LIFE WEST, EPA RAZORBACKS BLAST OFF IN DI NORCAL

With only two games on the schedule for the DI NorCal, Life West and the EPA Razorbacks notched their second wins to join the Sacramento Lions at the top of the division. The Gladiators of Life West easily dispatched Fresno, 65-5, and the EPA Razorbacks clobbered the San Jose Seahawks, 59-9.

In its second game at the Division I level, Life West took the pitch for its first home game at Sunset Field in Hayward, Calif. Rain soaked the field making it heavy under foot for both teams during the contest. Even though Fresno took the early lead, the talent and experience of Life West led to 11 tries by seven players as the Gladiators won, 65-5.

“Under the conditions, we played well,” Life West head coach Adriaan Ferris stated. “We certainly weren’t as expansive as we were last week, but we pride ourselves on our scrum and lineout which were an improvement from the week before… We made sure territory was important and possession. If we had possession and were inside their half, we tended to play downtown and put pressure on the opposition.”

Fresno’s captain and scrumhalf Daniel Durant drew first blood with a quick ball off a ruck in the first ten minutes, but that would the last lead they would hold. Naibuka Tawake (2), John Thomas, and Taniela Vakau’uta would score four straight tries for Life West to end the half up 24-5. Orene Ai’I connected on two of four conversions in the half.

Although his team was on the wrong side of the score, Fresno head coach Frik Fourie was it was a very competitive, clean game. “The Fresno boys did really well in the first 30. We were competitive and stayed right in it. We put the first score on the board within the first ten minutes. We have a lot of young players on our side and they forget the game is 80 minutes. Life West came back and did a really good job. They played a real structured good game… and capitalized on Fresno’s mistakes.”

Details of the EPA Razorbacks versus the San Jose Seahawks match were not available at the time of the publication of this article.