Mystic Bs Go Down Fighting at New York 7s

RANDALLS ISLAND, NY – Though they came up short, the Mystic B’s never let up in bitter cold temperatures at the 52nd Annual New York 7s tournament this past Thanksgiving Weekend.

In the opening round of pool play against the Bethlehem Bears, 29 unanswered points were scored against the Mystics in the first half. The Killer B’s responded late in the second half with a try by Indonesian rugby sensation Kyle “Crazy Legs” Winter to finally put the Mystics on the board with their first and only try of the match in a 5-29 loss.

The Mystics seemed to have found their form in the second match of pool play, against Sherbrooke Green and Gold from Canada.  With the wind and the crowd howling, the Mystics’ wily scrumhalf Matty “King of the Shire” Wilson penetrated the Canadian lines again and again to help set up four Mystic tries, including two from Martin “Ginger Bush” Finn for a 29-7 victory.

In the final match of pool play, the Mystics took the field against Ottawa (who eventually won the Club division). With both the Irish and Hebrew population of NYC behind him, Mystic captain Ben “IJ” McHugh led the charge with the grace of a gazelle (albeit a small one) to keep his tired and battered troops’ spirits up as Ottawa sailed past for a 0-33 victory.

With the wind getting colder and muscles getting stiffer, the Mystics rallied every ounce of strength for one last match in the Bowl Semis against Sherbrooke Abenakis. Hoping to find this team just an older and slower version of their Green and Gold counterparts, the Mystics quickly found themselves mistaken. Despite strong runs from Alex “No Look” Davies, the Sherbrooke defense kept the Mystics at bay. A very controversial “forward pass” from McHugh found Winter through a gap with nothing but open plains ahead only to hear the referee’s whistle.

To the delight of the masses, the Mystics rallied in the second half and attempted to make a comeback reminiscent of The Longest Yard (minus the convicts). The Mystics hammered again and again into Sherbrooke, who finally gave way to a Mystic try from Mike “Jack’s Brother” Mahoney who scooped the ball up from a ruck and slammed through the defense.   Miguel “El Burro Feroz” Goncalves quickly followed up with a diving try in the corner, slotted by Finn to bring the Mystics to within seven points. Unfortunately, the score would stay 19-12 in favor of Abenakis at the final whistle, thus ending any chance for the Mystics to claim hardware.

Tournament Point Scorers:
Tries: Finn (2), M. Mahoney (2), Winter (2), Goncalves
Conversions: Finn (3)

Mystic Wins The Battle Of The Boot

RugbyMag.com
By Ed Hagerty

NEW YORK, NY – In a battle that raged for over 100 minutes, a penalty goal by flyhalf Colin O’Brien in the closing ticks of a 20-minute overtime gave Mystic River a 34-31 win over the Boston Irish Wolfhounds and the 2010 Northeast RFU DI Club Championship.

Kicking played a major role in the match as 19 of the Mystics’ 34 points came from O’Brien’s boot, while flyhalf Mark Tutton accounted for 16 of the Wolfhound’s 30 points.

Read Entire Article at RugbyMag.com

Mystics Take Northeast Title in a Nailbiter

RANDALLS ISLAND, NY – The final day of the NRU Championship Series pitted Mystic River against perennial rivals, the Boston Irish Wolfhounds. The Mystics sought their second straight NRU title, while the ‘Hounds wanted revenge for their regular season loss to the Mystics and to make a statement in their return to D1.

In a back and forth slugfest riddled with penalties by both clubs, the ‘Hounds struck first, but three penalties slotted by Colin O’Brien kept the Mystics on the scoreboard, trailing by nine at the half. The second half opened with Mystics Sean Burgess, Carrick Pell and Chris Tofte each bagging a try to take the lead, but the ‘Hounds would eventually tie the game 31-31 at the final whistle on a questionable high tackle call.

With twenty minutes of overtime played, the Wolfhounds conceded their final penalty. With no time remaining, O’Brien once again stepped to the line, slotting the ball through the posts and making the Mystics #1 in the Northeast.