Scarbringer Savages 2-2 No Talent All-Stars

Weather: Haze

Gate: 32k

The best result for the Scarbringer Savages in 2003 came in this fixture with a 1-0 victory in a thunderstorm. That result is still the only victory in Savages history and marked the worst result of the season for the All-Stars. Neither side secured a positive result in week one, the Savages went down to the Wildmen while the All-Stars suffered defeat against the Mugaz. With still plenty of time left in the season, both teams will feel that they can bounce back but will be keen to pick up their first points of the season in this fixture.

It was the All-Stars to receive first and against an aggressive Savages defence that featured strength on each flank and little protection in the deep, they appeared somewhat hesitant. Thaleus Thunderarm, the High Elf Thrower fielded the kick-off safely but up front, the All-Stars failed to make much of an impression. Their normally formidable front line did not create a hole and the attack stalled. The aggressive front of the Savages were in perfect position to take advantage in order to put pressure on Thunderarm. Surrounded by tackle zones, the High Elf attempted to make a play by himself. He was unable to do so only because of a freak physical reaction by Savages Rat Ogre Veh'nomm whose unstable nature mutated momentarily to sprout Tentacles from his torso. The tentacles allowed him to grasp Thunderam and tackle him to the floor leading to a fumble. As the ball bounced free, Veh'nomm's body resumed its normal form and the Savages looked to press home their clear territorial advantage.

Distracted by the remarkable play of Veh'nomm, his Rat Ogre counterpart The Claw was caught unaware by a blindside hit from All-Stars Witch Elf Svetlana Domina. There was no evidence to suggest that the hit was caused by an illegal Stiletto. It was a calculated act of nastiness from the first round pick and showed just why the All-Stars were so keen to take Svetlana. It was not a hit that stopped the flow of the Savages though, they continued to pour into the visitors territory led by Skaven Thrower and team captain "Fur" Tooth. The key playmaker for the Savages was the perfect player to scoop up the loose ball and to take the time to see the options available to him. One option that presented itself was Stinky the Skink. Stinky has excellent pace and can often slip under teams radar. With the pressure being put on by the Savages, Stinky was able to slip past and burst through the All-Stars backfield. His pace took him past "Fur" Tooth and into an open position in the endzone. The Savages captain led all players in completions in 2003 so took aim and was again perfectly on target. It was not a completion though. Stinky let the ball slip through his fingers while waiting a simple receiving score, it bounced free and into the crowd behind the goal line. A burst of activity in the crowd ensued before the ball squirmed back onto the field right where The Claw had been standing just a couple of moments ago.

Without the Rat Ogre filling the hole, Svetlana Domina found herself in the best possible position to counter-attack. The Savages had pushed through into the visitors half and were without adequate cover in their own territory. The possibility of the counter-attack was spotted by Wood Elf Aenarion Swift who led the side in Rushing Yards and Touchdowns during 2003. The two paciest players in the All-Stars ranks ran headlong into the empty Savages half. The headstart that Swift had over Domina made put the Wood Elf in a better position to finish the move off. Svetlana Domina showed good team spirit by recognising that. A short pass connected and Aenarion did not make the mistake that Stinky had earlier. With no players to beat it was a simple matter for Swift to open his scoring account for the season, his 4th all-time.

There was not much time left before the half-time break but the Savages specialise in doing things with speed. They were given a boost when Kirk Angel was sent off for his illegal use of a chainsaw. Facing a fairly aggressive front, the Savages hooked down their left flank, Veh'nomm leading the charge and Catcher Lobo La'Grange sheltered behind the wedge. The ball was midway inside the Savages territory and so inevitably handled by "Fur" Tooth. The All-Stars could not get the shove on to force the front line back or to penetrate the wedge, Norse Lineman Samuel Magnusson falling down while trying to make an impression on the attacking formation. The wedge was set and it was just dependent on the skill players of the Savages making the string play work. Fur Tooth did his part, dumping off to Stinky. The Skink made amends for his earlier blunder, held onto the ball and raced up to the back of the wedge where Lobo La'Grange was waiting. The Catcher took the hand-off and there was nothing in his path. Lobo sped downfield to level the game up at one apiece and record his second score of the season since being taken in the second round of Da Krush.

There was no more significant play in the half, a fumble from the All-Stars confirmed the 1-1 score at the midway point of the match. The Savages team speed was clearly troubling the visitors who in turn were slowly building up the block count. It was in both of their favoured parts of the game that each team had difficulty during the first period, the Savages again suffering from dropped passes while the All-Stars had been unable to get penetration on the front line. The coaches of each team will have been hoping for more in the second half from their specialist units.

The second half opened to scuffles in the crowd that delayed the game momentarily. When it resumed, it was clear that there had been some stern words in the dressing rooms. A booming kick pinned the ball deep into the corner of the Savages half was followed up by the first Casualty of the game. Kaneris N'Gillthrog the Ogre announced his presence in the game by Seriously Injuring The Claw with a brutal frontline block. The game faced another brief pause when a dog ran onto the pitch and moved the ball from its position in the corner. It happened to drop it in midfield. It is not known whether the dog was owned by the Savages's Snotling Fan Club. Either way, it provided the launch pad for the home team to attack. "Fur" Tooth again was at the forefront of the move, collecting the ball and passing to Stinky who this time managed to secure the reception and rush downfield. No wedge had been formed but a group of Savages were waiting on the left flank. Unfortunately for the home support, the player charged with taking the ball towards the end zone was Scratchy Ratwort who was unable to take the hand-off despite not being under any pressure.

The fumble provided the All-Stars with the opportunity that they needed. Lobo La'Grange was knocked out by a hit from Samuel Magnusson and a route had been opened to the ball for Svetlana Domina. Once again, a big play from the Witch Elf ensued and again it was to the benefit of Aenarion Swift. Svetlana picked up the ball without difficultly and launched an absolute bomb to Swift. The completion was made, and the Savages endzone was under threat once more. High Elf Lineman Mithdithius was the first to react but he was unable to evade a couple of tacklers. No other Savages players could get near Aenarion Swift who had Svetlana Domina to thank for the second time as the Wood Elf took the visitors into the lead for the first time in the match.

Some good work by Apothecary Hacker "Hacksaw" Bones saw a patched up The Claw return to action for the subsequent kick-off. With half of the second period still to play, there was plenty of time for the pacy Savages to get back into the game. The tactics were unchanged from their previous attempts but the outcome was different. Veh'nomm was unable to make a gap on the wing and there was trouble in the backfield as well. "Fur" Tooth had yet another incomplete pass recorded against him thanks to yet another drop from Stinky. The Skink had two drops in this game alone. The All-Stars very nearly secured the game but Aenarion Swift failed at the last. He managed to blitz in, pick up the ball and move away from the immediate danger but the final tackle zone was one too many and he dropped to the floor, coughed the ball up and paved the way for a last gasp Savages strike. Again it was "Fur" Tooth but this time his receiver was Mithdithius. The High Elf Lineman showed some safe hands, taking the pass in comfortably and heading off towards the All-Stars line. No defenders were able to land a hand on him and it was a last minute equaliser for the Savages. A second Casualty of the game from Kaneris N'Gillthrog was an incidental action with the Badly Hurting of Blacktooth Bob. The game ended 2-2.

Both teams will feel that they can take something from the game. The Savages scored twice in a game and picked up a point for the first time since week 3 of 2003 against The Mercenaries. The Savages attack, when it works, is impressive and combines decent use of the short passing game with a quarum of pacy receivers. The unpredictability of that attack must give the coaching staff all sorts of cardiac difficulties and some work will be needed on the training field to ensure safer hands in future. The All-Stars secured their first point under new coach Sorra Firespike and equalled their highest touchdowns in a game (2 achieved 5 times in 2003). The play of Svetlana Domina continues to impress but some greater co-ordination on defence will be needed to sustain a run at the post-season. They will though be pleased with the enormous 62 Blocks thrown and 34 Knockdowns recorded through a systematic focus on the hitting game.

Injuries:

None

Key Stats

Team	CAS	Rush	Blocks	Downs	Pass	Stand
Savages	0	52	31	13	5	16
All-Stars	2	43	62	34	15	12

MVPS: S'lip D'isc, Grak Hedsplitta

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