Anthem RC Plays Close Matchup with Old Glory DC
32 points are most scored this season; Anthem RC earns another point in the MLR standings
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 30, 2024) – Anthem Rugby Carolina played a tight battle with Old Glory DC on Saturday evening at American Legion Memorial Stadium, falling 32-46. Anthem RC is on the road on Friday, April 5 at 9:00 p.m. (ET) against Utah Warriors. The match can be streamed for free on The Rugby Network.
“We need to keep adjusting to the competition and to situations,” Head Coach Alama Ieremia commented. “I can never fault the boys’ efforts, and I’m always very proud of what they put into the game. It’s a very steep learning curve that we need to adjust to; giving away penalties, having defensive lapses at times.”
Anthem RC took an early lead in the fourth minute through a penalty goal scored by Oscar Koller. The lead was extended in the 14th minute with another penalty goal by Koller.
After a pair of tries and a penalty goal scored by Old Glory DC, Anthem RC scored its first try of the match as the first half was nearing an end. Captain Jake Turnbull pushed his way into the try zone for the points followed by a successful conversion kick by Koller.
The hosts were not done scoring just yet as Te Rangatira Waitokia broke out on a solo run through multiple DC players for another try and a 20-17 lead at halftime.
“It was actually a really gallant effort for the boys,” Turnbull explained. “We had a goal to change our mindset and start strong which was evident tonight. We actually held our way for a bit in the first 20 minutes and that’s what we wanted; however, we’re still trying to find our feet. A few mistakes cost us in the wrong areas, but there’s a lot of positives.”
Old Glory added two tries in the opening 12 minutes of the second half to take the lead 32-20. In the 57th minute, Junior Gafa scored his first try for Anthem this season followed by another successful conversion kick for Koller to bring the score within five points.
The visitors responded quickly with another try to further the margin. Anthem RC continued attacking but struggled to piece together enough offensive efforts to add to their point total and counteract DC’s scoring.
“If we’re going to get better in this competition, we need to control small things becoming big things,” Ieremia said. “One mistake or one knock-on can turn into a turnover and then we’re tackling a lot more than we need to. We need to treasure the ball a lot more because sometimes we don’t get it often.”
Anthem RC had a lengthy possession near the end of the match and finally added another try before time expired. A penalty by DC allowed Koller to do a quick touchpass and find Shneil Singh who passed it to David Still for the score.
“We’re getting better every week and really happy with the boys,” Turnbull expressed. “As long as we’ve got the right mindset and are getting better every day, I’m really excited to see where we’ll be in a few weeks. I can’t be more proud of the boys, a really gallant effort.”
NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE: Anthem Rugby Carolina plays the Utah Warriors on the road on Friday, April 5 at 9:00 p.m. (ET). The match can be streamed for free on The Rugby Network.
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