Belmont Shore vs. Olympic Club

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BELMONT SHORE

Belmont Shore and SFGG are in a race to get to the championship game, and each has four games in which to make an impression.

For Shore, its Round 5 loss to Life West—giving up a 17-0 lead in the process—has to sting emotionally, and for sure it stings in the standings. Last week’s 36-36 tie with SFGG (which saw another comeback by the opposition) also didn't help matters.

In both matchups, Shore made some weird decisions late in the game. Key against SFGG was the decision, with time almost up, to tap a penalty in the Long Beach team’s own 22. Backed up and defending for a long period, Shore had a chance to lift the siege thanks to a hold-on penalty. Whether it was a decision based on the wind or the fact it was a long way to the touchline, the upshot was the quick-tap did nothing to get Shore out of trouble and led to the game-tying try.

OLYMPIC CLUB

Olympic Club, meanwhile, should have come away from a 46-10 loss to OMBAC with a feeling like its squad was right there. The game was 20-10 at halftime, and for much of that O-Club has territory and possession. It wasn't until the second half that OMBAC's more powerful and very talented team pulled away. 

The OC has played a more physical game since Round 1, and despite some ongoing personnel changes, may be finding its personality as a unit.

SFGG vs. Santa Monica

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SFGG

SFGG, in contrast to Belmont Shore, should be coming out of last week’s game feeling pretty good. That final try against Shore was a three-point swing in the standings (had SFGG not scored, Belmont Shore would have had five points from that game and SFGG two, but the tie gave each three points—two for the tie and one each for four tries scored). Head coach Neil Foote is still concerned about his defense, and he should be at this point.

“It’s just a matter of putting in a solid 80 minutes; that’s what you strive for as a team. I don’t think we have done that yet. That there’s room for improvement is an opportunity,” SFGG captain Brendan Daly said.

SANTA MONICA

Santa Monica is showing signs of rapid improvement. The Dolphins scored three unconverted tries in the second half to overcome a 17-5 deficit and beat Life West 20-17. It was a shock to Life West, whose coach, Adriaan Ferris, said his team failed to follow the game plan in the second half and was simply outplayed by Santa Monica in the last 40.

Dolphins fullback Martial Chaput said things weren’t all perfect, but the team is excited about its progress.

"We did a lot of things right and are happy about the win and scoring four tries," he said. "We're looking forward to our return game against SFGG this Saturday.”

Santa Monica has nothing to lose heading into this matchup, and one victory can certainly do a lot to boost a team’s confidence.

OMBAC vs. Life West

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OMBAC

OMBAC is playing some solid rugby. There’s no doubt about that. The team picked up a new player in Bruce Thomas, who decided to move from Olympic Club and, amazingly, got the OK from the league and USA Rugby to do just that. Thomas is an excellent openside flanker, but it doesn’t seem like OMBAC really needed him—being undefeated before he switched.

The Charlie Pardon-Michael Dillon halfback combo has been very good, allowing the backs and forwards to just work off those two.

OMBAC is coming off a 46-10 win over O-Club but faced a stiff challenge in the first half before finding its footing.

“Our second half was much better," OMBAC player-coach Tai Tuisamoa said. "Defensively the effort was better and holding them under 10 points was rewarding. We stuck to what we do best on attack and we were able to score tries. We have three tough games in a row and it doesn’t get any easier from here on.”

LIFE WEST

No, no it doesn’t. Life West was stung by the loss to Santa Monica and really needs this game to stay in the hunt for a spot in the final. Playing at least closer to home, the Gladiators have to find a way to piece it all together and hold on for a win. 

Counting the second half of Life West's March 17 game against Belmont Shore and the first half of its March 24 game against Santa Monica, the Gladiators compiled 80 minutes in which they outscored opponents 36-5. However, both the first and last 40 from those two games yielded a score of 34-0 the other way. It’s not fitness—Life West finished strong against Belmont Shore—it seems more to be an issue of team-wide mental focus.