So, does 200 games for Ben mean he's twice as good as Dene? Or just willing to hang around dirty sweaty men more? Find out in next week's epic match up between our team and guys who play on the other team.
Homoerotic joking aside, congratulations Ben on 200 games. Still carving up the opposition like a sunday roast.

We decided that there may be a chance we not beat Belfast later on in the round, and that to cement our position on the standings table, we must beat Linwood today. Very easy to say in the sheds before the fact, but not so easy out on the wind swept plains of North Hagley Park Number 1 Field. Linwood knew what we knew which was a win was essential to advance or at the very least, to remain in the table position, and they started as they had planned. Arranged a dodgy ref and came out firing.

Early on, Flannel was denied an easy try (video evidence on file) and Linwood came back with their own 7 pointer. It then became a game of attrition with tit for tat points scoring up until the half time time whistle.

Sounds like a hard game so far. Just ask me about how many head high tackles on Flannel there were and the answer may surprise you. Over 50. I think.
Lots of their boys in the bin and lots more Canardlyesque bleating from their sideline about infringements both real and imagined. Not a good display of refereeing ability. Sometime strict adherence to our own imaginary rulebook can be bad for the game.

It wasn't all doom and gloom however. Our forwards systematically demolished theirs in lineouts, scrums and that thing where lots of forwards hug each other while moving in a big pile towards the try line. Gus & Dqn both got tries from that move. Someone needs to come up with a name for it. Cam slotted 50% of the conversions and got a penalty too ending the half with a 4 point deficit.

Chief and Webby and Alex gave us a good talking to and shit at the break and the second half started with very similar things happening as they did in the first. Lots of head highs, this time from us and still more bleating from the Green & Black sideline. #FUS repeated the try scoring from the first and Cam repeated his conversion and penalty things.

From the players perspective, a good hard hard game; from the spectators perspective, an awful game played under awful pedantry officiating but from a results perspective, one which did the job nicely.

New Boy Jezza wanted me to announce that he will be doing his New Boy shout next week.