Umesh Desai (umesh.desai@tr.com)

7th January 2017

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The Marines launched their post-Christmas campaign sitting firmly in second spot and looked to unseat their  their rivals Discipline Services from the top of the table. Seeking to avenge a defeat at the hands of the Marines earlier in the season, DS fielded a new look side on a day that their higher ranked teams were not in action.

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In contrast, the Marines were missing some of their key players and allowed in two early tries in what was a slow start to the game. However, the team managed to muster a quick recovery, with tries by hard tackling Pun Wong and line crashing Raymond Lo.

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The fightback continued in the second half as the Marines dominated territory and possession. Two tries by experienced forward Paul Chung levelled the try count at 4 apiece and set up the Marines within a score of the opposition. The last quarter especially was hard fought, with DS desperately clinging on to their six point lead.  

Unfortunately, a few tactical errors denied us the win and the opposition prevailed on the day. 

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The Marines take home some valuable lessons from this narrow defeat and two bonus points, with Captain Darren Long's remark that 'the early set back cost us the match' an accurate summary of the game from our perspective.

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Other positives include the return of Quentin Dumas to the forward pack and newcomer Maxime Fouchet, who had a cracking debut. The man of the match award went to Raymond Lo for his searing runs and many occasions where he cut through the opposition gaps with surgical precision. 

 

The team morale remains high despite the loss and the Marines look forward to the next encounter eagerly - Onwards and Upwards!