Scarbringer Savages 0-3 Fabienettes

Weather: Nice

Gate: 32k

Coming off a two game winning streak, the Fabienettes brought their quick strike offense and cheating style to the Savage Lands to take on a Savages team without a win since week 2. The Fabienettes had taken a beating in their last cross-conference game against the All-Stars. For their part, the Savages provided the only point of the season for the Mercenaries in their previous cross-conference match. Having played so well in a narrow loss last time out against the Mugaz, the Savages fans were expecting another good performance. What they got was one of the most ill-tempered games of the season. The head coach of the Dolts was in attendance, probably on a spying mission but was ejected by aggressive Savages security staff.

The home team won the kick-off and elected to receive. The Fabienettes defended with their traditional three man front and deep cover. Savages Skaven Thrower and team captain "Fur" Tooth took the ball in the backfield, launching the drive with a short pass to Stinky the Skink. The Savages were unable to capitalise on the quick start as they could not push the defensive front back so lost the initiative. Fabienettes captain Fabio, the Wardancer, was the player to halt the drive in its tracks. Two consecutive sucessful blitzes included a tackle that knocked out Stinky and wrenched the ball free. The ball was loose and the drive halted but the Fabienettes were not in position to take full advantage due to the deep lying nature of their defensive formation. The Savages were able to react and pile players into the scramble for the ball. Both sides put in a desperate effort to grab the ball but neither could take it fully under control.

Inevitably, the player to emerge with possession was "Fur" Tooth. There seemed no way through the massed ranks of attacker and defenders but Fabio found a route through to the ball carrier only to find his block unsuccessful and the ball dumped off into the hands of Dark Elf Sirius. The tide appeared to have turned. The Savages were able to engage their short range passing game with a quick pass from the Dark Elf to High Elf Mithdithius. The Fabienettes do not play a physical defense as they rely on blitz strikes so despite the crowding around the ball, the quick passes were enough to slip the Savages through the tackle zone net. When the blitzes fail, the Fabienettes can be exposed and this was the case as Mithdithius handed off to Skaven Blitzer S'lip D'isc. The ratman made a burst for glory deep into Fabienettes territory. He came within five yards of a score when the Fabienettes finally managed to bring S'lip down with a successful blitz. Orc Pubic Trimmer was the player responsible for the tackle.

What happened next illustrated the threat of the Fabienettes. Despite being close to their own end zone and time almost running out in the half, the Fabienettes scored. Fabino the Wood Elf Thrower collected the ball, ran up to hand-off to Orc Thrower WogWog. The Orc headed up the pitch to find the only open player Homo Inferior. A quick pass to Inferior gave him the simple task of running into to an unguarded end zone. The League have accepted that this was a valid play and that Homo Inferior was the scorer despite claims that a ringer was used for this game. Some pundits have claimed that it was not Homo Inferior the Human Lineman who took to the field but a Minotaur. The Fabienettes fans have since dubbed the player Homo "Humator" Inferior perhaps in reference to the contentiousness of this game but the facts will perhaps forever be in dispute even if the result can't be.

The TD brought an end to the meaningful play in the first half. 1-0 up and receiving for the second half put the Fabienettes in a strong position to advance their claim for a playoff spot. The Savages fielded an aggressive front, packing the line of scrimmage and hoping to block their way through the Fabienettes offense. The Fabienettes response was simple, Norse Lineman Bob "The Hair" blitzed a hole for Fabio to drive through. Lineman Homo Erectus fielded the kick-off and a lengthy passing play was in the offing. It failed. Under pressure from the onrushing Savages, Erectus fumbled and then failed to complete the pass down to Fabio. A completion would have secured a certain touchdown. Even without the completion, another away score looked to be on the cards. The Savages just didn't have enough cover in the deep. Only Stinky the Skink found himself in range to catch Fabio and prevent him from walking the loose ball over the line. Remarkably, the diminutive Lizardman took down the much vaunted Wardancer, and scooped the ball up for himself. Even more remarkably, Stinky survived Fabio's retaliation and set up a counter-attack.

The tide had turned. Boosted by Stinky's display, the Savages began to turn up the heat on the notoriously fragile Fabienettes. Dark Elf Blitzer Sirius Badly Hurt "3 inch" Wonder the Dwarf Blitzer and Fabienettes blocking leader. Having suffered a counter-attack score in the first half, the Savages were on their way to completing one of their own. Relaying the ball to Skaven Blitzer S'lip D'isc via High Elf Lineman Mithdithius, the home team swept up the field. It all looked good until they fell foul of a dirty trick. S'lip tripped a trampoline trap set on the Savages own field by the Fabienettes creative department.

Having seen the possibility of an equalise the home side had pushed up the field and were exposed again in the deep. Orc Thrower WogWog ran onto the bouncing ball and completed a quick pass to Fabio. The Wardancer headed off through the backfield once more without real challenge. The Wood Elf showed an un-selfish side by handing off to the only player who had managed to keep relatively close by, Norseman Bob "The Hair". Bob had no difficulty in finishing off the move and effectively wrapping up the game with the second touchdown for the Fabienettes.

There was no way the Savages could bring the game back in the remaining turns but they didn't concede defeat. The kick-off was fielded by "Fur" Tooth. The Skaven found his favourite receiver, Stinky. once again, Stinky elected to give possession to S'lip D'isc, entrusting the Blitzer to find the end zone himself. Once again, he didn't make it. A fumble turned possession over and just as during the first half the away team made the Savages pay. With such little time left, there was no time for fancy play. Wood Elf Thrower Fabino picked up the ball and launched a massive long bomb out to Fabio who was waiting in the Savages half. As is the case so often with counter attacks, there were no defenders to stop the scorer and Fabio rounded off the game with a lighting quick strike.

3-0 the final score was flattering on the Fabienettes. Some dubious play including the possible use of a Minotaur ringer, good fortune and outstanding counter attacking made the scoreline harsh on the Savages. The match showed up some of the differences in style and approach between the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference. Having played against the grinding play of the Western teams, to see the fluidity and speed of a team from the East combined with a liberal interpretation of legality will have been a learning experience for the Savages and their coaching staff.

Injuries:

None

Key Stats

Team	CAS	Rush	Blocks	Downs	Pass
Savages	1	34	30	15	12
Fabienettes	0	48	34	23	17

MVPS: Mithdithius, Bob "The Hair"