PORTLAND, Maine — The Portland Rugby Football Club defeated Hartford 28-22 in North Atlantic DI rugby action Saturday.
With the win, Portland moves to 2-1 while Hartford falls to 1-2.
Hartford jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but Portland answered with two converted tries. Right before halftime, the Wanderers closed the gap to two points, making it 14-12 at the break.
“It was drizzly and greasy. There were a lot of mistakes on both sides. Early on, at least, there were a lot of plays ending in knock-ons,” Portland coach Tom Lovering said.
With the sloppy conditions, Portland worked much of the game through its pack. Portland dominated the scrum, getting two of its four tries on the day from balls it won against the head.
Vice captain and blindside flanker Nick Marchant scored two tries on the afternoon. Hartford, however, was able to counter the strong Portland pack with a couple of potent wings.
“They had a couple of Islanders playing on the wing for them that were very threatening every time they got the ball,” Lovering said. “It was definitely a dichotomy between our strengths in the scrum and their strengths out wide.”
With a minute and a half to go, Portland led 28-19. After winning a penalty, the Wanderers elected to go for points. With a successful kick, Hartford lost the game 28-22 but still managed to earn a bonus point in the loss.
In other North Atlantic action, Mystic River showed once again it is the team to beat in the conference. With a convincing 57-17 victory over Amoskeag, Mystic River moves to 4-0 in league play.
“It seems that it is sort of a three-horse race for second place,” Lovering said.
Portland will be focusing on its last game of the fall season when it makes the long trip to White Plains, New York, in three weeks. Prior to the game, however, Portland is scheduled to play a couple of friendly matches. In the next two weekends, Portland will battle Boston and the Boston Irish Wolfhounds before heading to New York.