“As crunch time approaches and as push comes to shove, it seems that the Premiership’s proverbial underdogs (ok, ok, bar Timisoara Dragons) raise their game… and today at the InterRatzionale stadium, it was no different.

A member of the coaching staff was let go before the game owing to suspicions that he was holding us back, in retaliation he put a Mickey Finn in our pre match Bloodweiser, but the idiot actually got the wrong team! On top of that, Gaizka Garitano Agirre wore his knuckledusters and the Doc brought some smelling salts… essentials you’d think, but it’s surprising how often we forget to pack before a game.

It was a Sunny day, and one the Rats wouldn’t forget anytime soon.

They elected to receive and immediately made a break for the flank… their plan seemingly to out score us rather than stall a goal. And it may well have worked if they’d remembered just how sunny it was, the ball fell at the feet of a Mummy and two zombies, who looked at the object prized to them with a modicum of perplexity… they chose to hit rats.

Sole surviving Real Ghoul, Karla Laburu, on the other hand knew only too well what was required and immediately scooped it up and ran to cover. A zombie BH’d a Storm Vermin, and Real were back on the path they had only just left at Mummywell. The Gutter Runners ran back in defence, as their line rats were held up by zombies and Mummies.

Real disregarded the easy blocks they could have made and manoeuvred instead, throwing numbers towards protecting Karla Laburu, super Ghoul. Even despite the cover, the Rats managed to knock Karla down with an assisted Gutter Runner blitz!

After 6 games, Claudio Andres Bravo Munoz, block-Mummy wannabe, finally sent someone off injured, and Gaizka Garitano Agirre recovered the ball for Real as the cat and mou… rat, game began.

The ball was then stripped from the Wight’s hands and InterRatzionale finally had an opportune moment to make something of their drive as Real had committed all players to this score. A Gutter Runner picked it up despite Gaizka Garitano Agirre in close proximity and dodge out; however, the sun once again hindered his pass as he fumbled it.

Real were back in command, the Undead horde beating on the Rats as Karla made short work of the Gutter Runner who ought to have wore shades today, mercifully sending his sorry ass to the BH box before collecting the ball!

But the Rats still weren’t done. Another even matched blitz put Karla on his bottom again, and left the ball besides a Real Mummy. A Gutter Runner ran in and failed to scoop it up. Rather than try for a pickup, Real surrounded the ball, quite happy to keep the score at 0-0 if they must. The Rats blitzed in pushing a Wight onto the ball… the crowd gasped as it bounced to the Mummy… then to the Wight… then to the Mummy, who then caught it!

Huzah!

… he was quickly decked by a Gutter Runner, both of them hitting the floor. From then on, the only hard part for Real was picking the ball up, which they eventually did to open the scoring at the end of the half.

1 - 0

By the second half, the Rats could only muster eight men against the 11 strong Undead, and both the InterRatzionale team and coach had lost heart. Real smashed into the LOS, booting their Clawed assassin off the field. The Rats tried an insane Gutter Runner attempt at blitzing the ball carrier, wading through the army of dead only to fall short into the KO box.
Real scored as soon as they could and returned to the field for another attempt, keen to collect valuable TDs.

2 - 0

InterRatzionale elected to try and give some rookies some ball time and once again the sun thwarted their efforts. Real had little trouble in attacking the back field and making what could very well be a very valuable third TD!

3 - 0

===
Tough game to watch, so I can imagine how bad it was for Crib to play... actually he said how bad it was. :)
The Sun really ruined his game, and I think he completed only one throw towards the end of it.

I had a terrific game, and even though strategically I should have capitalised by fouling every Rat in the hopes that he doesn’t win Canvas I just couldn’t bring myself to make it any worse for him.

That puts us in 5th place and gives us a great shot at pulling off a second relegation avoidance in two seasons running, although Sirius (Goff) could make all my efforts come to nothing in the end.

The down side was that Karla Laburu aged a niggle after 38 games, 15 tds, 11 cas and 77 spps! But that final TD he got could very well be the one that saves us, as a win v Pythrr seems highly unlikely.

GG Crib, hope your dice improve.
”