Late Show denies Dolphins again

A very closely contested battle between two clubs with like to play expansive rugby.  Ombac got up on the score board first but Santa Monica bounced back soon after with a penalty kick which came as a result of numerous phases deep in the Ombac half. Some poor handling saw Santa Monica miss two certain try scoring opportunities which allowed Ombac to get out of their half and put pressure back on the Dolphins. With some solid work in defense Santa Monica worked the ball down field and got their first 7-pointer of the game. Not long after Ombac hit back with a two 3-point shot at posts nudging them one point ahead of the Dolpins. Closing in on the half Omabc squeezed anther try in to go into the break 6 points ahead at 16-10.

The second half was a fiercely contested battle at the breakdown, the ball changed possession numerous times and was run from touch line to touch line and end to end. Omabc kept applying pressure through the boot and  pulled further ahead with another penalty at posts taking the score to 10-19. Santa Monica dug deep and using their fitness and determination put in two tries but only converting one. With the teams now only 3-points apart Santa Monica held onto their slight lead as both teams slugged it out. A sneaky drop golf by the replacement flyhalf Brian O’Shea edged Santa Monica further up the score board. Again Ombac came back through the boot of Zac Pangelinan which closed the gap to only 3-points with Santa Monica leading 25-22. A long range penalty by O’Shea gave the Dolphins some breathing room at 28-22 and with only a few minutes to go all they had to do was manage possession and the game was theirs. Through some poor kicking by the half backs they allowed Ombac to get back into their half and camp on the Santa Monica try line. With pile up after pile up and hit after hit Omabc slipped over the try line practically right in front of the sticks which made an easy conversion for the Ombac out half to take the game 29-28.

Santa Monica needs to learn from this game as they have a talented group of players who have the ability to challenge any team in the league but to turn these games from narrow loses to wins they have to be more clinical and capitalize on the opportunities they create for themselves.