In a pre-season match-up, the San Diego Armada Rugby Football Club avenged an earlier pre-season loss to the San Francisco Fog with a close 10-7 win on Nov. 4 in Los Angeles.

The Armada was originally scheduled to play in a round-robin style tournament with both the L.A. Rebellion and the Fog, but the Armada ended up playing only against the Fog in their second match-up in as many months. In an Oct. 14 game, the Fog handed the Armada a 44-10 loss.

With revenge on their minds, the Armada came out strong, running down the opening kick and stopping the Fog from even crossing the 50-meter line, but gave up the first scrum of the game after an unfortunate knock-on.

Both teams performed well in the scrums throughout the game, being fairly evenly matched, even with many of the Armada’s pack playing in new positions. The Armada consistently stopped the forward momentum of the Fog and managed to poach the ball or force turnovers through a strong defense, knock-ons and the occasional forward pass. They played most of the opening minutes of the half in the Fog’s end of the pitch.

About halfway through the first half, the Armada took advantage of a penalty and kicked for touch. After the resulting line-out and a few controlled rucks, the Armada made up some ground and came within striking distance of scoring. After a successful crash, the Armada managed to break through and score the first try of the game. A failed conversion kick put the Armada in the lead 5-0.

The Fog managed to run the ball a few times, but was ultimately forced to kick for field position without regaining control of the ball. They were unable to answer the try scored earlier, and at the end of the first half the Armada maintained their 5-0 lead.

The second half opened with the Fog showing a renewed determination to score, after receiving a pep talk from both their coach and captain. With strong pushes into the Armada end of the pitch, the Fog looked to be within striking range on a couple of occasions, but fell short and each time were forced back on the defensive.

A quick breakaway was cut short by a forward pass or a missed catch, resulting in a knock-on and a subsequent scrum to the Armada. Both teams had tried quick restarts after penalties with varying degrees of success, but ultimately failed to break out into open field. The Fog was desperate to score and at least tie the game; tempers flared and play degraded as both teams fatigued and seemed to make an inordinate amount of basic errors, costing them each penalties. Neither team seemed capable of capitalizing on the penalty enough to come away with a score.

With only five minutes left to play in the second half and the Armada still leading 5-0, the Fog made another hard push, attempting to crash through the Armada defense. This time, after the initial hit and first breakdown, the Fog was able to sidestep an Armada defender and pop the ball out quickly. As the Armada realized their line had been broken, a Fog player ran out into open field.

Running almost 40 meters, a Fog attacker managed to sidestep and straight-arm two more Armada defenders. He looked to be home free when the Armada’s Gary Barrow blasted from across the pitch and finally managed to make the tackle. The Fog controlled the ruck and maintained possession of the ball. After two additional crashes, the Fog managed to score a try of their own. The conversion kick was successful, and the Fog then led 7-5 with only a minute left in the game.

The Armada remained ready and did not quit, returning the kick-off and making up some ground running down the ball while supporting the carrier as he drove toward the goal. As the ball carrier was tackled, he popped it back out to his support with a deft sidestep and managed to score the final try of the game, despite the Fog’s attempts to stop him. The conversion kick was unsuccessful, but time ran out and the Armada escaped with a victory.

“I am very impressed with the tenacity and focus the team displayed in this hard-fought win,” said Armada head coach Gus Ventura. “The players are showing an intensity that will definitely win matches. We made some basic errors that cost us critical penalties, but consistent practices should effectively address those issues.”

The San Diego Armada has an upcoming home game this Saturday, Nov. 11, against the Phoenix Storm, another International Gay Rugby Association and Board (IGRAB) team. This will be the third meeting between these two new teams, and the Storm will be looking for their first win. The game is open to the public and begins at 11:00 a.m. at Robb Field, located 2525 Bacon St. in Ocean Beach. A post-game celebration will follow.

The San Diego Armada is San Diego’s only men’s Division III rugby team in the Southern California Rugby Football Union (SCRFU) and is open to all players regardless of prior experience and skill level. The SCRFU has 23 senior men’s teams across three divisions.

For more information about the team, visit www.sdarmada.org.