KoPite MuGaz 4-0 Scarbringer Savages

Weather: Rain

Gate: 32k

Having suffered their first loss of the season last week, all eyes were on the Mugaz to see how they would cope with their setback. The manner of the defeat had led to doubts around the league as to whether the team could make it back to the summit. The Savages were the perfect side to test them. The Savages have not been the most successful side so far and both previous matches between the two teams have finished up with wins to the Mugaz. Last season, this was the first fixture for the pair and was won by the Mugaz 3-0. The visitors are improved so far this term though, successive draws against the All-Stars and The Darkstalkers mean that they are undefeated since week 1. Despite the rain, there was clear interest in the game among the home record 45,000 fans that turned up to show solidarity with their team.

Without Lineman Marcus Maximus through a niggling injury, the Savages were on offense for the opening drive. They were matched up against a fairly complex Mugaz defence that showed little on the line of scrimmage but potential pass rushers on both flanks and cover in the secondary. On top of that, the visitors had to contend with a deafening chorus of booing from the stands. The combination of booing and a threatening defence was difficult for the Savages to cope with. They opened with some nice blocking up front but no penetration or holes created. With nothing happening for him, Skaven Thrower "Fur" Tooth retained possession in his own midfield. He had little protection and no pocket around him but the Savages captain has very decent reactions and has shown an ability to dump the ball off just before taking a hit. Those reactions were tested by a blitz from Lineman Fookalite, blitzing off the edge.

The blitz reached Tooth rapidly but the Skaven was quick enough to get the ball off. He lined up his nearest target in Stinky the Skink and attempted the most delicate of lobs as the blitz got on top of him. What Tooth's sharp eyes had not picked up was the delayed rush of High Elf Catcher Salogel Litefoot. The lob went up over Fookalite but before it could reach Stinky, Litefoot had launched himself at the ball. It was a moment of breathtaking agility to have raced through at such pace, be alert enough to watch the play and then get in between such a close receiver and the ball. It was the first time in 27 attempts that "Fur" Tooth had been intercepted. Krump Forznit of The Mercenaries was the last player to take a pick off the Savages and that was over a year ago. Salogel's interception was the first ever recorded by the Mugaz.

A pick always changes the momentum in a game. In this one, there had not been time for any momentum to have developed so instead, momentum swung for the first time and to the home side. "Fur" Tooth tried to atone for his error by coming off the block of Fookalite and taking a strike at Litefoot. It was a reasonable effort but only caused a momentary step back for the High Elf who was already showing why the Mugaz picked him first this season. The tacklers did not arrive for the Savages, Litefoot slipped a couple of tackle zones and it was only a short distance to cross the line for the opening score and a major psychological blow for the Mugaz. They had come out on absolutely top form and were playing fast. The coaching staff had clearly done a good job of getting them back up after the disaster against the Mutineers and the death of Sami "The Hoop".

Such a fast opening was not what the Savages had been expecting, it had all gone wrong in their own backfield. Facing exactly the same defensive formation, they were careful not to make the same mistake of offering a blitzing lane off the corner. "Fur" Tooth witnessed the same small successes on the line of scrimmage and decided to take play there. An accurate pass was called out to rookie Rat Ogre Veh'nomm but the big guy was not quick enough to respond to the action and could not get his hands up in time to haul the ball in. The drop left the ball lying right at the line of scrimmage where the defensive formation was least able to make an impression. Mummy Blocker Mumraaah attempted to create some space and a direct route but could neither put his player down nor take the ball himself. That was just the first of a series of fumbles, Mugaz Lineman Fullerene and Savages Catcher Lobo La'Grange as well as Veh'nomm all had a chance to put a hand onto the ball but not a strong enough one to take it under control.

More and more players piled into the line of scrimmage to try and clear some bodies out of the way. "Fur" Tooth even took a shot up front but even he could not claim possession. His fumble was a costly one though, the ball bobbled out on the Mugaz side from Tooth's hands. With so many Savages players up top, there were huge spaces in behind. Dark Elf Thrower Arda never passes up an opportunity like that. Having seen a bounce in his favour, Arda was not slow in changing the direction of play. A quick pass to Salogel Liteofoot gave the dangerous High Elf another opportunity to rush towards the endzone. He was still a long way out but the only player to challenge him was the diminutive Stinky. The Skink is no match physically for Salogel and it showed. Two unsuccessful attempts to bring him down were brushed off en route to a second score for the Mugaz and Salogel Litefoot.

There was so little time left in the half that the Savages did not even bother to come back out onto the field. The whistle went to signal the break. 2-0 to the Mugaz was fairly reflective of the way the game had gone. The Savages sometime menacing offense had not got started at all, they were unable to move the ball out of their own half and had seen Salogel Litefoot run two TDs in while nominally on defence. There would need to be a serious re-think. The Mugaz had just the half that they were looking for. Their defense had been dominating and Salogel Litefoot unstoppable. They themselves will know that it is possible to come back from this scoreline having done so against the Wildmen but the having not won since the first week, they can only have been happy with the first half.

Coming out for the second half, the Savages attempted to show that they meant business with a pressing defence right across the front line that left little cover in the secondary. The strength of the line was tested early though, Mugaz Lineman Luciferase blitzed his opposite number Pete O'Stool off the field and into the vicious terracing fans who Badly Hurt Pete. The gap was not pressed on instantly though. The Mugaz were playing a slower game on offense than they had on defence. Arda retrieved a deep kick-off and passed out to Norse Catcher Henrik Bjornstad-Ibson. The play did not advance into the Savages half, instead a blocking formation began to surround Ibson with a pocket. The protective shield lasted only momentarily though. Rookie Chaos Dwarf Blocker Vood Azizpour tried to fulfil his duties on the corner of the cage but could not block Dark Elf Blitzer Sirius away and was forced down himself. Having beaten his man, Sirius then beat on Bjornstad-Ibson. The tackle shoved the Norseman out of the way and forced the ball sideways.

As the ball was in a tight situation, it was time for Stinky to show what he can do by slipping a couple of tackle zones and ending up with the ball in hand. It was not in his hands for long though. The Skink fell victim to a whirlwind of activity from Salogel Litefoot. The High Elf once again showed that Stinky was not his physical match with a high speed tackle that turned the drive around. An attempt by rookie Goblin Scratchy Ratwort to follow Stinky failed as the Goblin found out first hand that Stinky can actually burn and Ratwort cannot. Salogel Litefoot broke the offense open, leaving the safety of the cage for a race down the flank. His acceleration took him away from the line of defence that now trailed in his wake. The visitors did not even try and chase him down but that did not stop Litefoot from hitting top speed to cross over for his hattrick and a 3-0 lead. It was the first time that a Mugaz player had secured a hattrick since the late Sami "The Hoop" did so in Week 6 of 2003 against The Mercenaries.

The score came with about a quarter of the second period. There was only time for a consolation touchdown but that was not quite how things worked out for the Savages. They clearly did not have their hearts in the game knowing that there was no way back from this position. High Elf Lineman Mithdithius was charged with collecting the ball from the kick-off but he did not do a very good job. He bobbled the ball away and that set the offense on the back foot right away. The mistake was compounded by one from Veh'nomm, the Rat Ogre falling flat on his behind when taking a swing against the powerful Mumraaah. The errors left the ball just a couple of yards from the Savages goal line and without possession of it. Salogel Litefoot was the player to punish the errors. He was first on the scene to exploit the fumble and the failure to block up front meant that the Savages did not have the spare players to track back. Litefoot had been deadly from all sorts of ranges all day so from 2 yards out, it was relatively simple for him to reach over the line and pick up his fourth touchdown and cement the Mugaz biggest win ever.

It was a dramatic statement from the Mugaz. They had only once put 4 past another team and that was in the 4-1 win over The Mercenaries last season. Salogel Litefoot had an enormous game. Only once has a player recorded 4 TDs in a match and that was Speedy McSpeedy with 5 against the same Savages in a demolition during 2003. The Savages were unable to cope with Salogel at all. At times they were more in the game than the scoreline suggests but overall it was a tough day to face the defending champions on the rebound and determined to show that they are still viable contenders for the title.

Injuries: None

Key Stats

Team	CAS	Rush	Blocks	Downs	Stand	Dodge
Mugaz	1	37	40	13	16	7
Savages	0	6	40	13	14	12

MVPS: Arabitol, Casius Slay

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