Give Rugby a Try: The NARC (Interactive)

[bbgunn]

I haven’t had a good track record lately with my dynasties. I’m hoping this one will change that.

With the Rugby World Cup going on in New Zealand right now, and my interest in rugby having increased since moving to Japan eight years ago, I’ve decided to do a rugby union dynasty, with a league based in North America. I’ve developed a simple rugby union spreadsheet simulator. You give it two teams, plus their relative strengths, and it spits out not only the final score, but a sort of play-by-play, so you know how a game unfolded. I’ll use that for this dynasty.

I want this dynasty to be easy, with not too much work, in order to give it a chance to last. However, I do want to have some fun with it. My idea is to make a rugby union competition, sim each game, and give a brief report on it, while embellishing it with a few details to make it interesting.

The simulator does tell you what players (by position, not by name) scored tries (equivalent to touchdowns in American football), conversions, and penalties. However, it does not automatically compile individual statistics. I’m not that great at spreadsheet formulas. I did a “dry run” of the dynasty to see how well I could keep track of individual stats manually, but it was just too tedious. I want this to be fun, not work. Therefore, you will see a few lines in the game reports about certain players scoring multiple tries or kicking the winning penalty goal, but I won’t keep track of season and career stats.

In lieu of that, I’ll try out a Player of the Week system I saw in a previous rugby league dynasty in this forum. Judges will pick out three notable players from the week’s games, with the best player getting three points, the second-best getting two points, etc. At the end of the season, the player with the most points will be the MVP.

Oh, and there will be coaches in this dynasty as well. Keeping track of coaching results (wins, losses, etc.) is relatively easy, so I’ll attempt to do that.

Anyway, hope you enjoy. The following links will give you an idea of what rugby union is, and a little bit of history behind the game in the U.S.

Rugby union - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_union
Rugby union in the U.S. - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_u..._United_States

[bbgunn]

Autumn 1995. Rugby union had just gone professional around the world. New competitions, such as the Super 12 in the southern hemisphere, and the Heineken Cup in the northern hemisphere, had started up. It was no different in North America, where a group of Ivy League-educated businessmen decided to get in on the fun. Why couldn’t rugby work in football-mad America, their reasoning went. It's like football with no pads, plastic helmets, or face masks! Of course, there's no forward pass, either, but surely there are still those that appreciate hard-nosed running football without all the finesse. And with the sport turning professional, they reasoned, an American league could attract top players from around the world, not to mention American athletes who might otherwise choose a baseball, football or basketball career.

The North American Rugby Conference, or the NARC for short, was founded in November 1995, with Delmar Scrivens, a prominent Yale graduate who as a university student played rugby during a stay abroad in England, named the first commissioner. The NARC quickly began looking for franchises to play in their league, beginning in March 1996. Their goal was to have ten teams in the first season, and the target markets were eight rugby union “hotbeds” in the United States (New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Bay Area), plus two more teams in another North American rugby hotbed, Canada. The season would run alongside that of baseball’s, so baseball stadiums were out of the question. The NARC’s strategy was to rent football stadiums, which were not used in the spring or early summer. The league hoped that they would make enough money for teams to build their own stadiums in the future.

The West Coast targets quickly joined the league, as owners and stadiums with real grass were found for L.A., San Diego and San Francisco. Chicago also joined up fairly quickly. Other targets, however, were not so easy. For example, the NARC desperately wanted a team in the U.S.’s largest city and TV market, New York. The plan was to play at Giants Stadium. However, it turned out that there was a rival sports league also starting up at the same time – Major League Soccer. The New York/New Jersey Metrostars had already secured rights to play at the stadium, and the NARC was not about to fight for home dates with an MLS team. The NARC encountered similar problems in Washington, D.C., and Boston as well. In addition, no suitable stadium with real grass was found in Philadelphia.

Despite all of the problems, the NARC managed to meet their goal of ten teams in its inaugural season. The following posts will take a brief look at each of the teams, in order of their admittance to the league.

[bbgunn]

LOS ANGELES SHARKS
Stadium: Memorial Coliseum
Head Coach: William Ready, USA (54)

losangelesuni.png

With several prestigious amateur rugby union clubs in the L.A. Area, such as Belmont Shore and Santa Monica, it was no surprise that Los Angeles was awarded the first NARC franchise in December 1995. They subsequently hired the United States national team coach, William Ready, to lead the Sharks. The team colors of sky blue and dark red are a nod to L.A.’s two major universities, UCLA and USC.

[bbgunn]

SAN DIEGO MISSION
Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium
Head Coach: Fletcher Barton, AUS (47)

sandiegouni.png

San Diego is another area with a tradition of amateur rugby. The NARC team’s nickname comes from Old Mission Beach RFC, who are nicknamed The Missionaries. One of the Mission’s owners used to work in the baseball Padres’ front office, and suggested the old Padres colors of brown and yellow for the rugby club.

[bbgunn]

GOLDEN GATE STORMERS
Stadium: Stanford Stadium (Palo Alto, CA)
Head Coach: Kyler Eccleston, NZL (49)

gguni.png

The Stormers completed the California hat trick in December 1995 with the third NARC franchise. Golden Gate (not to be confused with Golden State, as in the NBA Warriors) is coached by a former New Zealand international player.

[bbgunn]

CHICAGO LEGENDS
Stadium: Soldier Field
Head Coach: Dave Waterman, AUS (50)

chiuni.png

Chicago was the next team, after the California clubs, to join the NARC, doing so on Christmas Eve 1995. The black uniforms are a nod to New Zealand’s All-Blacks (albeit with a little red thrown in). Despite that, the team hired an Australian head coach.

[bbgunn]

BOSTON BEACONS
Stadium: Harvard Stadium
Head Coach: Paddy Moriarty, IRL (58)

bosuni.png

The Boston Beacons ownership group organized as fast as their counterparts in California, however they had trouble locating a suitable stadium. Their first choice, Foxboro Stadium, slipped away thanks to the new MLS team, the New England Revolution. So they reached a deal with Harvard University to play in their stadium. Originally the owners, who are huge Celtics fans, wanted green and white for the team colors. However, to show thanks to Harvard, white was swapped with crimson.

[bbgunn]

CAPITAL CITY DRAGONS
Stadium: Byrd Stadium, College Park, MD
Head Coach: Gus Gardener, USA (48)

ccuni.png

As was the case in Boston, the Dragons had hopes to play in RFK Stadium, but thanks to D.C. United of the MLS, Capital City will have to play their games outside of the district. It’s only fitting that the team representing America’s capital hired an American coach.

[bbgunn]

EDMONTON MASHERS
Stadium: Commonwealth Stadium
Head Coach: Roger Bagley, NZL (51)

edmuni.png

The NARC originally wanted two franchises in Canada, preferably in Toronto and Vancouver. But locating sizable grass arenas proved to be impossible. The best option was Edmonton, which joined in January 1996. It remains to be seen if the Mashers can attract the support of rugby union fans around western Canada.

[bbgunn]

TEXAS HARLEQUINS
Stadium: Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX
Head Coach: Pete Holme, ENG (45)

texasuni.png

Having secured seven franchises, and with a New York-based franchise still in the works, the NARC decided to place their final two teams in areas unserved or underserved by major league sports. The first of the two was the Texas Harlequins, located in Austin. They will play in massive Memorial Stadium, home of the Texas Longhorns. As was the case in Boston, to show thanks, the Harlequins made orange one of the team’s colors.

[bbgunn]

VIRGINIA STARS
Stadium: William “Dick” Price Stadium, Norfolk, VA
Head Coach: Wiremu Wilson, NZL (39)

vauni.png

There was speculation that this franchise would go to Las Vegas or the Carolinas, but the NARC pulled a surprise when they put a team in the Hampton Roads area. Virginia will be coached by the youngest head coach in the NARC.

[bbgunn]

NEW JERSEY KNIGHTS
Stadium: Rutgers Stadium (Piscataway, NJ)
Head Coach: Graham Van Leeuwenhoek, RSA (48)

njuni.png

The deadline for teams to join the NARC’s inaugural season was January 31st, 1996. With nine teams lined up by January 20th, the NARC put all of its efforts towards putting a franchise in the U.S.’s top television market. However, there was not a suitable, non-baseball, grass stadium to be found in the city. At the last minute, the NARC and the New York ownership group reached a deal with Rutgers University for the use of their stadium – a bit far from New York City, but within reach. Political influences required that the team include “New Jersey” in their name, and the owners went above that, leaving “New York” out of the official name completely.

[bbgunn]

With the team intros out of the way, I’m going to make this dynasty interactive. You can be a player or a head coach. If you want to be a player, give me your player’s name, nationality, position, and the team you want to join. Your player’s age will automatically be 22 years old (fresh out of college) to allow for a long career. If you want to be a coach, give me your coach’s name, nationality, age, and the team you want to coach, and I’ll remove the respective coach above and put you in his place.

Of course, if I’m going to ask you to choose your own position, I should give you a quick breakdown of the positions in rugby union. You can find detailed information at Wikipedia (Rugby union positions), but for now, here is a quick and dirty guide to positions in rugby union, based on my own observations.

rugbyunionpositions.png

FORWARDS

#1 - Loosehead Prop
#2 - Hooker
#3 - Tighthead Prop
#4 and #5 – Locks
#6 – Blind Flanker
#7 – Open Flanker
#8 – Number 8

As you can tell from the distinct position titles, the forwards have specific duties (I’m too lazy to list them all – check the Wikipedia link above), but generally speaking, they have two jobs: (1) to fight for possession of the ball in what is called the scrum (this happens when the ball is put back in play after an infringement, etc.), and (2) play defense. These are the biggest, beefiest guys on the team. Loosely using an American football analogy, they are like your O-line and D-line put together. The forwards usually do not score tries, but they can and do, and you will see them sometimes take a ball after a teammate is tackled and quickly run with it to try to catch the opposition off guard. (And yes, Player #8's official position title is Number 8. How original.)

BACKS

#9 Scrum Half
The scrum half’s job is to get the ball from the forwards to his teammates in the backfield (usually the #10) after a scrum or a tackle. In other words, he’s “part-quarterback”; he takes the “hike”. The scrum half is also the first line of defense after the forwards, so he should be good at tackling.

#10 Fly Half
This is your “quarterback” in rugby union. This guy needs to be able to read the defense and make quick decisions on the field after receiving the ball. Should he pass the ball to the closest guy, or throw it out to a wing? Or should he just punt it? The fly half is also the best kicker. He will kick the conversions and penalty kicks, and when the ball is in play he just might attempt a drop goal for a quick three points (especially late in the game).

#11 Left Wing
#14 Right Wing
These are kind of like your wide receivers. These are the fastest guys on the field. Usually hovering near each touch line, once they get the ball the wings can turn the speed on and try to run around and past the defense. The wings, the main attacking players, can easily score a majority of a team’s tries, but they also create opportunities for the more inside players by opening the field a little. They are also like cornerbacks when playing defense.

#12 Inside Centre
#13 Outside Centre
These are kind of like your running backs. They usually attack straight down the middle of the field, and they have to be fast and strong. In most cases the fly half passes the ball to the centres, and the centre decides whether to run with it or pass it to the other centre or a wing. The centres are also like backup kickers. (Actually, since this is set mainly in the United States, I’m going to call them “centers” from now on.)

#15 Fullback
The player farthest back on the field, the fullback is the last line of defense if an opposition player breaks away with the ball. In that sense, he is like the safety. The fullback also fields kicks if the opposition decides to kick the ball down the field (usually when they have run out of opportunities). The fullback can score tries, but not as many as the wings, centers, and halves.

[MacroGuru]

Nick Thomas
US
Fullback
New Jersey

[bbgunn]

Thomas is in for the first season. Thanks!

[Young Drachma]

Missed this the first time around. Following!

Also...

Charles Munn
USA
Fly Half
New Jersey

[CrimsonFox]

Sandy Kemp
England
Golden Gate Stormers
Fly Half

[bbgunn]

Munn and Kemp are in.

I'll keep sign-ups open until Sunday, even though I will sim one, two, or maybe even three, weeks of action before that.

[larrymcg421]

Larry McGillicuddy
Left Wing
Ireland
New Jersey

[bbgunn]

I'll go ahead and put myself in the game.

Kuji Chagulia
Nation: USA
Position: Right Wing (#14)
Team: Virginia Stars

[bbgunn]

McGillicuddy is in as well.

Looks like the Knights are the team to beat here!

[Travis]

Jace Hunter
Canadian
Fly Half
Edmonton

[bbgunn]

Hunter is in.

[bbgunn]

The ten teams will be divided into two divisions (five teams each). They are:

Eastern Division
Boston Beacons
Capital City Dragons
Chicago Legends
New Jersey Knights
Virginia Stars

Western Division
Edmonton Mashers
Golden Gate Stormers
Los Angeles Sharks
San Diego Mission
Texas Harlequins

Teams will play a twelve-game schedule. They will play the other four teams in their division twice, home and away. They will also play one game each against four of the teams from the other division. Each team will have six home games and six away games.

Games will be played mainly on Saturdays, but there will be a Friday night rugby game every week. NBC, still fuming from losing NFL games to Fox, agreed to broadcast the Friday night game and one Saturday afternoon game nationally, while the rest will (hopefully) be broadcast by local and regional stations. The NBC Saturday game will be decided on a week-to-week basis.

The top three teams in each division will make the playoffs. The division winners will get first-round byes, while the other two teams in each division will play each other, with the winners playing the division winners in the division finals. The two teams left will battle in the Rugby Bowl, the first of which will take place at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles.

The standings will use a points system, similar to those used in rugby competitions around the world. A win will earn a team 4 points, and a tie 2 points. In addition, teams can earn bonus points. If a team scores four or more tries in a game, they will get an extra point in the standings. If a losing team loses by seven points or fewer, they will get a bonus point. So, for example, a losing team can get 0, 1, or 2 points in the standings for a game, while a winning team can get 4 or 5 points.

[bbgunn]

Week 1 – March 15-16
Friday
Boston at San Diego (NBC)

Saturday
Los Angeles at Virginia
Golden Gate at Chicago
New Jersey at Texas (NBC)
Capital City at Edmonton

Week 2 – March 22-23
Friday
Capital City at Los Angeles (NBC)

Saturday
Texas at Boston
Edmonton at New Jersey
Chicago at San Diego
Virginia at Golden Gate

Week 3 – March 29-30
Friday
Chicago at Virginia (NBC)

Saturday
Boston at Edmonton
Capital City at New Jersey
Golden Gate at San Diego
Los Angeles at Texas

Week 4 – April 5-6
Friday
Capital City at Boston (NBC)

Saturday
San Diego at Virginia
Edmonton at Texas
Golden Gate at Los Angeles
New Jersey at Chicago

Week 5 – April 12-13
Friday
San Diego at Texas (NBC)

Saturday
New Jersey at Golden Gate
Boston at Virginia
Edmonton at Los Angeles
Capital City at Chicago

Week 6 – April 19-20
Friday
New Jersey at Capital City (NBC)

Saturday
Los Angeles at Boston
San Diego at Edmonton
Golden Gate at Texas
Virginia at Chicago

Week 7 – April 26-27
Friday
San Diego at Los Angeles (NBC)

Saturday
Texas at Capital City
Golden Gate at Edmonton
Boston at Chicago
New Jersey at Virginia

Week 8 – May 3-4
Friday
Virginia at Boston (NBC)

Saturday
San Diego at New Jersey
Chicago at Capital City
Texas at Edmonton
Los Angeles at Golden Gate

Week 9 – May 10-11
Friday
Texas at Golden Gate (NBC)

Saturday
Chicago at Los Angeles
Boston at New Jersey
Virginia at Capital City
Edmonton at San Diego

Week 10 – May 17-18
Friday
Los Angeles at Edmonton (NBC)

Saturday
Golden Gate at Capital City
Chicago at Boston
Virginia at New Jersey
Texas at San Diego

Week 11 – May 24-25
Friday
Virginia at Texas (NBC)

Saturday
Boston at Capital City
Chicago at New Jersey
Edmonton at Golden Gate
Los Angeles at San Diego

Week 12 – May 31-June 1
Friday
San Diego at Golden Gate (NBC)

Saturday
Edmonton at Chicago
Texas at Los Angeles
New Jersey at Boston
Capital City at Virginia

Playoffs First Round – June 8
Game 1 - Eastern #3 at Eastern #2 (NBC)
Game 2 – Western #3 at Western #2 (NBC)

Playoffs Division Finals – June 15
Game 1 winner at Eastern #1 (NBC)
Game 2 winner at Western #1 (NBC)

Rugby Bowl I – June 22
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (NBC)

[MacroGuru]

I'm definitely interested in this by the way...I love Rugby, been looking for a good sim...there isn't one...I was going to do a dynasty with the table top rules for crash tackle...

[Coffee Warlord]

Rob Nielsen
Left Wing
USA
Chicago

[Alf]

Alf Linster
Scrum Half
France
Stormers

[bbgunn]

Originally Posted by MacroGuru

I'm definitely interested in this by the way...I love Rugby, been looking for a good sim...there isn't one...I was going to do a dynasty with the table top rules for crash tackle...

Whoa, I didn't know about Crash Tackle until now! That's probably easier and more interesting than making a rugby spreadsheet sim. Oh well.

I bought Pro Rugby Manager a few years ago during a trip abroad. But just as I was starting to get into it, I found that the game installs some intrusive spyware when you install the game, and it's very hard to remove it from your system. So it's been in my closet ever since, and there seems to be no other comparable rugby game out there.

Thanks for following!

[bbgunn]

Nielsen and Linster are in.

I'll get Week 1 simmed and up today, and if I have time, Week 2 as well. That'll probably be it until Monday, as I usually have very little computer time on the weekends.

Of course, you can still get in the first season if you sign up by Sunday.

[bbgunn]

San Diego 28, Boston 18

SAN DIEGO – A crowd of around 10,000 showed up at Qualcomm Stadium on Friday night, curious about what American professional rugby would look like. Many more across the nation watched live on NBC. They watched a good match, and in San Diego it certainly helped that the home team won the game.

The Friday night matchup between the home team, the San Diego Mission (1-0), and the visiting team, the Boston Beacons (0-1), was dominated by one player: San Diego fly half Richard Benner. The 31-year-old veteran of English rugby scored an amazing three of the Mission’s four tries on the night! Not only that, he made all four of his conversion kicks. All together, Benner directly accounted for 23 of San Diego’s 28 points.

“Richard was the man for us tonight,” said Mission head coach Fletcher Barton (age 47). “But a lot of credit goes to the fans. They really supported us tonight, and Richard wanted to put on a show for them.”

Benner’s Australian teammate, outside center Brendan Muir, will go down in history as the first player to score points in a NARC game with his try in the 5th minute.

San Diego gets the maximum five points in the standings – four for the win, and one more for scoring four or more tries.

TOTAL TRIES: Boston 2, San Diego 4
CONVERSIONS: Boston 1/2, San Diego 4/4
PENALTIES: Boston 2/2, San Diego 0/0
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
5' - San Diego - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #13).  7-0 San Diego
7' - Boston - no try*.  7-0 San Diego
12' - San Diego - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #10).  14-0 San Diego
17' - Boston - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #15).  14-5 San Diego
24' - Boston - PENALTY GOAL .  14-8 San Diego
36' - San Diego - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #10).  21-8 San Diego
48' - Boston - no try .  21-8 San Diego
54' - San Diego - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #10).  28-8 San Diego
58' - Boston - PENALTY GOAL .  28-11 San Diego
69' - Boston - no try .  28-11 San Diego
80' - Boston - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #5).  28-18 San Diego

* - In order to add a bit of randomness and allow weaker teams to upset stronger teams once in a while, sometimes the spreadsheet simulation will spit out a line in the play-by-play that says “no try.” Think of it this way: the team put together a good attack and came very close to the tryline, but somehow lost possession of the ball.

[bbgunn]

Los Angeles 26, Virginia 12

NORFOLK, VA – Four different players scored tries for Los Angeles as the visiting Sharks ruined the debut of the home team, the Virginia Stars. L.A. (1-0) won by 14 points. As was probably expected, a very small crowd came out to support the Stars (0-1). Virginia right wing Kuji Chagulia failed to get on the scoresheet.

TOTAL TRIES: Los Angeles 4, Virginia 2
CONVERSIONS: Los Angeles 3/4, Virginia 1/2
PENALTIES: Los Angeles 0/1, Virginia 0/0
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
1' - Virginia - no try .  0-0 tie score
10' - Los Angeles - no try .  0-0 tie score
12' - Los Angeles - Penalty Goal Missed .  0-0 tie score
22' - Los Angeles - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #9).  7-0 Los Angeles
34' - Los Angeles - no try .  7-0 Los Angeles
40' - Los Angeles - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #10).  12-0 Los Angeles
50' - Virginia - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #3).  12-7 Los Angeles
58' - Los Angeles - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #4).  19-7 Los Angeles
61' - Virginia - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #9).  19-12 Los Angeles
65' - Los Angeles - no try .  19-12 Los Angeles
77' - Los Angeles - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #13).  26-12 Los Angeles

Chicago 26, Golden Gate 14

CHICAGO – Chicago left wing Rob Nielsen scored two tries as the Legends (1-0) won their debut 26-14 over the visiting Golden Gate Stormers (0-1) in front of nearly 6,000 fans at Soldier Field. Stormers fly half Sandy Kemp of England made both of his conversions, but missed a penalty kick early on in the game. Stormers scrum half Alf Linster played well, but did not get any points.

TOTAL TRIES: Golden Gate 2, Chicago 4
CONVERSIONS: Golden Gate 2/2, Chicago 3/4
PENALTIES: Golden Gate 0/1, Chicago 0/1
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
1' - Chicago - Penalty Goal Missed .  0-0 tie score
6' - Golden Gate - Penalty Goal Missed .  0-0 tie score
15' - Golden Gate - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  7-0 Golden Gate
23' - Chicago - no try .  7-0 Golden Gate
30' - Chicago - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  7-7 tie score
33' - Chicago - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #15).  14-7 Chicago
44' - Golden Gate - no try .  14-7 Chicago
49' - Golden Gate - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #5).  14-14 tie score
58' - Chicago - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #10).  19-14 Chicago
65' - Chicago - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  26-14 Chicago
72' - Golden Gate - no try .  26-14 Chicago

New Jersey 50, Texas 3

AUSTIN, TX – 8,000 curious Texans came to Texas Memorial Stadium in the state’s capital to get a taste of professional rugby union. They went home extremely disappointed, as the home Harlequins (0-1) were thoroughly dismantled in their debut 50-3 against the visiting New Jersey Knights (1-0). The Knights scored an amazing seven tries on the afternoon – three of them by the same player, Irish left wing Larry McGillicuddy.

Fans got an indication of how the game was going to go in the tenth minute, when McGillicuddy scored his first try. After a tackle deep in their own territory, Knights fly half Charles Munn received the ball from his scrum half, then faked a quick pass to the right. The defense, completely fooled, shifted in that direction, leaving McGillicuddy wide open on the left flank. Munn through the ball to him, and McGillicuddy did the rest with his speed, running nearly 75 yards to the in-goal area. Texas head coach Pete Holme was irate, and could be seen throwing his headset down in anger. And remember, that was just the tenth minute.

Munn had a good day as well, making six of seven conversion attempts as well as his only penalty kick, and he added a try for good measure.

TOTAL TRIES: New Jersey 7, Texas 0
CONVERSIONS: New Jersey 6/7, Texas 0/0
PENALTIES: New Jersey 1/1, Texas 1/2
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
10' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  7-0 New Jersey
21' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #13).  14-0 New Jersey
26' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #1 ).  21-0 New Jersey
34' - Texas - PENALTY GOAL .  21-3 New Jersey
41' - Texas - Penalty Goal Missed .  21-3 New Jersey
48' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  28-3 New Jersey
50' - Texas - no try .  28-3 New Jersey
61' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #10).  35-3 New Jersey
64' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  42-3 New Jersey
65' - New Jersey - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #4).  47-3 New Jersey
74' - New Jersey - PENALTY GOAL.  50-3 New Jersey

Edmonton 37, Capital City 3

EDMONTON – Edmonton fly half Jace Hunter scored two tries and accounted for 12 more points through conversions and penalties, as the Mashers (1-0) beat down the Capital City Dragons (0-1) 37-3 on a cold Saturday afternoon. Despite the weather, the game attracted the largest crowd of the NARC weekend (11,000).

Capital City's only points came in the second minute of the game with a penalty goal. It was literally all Edmonton from that point on.

TOTAL TRIES: Capital City 0, Edmonton 5
CONVERSIONS: Capital City 0/0, Edmonton 3/5
PENALTIES: Capital City 1/1, Edmonton 2/4
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
2' - Capital City - PENALTY GOAL .  3-0 Capital City
10' - Edmonton - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #10).  5-3 Edmonton
11' - Edmonton - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #1 ).  10-3 Edmonton
15' - Edmonton - no try .  10-3 Edmonton
22' - Capital City - no try .  10-3 Edmonton
26' - Edmonton - Penalty Goal Missed .  10-3 Edmonton
27' - Edmonton - PENALTY GOAL .  13-3 Edmonton
36' - Edmonton - no try .  13-3 Edmonton
47' - Edmonton - PENALTY GOAL.  16-3 Edmonton
53' - Edmonton - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  23-3 Edmonton
64' - Edmonton - Penalty Goal Missed .  23-3 Edmonton
67' - Edmonton - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #10).  30-3 Edmonton
69' - Edmonton - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #14).  37-3 Edmonton

[bbgunn]

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

There were many good performances in Week 1, but none as amazing as that of San Diego’s Richard Benner, who won Player of the Week honors. We were told that Chicago’s Rob Nielsen barely edged out Edmonton’s Jace Hunter for third place in voting.

1st place (3 pts in the MVP standings) – San Diego #10 Richard Benner
2nd place (2 pts) – New Jersey #11 Larry McGillicuddy
3rd place (1 pt) – Chicago #11 Rob Nielsen

NARC STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 1

EASTERN	        GP	W	L	T	Pts	BP	PF	PA	Pdiff
New Jersey	1	1	0	0	5	1	50	3	47
Chicago	        1	1	0	0	5	1	26	14	12
Boston	        1	0	1	0	0	0	18	28	-10
Virginia	1	0	1	0	0	0	12	26	-14
Capital City	1	0	1	0	0	0	3	37	-34
									
WESTERN	        GP	W	L	T	Pts	BP	PF	PA	Pdiff
Edmonton	1	1	0	0	5	1	37	3	34
Los Angeles	1	1	0	0	5	1	26	12	14
San Diego	1	1	0	0	5	1	28	18	10
Golden Gate	1	0	1	0	0	0	14	26	-12
Texas	        1	0	1	0	0	0	3	50	-47

All of the winning teams in Week 1 earned the maximum five points! No losing team earned any bonus points. Talk about beatdowns!

WEEK 2 GAMES

Friday (March 22)
Capital City at Los Angeles (NBC)

Saturday (March 23)
Texas at Boston
Edmonton at New Jersey (NBC)
Chicago at San Diego
Virginia at Golden Gate

NOTE: Bold indicates an FOFCer team.

[CrimsonFox]

Go Sandy!

[SirFozzie]

I would have gone with "The Power of Trys Compel You!"

[bbgunn]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

I would have gone with "The Power of Trys Compel You!"

I like that one. Should of thought of that myself!

[Coffee Warlord]

Excuse me NBC, we need to talk about your coverage plans.

Mister Nielsen is the hottest talent in this league, and should be televised as much as possible. In fact, you should just schedule 24 hours of the Chicago Legends to ensure Mister Nielsen's visibility. Ratings guaranteed.

[Young Drachma]

Every day is Munnday (tm)

[bbgunn]

Sharks withstand late Dragon surge to win

LOS ANGELES – Sharks left wing Sammy Reilly scored two tries as Los Angeles (2-0) fought off a late comeback by the visiting Capital City Dragons (0-2) to win 21-14 in front of nearly 12,000 people at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Friday night. The mood in the Shark locker room after the game, however, was not exactly celebratory, as the Sharks realized that they were lucky. Capital City had four great opportunities to score tries, getting deep into L.A. territory each time – only to lose the ball through penalties and other turnovers.

“The game could have been a lot different tonight,” said L.A. head coach William Ready. “We need to shore up our defense if we want to continue to win.”

After being down 14-0 at the half, the Dragons scored two tries in the second half to tie it up, only to allow Los Angeles to score a try of their own with five minutes remaining. The Dragons do leave L.A. with a bonus point after losing by only seven points.

FINAL SCORE: Capital City 14, Los Angeles 21
TOTAL TRIES: Capital City 2, Los Angeles 3
CONVERSIONS: Capital City 2/2, Los Angeles 3/3
PENALTIES: Capital City 0/0, Los Angeles 0/1
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
7' - Los Angeles - Penalty Goal Missed .  0-0 tie score
13' - Los Angeles - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  7-0 Los Angeles
22' - Capital City - no try .  7-0 Los Angeles
28' - Capital City - no try .  7-0 Los Angeles
29' - Los Angeles - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  14-0 Los Angeles
40' - Capital City - no try .  14-0 Los Angeles
47' - Capital City - no try .  14-0 Los Angeles
54' - Capital City - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #4).  14-7 Los Angeles
63' - Capital City - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  14-14 tie score
75' - Los Angeles - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #12).  21-14 Los Angeles

[bbgunn]

Beacons dominate Harlequins in home debut

BOSTON – In a battle of winless teams, the host Boston Beacons looked much better than the visiting Texas Harlequins. Making their home debut at Harvard Stadium, the Beacons (1-1) had no problems with Texas (0-2), winning 43-7. Boston could have broken 50 points, or more, if not for some costly turnovers on three long attacking drives. Instead, the Beacons settle for six tries. Boston’s ancient Italian fullback Simone Endrizzi was surprisingly the man of the match. The 41-year-old scored two tries for his team. Another Italian, fly half Durante Zetticci, made five of his six conversions for Boston.

FINAL SCORE: Texas 7, Boston 43
TOTAL TRIES: Texas 1, Boston 6
CONVERSIONS: Texas 1/1, Boston 5/6
PENALTIES: Texas 0/1, Boston 1/3
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
7' - Boston - PENALTY GOAL .  3-0 Boston
13' - Boston - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #12).  10-0 Boston
15' - Texas - Penalty Goal Missed .  10-0 Boston
23' - Boston - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #15).  17-0 Boston
35' - Texas - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #14).  17-7 Boston
37' - Boston - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #11).  22-7 Boston
45' - Boston - no try .  22-7 Boston
57' - Boston - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #13).  29-7 Boston
62' - Boston - no try .  29-7 Boston
63' - Boston - Penalty Goal Missed .  29-7 Boston
64' - Boston - no try .  29-7 Boston
73' - Boston - Penalty Goal Missed .  29-7 Boston
74' - Boston - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #1 ).  36-7 Boston
80' - Boston - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #15).  43-7 Boston

Knights win big again

PISCATAWAY, NJ – At 8,000 fans, the attendance was not quite what the New Jersey Knights were hoping for when they made their debut at Rutgers Stadium in Week 2. But if the Knights continue to play the way they’ve been playing, more fans will come. New Jersey (2-0) scored early and continued to score often as they beat the visiting Edmonton Mashers (1-1) 39-10.

New Jersey inside center Henry Grant led all try scorers with two tries, including an exciting run in the 22nd minute. Edmonton had just kicked off the ball after a New Jersey try. Knights fullback Nick Thomas took it and ran forward. Right before he was creamed by a Masher tackle, Thomas offloaded the ball to Grant, who found a seam and ran straight down the field for a try, electrifying the home crowd.

Knights left wing Larry McGillicuddy also had a try. Meanwhile, Knights fly half Charles Munn made four of five conversion attempts, as well as both of his penalty attempts. His Edmonton counterpart, Jace Hunter, was a perfect one-for-one in both conversions and penalties.

FINAL SCORE: Edmonton 10, New Jersey 39
TOTAL TRIES: Edmonton 1, New Jersey 5
CONVERSIONS: Edmonton 1/1, New Jersey 4/5
PENALTIES: Edmonton 1/1, New Jersey 2/2
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
10' - New Jersey - PENALTY GOAL .  3-0 New Jersey
21' - New Jersey - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #4).  8-0 New Jersey
22' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #12).  15-0 New Jersey
34' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #12).  22-0 New Jersey
38' - Edmonton - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  22-7 New Jersey
49' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #14).  29-7 New Jersey
56' - New Jersey - PENALTY GOAL .  32-7 New Jersey
57' - Edmonton - PENALTY GOAL .  32-10 New Jersey
67' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  39-10 New Jersey
76' - Edmonton - no try .  39-10 New Jersey

Mission shut out Legends

SAN DIEGO – Five different players scored tries for the Missions as San Diego (2-0) surprisingly put together the NARC’s first shutout, defeating the Chicago Legends (1-1) 32-0 at Qualcomm Stadium. Chicago’s only real scoring opportunity did not come until the 70th minute, with the game already out of hand.

FINAL SCORE: Chicago 0, San Diego 32
TOTAL TRIES: Chicago 0, San Diego 5
CONVERSIONS: Chicago 0/0, San Diego 2/5
PENALTIES: Chicago 0/0, San Diego 1/3
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
4' - San Diego - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #3).  5-0 San Diego
15' - San Diego - no try .  5-0 San Diego
20' - San Diego - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #9).  10-0 San Diego
24' - San Diego - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #13).  17-0 San Diego
32' - San Diego - Penalty Goal Missed .  17-0 San Diego
38' - San Diego - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #10).  22-0 San Diego
47' - San Diego - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  29-0 San Diego
59' - San Diego - Penalty Goal Missed .  29-0 San Diego
70' - Chicago - no try .  29-0 San Diego
71' - San Diego - PENALTY GOAL .  32-0 San Diego

Stars come back late, beat Stormers by two

PALO ALTO, CA – A relatively huge crowd – 13,600 fans – showed up at Stanford Stadium for the home debut of the Golden Gate Stormers. Unfortunately for them, they went home extremely disappointed after seeing their team (0-2) fall late to the visiting Virginia Stars (1-1) 27-25. Stars scrum half Nathan Sims led all try scorers with two.

Perhaps the difference in the game were the two missed penalty goals by Stormers fly half Sandy Kemp. With the score 25-19 in favor of Golden Gate, the young Englishman, who made two penalties early in the game, missed both wide right. The Stars took advantage, scoring a drop goal in the 75th minute, then adding the go-ahead try on the ensuing possession three minutes later.

FINAL SCORE: Virginia 27, Golden Gate 25
TOTAL TRIES: Virginia 4, Golden Gate 3
CONVERSIONS: Virginia 2/4, Golden Gate 2/3
PENALTIES: Virginia 0/0, Golden Gate 2/4
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
3' - Golden Gate - PENALTY GOAL .  3-0 Golden Gate
7' - Golden Gate - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #7).  10-0 Golden Gate
11' - Virginia - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #10).  10-7 Golden Gate
14' - Virginia - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #12).  12-10 Virginia
21' - Virginia - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #9).  19-10 Virginia
31' - Golden Gate - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #5).  19-15 Virginia
43' - Virginia - no try .  19-15 Virginia
45' - Golden Gate - PENALTY GOAL .  19-18 Virginia
54' - Golden Gate - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #14).  25-19 Golden Gate
65' - Golden Gate - Penalty Goal Missed .  25-19 Golden Gate
70' - Golden Gate - Penalty Goal Missed .  25-19 Golden Gate
75' - Virginia - DROP GOAL .  25-22 Golden Gate
78' - Virginia - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #9).  27-25 Virginia

[bbgunn]

WEEK 2 PLAYER OF THE WEEK

When an 41-year-old gets two tries in a game, that’s certainly worthy of weekly honors, but Boston’s Simone Endrizzi won Player of the Week because of some good tackling as well.

1st place (3 pts in the MVP standings) – Boston #15 Simone Endrizzi
2nd place (2 pts) – New Jersey #12 Henry Grant
3rd place (1 pt) – New Jersey #10 Charles Munn

NARC STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 2

EASTERN        	GP	W	L	T	Pts	BP	PF	PA	Pdiff
New Jersey	2	2	0	0	10	2	89	13	76
Boston	        2	1	1	0	5	1	61	35	26
Virginia	2	1	1	0	5	1	39	51	-12
Chicago	        2	1	1	0	5	1	26	46	-20
Capital City	2	0	2	0	1	1	17	58	-41
									
WESTERN	        GP	W	L	T	Pts	BP	PF	PA	Pdiff
San Diego	2	2	0	0	10	2	60	18	42
Los Angeles	2	2	0	0	9	1	47	26	21
Edmonton	2	1	1	0	5	1	47	42	5
Golden Gate	2	0	2	0	1	1	39	53	-14
Texas	        2	0	2	0	0	0	10	93	-83

After two weeks only New Jersey and San Diego have the maximum ten points possible in the standings. Sorry Texas has no points whatsoever, but they do have a nice -83 point differential.

WEEK 3 GAMES

Friday (March 29)
Chicago at Virginia (NBC)

Saturday (March 30)
Boston at Edmonton
Capital City at New Jersey
Golden Gate at San Diego (NBC)
Los Angeles at Texas

[Travis]

Oye, ideal week one and a harsh slap of reality in week two. Hopefully a home match in week three gets us going in a positive direction again.

[CrimsonFox]

Well THAT figures!

[Young Drachma]

JERSEY!

[Coffee Warlord]

Do you have any player stats or anything (like attributes, etc) that can be dumped out?

[CrimsonFox]

I may as well cheer for Coffee.

[bbgunn]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

Do you have any player stats or anything (like attributes, etc) that can be dumped out?

Unfortunately, it's a simple spreadsheet sim. There are no player attributes, just a rating for each team. It's completely random as to who scores tries, although they are weighted towards the wings and the centers, and to a lesser extent the other backs. I am always trying to think of how to improve it, but I don't have a lot of free time lately so the going is slow.

I still haven't yet figured out how to make the spreadsheet compile individual season and career stats automatically. That might be best done in some kind of database software like Access, which I know nothing about yet. Anyway, I'll keep at it, but unfortunately there won't be any in the first season... unless one of you wants to volunteer to keep track of stats!

[bbgunn]

Legends squeak by Stars for second win

NORFOLK, VA – It wasn’t the best of Friday night games, but for the Chicago Legends, a win is a win. Looking to erase the pain of getting blown out by the San Diego Mission in Week 2, the Legends’ defense played tremendously, while the offense – which scored the only points of the second half by either team – did just enough to beat the Virginia Stars 15-12. Chicago is now 2-1 on the year. Both of Chicago’s tries were scored by outside center Timotheus Langeler of South Africa.

The Stars (1-2) lost the game after giving up a lead late – this after coming from behind late in Week 2 to beat Golden Gate. Virginia is 0-2 at home – not likely to help the team attract fans from around Hampton Roads.

FINAL SCORE: Chicago 15, Virginia 12
TOTAL TRIES: Chicago 2, Virginia 2
CONVERSIONS: Chicago 1/2, Virginia 1/2
PENALTIES: Chicago 1/1, Virginia 0/1
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
8' - Virginia - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #14).  7-0 Virginia
19' - Chicago - PENALTY GOAL .  7-3 Virginia
20' - Chicago - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #13).  10-7 Chicago
32' - Virginia - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #11).  12-10 Virginia
39' - Virginia - Penalty Goal Missed .  12-10 Virginia
50' - Chicago - no try .  12-10 Virginia
59' - Chicago - no try .  12-10 Virginia
61' - Virginia - no try .  12-10 Virginia
73' - Chicago - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #13).  15-12 Chicago

[bbgunn]

Knights continue to roll, slay Dragons by 28

PISCATAWAY, NJ – The New Jersey Knights are looking like the best team in the NARC’s first season. For the second time in three games, the Knights (3-0) scored seven tries – three of them by right wing Noah Kidston, and two by left wing Larry McGillicuddy – as they proceeded to beat the visiting Capital City Dragons 43-15 in Eastern Division action.

Capital City (0-3) did not score any points until the 51st minute. In fact, opposing teams have scored a combined 10 first-half points in the first three weeks against New Jersey. This is a team that attacks early and often on offense while making big plays on defense. Amazing stuff for a franchise that joined the North American Rugby Conference at the last minute.

FINAL SCORE: Capital City 15, New Jersey 43
TOTAL TRIES: Capital City 2, New Jersey 7
CONVERSIONS: Capital City 1/2, New Jersey 4/7
PENALTIES: Capital City 1/2, New Jersey 0/0
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
3' - New Jersey - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #14).  5-0 New Jersey
5' - New Jersey - no try .  5-0 New Jersey
7' - Capital City - no try .  5-0 New Jersey
18' - New Jersey - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #11).  10-0 New Jersey
20' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #9).  17-0 New Jersey
22' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #13).  24-0 New Jersey
28' - New Jersey - no try .  24-0 New Jersey
33' - Capital City - Penalty Goal Missed .  24-0 New Jersey
38' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  31-0 New Jersey
44' - New Jersey - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #14).  38-0 New Jersey
51' - Capital City - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #11).  38-5 New Jersey
63' - Capital City - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #10).  38-12 New Jersey
64' - Capital City - PENALTY GOAL .  38-15 New Jersey
67' - New Jersey - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #14).  43-15 New Jersey
76' - New Jersey - no try .  43-15 New Jersey

Sharks struggle against Harlequins, lose first game

AUSTIN, TX – Texas scrum half and former French national team player Ansel Cuillerier scored two tries as the Harlequins (1-2) won their first game of the year by beating the previously undefeated Los Angeles Sharks (2-1) 29-20.

FINAL SCORE: Los Angeles 20, Texas 29
TOTAL TRIES: Los Angeles 2, Texas 5
CONVERSIONS: Los Angeles 2/2, Texas 2/5
PENALTIES: Los Angeles 2/3, Texas 0/0
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
9' - Texas - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #13).  5-0 Texas
15' - Los Angeles - PENALTY GOAL .  5-3 Texas
27' - Los Angeles - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #1 ).  10-5 Los Angeles
29' - Texas - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #9).  10-10 tie score
37' - Los Angeles - Penalty Goal Missed .  10-10 tie score
44' - Texas - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #9).  15-10 Texas
48' - Los Angeles - PENALTY GOAL.  15-13 Texas
54' - Texas - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #1 ).  22-13 Texas
58' - Los Angeles - no try .  22-13 Texas
61' - Los Angeles - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #3).  22-20 Texas
68' - Texas - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #11).  29-20 Texas
79' - Texas - no try .  29-20 Texas

Mashers manage to beat Beacons by one point

EDMONTON, AB – The game was not exactly pretty, but it was the definition of a hard-fought battle. Nearly 20,000 fans turned out to see the Edmonton Mashers (2-1) hold on to defeat the Boston Beacons (1-2) 19-18 at Commonwealth Stadium. Boston took a somewhat quick ten-point lead early on in the game, but Edmonton continued to fight hard and slowly inched their way to victory.

The play of the game came not long after the clock on the scoreboard went past 80:00. In rugby, the clock continues to tick until the ball is dead, and Boston were in the midst of their last attacking drive. They came within five yards of the tryline – within five yards of victory – only to have the ball stripped from their ball carrier by an Edmonton defender. The ball rolled out of bounds, and the game was over.

Edmonton fly half Jace Hunter scored a try and made two of his three conversion attempts.

FINAL SCORE: Boston 18, Edmonton 19
TOTAL TRIES: Boston 2, Edmonton 3
CONVERSIONS: Boston 1/2, Edmonton 2/3
PENALTIES: Boston 2/2, Edmonton 0/0
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
11' - Boston - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #12).  7-0 Boston
12' - Boston - PENALTY GOAL .  10-0 Boston
16' - Edmonton - no try .  10-0 Boston
19' - Boston - no try .  10-0 Boston
29' - Edmonton - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #10).  10-7 Boston
35' - Edmonton - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #9).  12-10 Edmonton
40' - Boston - no try .  12-10 Edmonton
47' - Boston - no try .  12-10 Edmonton
52' - Boston - PENALTY GOAL.  13-12 Boston
59' - Edmonton - TRY – conversion made (Try scorer: #14).  19-13 Edmonton
62' - Boston - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #11).  19-18 Edmonton
71' - Edmonton - no try .  19-18 Edmonton
80' - Boston - no try .  19-18 Edmonton

Sloppy play results in Mission’s first loss

SAN DIEGO – Other than the New Jersey Knights, the San Diego Mission looked like the best team in the NARC. They certainly did not play like it on Saturday, losing their first game of the year 9-5 in an ugly game against the Golden Gate Stormers.

It looked like it would be a good day when, 12 minutes into the game, Mission outside center Brendan Muir scored a try to put San Diego (2-1) up 5-0. Unfortunately for the Mission, not only would that be the first try of the game, it would turn out to be the only points of the game for the home team. Not that San Diego didn’t have any chances. They often penetrated deep into Golden Gate territory, only to turn over the ball to the Stormers (1-2) on numerous occasions.

The Stormers certainly didn’t create many try-scoring opportunities, but they took advantage of the Mission’s mistakes with three goals in the last 10 minutes of the game. The first came in the 70th minute when fly half Sandy Kemp caught the Mission off guard with a drop goal. In the 76th and 79th minutes, Mission defensive penalties allowed Kemp to attempt two penalty goals, both of which he made. Those three goals were more than enough for the Stormers to leave Qualcomm Stadium with four points in the standings.

FINAL SCORE: Golden Gate 9, San Diego 5
TOTAL TRIES: Golden Gate 0, San Diego 1
CONVERSIONS: Golden Gate 0/0, San Diego 0/1
PENALTIES: Golden Gate 2/2, San Diego 0/1
PLAY-BY-PLAY:
3' - San Diego - no try .  0-0 tie score
12' - San Diego - TRY – missed conversion (Try scorer: #13).  5-0 San Diego
24' - San Diego - no try .  5-0 San Diego
33' - Golden Gate - no try .  5-0 San Diego
45' - San Diego - Penalty Goal Missed .  5-0 San Diego
46' - San Diego - no try .  5-0 San Diego
51' - Golden Gate - no try .  5-0 San Diego
60' - San Diego - no try .  5-0 San Diego
70' - Golden Gate - DROP GOAL .  5-3 San Diego
76' - Golden Gate - PENALTY GOAL .  6-5 Golden Gate
79' - Golden Gate - PENALTY GOAL .  9-5 Golden Gate

[bbgunn]

WEEK 3 PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Three tries in a game tend to get you consideration for Player of the Week, and Noah Kidston of the Knights did just that in Week 3. Teammate Larry McGillicuddy’s 2nd place finish gives him enough points to take the lead in the season MVP race. With four points, he is one point ahead of Kidston, San Diego’s Richard Benner, and Boston’s Simone Endrizzi. There was a bit of controversy with the voting, as some argued that Sandy Kemp should have been in 2nd place.

1st place (3 pts in the MVP standings) – New Jersey #14 Noah Kidston
2nd place (2 pts) – New Jersey #11 Larry McGillicuddy
3rd place (1 pt) – Golden Gate #10 Sandy Kemp

NARC STANDINGS AFTER WEEK 3

EASTERN	        GP	W	L	T	Pts	BP	PF	PA	Pdiff
New Jersey	3	3	0	0	15	3	132	28	104
Chicago	        3	2	1	0	9	1	41	58	-17
Boston	        3	1	2	0	6	2	79	54	25
Virginia	3	1	2	0	6	2	51	66	-15
Capital City	3	0	3	0	1	1	32	101	-69
									
WESTERN        	GP	W	L	T	Pts	BP	PF	PA	Pdiff
San Diego	3	2	1	0	11	3	65	27	38
Los Angeles	3	2	1	0	9	1	67	55	12
Edmonton	3	2	1	0	9	1	66	60	6
Golden Gate	3	1	2	0	5	1	48	58	-10
Texas	        3	1	2	0	5	1	39	113	-74

WEEK 4 GAMES

By far, the biggest matchup of Week 4 features the undefeated New Jersey Knights traveling to Soldier Field to play the Chicago Legends. Even with a max-point victory, the Legends cannot overtake New Jersey in the standings, but they can certainly take a huge chunk out of their lead.

Friday (April 5)
Capital City at Boston (NBC)

Saturday (April 6)
San Diego at Virginia
Edmonton at Texas
Golden Gate at Los Angeles
New Jersey at Chicago (NBC)