Steelbowl: Match Report

The Sabres secured their first Steel Bowl victory in five years with a 40-20 win over the Hallam Warriors. The match, played under floodlights, kicked off the Sheffield Varsity 2013, and the 600 in attendance were treated to an entertaining affair.

Both teams knew that a solid start was key, and it was the Sabres who hit the ground running, forcing a three-and-out after James Sharrock’s kickoff left the Warriors deep in their own territory. This left the Sabres in good field position and, after marching the ball into the red zone, David Saul powered the ball home from close range to secure the first score of the game.

On the ensuing drive, the Warriors looked to have found their rhythm, picking up a first down, only to fumble the ball in the backfield, allowing defensive end Sam Stancombe to recover the ball and force the turnover. Two plays into their own drive however, and the Sabres also turned the ball over, a fumbled snap swinging the momentum in Hallam’s favour.

The double-wing offense took full advantage and a pass to a wide open wingback put the Warriors’ first points on the board. A successful outside run took their score to eight, giving them the lead for the first time in the game.

The RP Poll

Woo! They’re finally back! The rankings are finally back!

Now, you may recall that just before Christmas we released our official top 25 voted for by a group of twelve individuals. Well, after long discussions in the DC towers, we decided to continually run two rankings similar to the college game in America.

The official top 25 will be similar to the BCS standings and that’s the rankings we will use in predictions, etc, while the RP Poll will be similar to the AP Poll. It’s not the official ranking, but it is a ranking and it offers a different opinion to the official one.

So remember, your team may be ranked highly on this ranking board, but they may be ranked lower on the official board which will be released on Thursday.

Now all the mumbo jumbo is out of the way, let the list begin!

Week Eight Powerless Rankings

Oh boy it’s been a while! The last time we released a Powerless Ranking it was 2012! How time flies!

What a great start we’ve had to 2013! A number of one or no win teams claimed a ‘W’ during rivalry weekend. The Durham Saints don’t seem to be poo anymore (it;'s an inside joke) and posses a winning record. Brighton are 5-0 after defeating the Destroyers and Stags. Two teams (Lincoln and LSBU) are possibly forfeiting their remaining fixtures due to unfortunate circumstances. I’m sure there’s something else but it slips my mind...oh well, onto the rankings!

Edinburgh Varsity match report

A bumper crowd of over a thousand fans attended this year’s Edinburgh Varsity American Football game at Meggetland Stadium. 

Last year’s winners the Edinburgh Predators ran out victors again with an easy 30-0 victory over an error strewn Knights team. The Knights offensive woes from earlier in the season continued into this game and a pair of high snaps led to 2 point safeties as the Knights players were caught in their own endzone.

Rivalry Week Predictions

We’ve finally reached that weekend in the season that everyone looks forward to. No, not Super Bowl week, but instead, rivalry week!

Our team of writers have been working hard to bring you their in-depth analysis for each and every game, as well as deciding the final outcome.

With most Universities beginning their second semester next Monday, this may be the final time everyone can enjoy our articles without the worry of assignments hanging over their head!

Note: Due to less than a handful of games being played last weekend, our top 25 hasn’t been updated. So don’t complain if your team finds themselves ranked lower than a team they have just defeated! We’re looking at you Brighton players, alumni, etc...