match is at Cricket Fields in Forest Park, kick off at 3pm and is expected to be a very exciting game. The Royals take on the Hornets in the first match of the day at 1pm. The two winners will play Sunday and the victor will continue onto playoffs.
Come on out Saturday, wear your Bombers apparel and cheer the Bombers onto victory. Ruggerfest is coming up soon in mid-April and we hope to repeat from last year. Click Here for more info.
2014 Begins
Hoping everyone had a great New Year and enjoying the break, but it’s about time to get the cleats back out and get ready for the spring season.
A short recap of the fall season; The Bombers DII side gave up two division losses, one to KCRFC and Omaha but are still in first place with 20 points. The Bombers will face Omaha again in the spring at home in what will be one of the biggest games of the year and a must win.
The DIII side, off to one of their best starts in years, only giving up one game to the Royals in a very tough down to the wire game. The Bombers are second in the standings, just 1 point behind the Royals who have 30.
During the break some of the Bombers, along with players from other teams, have created the MRFU select side team. The idea is to bring the talent from many St. Louis squads into one team in an effort to improve St. Louis rugby as a whole. They will face teams such as the KC Blues, Lindenwood University, and the Chicago Griffins. This is year one of the program and hopes to continue to grow and play many teams from around the country.
The Vegas 7s tournament is January 24th and for the first time the Bombers are sending a team to participate in the tournament. The Bombers are in the Aces class and will face teams such as Army & Navy starting on Thursday 23rd. There are two days of guarantee play and proceeding to Saturday if they win both days. Of course the main event will be the international teams that are playing in the Elite class, but should be a fun trip and great exposure for the club. Make sure to check our Facebook for updates from the tournament.
This year marks the 30th year for the annual Bombers survival weekend! It takes place February 1st-2nd at Alvin’s Mountain. You are welcome to go down on Friday and make it a three day adventure. Survival weekend consist of a bonfire, cooking, drinking games, being outdoors, sharing rugby stories, but most of all being with your fellow Bomber, past or present. It is highly recommended that everyone attend survival weekend.
Finally practice for the spring season starts Tuesday, February 4th at Franz Park in Dogtown. Practice will be every Tuesday and Thursday starting at 6:30pm promptly. You may arrive early to play touch from 6pm to the start of practice. Everyone is expected to have done some training or workout during the break to keep in shape. If you’re new to the sport or want to join the Bombers team, either email Mike McMillion or just come out to a practice season.
The Spring schedule is up and there are more games being added so keep checking back. The Bombers first game is March 1st with the DIII facing the Hornets at the Lindell Fields in Forest Park at 1pm.
Keep checking back to the website and the Bombers Facebook and Twitter page for games, practice, and upcoming events!
A Bombers Weekend
The Bombers were once faced again with a double header weekend with both sides having big league matches.
The DII traveled down to Columbia, MO on Saturday to take on the Ramblers in our fourth league match of the season.
The game started with the Bombers kicking off and a big hit by forward Adam Pyke to set the tone. The Bombers were first to score and take the lead, but the Ramblers were quick to score and cut the lead the lead down. The Bomber’s offence was able to put a few more tries in before half and the defense only let up the one try.
Scrums struggled early in the game, but after a few adjustments the Bombers controlled the scrums for the rest of the game. There were many big runs by Mark Menne, Bryan Hebron, and spectacular ball movement across the field from Hebron to Skarin to Menne, and a quick pass from Klug to Tyler Masters for a try.
The Bombers would only give up one try to the Ramblers in the second half, winning 36-10 and now 3-1 in league matches. Man the match for the forwards was Adam Pyke and Sean McDonald for the Backs.
On Sunday the DIII faced SMRFC for the second time this season. After beating SMRFC 45-15 earlier in the season the Bombers were looking for another league victory.
Both sides struggled to get their offenses going and had many opportunities but would fault to knock-ons or penalties. SMRFC was able to take control of the scrums through the majority of the game and the Bombers had to adjust.
The Bombers were first to score with a field goal by Chris Bellavia and a try by Christ Shlerith to take the lead 10-0 at half.
Second half was much of the same and line-outs seemed to be a struggle but the Bombers offense kept moving forward as Chris Shlerith put in another try in the second half. Kick chasing was much improved as Luke (Toad) Anthony would twice disrupt SMRFC and forcing line-outs.
SMRFC would score 17 points in the second half but wasn’t enough to defeat the Bombers as the DIII side won 28-17. The Bomber’s DIII is now 4-0 for the season and in league play!
Next week both sides travel to Kansas City as the DII side takes on KCRFC in a league match and the DIII side faces KC Rogues in a friendly. Kickoff is at 1PM at Shawnee Mission North High School.
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