WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, NO TIME FOR LOSERS, 'CAUSE WE ARE THE CHAMPIONSSSSSS,...... OF THE SECOND DIVISION (plate). We did it, we secured our first position one game before the final game of this league! Unfortunately, we are not undefeated (as there was still that one match against delft, the toughest match of the year). BUT YEASH, WE DID IT!

So, as you could have guessed; WE WON. End of the match report.

Just kidding, I would not want to withhold the game report from you.

It was a warm and sunny day and we were getting ready for quite the trip, all the way to the north of Noord-Holland, Schagen to play against the Foeiste Maiden (FM). The last time we were there, it was raining like crazy (oh how the seasons have changed). Due to roadworks (at least that is what they claim), some of the cars took a touristic route, and we saw all the nice things that the Netherlands has to offer: flower fields, windmills, the polder (in general); wholesome and lovely.

Because some of our regulars were missing, we were led by our new (vice) captain Mip and we were going for the win. We again played ‘line-up in the mix’ due to many absences. Winger Wendy was placed on the second row, and Loes showed how flexible she was within the forwards by playing on the first row. While we were playing ‘line-up in the mix’, FM played ‘our line-up doesn’t exist’ with only ten players on the pitch this time (and one baby). Although it was suggested to play 8s in the first half and 7s in the second half, we decided to play 13-13, with three subs from our side. We said goodbye to Meagan, Linde & Helena and started to get ready for the game.

Kick-off. For the first few minutes, we were a bit intimidated by the ‘big’ girls of the FM. We forgot to go forwards, we forgot to attack, and we did not dare to go in. However, this was fixed by playing our fast attack/transit game. Elfie received the ball, she passed it to forwards/winger Wendy. Wendy gave on her turn an offload to Zoë, who ran half the pitch on her own (classic) and scored the first try. With Hag kicking the conversion, it was already 0-7 after only 10 minutes. And this was the first of many! Yv showed again what she was worth by making the following two tries; one of these resulted from a speedy penalty, leaving the opponents confused behind. Anso also showed the opponent they needed to be afraid of her (instead of the other way around) by making two tries. Even when FM came dangerously close to our try line, sidestep Zoë ran FULL pitch by herself, leaving everyone stunned and breathless. When the FM did not pay full attention, Wendy saw the opportunity in the middle of the field, found the gap, made the break, and ran with the wind beneath her wings, scoring another try. Following this example, Peppie showed that she also knew how that worked, and with the classic peppie-hands-off (in the face?), she was able to pass the opponents in the middle of the field, securing the halftime score at 0-55.

With pain in our hearts, we handed Elfie, Peter, and Peppie to the opponents for the second half. However - as a result of ‘line-up in the mix,’ -  the returned Linde now found herself on the second row (although the scrum was changed to uncontested). FM made use of their reclaimed strength after the break and scored a try when the second half only just started. On our side, the theme of the second half of the game was ‘support.’ After a long series of attacks, passes via the lines, and pick-and-goes, Hag was the one to make this team try (AND A FIRST TRY FOR HAG HERSELF). Another effort of the team resulted in a try, scored by Helena. When FM came (again) dangerously close to our 5m, Zoë kicked the ball across the field. With great support, the ball eventually ended up at Annie, also making her FIRST TRY. Yv and Zoë showed multiple times that, although they like the team (I think), they could also do it by themselves, and both ran multiple times half-pitch (or even FULL pitch) on their own (with only our ladies on the FM side still chasing them). I’m still impressed with how amazingly fast these girls are! With a final try on the FM side, we ended the game with an end score of 12 - 84.

Some special attention for our limited zijlijngezelschap, consisting of puffer/tee/lineswoman/motivational speaker/podcaster “Injured Iris” and ranging reporter/water carrier/shouter/podcaster/socials-photographer “corona Koosie,” who were of great help at the pitch when actually all girls were playing, and at the same time, keeping all girls at home updated about everything happening on the field with podcast worthy voice messages. LSRG podcast, WHEN?!

With the score, we secured our top position in this league, crowning ourselves champion of the 2nd division. Wendy was crowned WOTM because of her overall abilities on the wing and her newfound talent on the second row. The opponent chose Loes, as she was a great stand-in/on-the-field captain today, supporting and positively coaching our girls to the win. Hag was handed the Vajayjay because even though she kicked three successful conversions, she also kicked another three conversions directly ON the poles (which is a talent by itself).

At the end of the game, the news reached us that XVI also became champion (although sadly by a canceled/claimed game). So instead of rushing all the way to Hoek van Holland to watch their second half, we headed to the Duke to celebrate both our victories. Coming Sunday, it’s the last super Sunday! With two teams (XVI and DXV) already first in their poule and one team (XVII) still in the running to become first, this will be a festive super Sunday. See you all there! 

The Statistics: 

Scored tries: 

-Zoë 3x (and 4 conversions)

• Yv 4x
• Anso 2x
• Wendy
• Peppie
• Hag (and 3 conversions)
• Helena
• Annie

WOTM: Wendy

WOTM opponent: Loes

Vajayjay: Hag

- Koos

Sunday, May 6th, the sun was shining, there was some music from the Tennis NSK, and the LSRG ladies were ready! It wasn’t a Semi-Super Sunday anymore because the Thor gents realized they couldn’t beat our 1XV and canceled. The Delft ladies also realized what a strong opponent they would face this Sunday, and even though they didn’t cancel as the Thor gents did, they brought an entire, talented team to play on het Palenpadje this Sunday. Indeed, whispers were going around DXV when realizing that they had brought some girls from their first team (playing in the Ereklasse).

We knew that this match was going to be tough. Exciting but tough. During the warm-up, both temperatures and tensions were rising. At the end of the warm-up and a few minutes before the kick-off, the faces looked focused and tense with stress. Coach Do gave the team a final motivational speech, focussing on the long breath, perseverance, determination, teamwork, communication, and trust. This game, this was our mountain. And we were climbing it together. There was calmness, inspiration, and focus. We were ready for the game of the year!!

Kick-off! We quickly realized what kind of opponent we had in front of us when we felt the toughness of the attacks. This was a nice example of the show of the game. The Delft girls were fiercely attacking our defense line, and even when we were attacking, our movements were still going backward, losing ground. Only 5 min into the game, Delft was able to score a try. After a long defense strike, with some beautiful tackles from our girls, we could not prevent Delft from scoring another try. Although the game was challenging (and our bodies were less used to Ereklasse bodyslams), the ambiance was good. Both teams supported each other, and OG-Soof was even secretly helping your raging reporter by analyzing the game in-depth and giving tips where necessary. Even Annelies (wife of our coach and mother of one of the Delft girls) was cheering for us and suggesting that we might distract them with our bodies.

We were able to recover after those first two tries. After a long series of attacks, pick-and-goes, being tackled, and keeping the pressure high, our backs were able to gain some ground. Small breaks made by Myrthe, Zoë, and Elfie made it possible for Zoë to make that first try. A few minutes later, an overlap on the left made it again possible to break through the defense line, and it was (of course, again) Zoë who ran half the pitch on her own, scoring the second try. With our more successful conversions, the score was 14-12 for our girls at halftime.

The Delft girls felt that we were a tough opponent to beat. We realized that they became scared, and some other first-team-girls entered the field after halftime. OG-Soof was chasing after a kick, and her fast legs outrun our girls. This eventually led to another try on the side of Delft. There was a long streak of attacks on both sides of the field, showing both teams how big that pitch actually is. Our favorite winger Ashley bulldozered again through that line and just kept running with the power of a first rower and the speed of a back. A final pass to Zoe led to our 3rd try. The score was now 19-19. Our public and fans were getting more and more excited. What a pressure, what a game. Another try of Delft put us again behind. But it felt like we needed those tries to get our focus back, get angry, and get back in the game. In a long series of attacks close to the try-line, Sanne spotted a gap in the defense line, jumped through it, and scored a try while falling. This final try and our strong ladies could not prevent Delft from scoring two more tries: Final score: 24-34

Although this game was mentally challenging, also physically, we paid our prize. Four minutes into the game, Anso had to leave the pitch because she took a hit on the cheek. Some ice helped against the swelling, but this could not prevent Anso from turning into a very cute squirrel. Luckily, she was able to get back in the game again later. Also, Roos was the victim of a harsh bodyslam, leaving us a bit scared when her head slammed on the field. Her sense of humor almost convinced us she might have a concussion, but we quickly realized that Roos was just being Roos, and she happily joined the zijnlijngezelschap. The battle of the roommates turned into a bloody massacre when a knee hit the nose of Iris, unfortunately leading to a broken/crooked nose and a(nother) visit to the HAP.

When the last whistle blew, the team gathered to receive congratulations from Do before being acclaimed by the opponents. The backs were on fire with three tries from Zoë (and two conversions) and one from Sanne! The tremendous work of the forwards was also rewarded: Charlotte was crowned WOTM by our team, and Peppy of the opponents. Eventually, the game of the year ended with both teams (and Do!!) at the Duke, a field on which Delft is not about to win.

Statistics
Tries:

• Zoë: 3x (and two conversions)
• Sanne

WOTM: Charlotte
WOTM tegenstander: Peppie
Vajayjay: Team Belgium (Anso & Helena)

- Koos, Hag, Elfie and Helena

The last half of the last half of the season has come. Only three games remain for our ladies, and - as the superfans that you are - you probably already know that we are still undefeated in this second half. As the proud team occupying the nr. 1 spot in our ‘degradation poule’, we were ready to face Rotterdam on this mini-Super-Sunday. A formidable and sometimes feared opponent. The weather was great, and the cherry trees were in full blossom, which created a romantic, almost wedding-like feeling. However, we didn’t come to marry this Sunday; we came to smash the opponent. By trusting and focusing on our fast game and quick hands in the line, we hoped to deceive the big and strong RRC ladies. In addition, we played ‘line-up in the mix’: Myrthe on scrum-half, combining and working together with Helena on fly-half, giving space for the iconic duo Yv and Zoë on the centers. We had Fred as ‘main jumper’ for the line-outs in the forwards' line-up. Fifteen ladies on both sides, the return of the LAPTOPTAS, and our first female ref (!), we could not have asked for a better way to start the match.

Kick-off. Only a few minutes into the game, it was (classic) Zoë who made the first try and followed this by kicking her own conversion. Following the excellent example of Zoë, Helena made the second try, with the encouragement from her entourage at the sideline. Unfortunately, we lost Femke when someone fell on her foot. Although she apparently brought her own physio to the game, he could not ‘fix’ it, and we had to mix and match things up again in the forwards. Of course, as flexible as we have become in our play, we could make this happen. In the meantime, while the rest of the pitch was taking care of Femke, one RRC girl sprinted to the sidelines. The observant viewer would now ask if there was a ball in sight, but this was not the case. The girl made a small ‘barfie’ over the fence and explained she ate a banana just before the game.

Our main goal was not to forget our other tactics within the game, and I think we managed to do that. Our play consisted of a nice combination of pick-and-goes and fast passes via our attacking line (RCC recognized that “they are just playing ‘kiwi-touch, but with tackling”). While passing in the line, it was Sanne who went in at the right speed, found a gap, and was able to score a try. Next, (Classic) Ashley showed how to be a real prop and just kept walking while the opponent held on to her legs. After a beautiful pop to Yv, she scored the Try. Following a scrum, Myrthe was able to gain some ground, which turned out well when we received a penalty close to the try line. Yv took one of her speedy penalties and literally flew the last few meters to that try line. And, although it may sound like easy tries reading about them like this, they were really the result of a team effort against the opponent and the hot weather. Another transit/attack combo kept the attacking line at full speed. Zoë was the one who finally scored the try. A few minutes before half-time, a long series of attacks of RRC to our defense line resulted in a try against; HT: 36-07

The temperatures were rising, and so was the tension in the game. The second half had only just started, and it was RRC making their second try. Myrthe fastly countered their action with another try. And Myrthe was on a roll this second half (actually, Myrthe is always on a roll). After a series of pick-and-go, transit/attack, and an occasional “pizza-ball,” the ball reached Zig-Zag-Zoë, who passed the ball to Myrthe. She made a final jump to the try-line and made the try while being tackled. And, if this wasn’t enough, Myrthe was again the one making the try, neatly between the poles, after a speedy penalty from Iris.
When RRC kicked the ball, Lotte saw her change and threw herself on it. When the ball reached Zig-Zag-Zoë (again), she zigzagged across the pitch and placed that ball nicely between the poles, and was able to kick her sixth conversion of the match. Helena made the final try, and Yv kicked the final conversion. When both Zoë and Elfie showed that they were done with this match, the Ref ‘called it a day,’

With an end score of 69 -14 (geil), we can say that we are still the undefeated nr 1 of our ‘degradation poule’. After our veterans showed their strength again, the younger generation became more attuned to each other; newbie Lotte played her very first match, and Helena brought home the WOTM title. The story of Peter forgetting her baked goodies for the second time in a row almost made up for the fact that the LAPTOPTAS didn’t make it to Leiden. As the new Vayayjay, she was honored with not only one but two beers! Myrthe, as the WOTM chosen by our opponents, makes this magic trio complete. Heated and happy, we left for the Duke for the third half. About this, I will only say that it involved naked people, breakdancing, and a lot of beer. The rest will need its own report.

Statistics:
Tries:

• Zoe 3x (and six conversions)
• Helena 2x
• Sanne
• Yv 2x (and one conversion)
• Myrthe 3x

WOTM: Helena
WOTM opponent: Myrthe
Vajayjay: Peter

 - Koos en Linde

Last Sunday the 2XV had their second last match against the students from Rotterdamse Studenten Rugby Club (RSRC). There was quite a bit of excitement going on before the match as the rumor spread that the 2XV could become champion in this match. Theoretically speaking they could; if the 2XV would win with more than three tries to the bonus points, and if USRS 4 would lose against the Batavieren (apparently now called Batavijven) the 2XV could become champion. However, this theory was a little bit unlikely, because unfortunately USRS did not lose against the Batavieren. On the bright side, the 2XV did win with more than enough tries from RSRC to secure the bonus points needed to secure the lead on USRS. As Rik said before the match, the 2XV should not underestimate the team from RSRC, we had already won from them away in Rotterdam, but we should not think it would be a walk in the park. The first twenty minutes of the game were a bit messy, with try opportunities wasted. It was after the first twenty minutes that the 2XV managed to turn on het gevoeltje and started playing some horny student rugby. Soon 2XV was steamrolling over the RSRC team, and it was thought that their might even be a chance the 2XV might win with 69-0 from RSRC. Alas, the final score turned out to be 65-5 for LSRG. Now, the 2XV has a bit of a break ahead before the final championship match will be played against USRS on the 22 of May at the Palenpadje.

Sunday, April 10, semi-super Sunday. The weather looks promising, and we are looking forward to a nice Sunday full of rugby. This week's opponent is Greate Tryn, the opponent that we had to play two weeks in a row, and for which we battled code-orange weather to get to Leeuwarden. There are many things you can say about Greate Tryn, but not that they have a lack of effort in sportsmanship in their game and attitude. This Sunday, they came all the way from Leeuwarden (again) and without a whole team (again). But they were present! Again!

It was decided just to have a friendly game of women's rugby, so there was a lot of playing time for all of our girls (as we had to substitute the opponent). Coach Do tried to make two equal teams, coining them the ‘probable’ vs. the ‘possible,’ making it an exciting start to the game. For this game report, when describing the actions of our girls playing for the other team, I’ll put (GT) behind it, making it more explicit (btw, if you want to read GT as Gin-Tonic, that’s also perfectly fine). 

Kick-off. It has been a long time, but can you remember the tough times when we always got that one fast try scored against us, just to get awake and shaken up. So yes, that happened again: Only a few minutes into the game, a fast try followed by a conversion by GT put us on 0-7. For the first time since November, we were on the losing side of the scoreboard (however, since it was still ‘probable’ vs. ‘possible’, it was still half of our team winning). Only 10 minutes into the game, two fast tries by Yv, followed by two conversions by Zoë put the score on 10-7. When Linde came in at the right speed, she caused a beautiful break. Linde-long-legs kept running and was able to make the try herself! Myrthe (GT) showed that she analyzed Zoë’s running tactics and ran half a pitch zigzagging. Although she almost made it to the try line, it did not result in a try. Femke (GT) showed her forwards moves by running the defense line down as some kind of bulldozer, running past a confused Zoë and making that try (for GT). Following a scrum, Iris made a fast pick-and-go and a well-timed pass to Yv, leading to another try. Some mixing and mingling of our girls on the field resulted in Iris playing hooker and Sanne on the fullback. After a break, the ball was passed via the line to Mip, who could gain some ground. After a tackle and a fast pick-and-go, Fred made the try! After a long series of multiple attacks close to the try line, it was eventually Zoë who made the jump and scored the try, making the score 40-14 at halftime.

We had a fun game, the sun was feeling great (Read: scorching hot), and your favorite albino ginger found herself quite busy handing out sunscreen at the sidelines during halftime. It was decided to mix the teams up again, still trying to make them equally strong.

In the second half of the game, we showed more of our regular moves and some new moves. Another break by Yv resulted in a try and a conversion. Multiple of our girls also revealed that they were not scared of hurting each other. Zoë tried to tackle Sara and hug her simultaneously, resulting in a quite high tackle on the neck. Iris wanted to join the human-curling competition by pushing/throwing Mel behind the sidelines. And in retrospect, we can admit that she did not have to die, but she had to be pushed out (which was apparently a good defense argument for this action). While attacking, Yv broke through the defense line again, and Peppie (GT) made an honest attempt to stop her. Pep, however, was not able to catch her, resulting in another try by Yv (and kicking her own conversion between the poles). Some nice teamwork between Yv and Zoë resulted in a full-speed break. Zoë gave the last pass to Femke, who scored the try and, with that action, was the only girl scoring for both teams this game. In addition, she also kicked her own conversion. Iris (GT) was again very fast back on her legs after a scrum, but a great tackle of Elfie evicted further danger. Peter (GT) was at some moment in the game a bit confused and forgot that the opponent needs to tackle you before you normally stop running. After a small pause in her running line, she continued and gained some ground (while looking very pretty; you can see proof in the photos!) before she was eventually tackled. Yv showed her how much she appreciated our captain by almost grabbing her by the pussy during a ruck. Classic Zoë ran the entire field independently, avoiding the last opponent close to the poles and making a try. This move inspired Fred, and after a great break over the left side of the field, she ran half the pitch on her own and scored a try. Following, Hag tried to make the conversion; however, she missed. BUT, she was able to make two other conversions later in the game!! A nice interplay between Zoë and Femke resulted in another try by Zoë. Following a line out, Myrthe eventually got the ball and ran gracefully like an Antilope across the pitch. A great 1-2 between Yv and Zoë resulted in another try by Yv. After this, GT turned on their engines for one last time. Peter (GT) was able to make a break, and a late pass to Sanne resulted in a final try, making the final score 92-21. 

Some special attention to Maegan, who played her second game today but already showed that she’d grown a lot since the last game; she was often at the right time at the right place! In addition, shoutout to Iris, who was on a tackling role again: One time, she actually tackled the opponent, rolled away, stood up, and with the first pass out of the ruck, she tackled the ball carrier again. And finally, Elfie, who made some really lovely tackles, which also showed how much she’d grown the last season. Hag was crowned woman of the match for all her strengths in this game! As nr. 10, she reached the right girls at the right time, playing an essential role in the center of the field, dividing and balancing out the game, leading us to the win. And, of course, for her newfound talent for kicking conversions. The opponents chose Iris because of her Irisness. Roos was picked as the Vajayjay of the day (again), because she is Roos, and sometimes quite vajayjay-ie.

This was an excellent practice game, giving a lot of girls the opportunity to play for a longer time. In addition, the million scrums (as a result of knock-ons) showed that we might need to work on our passes and catches again. We have two more weeks to prepare for the next game against Rotterdam. See you all there!

Statistics:

Tries:

• Yv 6 (and 2 conversions)
• Linde 
• Fred 2
• Zoë 3 (and 6 conversions)
• Femke (and 1 conversion)
• Myrthe
• and 2 conversions by Hag

Tries GT:

• Femke
• Sanne

WOTM: Hag

WOTM opponent: Iris
Vajayjay: Roos

- Koos