Hunters Hill’s Under 85 kg tyros played their own version of Russian Roulette last Tuesday night, scraping home to an 8-7 victory against a young side from St. Ives.
Despite leading the entire game, Hillies made coaches Shields, Polly and Shaw sweat by conceding four kickable penalties as the seconds ticked down, only to see each float harmlessly wide.
The game was a staccato affair with Hillies focusing their attack on distribution from the silky smooth Adam Stocks to a ballistic Jules James at 12. It was Jules who crossed for the home side’s only try, capitalising early on the havoc he would cause throughout the match.
The set-piece, always a spectacle in lightweight rugby, was a black and white affair with Vinny Cusumano dominant in the lineout and Alex Vertoudakis exhibiting remarkable technical expertise at loose-head prop. Empires are built on such foundations.
The nail-ingesting win means that Hillies now sit in 2nd place on the U/85 ladder, three rounds in. They travel on Wednesday to play the Eora Warriors in Redfern. Go Boys Go!