Capital High RFC (Idaho) hosted by Danville Oaks RFC on Northern California Tour

Capital High RFC (Idaho) hosted by Danville Oaks RFC on Northern California Tour
Tuesday March 26th Girls- Lady Oaks 47 Capital 0 Boys- Capital 40 Oaks 15
Both clubs came together following the match for a taco feed at Oaks Varsity Gold sponsor Norm’s Place. It was a classic rugby scene of players, coaches, and supporters to send the Idaho state champs away happy. Capital is the top program in the state, winning the boys championship 3 of the last 4 seasons. After a couple of physical matches Monday against Jesuit (boys) and Rio Linda (girls), they would be tested again in Danville to perform at a high level.
The Girls kicked off around 5 and the Lady Oaks scored early and often to jump out to a big first half lead. The scrumhalfs got a bit heated and things needed to be calmed down, but the girls played nice the rest of the way. Leti Hingano has turned into the best player in the league so far at fullback, breaking through the defensive line for long scores on a consistent basis. Her tackles have saved uncountable opposition trys. Jesse Palu and Mata Hingano are the heart of the forward pack, controlling the game with their runs, tackles, and ability to create turnovers.
Despite the score, there were a number of bright spots for the girls from Idaho. They demonstrated a good set of fundamental skill and have been taught well by Head Coach Matt Jacobsen and his staff. Back at home, the Capital Girls are accustomed to winning their games by 60 or more points. Leti’s opposite number was particularly impressive, presenting to her a challenge across the pitch for one of the first times this season.
The Boys match was a hard fought and entertaining contest. Capital had some big forwards, led by their monster Number 8 who broke tackles and set up scoring opportunities all game long. He is on his way to the University of Idaho on a football scholarship. Their scrumhalf was also a stud, and wreaked havoc on the Oaks attack and defense. The rest of Capital’s backs were able to break through the line a few times to make for a fast and exciting match. Inside, the pick and go game was effective against a smaller and younger pack. Danville’s side was made up of mostly JV players some Varsity reserves doing much of the dirty work in the forwards.
Seniors Kareem Khattab and Armon Hamzehloo continued their solid play this season, highlighted by a nice try from Kareem. Taylor Schmidt and Mathew Gilchrist were the only other seniors and played up to the competition, leading the younger players to win the 2nd half. The backline was entirely JV except for junior flanker Nick Nuti, who scored a try while playing wing for the first time. Sophomore Matt Snyder earned forward of the match honors, playing hard all over the field like a loose forward from the lock position. Sophomore flyhalf Kyle Makaiwi was awarded a black and gold 10 jersey from Capital’s first ever kit, donated by the Army National Guard.
The Oaks boys played great against a much bigger, older team. Two 8th graders even played on the wing for most of the 2nd half after starter Eddie Jensen went down early on. Eddie has been a standout for the Varsity Silver team this season, scoring regularly on breakaway runs and playing great defense to complement.
As Referee for both matches, I was impressed by the sportsmanship and camaraderie shown between both clubs in their short time together on and off the field. Though at times tempers flared and some light taunting occurred, the matches were clean and became friendlier as time went by. Despite the loss, Danville worked hard to run their system and play some incredible rugby to stay in the game. The Lady Oaks just keep getting better, and will need to continue if they are to win at the Girls National Invitational in Wisconsin.