NationStates Jolt Archive

The Regional Provincial Championship (RPC) of Govie Island rugby kicked off this weekend with an official ceremony in Port Arthur Friday night, hosted by Govie Island Rugby Commission president Rhys Hughes. The Van Diemwegian had this to say:

"We're looking forward to some great rugby being played throughout the region in the coming weeks. The competition will provide a top-tier forum for our top players, allowing them to stay at home instead of heading overseas to further their careers. Hopefully we will create enough interest to fuel future international fixtures, and the money made will go back into developing the game at the grassroots level across Govie Island."

In recent weeks, entries have flowed in, allowing 12 franchises from 10 nations to be formed. Three of the newest include the Skepzland Sharks, Deviance City Barbarians fror Mudface and Jakejake's entry - the Vershire Blues.

Below are the results of the first round of competition for the season. Teams are awarded 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw and 0 for a loss. On top of this, Bonus Points are awarded to teams that score four or more tries in a game or lose by less than 7 points.

Derwent Cyclones (Van Dieman Land) 23 def. Deleograd Pilots (Zachland) 17
@ National Rugby Dome, Port Arthur --- crowd: 56,680
- The opening game of the tournament witnessed an impressive forward display as the Cyclones used their home-ground advantage to overpower the Pilots. The enthusiastic crowd roared their approval as Deleograd wing Scott Vedder crossed in the corner to pick up a bonus point.

Lichenian Famine (Lichens) 36 def. Hackville Hacking Coughs (New Hacktopia) 14
@ Lichens International Stadium --- crowd: 45,790
- Darconian Allies celebrated long into the night as the Famine crossed the try line 4 times to pick up a bonus point on their way to crushing the Hacking Coughs. A strong performance up front never allowed the Hackville backs to influence the game, and the Lichenian side looks likely to be dangerous this season.

Sporting Wasps (SportBilly) 9 drew Ergaster Golden Horde (Ergaster) 9
@ Sporting Stadium, Sporting --- crowd: 34,990
- What looked to be a mismatch - one of the large nations in Govie Island versus a relative minnow - turned out to be the closest match of the first round as both sides kicked 3 penalty goals to draw. Rabid defence by the Golden Horde thrawted two genuine chances by Wasps fullback Jimmy McGovern, though the Sporting side looked stronger throughout the game.

Wallasey Zingari Felchers (Foamerland) 28 def. Tasman Tortoises (Van Dieman Land) 13
@ National Stadium, Wallasey Zingari --- crowd: 76,580
- A massive home crowd in Foamerland saw the Felchers dominate the Tasman side, piling on 4 converted tries to post a victory with bonus honours. The Tortoises played like their namesakes, slow in defence and fumbling the ball consistently when in possesion. The Feltchers contrasted greatly, capitalising on errors at the breakdown to win convincingly.

Hack City Hackers & Slashers (New Hacktopia) 42 def. Deviance City Barbarians (Mudface) 28
@ Bob's Axes Rugby Field, Hack City --- crowd: 36,540
- In a very high-scoring match, the second New Hacktopian franchise overcame the Barbarians from Mudface in an exciting display of open, attacking rugby. Thorgar Thunderaxe led the Hackers & Slashers in an inspirational backline display, personally scoring 2 tries which he converted to lead scoring in the RPC after the first round.

Vershire Blues (Jakejake) 51 def. Skepzland Sharks (Skepzland) 6
@ Sharks Stadium, Skepzland --- crowd: 20,450
- A precious away vicorty was posted by the Blues as they overran the Sharks in a predicted first round victory. The massive Jakejake player base that has produced wonderful players such as Blues captain Warren Harding puts the Vershire side in good stead as the competition kicks off. Beaten in all areas today, the Sharks will need to go back to the drawing board to find a competative edge for next week against the Tortoises.

LADDER - ROUND 1 ----- W D L BP1 BP2 P

Blues----------------- 1 0 0 1 0 5
Famine---------------- 1 0 0 1 0 5
Felchers-------------- 1 0 0 1 0 5
Hackers & Slashers---- 1 0 0 1 0 5
Cyclones-------------- 1 0 0 0 0 4
Wasps----------------- 0 1 0 0 0 2
Golden Horde---------- 0 1 0 0 0 2
Barbarians------------ 0 0 1 1 1 2
Pilots---------------- 0 0 1 0 1 1
Tortoises------------- 0 0 1 0 0 0
Hacking Coughs-------- 0 0 1 0 0 0
Sharks---------------- 0 0 1 0 0 0

John Ronan,
Rugby writer,
Van Dieman Land Mercury

Round 1 of the new Regional Provincial Championship (RPC) of Rugby Union gave us some great games. Govie Island's biggest sporting competition just got bigger, as round 2 had fans on their feet with big hits; fast tries and some fancy footwork - rugby Govie Island style. In part two of our interview series we speak to sponsor of the Sporting Wasps, ‘Diamond’ Mick Harris, about his interest in rugby and his thoughts on the competition:

"My interest in rugby stems from a long association with it as a boy. I first kitted out for a side at age 15, and since then I can’t get enough. When I made my first thousand, I bought the local team a drink bottle. At a million I sponsored the local junior league. Now at a billion I own the Wasps. They’re a great bunch of kids… hardworking and reliable. I expect the opposition to feel their sting by season’s end. Though I must admit, there are some fantastic teams out there. I’d hate to be lining up against those bruisers from Zachland… that’s for sure.”

‘Diamond’ Mick went on to tell us about his future.

“Well, after the tournament finishes and I have the trophy on my mantelpiece, I’m thinking of moving my mining interests towards the basket-weaving sector. There’s a lot of money to be made there and, well, SportBilly doesn’t exactly have a vibrant industry as we all know.”

Below are the results of the second round of competition for the season. Teams are awarded 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw and 0 for a loss. On top of this, Bonus Points are awarded to teams that score four or more tries in a game (BP1) or lose by less than 7 points (BP2).

Derwent Cyclones (Van Dieman Land) 16 def. Sporting Wasps (SportBilly) 12
@ National Rugby Dome, Port Arthur --- crowd: 58,290
- The Cyclones built upon an impressive opening victory by vanquishing Sporting in Port Arthur tonight. Scoring a try and 3 penalties, Derwent was clearly in control, though Jimmy McGovern’s boot kicked 3 penalties and a drop-goal for the Wasps to worry them at times. Sporting will have to score tries as the competition progresses if they want to put pressure on the scoreboard.

Lichenian Famine (Lichens) 31 def. Skepzland Sharks (Skepzland) 20
@ Lichens International Stadium --- crowd: 51,440
- After a demoralising loss in Skepzland last round, the Sharks came out firing and gave the Famine a scare, cruising to 2 first half tries and kicking a penalty to lead 17-10 at the break. An address from the chairman of Darconian Industries at half time stirred the Lichenian team however; as they crossed the try line 3 times in the second half, including a brilliant individual effort from openside flanker Moses Hornbrunner.

Deleograd Pilots (Zachland) 23 def. Hack City Hackers & Slashers (New Hacktopia) 14
@ Glasgow-Merriwether SuperDome, Deleograd --- crowd: 110,340
- Deleograd returned home after a disappointing outing in Port Arthur to entertain a mammoth home crowd by defeating Hack City. Coming off a win, the Hackers & Slashers over-possessed the ball, knocking on frequently and creating gaps for the Pilots as they continually over-committed at the break down. A superb solo try by Thorgar Thunderaxe from within the H & S 22 was the single encouraging sign that Hack City will take to Port Arthur next week.

Tasman Tortoises (Van Dieman Land) 56 def. Ergaster Golden Horde (Ergaster) 0
@ Community Field No. 16, Raiykal City --- crowd: 9,820
- This fixture looked like being cancelled due to a midweek domestic conflagration in Ergaster, before the interim peacekeeping mission had the Tasman team specially flown in to entertain local enthusiasts during the city’s rebuilding. Ergaster’s Prince Ozkan Stadium is being used as a barracks, with the game relocated to a nearby field, though this didn’t inhibit the Tortoises’ ability to cross the line 8 times to bury the locals. We hope the Horde improve as the domestic situation settles down.

Deviance City Barbarians (Mudface) 14 def. Hackville Hacking Coughs (New Hacktopia) 12
@ Exploitation SportsWear Stadium, Deviance City --- crowd: 74,330
- Both teams this afternoon were desperate for a win to get their season underway. In a tight match, the kicking ability of Barbarian fullback Angus McDougall was the difference, converting both his team’s tries, while Hacking Cough kicker Omar Haaq pushed his second conversion attempt wide on the full-time siren. Exploitation SportsWear doubled their order of the new McDougall “Goldenboot” range as a result of the win.

Wallasey Zingari Felchers (Foamerland) 27 def. Vershire Blues (Jakejake) 20
@ The House of Pain, Vershire --- crowd: 89,350
- These two titanic sides met in front of 89,000 enthusiastic Jakejakeians hoping to witness another Blues victory. Unfortunately for the faithful, poor discipline at the breakdown cost Vershire greatly as Wallasey Zingari piled on 2 early second-half penalties to break the halftime 14-14 deadlock. Clawing their way back late in the game, a missed tackle from Blues vice-captain Grover Cleaveland provided the Felchers with the get-out-of-jail-free card they needed, as hooker Jock Mad lunged over the line to score.

LADDER - RD. 2 ------ W - D - L - BP1 - BP2 - P

Famine------------------- 2 - 0 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 10
Felchers------------------ 2 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 9
Cyclones----------------- 2 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 8
Blues---------------------- 1 - 0 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 6
Barbarians--------------- 1 - 0 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 6
Tortoises----------------- 1 - 0 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 5
Hackers & Slashers---- 1 - 0 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 5
Pilots---------------------- 1 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 1 - 5
Wasps--------------------- 0 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 1 - 3
Golden Horde------------ 0 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 2
Hacking Coughs--------- 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 1 - 1
Sharks--------------------- 0 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 0

John Ronan,
Rugby writer,
Van Dieman Land Mercury

The Regional Provincial Championship (RPC) has proved a big draw card across the region for the first three rounds. Attendance records are being broken, and interest is stirring internationally with rights to cover the tournament being sold to the ‘NationStates Forum’ consortium midweek. In part three of our interview series we speak to newly elected Prime Minister of Ergaster, Andreas Hammerschmidt, about the recent changes to his country and the role that rugby will play in the rebuilding process:

"We’ve been through a lot lately, what with the civil movement against the monarchy and the installation of a new government and all. I guess the situation is stabilizing now, though there is a lot of rebuilding that still needs to be done, and the disturbance certainly hasn’t helped the Golden Horde’s shot at the title.”

Mr. Hammerschmidt went on to comment on the future of rugby in Ergaster.

“In the near future my office will be applying for a rugby development grant from the GIRC. Ideally, we’d like to see many more juniors taking up the sport to boost our player base. That, and the fact that it might take their minds off the lack of electricity in the outer suburbs.”

Mr. Hammerschmidt’s statement on rugby development coincided with a press release by GIRC President Rhys Hughes stating that a first round of funding applications had been received. Hairy Bacon has been allocated funds for the formation of a junior league, while Duranta and Frosh are to receive funds for training of referees and reservation of land for the construction of rugby fields. It is hoped these measures will one day lead to the nations participation in the RPC.

Below are the results of the third round of competition for the season. Teams are awarded 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw and 0 for a loss. On top of this, Bonus Points are awarded to teams that score four or more tries in a game (BP1) or lose by less than 7 points (BP2).

Derwent Cyclones (Van Dieman Land) 23 drew Hack City Hackers & Slashers (New Hacktopia) 23
@ Bob’s Axes Rugby Field, Hack City --- crowd: 42,370
- The Cyclones came out seeking to maintain their undefeated record, and were scared by a psyched-up Hack City side hell-bent on posting a second home victory. A try and 2 penalties in the first half set Derwent up well for a win, but they ran out of steam in the second half enabling the H & S to cross the line twice and tie the game.

Wallasey Zingari Felchers (Foamerland) 39 def. Deleograd Pilots (Zachland) 36
@ National Stadium, Wallasey Zingari --- crowd: 98,710
- The backs on both sides dominated possession, moving it wide in attack and restricting many of the line breaks with hard-hitting tackles. A penalty in the 79th minute secured the game for the Felchers, though they will be much depleted in the lineout next week against the Golden Horde after losing hooker Jock Mad with a knee injury late in the game.

Tasman Tortoises (Van Dieman Land) 6 drew Skepzland Sharks (Skepzland) 6
@ West Harbour Stadium, Somerton --- crowd: 42,560
- The first game to be played in Somerton turned out to be a bad advertisement for the sport. Three players from both sides were yellow carded in a match rife with penalties and professional fouls, and twice as many were sent off the field to the blood bin. Shark tight-head prop Kerri Smith after the game revealed that the Sharks would no longer be “the whipping-boys of the RPC”. While this may be true, Smith will struggle to get off a striking charge when fronting the tribunal this week.

Sporting Wasps (SportBilly) 43 def. Hackville Hacking Coughs (New Hacktopia) 12
@ Hack Center, Hackville --- crowd: 53,680
- Hackville continued to play like hacks in their first home match for the season, barely resisting a potent Wasp forward pack that drove all night through the Coughs’ defence. Having posted their first win, captain Charlie Watts stated that the side was “looking forward to meeting Deviance City next week”, in what will be the match of the round between the two traditional rivals.

Lichenian Famine (Lichens) 17 def. Ergaster Golden Horde (Ergaster) 10
@ Prince Ozkan Memorial Arena, Raiykal City --- crowd: 67,590
- Ironically, it seems that Darconian Alliance reconstruction aid assisted the Horde to put together a strong team this week, challenging the top of the table Famine in a tight match. As the political situation has settled down in Ergaster so has their team, announcing this week that they have signed Fixmeup Healthcare as sponsor for the remainder of the season.

Vershire Blues (Jakejake) forfeited to Deviance City Barbarians (Mudface)
@ The House of Pain, Vershire --- crowd: nil
- It was a sad day for Govie Island rugby when the Vershire Blues participated in a nationwide strike, thus forfeiting to the Barbarians. Captain Warren Harding stated that the strike was a “necessary act, as it showed (they) are serious about political change in Jakejake”, and hinted that if the situation doesn’t settle down more home games could be in jeopardy. Deviance City earns a bonus point for their disadvantage.


LADDER - RD. 3 ------ W - D - L - BP1 - BP2 - P

Famine------------------- 3 - 0 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 14
Felchers------------------ 3 - 0 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 14
Barbarians-------------- 2 - 0 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 11
Cyclones---------------- 2 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 10
Wasps-------------------- 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 8
Tortoises----------------- 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 7
Hackers & Slashers---- 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 7
Pilots---------------------- 1 - 0 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 7
Blues---------------------- 1 - 0 - 2 - 1 - 1 - 6
Golden Horde------------ 0 - 1 - 2 - 0 - 1 - 3
Sharks--------------------- 0 - 1 - 2 - 0 - 0 - 2
Hacking Coughs----------- 0 - 0 - 3 - 0 - 1 - 1

John Ronan,
Rugby writer,
Van Dieman Land Mercury

Standings in the Regional Provincial Championship (RPC) are starting to settle down after four rounds of the tournament. Interest is high across Govie Island, with new arrivals to the region prompting the GIRC to develop a second-tier competition. Entries are currently being sought. In part four of our interview series we speak to Foamerland’s Defence Secretary, Kelvin Armstrong, about the principles of defence and the Felchers’ on-field performance:

"Defence is literally the key to success. Just look at New Hacktopia – successful, yes, but a greased up pig could waltz through Hack City and no one could stop it. We in Foamerland reckon that its better to build on a solid defence…. Offence comes later.”

Mr. Armstrong went on to comment on the Felchers.

“They’re good boys. Our government’s got considerable mileage out of the franchise… who would have thought the public would’ve accepted a tax hike without their favourite stars selling it?”

GIRC President Rhys Hughes remarked that development aid had paid off, with Hairy Bacon and Frosh submitting teams for the new competition. Mr. Hughes also remarked that it would be great to see a Duranta side participate.

Below are the results of the fourth round of competition for the season. Teams are awarded 4 points for a win, 2 for a draw and 0 for a loss. Bonus Points are awarded to teams that score four or more tries in a game (BP1), or lose by 7 points or less (BP2).

Vershire Blues (Jakejake) 27 def. Derwent Cyclones (Van Dieman Land) 25
@ House of Pain, Vershire --- crowd: 120,350
- Reports indicate that the Cabaret Voltaire cheered the Blues onto the field tonight, prompting their side to its first victory since round 1 over the undefeated Cyclones. Blues co-captain Grover Cleaveland stated that “the boys came out firing after our week off… it was good to get up over a winning side. We may have to strike more often if it produces results like this.”

Deviance City Barbarians (Mudface) 20 def. Sporting Wasps (SportBilly) 14
@ Exploitation SportsWear Stadium, Deviance City --- crowd: 73,980
- This match between two of the biggest Govie Island rivals produced a stunning exhibition, with both sides running out determined to disgrace their opposition. Fullback Angus McDougall was brilliant in offence for the Baa-baas, scoring two tries which he converted off his own boot.

Wallasey Zingari Felchers (Foamerland) 17 def. Ergaster Golden Horde (Ergaster) 10
@ Prince Ozkan Memorial Arena, Raiykal City --- crowd: 63,240
- Wallasey Zingari continued their winning streak, overcoming the Golden Horde in a tight match decided on a second half try. Poor forward play from the Ergastans – missing tight-head Rajak Haka with marital commitments – cost them at the breakdown as the tough Felcher flankers snatched possession, presenting opportunities to the outside backs.

Hack City Hackers & Slashers (New Hacktopia) 32 def. Lichenian Famine (Lichens) 18
@ Lichens International Stadium --- crowd: 47,740
- The biggest upset of the fourth round witnessed the H&S burying the Famine in Lichens. Hack City sponsor Buckley’s Mixture spoke at half time, motivating the side to produce an impressive offensive performance from 7-11 down, featuring wing Slash Fikshon with two impressive tries – one under the posts from a line break and one on the touch line following 6 phases of play.

Deleograd Pilots (Zachland) 74 def. Skepzland Sharks (Skepzland) 0
@ Glasgow-Merriwether SuperDome, Deleograd --- crowd: 124,590
- It rained tries in Zachland tonight as the home side pillaged the Sharks scrum, forcing innumerable turnovers on their way to picking up a bonus point. Suspended Sharks captain Kerri Smith staded from behind a pylon on the 4th tier of the stadium that “yeah, ‘twas disappointing I wasn’t out there… I would’ve dominated, brought home the victory, led an economic turnaround in Skepzland…. Yeah, disappointing.”

Hackville Hacking Coughs (New Hacktopia) 15 def. Tasman Tortoises (Van Dieman Land) 6
@ Hack Center, Hackville --- crowd: 49,750
- Hackville posted their first victory tonight in a close encounter at the windy Hack Center. Tortoise fly-half Jimmy Brugler sprayed 3 penalty attempts wide which could have brought the score back, but later blamed “the darn high altitude” for the bricks, vowing that he’d improve before next week against the famine.

LADDER - RD. 4 ------ W - D - L - BP1 - BP2 - P

Felchers------------------- 4 - 0 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 18
Barbarians---------------- 3 - 0 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 15
Famine-------------------- 3 - 0 - 1 - 2 - 0 - 14
Pilots----------------------- 2 - 0 - 2 - 2 - 2 - 12
Hackers & Slashers------ 2 - 1 - 1 - 2 - 0 - 12
Cyclones------------------ 2 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 1 - 11
Blues----------------------- 2 - 0 - 2 - 1 - 1 - 10
Wasps--------------------- 1 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 2 - 9
Tortoises------------------ 1 - 1 - 2 - 1 - 0 - 7
Hacking Coughs---------- 1 - 0 - 3 - 0 - 1 - 5
Golden Horde------------- 0 - 1 - 3 - 0 - 2 - 4
Sharks---------------------- 0 - 1 - 3 - 0 - 1 - 2

John Ronan,
Rugby writer,
Van Dieman Land Mercury