McSorleys Match Report - Vikings 45-24 Tigers

By Roberto, el Managero

The Herbert Smith Freehills HKU Sandy Bay RFC Vikings gathered atop of Kings Park on a sunny and relatively warm Saturday afternoon, following a dominating victory from the Sandy Bay Prems in the earlier showdown, the Vikings eagerly wait to play their last game of 2018 against USRC Tigers 2. The return of the King led the Vikings, after a couple of weeks out and Chris Harris coming back after a back injury. With Vikings debutant Guy Spanton starting as outside centre alongside Jonathan Cimmerbeck and Fai Mika debuting from the small Vikings bench. The remaining Vikings ensemble remaining relatively the same.

The Vikings dominating every aspect of game within the first 60 minutes, playing 80% of the game within the tigers half. The Vikings forwards pack dominated every scrum, the tigers had to eventually request an uncontested scrum; which was slightly unsportsmanlike of the USRC Tigers. Right from the kick off, Vikings players were putting in crunching tackles and keeping ball in hand. Vikings were leading with 26 points to zero at the half. The half-time team talk seemed to have little effect on the tigers side, as the bay run three more tries as the second half began. The words of wisdom from coaches Thierry Barot and Jeremy Nesbitt lingered in the heads of the Vikings, as they sealed the Tigers coffin. Towards the end of the second half, the USRC Tigers take advantage of the drained and exhausted Vikings side and run in a couple of late game tries. However, this could not change the fate of the tigers.

Tries coming in with a double from prop Jacob Rumball and flanker James Rees, with winger Karl Redmond, hooker Jak Lam and replacement prop Fai Mika collecting a solid well earned 5 points each. The trusty boot of William Tope sees him collecting 10 points, and only missing 2 conversions out of the 7 tries racked up by the Vikings players.

Couple of mentions from the game:

● Notorious Jacob Rumball lasted the entire 80 minutes without receiving a yellow card.
● French Import Jules Galley seemed to have played the game with a couple of his clones, as he appeared in every ruck and tackle.
● Rodrigo “Hot Rod” Castanheira did not complain about being tired.
● Finley “Frosted Tip” Schmidt proves his 90’s style still works wonder in the defensive department.
● Karl “Butter Fingers” Redmond managed to keep ball in hand throughout the entirety of game.
● Jack “Egg Shell” Hodgson successfully finished the game uninjured.
● The Vikings players finally become sponsored athletes as they received their McSorleys discount cards.

The massive efforts of the entire team and coach Thierry Barot has finally paid off with a convincing 45-24 domination over the tigers. As 2019 approaches, the Vikings will look to continue their upward trend. The whole of Hong Kong now will know that the Vikings are still a threat.

Have a good holiday and see everyone at the start of the new year.

Full game can be found on YouTube.

Roberto