Rugby May 31, 2011 - The Keelhaulers of the California Maritime Academy vs Fighting Billy Goats of Victoria University.
A battle on the field, friendship off it
The Keelhaulers of the California Maritime Academy gave it their best shot. Again and again.
But in the end the Fighting Billy Goats of Victoria University just had too much fire power. It was a crunching game with hit after hit making some in the crowd wince, but it was a fair game and one contested with great mutual respect. The 34-3 scoreline sounds worse than it was. The Keelhaulers left the game with their heads held high.
After the game – fought so fiercely that you were sure animus was involved – the two teams ate, drank and sang together like old friends. And that is the beauty of sport at its best. It forges an instant bond. You can skip the “how-do-you-dos?” and get on with the important stuff.
The game, played at the wonderful Basin Reserve in Wellington, New Zealand – which has been hosting first class cricket games since 1886 – was attended by a couple hundred vocal – very vocal – spectators who basked in the cold, but sunny conditions.
Keelhaulers Coach Steve Hiaat said he was proud of the team, but that in the end just too many of his players were too new to the game and simply didn’t have the Rugby instincts that the Vic players had. He recently lost about half of his team to graduation and for a few of the Keelhaulers this was their first ever competitive game.Original public domain image from Flickr