7 July 2007
On a clear but damp Saturday in July (the 7th to be exact) Lagos Polo Club locked all the horses in the stables, marked up a temporary rugby pitches and hosted a tournament for a different type of thoroughbred.
Three teams congregated to play a full afternoon's rugby, with the winner taking a newly created trophy for this special occasion. London Nigerian Rugby Football Club, coming to the end of a ten day tour of Lagos and Ilorin were the sole overseas side. Also included were a Lagos 'select' team (i.e. the best players from this chaotic but addictive city) and a 'select side from the northern states of Nigeria.
LNRFC played Lagos select first. This was a bruising and intense game. The home side set a fast and furious pace, whilst LNRFC played a tight relentless game. The visiting sides forwards dominated with size and technique coming out victors with a scoreline of 3 – 15.
The second match saw a closely contested battle between the two home sides. The level of running and handling skill, given the wet and 'boggy' conditions was exciting for the crowd and a pleasure to watch. The Northern select side were the eventual winners which set up a mouth watering finale with LNRFC. The game lived up to expectations with hard running, crunching tackles and a pace/intensity which again kept the crowds enthralled. Whilst LNRFC.gained the upper hand in terms of score the home side would not lie down; fighting all the way to the end they scored a try in the final minute of the game. The final score was 5 – 17 to LNRFC
Rugby is a tough sport, but rewarding to play and creates a bond and friendships which transcends the incidental. Everyone has 'won' something on this tour and we hope to make it an annual event!
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