A few weeks back, we had a weekend of bad weather that postponed a couple of matches in the Red River Rugby Conference. This week, those matches will be played on Thursday and Saturday, both at Glencoe Park in Dallas.
Griffins Rugby v Dallas Reds at Glencoe Park
Grant – I enjoy the rivalry that seems to be developing between these two clubs. A match on neutral soil almost makes this seem like the Hatfields and McCoys going to church together. The Reds are looking for momentum coming off of the road win that was so huge for them after hitting a couple of bumps in the road at speed. The Griffins are only two series points behind the Reds at the midway point and have the ability to play the spoiler at any time they decide. While I would personally love to see that just because the RRRC needs that kind of close competition, I just do not think it will be so. This will be a close match with the Reds coming out ahead.
Ted – The Reds got back in the saddle last weekend and won on the road against NOLA. No small feat, even against a NOLA side that is having a “down” year. The win also put them right back into the playoff picture which is exactly what they needed. There isn’t any room for a slip-up though and they face a Griffins side that is capable of screwing up playoff plans. Pick: Reds
Gordon – The Griffins sensed weakness a while back and did everything they could to get this game scheduled sooner, rather than later. At the time I believed they could defeat a skeleton Reds team. I still believe they would have. Thursday is a different story though. The Reds have all their guys back. From watching the Griffins’ last game, they are still as every bit laboured with ball in hand as last year. They ran varied attacking patterns in warmups but only executed once or twice in game and that was against the worst team in the league. Hal Struckman joins the Griffins and may play. The red card of Colin Yerian against NOLA continued the trend of ill discipline at Dallas. He is a big loss to the Reds pack but their talent and expressiveness is far superior across the board. There’ll probably be cards, plenty of punches thrown, and a lot of bickering as these two teams battle to be the tallest dwarf in the village. Reds to win.
Gift – This is the second go around of these two teams facing each other. We have kind of come to know what both teams have to offer. The Griffins have improved since the last time they played the Reds, but the Reds are once again rolling with full confidence. I expect the Griffins to attempt to grind it out and try and wear down the Reds, but I also expect the Reds to take this game.
Buss – Reds should control this game but these two teams are more similar than you would think.
Austin Huns at Dallas Harlequins
Grant – The Quins may have won in Houston last week, but it was not the prettiest of wins. With a major injury at Loosehead, the Quins will be putting in a reserve as a starter. The Huns took it on the chin against their rivals last weekend and will be looking for redemption. A club fraught with injuries may be just the right prey. The Quins will still be dangerous at the hinge, but they have too many vulnerabilities right now to win many more matches this season. the Huns need to play as a team to win this one and I think they will. Huns by a couple of tries.
Ted – A tough one to call. Both teams are not having the seasons they had hoped for, but at the same time have shown glimpses of what they could be. The Harlequins are one up in the win column on the Huns, but need to prove they can beat a team not called HARC. The Huns hung in there early in the season against some of the RRRC contenders, but are coming off a bad loss to the Blacks. Now they get a tough road trip to Dallas. Pick: Harlequins
Gordon – Quins are struggling for numbers this year, they have some talented players with the best scrum half in the state in Pete Santos. The Huns will be looking to make up for their recent losses with an away win. The injury to Jimmy Jewison is huge as he has been a staple of the Quins for years. They are well drilled and efficient but there’s only so much you can do with limited numbers. Huns to pick their first away win of the season.
Gift – Not much I can say on this game. The Huns haven’t had the season they wanted. They haven’t been great on the road, but they’ve shown the plausible brilliance of their teams philosophy, but not very well when it comes to completion. The same goes with the Dallas Harlequins. The Harlequins have the confidence of coming off a win though. Despite that, I expect the Huns to take this game on the road and acquire their second win of the season.
Buss – Quins should win without much fuss. Quins are playing dangerous rugby and will be eager. The Huns have a very nice core of players but also have guys that tend to disappear. Their forward platform just isn’t translating into turnovers or points and without that they won’t be dangerous.