Date: Saturday, April 21, 2002
Box Score
Philadelphia-Whitemarsh 7 (1 try, Koroitamana; 1 convertion, Crowe)
Belmont Shore 30 (4 tries; 2 convertions; 2 penalty goals)
Referee: Steve Verna

CONSHOHOCKEN, PA – In high-level rugby, speed kills.

Philadelphia-Whitemarsh learned that the hard way Sunday afternoon when U.S. Rugby Super League power Belmont Shore and its high-paced crew of backs visited A.A. Garthwaite Stadium.

Much as they had the week before at Aspen, Philadelphia-Whitemarsh’s front eight pushed around the opposing pack, stealing at least a half-dozen scrums and dominating the lineouts.

But when Belmont Shore was able to spin the ball to its backs the visitors from Los Angeles found gaps in the Philadelphia-Whitmarsh defense and exploited them.

Belmont Shore got on the board first, picking-up a ball lost by Philadelphia-Whitemarsh outside center Vaughn Crowe in the tackle and spinning it out to the wing, who dotted down in the corner. The conversion went wide, and with nine minutes off the clock, Belmont Shore was ahead 5-0.

Philadelphia-Whitemarsh, directed by flyhalf and head coach David Niu (Aston, Pa.), countered by driving down the field and inside Belmont Shore’s 22-meter line. In the 17th minute the home side appeared to score a try on a perfectly executed driven lineout, but the referee ruled the ball was held up.

Philadelphia-Whitemarsh won the ensuing scrum and forced a penalty, which scrumhalf Anasa Koroitamana (Wayne, Pa.) tapped and carried in himself for the try. Crowe’s convertion put Philadelphia-Whitemarsh up 7-5.

Belmont Shore would answer with a try of its own just four minutes later on another wide ball that was dotted down in the corner. The missed convertion left the visitors up 10-7.

Belmont Shore tallied two penalty goals before the end of the half, upping its lead to 16-7 before going into the locker rooms.

A light drizzle during the second half didn’t seem to effect Belmont Shore’s ball handling, as the backs added two more tries – both converted. While Philadelphia-Whitemarsh made several forays into Belmont Shore territory, it couldn’t muster another score, and at the final whistle the score read 30-7 in favor of the visitors.

Philadelphia-Whitemarsh saw particularly strong performances from its second-row. Twenty-six-year-old Tyson Campbell (Wilmington, DE) stepped up his game for the second consecutive week with some powerful runs and excellent defense, proving he’s only getting better with Super League experience. Meanwhile, veteran Matt Winters, 33, of Wynnwood, Pa. showed he’s still a force to be reckoned with in the trenches.

For his inspiring performance on the day, Winters was named the Tetley’s English Ale Man-of-the-Match.

Philadelphia-Whitemarsh concludes its U.S. Rugby Super League schedule this Saturday against Old Blues in San Francisco, CA.

Philadelphia-Whitemarsh Roster

1 Dair DiRemiggio (West Chester)
2 Sam Fiorelli (Yardley)
3 George Sucher (Conshohocken)
4 Tyson Campbell (Wilmington)
5 Matt Winters (Wynnwood)
6 Greg Wolfle (Lansdale)
7 Andrey Biryukov (Cherry Hill, NJ)
8 Jim Brill (Philadelphia)
9 Anasa Koroitamana (Wayne)
10 David Niu (Aston)
11 Fred Backhaus (Langhorne)
12 Jeff Preston (Philadelphia)
13 Vaughn Crowe (Blue Bell)
14 Brian Fischel (Lansdale)
15 Louis Tulio (Blue Bell)

Substitutes: Matt Smith (King of Prussia), wing; Jack Dyer (Palmyra, NJ), lock; Zack Padgett (Levittown), flanker; Mark Sanders (Havertown), prop; Joe Cassidy (Wayne), flanker; Mike Badger (Phoenixville), flyhalf.

Michael Badger, Club Scribe