More high scoring games in Round Six of the USA Rugby Super League, but a serious injury to an Aspen player mars a Blue Conference matchup.
Aspen v Boston
Blue Conference leaders Aspen remain unbeaten, although one of their players had to be taken to hospital with a suspected neck injury in the Gents' 67-0 win against Boston.
The game was stopped about five minutes from fulltime, when replacement scrumhalf Pat Culley was stretchered off the field with a serious injury. He underwent surgery Saturday night in Boston.
In the game itself, Aspen raced in ten tries in a point-scoring avalanche that Boston couldn't stop. Leading the charge were Tasi Mo'unga, Albert Tuipolutu and Travis Butler, who all scored braces. Other scorers included Brad Miller, playing in the centers for the first time, Rata Going, David Yavala and Nick Gregorski, while Paddy Shaw booted a goal.
The evergreen Mark Williams came out of retirement, again, to fill in at flyhalf for Brendan Walsh, who was out with an injury, and showed that he had lost nothing by kicking six conversions and a penalty goal for the Gents. Second rower Bo Buck also came out of retirement for Aspen for this contest.
The win extends Aspen's unbeaten run to six straight and sees them firmly in control of the Blue Conference, while it was Boston's sixth straight loss of 2004.
NYAC v Olympic Club Blues
The New York Athletic Club notched another victory on the road to the playoffs, but were made to work overtime to get it by the Olympic Club Blues in San Francisco.
In the second game of a doubleheader at Balboa Park, NYAC eventually triumphed 63-44 in the highest scoring match of the round.
The O-Club sounded an ominous warning inside the first minute of the game when flanker Andy McNaughton stunned NYAC and the crowd by charging down an attempted clearance kick inside New York's 22, regathered the ball and went in to score out wide. David Guest converted for an early 7-0 lead.
Prop forward Jake Hayes was one of the stars of the show as far as Olympic was concerned by scoring three tries, while Guest completed the rest of the O-Club's scoring through three penalty goals and five conversions for a personal tally of 19 points.
The New York AC clawed their way back into the match, which saw the lead change hands several times, by registering six tries and went on to record a hard-fought victory.
Flyhalf Ben Martin shot to the top of the League's points-scorers list ahead of Aspen's Brendan Walsh with four conversions and a penalty goal.
The bonus point win sees NYAC remain in third place in the standings, while the Olympic Club also earned a bonus point, but remains towards the bottom of the ladder.
OMBAC v PAC
San Diego was the venue for an important game between OMBAC and the Potomac Athletic Club, as the result had a big bearing on the Blue Conference standings and consequently the playoff picture.
In a very entertaining match, OMBAC eventually outlasted PAC for a 36-24 win, OMBAC scoring six tries to four.
OMBAC was already assured of a playoff berth, but for PAC, it was a matter of needing to at least get a bonus point to stay in touch with the Dallas Harlequins in the race for the fourth playoff spot.
OMBAC's South African number eight Shawn Renwick, who joined the club this season after a stint in Scotland, scored a double, as did replacement halfback Ghian Snyman who was filling in for the suspended Kenny Wilson. Hooker Matt Wyatt and second rower Erick Anderson also scored tries.
Flyhalf and goal kicker extraordinaire, Matt Alexander, added the extras via three conversions.
PAC fought hard all afternoon, particularly towards the end of the game, to secure the crucial bonus point that sees them remain in the hunt. Their tries went to Ivan Hardnett, Mark Crick, Jesse Lapierre and Dave Burt. Burt also kicked two conversions to complete the scoring.
The win means OMBAC holds on to second place on the ladder, ahead of NYAC, while PAC stays just outside of the top four.
Dallas Harlequins v Kansas City Blues
The Dallas Harlequins traveled to the American heartland to tackle the Kansas City Blues and it was the men from the Lone Star state who came away with the spoils by notching a 59-17 win.
Quins' center Johan van Rensburg did most of the damage by racing in for three tries, closely followed by skipper and lock Corne Cronje who scored a brace.
Other Dallas try-scorers included David Goss, Vaughn Crowe and Derek Nixon. Flyhalf Scott McCarthy booted eight conversions and a penalty goal for a personal haul of 19 points.
For the hometown Blues, they missed out on a bonus point by running in three tries. KC's scorers included Jim Farnsworth and Eric Masterson, who got a double, while Cody Weigman added the extras.
It was a crucial victory for the Harlequins, as they remain in fourth place in the standings, just ahead of PAC, while Kansas City has only one game remaining in which to finish on a high note. The Blues' last match will be against Boston at Arrowhead Stadium next Saturday night.