Wrap from Week 7:

We seem to have unearthed that the rise in the intensity of our internal league rounds is directly proportional to how we advance further down the competition calendar. Week 7 was faster, harder and more enduring than a night with a Tugwell girl and more so than any other round we’ve had so far…

Also within the vein and spirit of our league was the cancellation of all the refs for Wednesday night but we managed to sidestep that hurdle by the reintroduction of our A list reffing crew. Once again thanks to all those guys…

You have to be a man bigger than the rest if you have the balls to pick up the whistle and field constant abuse from every supporter of the losing side when no one else sticks their hand up…

In Pool C we had two sides that have their eyes on a play off spot prize, the Purple Cobras and the Wildboys, facing up for their first matches in a while after having a bye last week. The Cobras played entertaining rugby scoring 49 unanswered points against the Shebeen Boys. The Cobras brand of rugby is so marketable it might be used for the 2008 Super 14 ad campaign. Their conversion of ‘no look’ offloads, in and before contact, is astonishing and something the Shebeen Boys found very hard to defend.

The Wildboys came up against the resilient Smuts side but just had too much firepower out wide and ran in a routing 72 points. The Wildboys aren’t doing anything special, but just doing the basics especially well. They create space outwide and then crucify the shoulders of the guy working the scoreboard as they finish just about every opportunity.

Pool D produced our first upset of the season with the Eastern Cape 2 Rios side taking 5 tries from lowly underdogs the Turtles. Easterns are a new side but proved more than formidable with some big results earlier this season but fell far short of their own benchmark when they let the Turtles walk all over them. The Turtles used the wind well to go up 10-5 into the break but then showed how pressure and ferocious defence can lead to points as they ran in a further 3 tries into the wind, coming up deserved 27-5 winners. In the other game the Panthers were at their clinical best with a 27-0 defeat over the Spanners, with David "Peter Hendriks" Finch scoring a double!

Pool A started with a massive result as College beat Clarendon 24-5, which is only the second win for the men in blue in their 110 year history at internal league. Besides a 0-0 draw against Van der Stel by the mighty 1906 side, captained by Jan Van Riebeeck Jnr, College only other non-loss came last year. Hence the magnitude of the victory this week will echo down the corridors on their Main Rd abode for another hundred years to come

The headline game of the week has undoubtedly been one of the most exciting games of Internal League rugby I have ever witnessed. Pool A's top of the table clash saw the Nadoes competing against Ubumbo for pool seeding honours. The game was physical to say the least. The wind was howling down the C field end of the Green Mile and the Nadoes used it to their advantage and went into the break 13-0 up. Ubumbo soaked up serious pressure on defence and were lucky not to concede more points.

The blustery gales that funnel down our channel of greenery nullify any attack beyond the 2nd channel when you are playing into it and kicking is really no option. Ubumbo were heroic into the wind on defence but their creative attack was a non-entity. The game threatened to spiral into a demise at the hands of ill tempers and reckless disregard of the laws at the tackle but ref Sean Shields didn't back down and kept consistency on his side when he punished offenders.

The second half chapter of the game's story might as well have been an entirely new book it was so different. The wind picked up and was now behind Ubumbo and flying hard into the faces of the Nadoes. The men in red and white were rock solid on defence without detracting from the clinicalness of their pattern but the constant pressure was too much and replacement outside centre Dan Watson made a telling run into the 22m brushing off defenders to score. 13-5.

With their tails up Ubumbo increased their intensity and played everything down in Nadoes territory. Ubumbo missed a few long range penalty shots, but eventually scored when Lyle 'Is he human?' Claasens picked up at 8 and drove through numerous defenders to score close to the polls. 13-12 Nadoes lead.

Minutes later Ubumbo goaled a penalty (through lock John Eales) to snatch the lead 15-13 with 8 minutes to go. Losing the lead was the trigger the young Nadoes side needed to get their game together and show why they proudly wear the reputation they have earned over the years. They played precise rugby attacking with accuracy and important ball control to get within range, get a penalty and bang it over to retake the lead 16-15.

With 1 point in it and the clock counting down the euphoria around the C field was incredible. Each side had brought its entire entourage and it seemed there were far more than 30 hearts involved on the field, although literally there were often more than 31 people on the field.

Ubumbo flew into everything and eventually earned the field position for another goalable effort which came at the death with a Nadoe infringing at a ruck. The African John Eales stepped up again and sailed the kick over from an acute angle to steal the win 18-16. Mayhem ensued.

Ubumbo deservedly won the pool stage battle and lets hope these side meet again somewhere in the play off to showcase for all us involved another rugby spectacle. Nadoes were gracious in defeat and showed their true champion colours. I think it is the first time they have lost since the last league game before the semis against the Squirrels in 2004. That's one impressive record.

Watch this space. See you on the Green Mile...