Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte

I made it back to Minneapolis just in time to catch a round of 32 match that opposed Metropolis RFC and Charlotte, NC...

The spring weather had been good in the Twin Cities this spring...unfortunately for the visitors from North Carolina, the weather was 41 degrees and wet-far cooler than what they have probably been experiencing this spring. The good thing for us spectators, was that at least the driving rain-which had postponed the Twins-Royals baseball game in Minneapolis that day( I had tickets), at least let up at kickoff for this Division I playoff game. Metropolis actually had to go with some grey-beards for this game. Head coach Nathan Osborne was enlisted to play fly-half, and former A-side captain, Jayme Kohlbeck were called into the starting lineup related to injury. They both would also play key roles in the game for Metropolis-Nate also getting involved in a little dust-up during the game...

Metropolis captain, Wade McInroy, played this game like a man possessed. The 8-man ran rough-shod over Charlotte defenders. Hooker Adam Dilley played a stellar game. Metropolis also had a new weapon in it's arsenal from the last time I had seen them play last year: A South-African born inside center named Louis Joubert opened the scoring for Metropolis from an off-load from McInroy. By my count, both Wade and Joubert scored 3 tries apiece.

Metropolis dominated every aspect of the game. They were quicker, they dominated in the scrums and at the breakdown...in a word, they looked like they wanted this game a bit more. In every sense, this was a complete team victory.

In the end, the 48-0 victory by Metropolis punched  their ticket for the Sweet Sixteen match to be played in Pittsburgh in a couple of weeks. I was glad to make into town in time to catch up with some of my friend with Metropolis and to catch a very convincing win. I will have to catch the rest of the USA Nationals from the internet, as my wife and I leave for Europe on May 2nd, but with the intensity and skill Metropolis showed this past weekend, whoever they play in the round of of 16 had better bring their A-game. On a cold, wet day in Minneapolis, I really liked what I saw.