USRN

RUNY travelled to Houston off the back of a tough defeat to the Seattle Seawolves last week looking to capture the form that saw them beat San Diego Legion and NOLA Gold in their opening two games of the season.

This tuned out to be a return to form for RUNY in what was a clinical performance as they finished most given opportunities. RUNY started off on the front foot from the very start when on the second minute winger come center Mark O’Keefe read and intercepted a SaberCats pass and fed to Marsh who launched a terrific kick in a great area to put the pressure on the Cats defence. Then on the 12th minute after a lot of RUNY pressure, the RUNY forwards went over the line after a couple of probes around the edges of the ruck. Dylan ‘The Butcher’ Fawsitt was the man to come up holding the ball.

The SaberCats had periods in the first half in which they showed some good continuity with Connor Murphy pulling the strings at scrum half. Then on the 21st minute Houston got their reward and Sam Windsor duly slotted a penalty from just outside the 22 to make the score 3-7 in RUNY’s favor. Unfortunately for the SaberCats they got a man sin binned 3 minutes later on the 24th minute and from the resulting scrum new man James Denise scored from close in leaving the score at half time 14-4 in RUNY’s favor.

It took just under ten for RUNY to get on the scoreboard again. After a terrific break from the dynamic Ross Deacon, James Denise picked up from close in and pushed over from close in to grab his second try of the evening.

It was the RUNY backs turn to show what they are made of on the 52nd minute and it was who touched down. Foden, who again continued in his rich vein of form from last week and gathered a wonderful delayed pass to glide in untouched under the posts.

The saberCats kicked into gear and eventually got their reward for a lot of hard work and pressure. On the 66th minute, hooker Pat O’Toole touched down after a great maul by the SaberCats forwards in which it yielded them at least ten metres.

It was not to be enough however and with live wire Connor Murphy going off injured, there was not enough time on the clock our gas in the tank for the SaberCats to mount a come back. On the 80th minute Derek Lipscomb compounded matters after he pounced onto a loose ball and touched down under the posts resulting in RUNY clinching the win with a winning bonus point.

The game ended 35 – 8 to RUNY.