Cubs Come Close, but T’Gooi Take the Game

When the BSN cubs last came to Naarden, they lost 50-17 to T’Gooi.  The weather was colder this time around and the match was much closer. T’Gooi edged BSN 20-10, but this was an opportunity for the cubs.

Just as in October, T’Gooi put BSN under pressure at the start, and again their big number ten was causing problems, picking up the ball from a scrum and punching through to score in the first five minutes.

BSN’s tackling had been tentative in the opening minutes, but they really got into it, holding their own and forcing T’Gooi to knock on the ball in promising positions.  The cubs struggled to get into strong attacking positions in the first half.  There were a couple of promising overlaps, but the pass didn’t quite make the target.  But, it was tight and the first half ended with a narrow 5-0 advantage to T’Gooi.

The second half saw BSN with better possession and territory.  The game was littered with penalties and at the start BSN were guilty of poor decision making.

However, T’Gooi took theirs.  They extended their lead to 10-0, with a short range score after a penalty against Lachlan for holding on after tip tackle.

At the restart, T’Gooi were pushed back and knocked on in defence. From the resulting scrum, the ball came back to Lachlan, who punched through the defensive line until he was stopped by a covering tackle a couple of metres out from the try line. From the ruck, the ball came back to Alexander who played in Atlanta to score to bring BSN back to 10-5.

The game had opened up.  After the restart, BSN found themselves defending deep in their half. With the cubs under pressure on their line, T’Gooi recycled the ball and scored from close range.

BSN came back with a second try. T’Gooi knocked on under pressure and from the scrum, Daniel set up Lachlan, who punched through to score close the posts.

The game was in the balance at 15-10, with only a few minutes remaining.  However, T’Gooi struck the decisive blow, breaking from midfield.  A couple of missed tackles put BSN under pressure on their line.  BSN defended, but T’Gooi kept recycling the ball and scored from close range.  The game ended 20-10.  A win for the hosts, but they knew they had been in a match.