Uni Win First - Easts Blown Away 8th August 2020 - North Warrane

Last Saturday 8th August 2020 Uni took down Harlequins' trowsers and gave them a spanking, a 25 - 15 win - as one sage coach in past era said "A win is better than a draw, and a draw is better than a loss" 

But it is all playing the game. I regret I couldn't be at North Warrane on the day so my match report would be purely imagination.  The day however was cold and sunny, and the back blocks of Warrane are icey on the best of summer days, let alone in mid winter. 

Colleague Simon Wilding advised me that the 'referee played a bit part in the match' - I suspect meaning his interference and indecision or unpredictable determinations made it a bit of a lottery. However, it was a lottery we won.

Congratulations to the men who took the field.

I'm told we now have a series of 5 weeks of home games at the Lower Campus Uni of Tas Rugby Ground, off Sandy Bay Road, so your time will be well spent during this end of the winter running into spring, enjoying the game, a sausage from the grill, and a beer from the bar.

Saturday the 15th August at 3pm we meet Devonport at Uni ground. Coach Matt Jensen tells me they are last year premiers. That means they are no better than us this year. They have a big pack, so we must protect ball, and keep ownership.

As the ball spins out for the try scorers to grapple - Devonport number 10, Mark Mio will face our Harry Jensen, who has been in fine form, and will make for an entertaining recurrent contest.

The match will be on Duff TV - 

Return of a hard hitting number 7 for Uni will improve our push and protection.

The match plan (keep this under your hat) is as simple as 'come out firing on all cylinders, take the early breaks, get ahead and stay ahead - maintenance of position from a good start'.

As I understand the roster now, Uni are in Division 1, and face Devonport (heavy scrum), Taroona (demonstrated good application and predictable winning capability), Glenorchy (surprised with a win at Eady St, and should be knocked off when they play at Uni), Harlequins  (less than they have been in recent years and Hobart (whom you will recall, only just took out the match a fortnight ago at their home ground).

Second Division is Easts/Quins, Taroona II, Burnie, and Launceston. 

What is clear is that is a lot of good rugby being played, and the physical fatigue from Covid 19 is encouraging more to get up and enjoy life, on the field, watching or participating - 

for entrainment, a few photos from history

The 1990 (res 1) team under Coach Mark Smith

"Lard" Eldridge and Simon Taskunas, legends in their on mind - on the bus trip to Devonport or Burnie in 1990

Winning the trophy - Premiership, is seriously a time of a great moment, to be savoured from a young man's energetic best for the rest of his life. Here, we have Nick "Whopper" Dunstan, captain of the Uni team receiving the Premiership shield from TRU President Alan Bray - back in the 1990's

This is what beats inside you. Whether it feels good, or irritates you, it is what literally, physically, metaphorically and philosophically grows whilst you play rugby, and helps you through the vicissitudes of life from then on

This (above), from the 50th Anniversary of the TURUFC, at Uni Ground, we put together a team to play our original combatants, Harlequins, also founded in the same year in Hobart - 1933. 

Below: the Uni team celebrating the 50th year - a scratch team of all those who wished to play - enjoyed the test

 Above: Bar Room Rugby, from recollection, during the 1980s, at the Elizabeth Town Pub, on the way back from Devonport: Tim Cooper, Keith Ohlsen, Andrew Roberts, Lard Eldridge and Frank Brown. All the better at the time for the game they had that day

See you on the side of the paddock on Saturday

Cheers; Phil Kimber.