Incredible but true, a second Town Crier in a week...
Head over to the TMR store where you will find special prices on 70th anniversary SWAG. Specials end Aug. 1 @22h00.
https://www.tmrrugby.com/store-2
Notre magasin est ouvert et des spéciaux vous sont proposés dans la section SWAG liée au 70 ème anniversaire. Fin de cette vente à 22h00 le 1er août !
20 years ago today… Stephen McNeill
I was both player and coach, heading into Thursday’s practice unsure if I’d even make the game. Isabelle was 40 weeks pregnant, and my Saturday plans were looking questionable at best. At 7:00 a.m., I called in to say I was “probably out”—we were at the hospital, and kick-off seemed a long shot.
By 10:00 a.m., Olivia arrived, and with her, my life changed forever. My in-laws came at 1:00, Isabelle and Olivia were healthy but exhausted. By 2:00, both were fast asleep, with the grandparents keeping watch by the bedside. The room felt crowded, and there was a shortage of chairs. Doing the only “honourable” thing I could think of, I stepped out—through a window of opportunity.
One quick call later: “I might miss the warm-up, but I’m good to go!” I played. We won. And Olivia was born into a world where the bond between a player and his teammates is family.
Une chance que l'on ne pouvait refuser. Un de nos anciens, Paul Shibata, nous a préparé ce résumé du match réserve masculin VMR/SAB. Voici son récit :
The dog days of summer are certainly upon us. Midway through the hot season both high humidity and questionable air quality from the forest fires out west contributed to the challenge of today's games. Nevertheless it is always a great day for rugby!
This week's reserves roster had a different look with players on holidays and some out of action due to injury. But in true Townie resolve, the next player up provided valuable experience for everyone. And with only two games left and positioning for the upcoming playoffs still undecided, the intensity was high.
The reserves have been steadily building all season with the set pieces establishing dominance early and all game. The first try of the game resulted from excellent scrummage with an 8-man play yielding the first 5 points for TMR. Alex Mallet made good on the conversion adding 2 more. 7-0 for TMR.
The next points for the good guys came off a beautiful try off another set piece. A textbook lineout with a delayed release froze the defense sufficiently for the score. 24 attacked the gap "late with pace", committed his defender and popped a soft pass to 15 for a try under the posts.
Alex completed the conversion, 14-7 TMR
Set piece dominance again resulted in a 3rd try for TMR. Rolling maul off a lineout 10m from the try line resulted in another score.
Alex now 3 for 3 converted again 21-7.
Heads up decision by fly half Evan Shibata, exploited the gap after a dummy to the waiting pod. The timely run delivered the ball to the try line. Within 2 phases TMR punched in for their 4th try and secured the valuable bonus point.
Alex again was perfect with the conversion tallying the score 28-7 all in the first half.
The second half saw a pushback from St Anne's and though heat and fatigue were noticeable TMR scored for a 5th time. Once again as the scoresheet would confirm, the set piece for TMR did all of the talking. Bold move disguised with a fly half fade to the flow side provided the deception for an eight man blind side try.
If the score wasn't enough to highlight the obvious hours of set piece practice, the dominance was equally impactful on the defensive side. The TMR pack stole balls throughout the game.
The bomb squad players coming off the bench deserve equal recognition. Quietly they preserved the lead, contributed points and made an impact with limited time. A great example of the levels of contribution was Tristan filling for Alex at scrum half. The characteristic nervous energy, twitchy feet and spatial awareness will serve him well. Nicely done TMR! Final score 33-21 for the men in blue and gold. Next week's opponent is Parc Olympique, a squad that bettered the Town's reserves in their first meeting earlier this season.
À bientôt les ami.e.s
Frenchie