Lanna Go Down In Close Game
On Saturday 20th August the Lanna Rugby Club took on the combined university team of CMU/Maejo at the Kanta Anusorn School, in San Khampeng. After plenty of rain the ground was damp and partially overgrown, providing difficult conditions for the teams, going into the second round of the 2022 World Flair NTR 10’s league.
CMU/Maejo started the brighter of the two teams and put the Lanna line under sustained pressure. Some solid defense by Lanna held them out, but it was only a matter of time before a gap appeared in the line, that the Uni lads, could exploit. A missed tackle 20 metres out provided the opening and Jed raced through to score under the posts and for some inexplicable reason declined the conversion.
With the score, confidence was high and with Lanna struggling with the pace of the game, a second try was not long in coming when, Josh Limsakul burst his way through 2 players to score. Jed duly converted to give CMU/Maejo a healthy 12-0 lead. Lanna were on the back foot for most of the opening period but started to find some rhythm and with the introduction of Matt James, some much needed possession. A break through the line saw Tom Stubley produce a trademark try, quickly followed by Dtun winning the race after a move down the right wing. Dtun converted both tries to give Lanna the lead 14-12. A stunning comeback was completed on the stroke of the whistle when Stanton smashed through some ineffective defense to score. Dtun took too long over the kick and was timed out to leave Lanna ahead 19-12 after the first period.
After having so much possession the Uni lads were surprised to be behind and the second period started at a frantic pace, with the younger team upping the ante. Two quick tries by Aek and Jed, both unconverted, restored the CMU/Maejo lead, all be it a slender one, 22-19. After weathering that initial outburst, the Lions once again fought their way back into the match when, Dtun kicked over the top and won the race to the line to put them back in front. 24-22. With the period winding down, once again the lead changed hands as Josh Limsikul, using all his experience and size, went in at the corner for a 27-24 lead.
The pace of the game had both teams blowing. Lanna slowed the pace down where possible, to the frustration of the CMU/Maejo lads. The period was dominated by defense with both teams struggling to make any clean breaks and as fatigue set in, mistakes meant lots of stops in play. Towards the end, Lanna were held up short of the line before knocking on. The scrum ball was cleared to the 22 for a Lanna lineout and the last play of the day. The maul, set up from the lineout, initially made ground before being stopped. Stanton gained possession and seeing an overlap on the far side, kicked for the winger but over cooked it into touch. The whistle blew with the CMU/Maejo team winning 27-24 in a thoroughly entertaining match, considering the conditions.
The next game in the World Flair NTR 10’s league will take place at CMU University on 27 August when the Chiang Mai Cobras take on the Lanna Lions. Kickoff is at 16.30.
Northern Thailand Rugby 