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Schedule for GC Zurich 2nd XV

Playing charter Fall 2008

14.09.2008 12h30 GC Zurich 2 - Würenlos - Postponed
21.09.2008 15h00 Eschen Mauren Lynx - GC Zurich 2 - 0 : 41
05.10.2008 12h30 GC Zurich 2 - Bishops St. Gallen - 25 : 19
11.10.2008 15h00 RC Solothurn GC Zurich 2 - 7 : 25
19.10.2008 12h30 Baar Panthers - GC Zurich 2 - 5 : 26
26.10.2008 12h30 GC Zurich 2 - RC Ticino -
01.11.2008 15h00 RFC Basel FT - GC Zurich 2 -
08.11.2008 15h00 RC Luzern - GC Zurich 2 -
15.11.2008 15h00 RC Lugano 2 -GC Zurich 2 -

Christmas Break

Playing charter Spring 2009

22.03.2009 14h00 GC Zurich 2 - RC Würenlos -
29.03.2009 14h00 RC Würenlos - GC Zurich 2 -
05.04.2009 12h30 GC Zurich 2- RC Eschen Mauren Lynx -
19.04.2009 13h00 Bishops St. Gallen - GC Zurich 2 -
26.04.2009 12h30 GC Zurich 2 - RC Solothurn -
03.05.2009 12h00 GC Zurich 2 - Baar Panthers -
09.05.2009 15h00 RC Ticino - GC Zurich 2 -
17.05.2009 12h30 GC Zurich 2 - RFC Basel FT -
24.05.2009 14h00 GC Zurich 2 - RC Luzern -
07.06.2009 14h00 GC Zurich 2 - RC Lugano 2 -

What is the 2 XV?

The 2XV team is considered the filtering pot for the 1st XV.Training, socialising and representing the club alongside the 1st XV is an imperative part of the young 2nd XV culture.

RC Solothurn 7 : 25 GC Zürich 2 (11.10.2008)

Probably the most cohesive display by GCZ2 seen in recent times - cries of senility fall on deaf (old) ears.

The game plan was to keep the ball tight to the forwards and keep on driving forward, at least until we had the measure of the opposition. The forwards did this admirably, well supported by Meredic Marecellin at fly half who played well to this strategy, popping the ball up for forwards to drive back behind the ruck, or to centres for crash ball. There was an impressive stream of retained ball that wore down the opposition and led ultimately to a solid victory.

High praise also to the discipline and effectiveness of our two wings (Bjorn Pretorius and Jonas Stieger during most of the game), who stayed out on the wing to cover and stop some potentially dangerous back attacks. The threat was anticipated, they were asked to do this defensive work, they stuck to it and did it superbly.

As said, cohesion throughout the team was much better. We were one team. Discipline and adherence to game plan were generally good, but significant areas remain for improvement. Forwards are not always cutting back in, pod formation is better but still not instinctive - or in some cases still largely lacking. Backs lined out too flat in attack, and despite the good work by the wings, there were still holes in defensive back lineouts and a failure to watch where the attack was coming from. There were some failures in the link between scrum and fly halves, mostly rescued by good recoveries from Meredic. Specific technical deficiencies also remain, which need addressing by the coaches.

So to the chronology. The first try was made by a good forward drive, finished by a 5 metre dash from Toma Montanari. We were clearly awake at the start - but then decided to take a nap. A forward charge from the opposition led to a good try, which they converted. Zurich were behind, but we did not lose composure.

Zurich put one more over in the first half, much in the same way as the first. This time the scorer was Michael Schweizer, with a good drive.

Once more the second half saw our superior fitness kick in. Toma scored another try, again from good forward work. From then on we were able to open out more to the backs. There were one or two awkward moments from attacks from Solothun, who to their credit kept on working hard, but the defense was solid and increasingly confident. Fittingly the wings contributed to, or scored the final two tries. Shrek Susilo, who replaced Bjorn in the final quarter, made a couple of typically agressive runs down the wing, the second of which led to a quick pick up and score by Gustavo Loosli. And the final try was a classic. The opposition were pulled in on a quick ruck or two, then the ball went right across the line for a score on the faside by Jonas.

Once again, difficult to pull individuals out from many good performances - made harder because there was so much good teamwork. Bjorn might have had a point, for his adherence to plan and good tackling. But he turned up at the wrong meeting place. Pity.

Points: 1. Yves Kissenpfennig, lots of hard work drawing in the opposition, and a comfortable bottom
2. Meredic, tireless work, good feeds and direction, and some hard-fought recoveries
3. Toma, once again good running, good tackling and good support.

No Jaffa.

A good result against a team that were young, eager and well-coached, but definitely inexperienced. We will play against better teams, but there is now some hope we will be ready for them.

Philip Knaggs

GC Zürich 2 25:19 Bishops St. Gallen (05.10.2008)

A win! A win! A palpable win! But not in the style we would like.

As coach James commented, a lot of potential out there. But not always, or even often, pulling together.

It started badly, a pushover try from a bunch of opposition forwards who were at best average. We were asleep.

After a number of false dawns, Zurich managed to return the favour, with a virtually uncontested maul drive from a lineout leading to a touch down by Fabio at the back of the maul.

The rest of the first half was messy and somehat inconclusive, with, if memory serves correct, St Gallen slightly ahead at half time (12-10). They consolidated this after the break with a good run by their most threatening player, the inside center, leading to a try under the post. Switch on might be an overstatement, but Zurich then started to make some better use of their forward strength, with a good run by Ramiro passed to Simon Wood for a well taken try. But it was not until the final quarter that Zurich inched ahead, and then consolidated a win. We were saved by the grinding work of the forwards finally coming a bit together, superior fitness, a long sub list of high quality and a refreshing hint of some cohesion. But despite the close score and last minute recovery, it never felt nail-biting stuff. We ended up where we should have started.

You've heard it before - it is not going to get easier.

Some tries were scored by: Fabio Schmid, Simon Wood, Ramiro Dip (others will need to be claimed!)

There was lots of good work by individuals - Navar for instance was safe at full back, with some dazzling if inconclusive runs, Paul Warman looking increasingly composed and combative at flyhalf, good tackling by the backs and generally good individual work by the forwards. But a selection has to be made, so:

Points: 1. Gustavo Loosli - a very energetic and often effective start as scrummie in the second team
2. Nick Wragg - playing more as an additional flanker than a number 8, but lots of hard and useful work
3. Ramiro Dip - influential and inspiring in most of the forward work, and nearly always under control

Things to work on - lots. Specific failures

- backs lining out in defense. At one point our defensive line was two locks! However, some good tackling in defence.

- kicking - this is really an issue for training, not the individuals thrust into the limelight
- forwards forming pods. It started to happen, more so in the second half, and effects were immediate. As the Bible says "a cord of three strands is not easily broken". It's easy guys, love your neighbours in threesomes

- talking to the referee. Plain dumb.

Which brings us to Jaffa cakes. Hari might have been up for it, sent off for virtually his first action of the game. But Toma Montanari wins. On hour late the previous game, then 2 weeks late with washing the shirts.

Philip Knaggs

Eschen - Mauren 0 : 41 GC Zürich 2 (21.09.2008)

The Zurich rugby hordes descended on the tiny principality of Lichtenstein, and returned with the hard-won spoils of conflict.

It is a double-fold gain for GCZ that so many former second team players are playing regular first team; the high fliers are performing with considerable aplomb in their new Nirvana, and the second team has space for a great bunch of new guys. We had 7 new to Zurich players, 2 of whom were playing their first game - Marco Arcidiacono and Jonas Stieger. OK, Jonas had appeared for Givaudan, but we're not going to count that, sorry Mr Roser.

Those spoils of victory took quite a bit of effort. In the first half we were shambolic, especially in the rucks. Despite considerable territorial advantage Zurich only scored twice, once with a nice darting run from Toma - regrettably on his own - and then a walkover try from our favourite loosie, Yves.

The second half saw considerable improvement. Ball started to come reasonably cleanly from the rucks, and the backs had more room to move. There were some excellent back moves with Robbie crashing through on the switch from full back. Robin powered over for an excellent try, and Miguel, who made a number of strong runs, converted one of these runs into a try (converting of tries was less forthcoming).

But the second half continued to be dominated by the Zurich forwards. Our outstanding fitness levels started to reap rewards, and further tries were scored by Yves and Clement. Ben smooched his way through shark-infested waters, scoring from a clever short throw in from Thoma. Nick Wragg, true to form, tried to scrag the scrummie - don't you love the assonance of that sentence. Penalised offside, our referee excelled himself.

Much hard work and good play from many individuals, and a move towards playing as a team , especially in the second half. The backs were disciplined in lining out reasonably well in offence and defence, but were sometimes slow in getting the ball out - and still with too much sideways drift. Cut back in, guys. By contrast, the forwards tended to rush, but in a straight line. Control was too often missing, and not enough attention was paid to support, both by runners and those behind them. Forward positioning off the ball was only reasonable - pods did not re-form quickly, same with close defence. We got away with it against Eschen. Other teams will not be so accommodating. Positively, we had some structure on the field, a clear step forward.

A good start, and moving in the right direction. But it only gets harder from now on.

Points:

1. Clement - lots of good drives and support
2. Jonas - a very promising start, with a lot of play for a winger in the second team
3. Robbie - not only those crash balls, but good positioning in defence and taking the ball forward from kicks. Excellent for a first game in that position

Jaffa - Thoma Montanari, one hour late, and he brought his charming excuse with him. He may sound English, but clearly a follower of Gallic fashion.

Baar Panthers 5 : 26 GC Zürich 2 (19.10.2008)

A game with three phases, not all good.

GC Zurich started a bit slowly and were under some initial pressure, but held out. Then the training and game plan went into reasonable operation, with some good forward drives and a lot of ground gained. There was good talking and pod formation, and a real sense of puprose in the first 20 minutes or so.

This led to the first try, scored by Paul Warman after a good series of drives up the field. However after the first 20 minutes, the game plan started to get lost with too many unsupported forward runs and increasing indiscipline. The next try was by a forward, Nick Wragg, but this was the outcome of a good run by Robin Wickli at centre, rather than the phased forward buildup that was the game plan.

Indeed most of the middle 40 minutes was wasted by GC Zurich. The forwards were not regularly forming up correctly, and were a bit frantic. The backs, who were throughout the game not as good as they should have been at forming the defensive line, were having to redeem this with much (good) tackling. But we were treading water rather than taking advantage of our clear superirority.

Discipline during this middle section of the game was increasingly weak. There was a large number of offside calls, and some talking back to the ref. A series of three or four penalties close to our line led to the award of a penalty try, and shortly afterwards Nick Wrag was sin-binned as the latest offender in a series of off-siders. This was really the low point of our game, and a point we should never have gotten to.

The final 20 minutes picked up quite nicely. While discipline was still a bit fragile, there were some very good combined forward and back moves using the full width of the pitch. We were suitably rewarded with a try by Pat Bartlett, picking up from a run virtually to the line by Yves Kissenpfennig. Gustavo Loosli scored with a good dummy a the end of a long series of hands. This was an excellent portent for the rest of the season. Fitness and depth of substitutes clearly also played a part in the final quarter.

If we consistently play as well throughout the game as we played at the beginning and end, we should be unstoppable in the C league.

Some things improved markedly from the previous games. Justin Besterman's lineout throwing was impeccable, an excellent model for those who would follow in his footsteps. Goal kicking was much better, with 3 out of 4 conversions, though out of hand was more variable.Talking and communication, and pod formation was a times much improved. Defensive line still needs working on - though tackling was generally excellent. There was good crash ball from centres and from Robbie Walker at fullback. Forwards were generally running straight and aggressively, but were not always quick enough to breakdowns in the back line.

Still quite a lot to work on, but the lessons are starting to sink in. But the key word still has to be - discipline.

With it we can win any game. Without, we will struggle. Oh, and a small but important detail - to run with the ball you need to catch it first.

Points

1. Fabio Schmid - some excellent runs, and significant all round improvement
2. Yves Kissenpfennig - once again a lynchpin in the forwards
3. Paul Warman - good positionning, excellent running and good distribution.

But there were many other excellent games - good catching by Marco Arcidiacono from kicks over the top, great running by Daniel Berger (not the one from a few years back!), playing his debut game for Zurich, Simon Stenier making some powerful runs, to mention a few in additon to highlights above. All round, individuals were working hard and well.

Jaffa - Paul Warman for not properly touching down at first - whatever he thinks happened.