The WRC opened scoring with a Scott Martell penalty kick about 7 minutes into the game. Clinton answered with a penalty kick of their own about 10 minutes later. The heavy winds limited our ability to play the game wider than Clinton wanted to but the WRC added a Jeremy Smith try about 30 minutes into the first half. Some great team defense kept Clinton from answering back despite several opportunities. The half ended up with the WRC leading 8-3. The second half was a defensive struggle as both teams tried to compensate for the wind and much of the game was played in close. While this would normally suit Clinton's style the WRC defense was able to shut down their attack. Nic Tyson added a try about 10 minutes into the second half for the only additional scoring. The rest of the half was a typical WRC v Clinton toughman contest with lots of heavy hitting and solid defense. Final score WRC 13-3 Clinton.

Man of the match: None. Lots of great performances. A 15 man win.

Sunday: WRC vs Detroit

This game was played in much better conditions than Saturday. The WRC opened up fast and got a Cory Holmes try 10 minutes into the game. A Scott Martell penalty kick was added 3 minutes later giving the WRC a 8-0 lead. The WRC missed some other scoring chances and Detroit started to gain some momentum. Detroit scored a converted try 25 minutes into the half to close the gap. They continued to press the attack and added a second converted try before the half ended. Halftime score WRC 8-14 Detroit.

Detroit kept pressing their advantage but were not able to break the WRC defense until the 30 minute mark of the second half. The WRC kept pressing their attack but only managed a Nic Tyson try as time expired. Final score WRC 13-19 Detroit.

Man of the match: Same story as Saturday. The lapses were team lapses. The positives were evenly spread out among the players.

The end result is that we are in the Sweet 16 in Austin. This is further than the WRC has gone in many years but is not all that we set out to achieve. We have 3 weeks to improve our fitness and get players ready. While we played well in 2 tough games this weekend it will not be enough to play well and lose in Austin. Every game from now on is a must win. One lesson to take from the National Champions of 10 years ago is their refusal to lose. Those guys played in some tough games and refused to lose in the close ones. That is the attitude we need for Austin and for the Nationals in Colorado.

Results:
Midwest 1: Detroit Tradesmen
Midwest 2: Wisconsin Rugby Club
Midwest 3: Clinton Muddy River
Midwest 4: Rochester, NY