Rugby Rumble VII Recap
<
Syd vs Jess
The first fight of the Nomads variety was Syd versus Jess. It was more like late-70s Travolta vs Stallone, with Syd dancing her way into the ring, Jess opting for the serious approach. The girls’ demeanor showed in the early exchanges of the first round, as Jess landed a handful of flyers, putting Syd on the defensive from the off. Fatigue not even in their minds, both fighters retained the fast tempo into the second round – I wonder if they’re competing for the same position during the regular season? – with fists flying around like pizza dough. Jess kept the advantage she gained in the first round, although it was shoelaces that proved Syd’s most vicious of nemeses, experiencing the mat due to a confusion of feet. Apparently she had some spinach hidden in the canvas, a completely different fighter rising up from the unfortunate set-back. Ducking and weaving Jess’ punches, the dancing damsel landed a few of her own to edge the round. The third and final round brought inevitable fatigue, but not enough to quell the fight in either fighter. Jess with some good combination work, and Syd with outright savagery giving her a points victory. Only one winner, but both ladies put on an exceptional show and should be proud of their dedication to the cause.
Krista vs Jen
The second Nomads fight of the night was what everyone was talking about: Blood vs. Blood. Twin sisters Krista and Jen have hated each other ever since they split the zygote – I made that up, but it sounds good – and tonight they were finally going to settle the score. The start of the first round was a display in shadow boxing followed by a lot of left jabs by one or both fighters. Jen or Krista then attempted some uppercuts with a couple landing. It actually appeared as though they wanted to beat each other up and both girls showed good footwork to keep each other guessing. The start of the second round and Nick Hawr started talking to me about his twin brothers, despite my constant “smile-nod-look-away” attempts, which caused me to miss most of the round. At the start of the third round, Nick was told to put a sock in it, just as a tangle of arms and legs took on an image of a game of Pick Up Stix. Either Jen or Krista looked to land a kidney shot, but the referee didn’t know which sister to reprimand so let it go. This sparked an array of haymakers from both Carrolls. Nick started up again about Brazilian Jiu Jitsu just toward the end but I managed to keep focus on the fight to see Krista land enough punches to win the affections of the judges in a split decision.
Yabba vs Eric
The Nomads final match-up was between club stalwart Yabba and sophomore Canadienne Eric. The crowd was expecting some Egyptian music from Yabba as he entered the ring but got Dropkick Murpheys instead, which wasn’t too bad at all. Yabba must have thought he was back in 2014 when Eric “pulled an EJ” and exited the ring before the first round. To be fair, Yabba was warming up and looked in good form. Eric returned with his cup in place, but the mishap seemed to have made both fighters stutter; the first round going by without any major punches. The second round would have made Ringo Starr proud, as the exchanges took on a sense of rhythm only the tightest of drummers could have kept up with. Eric with a right hook, Yabba with a right hook, Yabba with a left jab followed by a haymaker. Eric definitely kept his own, but Yabba was doing very well for himself, not for the first time at this venue. By the third round there was some venom in the approach from both Eric and Yabba; maybe too much as many of the punches missed their targets. This was a very close round as they both seemed to be hitting each other simultaneously. With an even third round, it was Yabba’s decisive second round that saw him grab the chocolates.]]>