RC Basel vs RC Zug:

Final Score: RC Basel 31 – RC Zug 12

 Just like every year, the weather for the away match at Basel is always sunny. Our last meeting with Basel saw Zug win 31-15, but with a small squad of only 16 (including a couple of injured people) we were well aware that it was not going to be an easy game.

The match started with Zug pushing very hard and we managed to break through early, which resulted in a try from Alex. Zug managed to maintain this lead for a while but once Basel got their first try it was clear that the rest of the game would be an uphill battle.

 The first few scrums saw Basel dominating, but once we adapted our technique we won a reasonable amount of balls. We dominated the line-outs, with Alois stretching like Mr Fantastic, but it did not take Basel long to figure out that we only had one main jumper, so we suffered a bit in the second half.

 The first half ended with Basel in the lead, but with the heat of the sun and also the amount of injuries, things started to becoming a concern. At half time we made a change (with our only substitute) when really we should of brought off 3 or 4 players. Thank goodness we had plenty of ice-spray!!

In the second half some mistakes were made which resulted in a few extra tries for Basel. But even without these mistakes Basel had a comfortable lead and still would of won the game, just not by as much.

Even though by the last ten minutes it was clear that lead from Basel was too big to catch up, Zug did not give up which resulted in a wonderful consolation try from our captain Claudio.

After the game Basel awarded Damian as our man of the match, and in usual tradition he had to stand on a bench with the Basel man of the match and down a litre of beer. We might have lost on the pitch, but Zug never loses in the bar!!!

Notable performances: Claudio, Raphael (Bourda), Raphael (Meier), Alois, Alex, Elio, Nico & Jeff.

Man of the Match: Damian

A special thank-you to Charline for being the best looking water-boy we have ever had.

We would also like to thank Basel for hosting the match and we wish them all the best for the rest of their season. We look forward to seeing them at the summer tournaments.

RC Zug

RC Zug vs RC ARYA

Final Score: RC Zug 62 – ARYA 10

In the lead up to the match the weather was terrible, but as luck would have it the sky cleared for our game and even produced a double rainbow.

We lost our last encounter with Arya 19-8 and we were determined not to let this happen again. Even though we lost a few people to injuries in training we still managed to produce a full 22 man squad.

The pre-game warm-up and team talk was exactly what we needed. We all know how brutal and physical the sport of rugby is, but majority of matches can be won or lost purely down to the mentality of the team.

Once the game started it was clear the way the match was heading. It was not long till Zug started laying down the trys and with the help of Nico and Tim we racked up the conversion points. There was a slight dip in our performance in the second half (understandably as we were very far ahead), but this gave Arya a chance to score a try. Again we had a positive team talk and within seconds it was back to business like the first half.

Normally we would list all the try scorers in this report, but once we passed 40 points everyone lost track of who scored what. With the full 5 points for the league awarded today and only 3 matches left of the season, we are in a very interesting position.

Notable Performances: Seb (Varey), Simon (the beast), Claudio, Raphael (Bourda), Dani, Alex, Iain, Damian, Alois.

Man of the match: Raphael (Meier)

A lot has to be said about Arya’s conduct after the match. One would think that after such a big loss that there might me some anger or harsh words exchanged……but this is rugby and not football! A very heartfelt and genuine round of applause from Arya showed that they embrace the true gentleman’s spirit of rugby, which is something we pride ourselves on here in Zug.

Afterwards Arya joined us in our club pub for the usual BBQ and beers. Arya left with their heads held high (deservedly so) and also safe in the knowledge that they have made friends with RC Zug.

A special thank-you to the referee who received praise from both teams for his fluid style and fair decisions throughout the match.

We would also like to thank Arya for making the long journey to our pitch. We look forward to seeing them again at the summer tournaments and wish them the best of luck for the rest of their season.

RC Zug

RC Zug vs RC Winterthur:

Final Score: RC Zug 31 – RC Winterthur 24

Following on from our last match against Winterthur, we knew that the game would be hard, but winnable. The weather forecast was not great and even though it was a rather grey dreary afternoon, the rain did hold off until after the match.

The game began with Winterthur pushing hard. It was clear from their squad that most of the game was going to be played with the forwards. In terms of general size, Winterthur had a clear advantage…..even their backs looked like forwards!

An unfortunate mistake from Denis resulted in Winterthur opening the score with a try and it was not long until Winterthur got another. They did miss both kicks, so all was not lost, and after a good team talk to keep spirits up, it was not long till we started unleashing the points!

By half time we had the game under control and cracks were starting to show within the Winterthur team. We decided to make four substitutions at this point to get some fresh legs on the pitch which worked very well to our advantage.

We did as best as we could in the scrums (considering the weight difference) but we did dominate the line-outs throughout the match.

In the end the match finished with a Zug victory of 31-24, but credit were credit is due, Winterthur never gave up and fought till the very end.

Denis did make up for his mistake at the beginning of the game with great lineout throws and also stopped a try later on in the game. Other notable performances from: Alois, Simon (the beast), Eugene, Seb (Varey), Raphael (Bourda), Alex, Damien and Claudio.

After so many close loses this season, the five points we received for this win was very much needed and deserved. Even though we won the match, there are still things that we will work in training this week.

After the match Winterthur joined us for a BBQ and beers at our club pub. When they went home we started the music to celebrate Dani’s Birthday. Not much can be said about what happened next as no-one can quite remember. Normally we would have done a man of the match award, but with the distraction of the party this got forgotten.

Try scorers: 2 x Raphael (Bourda) and one each from Goran, Eugene & Alex.

A special thanks to the referee, who even stayed a while to sample some of Zug’s party atmosphere.

We would also like to thank Winterthur for coming and wish them luck for the rest of their season. We are also looking forward to seeing them at our 20^th Anniversary and also the Bishops Cup Tournament.

 RC Zug

RC St Gallen vs RC Zug

Final Score: RC St Gallen 36 – RC Zug 7

With the result against Nyon last week we travelled to St Gallen with a positive outlook for the game ahead. Over the last few years Zug has not lost to St Gallen, including the home match earlier this season which we won 35-0.

Arriving at the stadium we saw that the main pitch was marked out for a football match and once we got off the coach we were informed that we would be playing on their secondary pitch.

Within five minutes of the match it was clear that it would be a difficult game. It was not long before St Gallen started scoring trys. We were on the back foot for most of the first half and it did not help having to make lots of substitutions due to injuries. Simon broke his nose (he was made to leave the pitch by the ref, even though he wanted to carry on playing……that’s commitment!!) and then Tim broke a tooth clean in half.

The scrums were a bit messy but we did manage to dominate the line-outs. St Gallen did very well in the rucks and mauls (there was a lot of hands in the rucks…..….the referee needs new glasses).

 We started the second half much stronger (after a positive team talk) and it was not long till Andrew powered through to score a try. All was not lost and there was a glimmer of hope left. We kept pressing but alas the points St Gallen racked up in the first half made it hard to catch up. The final score would have been much worse if it was not for our courage in the last forty minutes.

 In summary it was a disappointing result, but we will learn from our mistakes and will hit training hard over the Easter break.

Notable Performances: Andrew, Simon (the beast), Claudio, Ian (King), Dani, Raphael (Bourda).

Man of the Match: Justin

We would like to thank St Gallen for hosting the game and wish them all the best for the rest of their season. We are looking forward to seeing them again in June at the Bishops Cup.

RC Zug