by Escalator Puncher
For once, Saturday was truly a rugby day.
As the Crusaders descended on Yokohama to play some footy and drink some beer, there was a certain anticipation in the air. “What would the day hold? How fierce would this next opponent be? Why does Sparrow own a cowboy hat?” These questions were all swirling about the Men’s minds as they arrived at the Yokohama Country & Athletic Club. It was time for the confrontation known as the Gareth MacFadyen Cup to begin.
For the uninitiated, the story behind the MacFadyen Cup is as follows. Gareth MacFadyen was a young Kiwi man who played mostly for Tokyo Crusaders but also occasionally for YCAC in the late 1990s. He was a very talented player and well-liked by everyone. Tragically, while back home in New Zealand and attending a costume party wearing a grass skirt and polyester Hawaiian shirt, Gareth was accidentally immolated. Gareth died of his injuries a short time later. It is to the memory of Gareth that this Cup was established. The lineup was the following:
Starters
1. Honjo, Shota
2. Hirano, Gen
3. Duncan, James
4. Cocks, Tom
5. Saffery, Frank
6. Brown, Angus
7. Pentland-Smith, Brett
8. Tapuvae, Robin
9. Sugimoto, Yoriaki
10. Matsumoto, Suguru
11. Arakawa, Tomohito
12. Sumner, Dominic
13. Gallagher, Brendan
14. Sparrow, Matt
15. Dixon, Travis
Finishers
16. Hammen, Joel
17. Marvil, Daniel
18. Mori, Hirokatsu
19. Naya, Genki
20. Onuma, Takaaki
Under the eyes and whistle of the ever vigilant Steve Lewis, the match began. In the spirit of the game YCAC had opted not to include any ringers in their lineup, however the stout defense of Yokohama held firm for 15 minutes. Halfway through the 15th minute, Brent Pentland-Smith went over the line for the Cru’s first try. Not long after, the gang found themselves in scoring position once again. Harnessing the powers of the dark art of the scrum, Hirokatsu Mori pushed over, putting the Cru in a nice position with 10 points. After taking what we assume to be a few wakeup shots, YCAC began exacting a fervent vengeance against the Cru. The half came to end with the Yokohamans ahead. The second half looked similar to the first, as soon another Crusader (Angus Brown) powered over the line. Quickly the tables turned however, as YCAC stuck out to win the fixture 48-17. Shaking hands and mending faces, the teams headed off to chow down and booze up at the Hard Rock Cafe.
Special thank you once again to Steve Lewis’s generosity with the beer and curry. Thank you for refereeing and of course traveling from overseas! Here are the 5-4-3-2-1’s:
Brown, Angus 5
Matsumoto, Suguru 5
Sugimoto, Yoriaki 4
Cocks, Tom 3
Gallagher, Brendan 2
Tapuvae, Robin 2
Duncan, James 1
Mori, Hirokatsu 1
Pentland-Smith, Brett 1
See you next time!
