By GARY FRY
IN NEW England Rugby Union on Saturday, Guyra came up against the Armidale City Blues at their home ground, Moran Oval. Armidale thrashed Guyra 33-0.
It was a case of speed, skill and experience triumphing over brute force. The Guyra side had a clear size advantage, yet when it came to getting points on the board, Armidale ran like a comparatively well-oiled machine, particularly down the wings.
Half-time saw the score at 20-0. Soon into the second half, Armidale’s Adam Croft nailed three points from a penalty. Then, Nicola Furlan scored a try in the corner and Croft converted.
Armidale captain, Mitch Pardy said that they were pushed by the physical Guyra side. He said that the New England Rugby competition was looking good this year, with a “level playing field” making games highly competitive.
Guyra captain Tim Foster conceded his team needed to work discipline as well as fitness. A number of yellow and red cards were issued to Guyra players, generally for dangerous tackles, such as Luke Barton, who was sent off for a head-high tackle. The aggressively physical nature of the game took its toll and tempers were boiling over into the odd altercation in the final 10 minutes.
