Airways Park – Victory never tasted sweeter for St. Albert's super seconds than Thursday's satisfying showing against the Clansmen.
"Nothing feels better than taking a W from these guys on their own grass with their whole prems team and their crowd watching," said a happy-looking Sean LeLacheur, captain of the second 15, after the mean-spirited 16-14 affair at the home of the Clan. "Every time we play these guys, it's chippy. We expect it. It's smash mouth rugby. It was dirty. It was just a tough battle. Everybody is leaving here with bumps and bruises."
Things turned nasty during a rough-and-tumble second half as several skirmishes delayed the game. Both teams also committed major fouls but not all of them were penalized as the referee and both touch judges struggled to keep the peace. A Clan player was also sent to the sin bin after punching David Owen in the head during a melee in the 53rd minute.
"I'm not sure if it was our most physical game but it was definitely the most chippiest," said LeLacheur, who shook off a painful lower body injury late in the match on a squeeze play by the Clan that wasn't penalized. "We did a really good job with keeping our composure. We've had some issues in the last few games with losing our composure and it has cost us points. We did a better job today but I know we can still do a better job. It's something that we're always working on."
The Edmonton Rugby Union contest was originally on tap for today but got bumped ahead because of a scheduling conflict.
"It was supposed to be a home game but we had to switch it to here. That's why it feels so good to steal one from these guys," LeLacheur said. "They're a good team. They're in the hunt for the same positions we are for the playoffs."
Division leaders
The eighth win in nine games lifted the seconds (8-3) into first place. The Nor'Westers (7-3) and LA Crude (6-4), the 2010 provincial champs, have a game in hand on the seconds. The Clan (5-6) are tied fourth place.
"It's exciting to see everything come together. The weaknesses at the start of the year are now becoming our strengths," said LeLacheur, last year's MVP for the division playoff finalists.
The firsts can nail down top spot and home-field advantage in the Sept. 17 semifinals if they beat the Nor'Westers on Sept. 1. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Ellerslie Rugby Park. Last weekend against the Nor'Westers in St. Albert, the seconds trailed by eight points with 17 minutes remaining, then busted loose for three unconverted tries in the 39-32 comeback thriller.
"The Nor'Westers is a huge game for us," LeLacheur said. "We have a bunch of young guys on the team and they're starting to see with games like this today what it takes to come out with a win. It takes guts and you've got to sacrifice, and playing the Nor'Westers next week is going to be no different. Every game from here on out is going to be a tough battle like this."
After the Clan missed a penalty kick from long range in the fourth minute, standoff Ashley Hanson split the uprights in the 10th and 21st minutes from just inside the halfway line.
"Those kicks were big for us because it really put a lot of confidence in his boot to start the game. We even went for that one penalty at the end of the first half, past the halfway line, and everybody was on board with going for it. There was nobody who thought he couldn't strike that," said LeLacheur of Hanson's attempt that fell just short of the posts.
In the 24th minute, winger Nathan Reis scooted into the try area with a short run to make it 11-0. The scoring play was set up by Owen's kick-and-chase. The Welsh Bullet was rewarded for his downfield hustle when the Clan player couldn't corral the ball and Owen recovered it with an acrobatic play that led to a scrum in front of the posts. A couple of lightning-quick passes later, Reis wheeled down the touchline for points.
Earlier in the match, Owen got absolutely smoked by a Clan player twice his size. The bone-jarring tackle from behind left Owen buried in the grass but he bounced right back up with a spring in his step.
Before the half ended, the seconds forced a couple of turnovers in their end to keep the Clan from scoring. Hanson's well-placed kicks for touch also gave the seconds improved field position.
In the 62nd minute, with the Clan minus a player in the sin-bin infraction, they returned a kick through traffic for a try under the posts.
The Clan kept pressing St. Albert's defiant defensive line, but turned the ball over at a critical time. Owen recovered it and gained valuable yardage to put the seconds inside Clan territory. The seconds eventually scored, as some nifty passes sprung Hanson free and he galloped in for a try. He did a great job of holding onto the ball while being tackled at the corner flag. The Clan argued it was a knock-on, but after the ref talked to the touch judge, he signalled a try. The Clan were furious with the decision. Some players even exchanged harsh words with St. Albert's reserves on the sideline as the seconds gloated over the call.
With nine minutes to play, the Clan scored another try under the posts with a blistering dash down the touchline while shredding tackles.
The game ended with the third missed penalty kick of the night by the Clan. The attempt from near the halfway line was short.
"Overall it was our defence that really put us on top. We're still having minor lapses in judgment, like that try at the end of the game, but we're showing improvement defensively every game," said LeLacheur, 26, an eight-man and lineout specialist who is also the director of senior rugby at the St. Albert Rugby Football Club.
