Lansdowne took the first of four key games on the road to the Division II rugby championship by defeating a feisty Danbury RFC 26-22 in Connecticut this past Saturday.
Wing Nick Bruella shone as he scored a try early on a fine reverse pass from Enda Lohan and capitalized in the second half on Rory Cunningham’s dogged pursuit and tackle on a long clear-out kick, picking the ball on the fly and running unmolested forty yards to touch down under the Danbury posts.
In the big picture, Lansdowne had led 16-5 at the half, but Danbury put the mustard on in the second half, scoring 17 of its 22 points in a rugged comeback effort.
Bruella’s second try and a drop goal by Lohan on a brilliant, diving pass from Sean Rochford managed to stave off defeat for Lansdowne.
The win put Lansdowne atop the division with three games to play.
This week’s match against the 4-1 Connecticut Yankees in Bridgeport stands as the season crucible, testing a Lansdowne team starting to show the wear of the season.
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In the B game, Lansdowne fell 10-5 playing without team curmudgeons Sean McCarthy and Pete Maloney.
Plans are now under way for the Lansdowne’s annual Saint Patrick’s Day tournament hosted in mid-March in Van Cortlandt Park and sponsored by Guinness Ltd. Interested teams, sponsors and vendors should contact McCarthy at smccarthy@aol.com.
The Lansdowne RFC train Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7 pm in Van Cortlandt at 260th and Broadway. Clubroom and shower facilities are provided by the Lansdowne Pub, opposite Van Cortlandt.
The Lansdowne invites all interested players to call player/coach Sean Rochford at (718) 994-7871.