FOG LEAVES GLORIOUS MARK AT THE 2008 DUBLIN TOURNAMENT
The San Francisco Fog saved some of its most memorable moments in its club history for the last day of the Bingham Cup® tournament, leaving every single ounce of passion and pride on the pitch in its four contested matches, and later in the day, in a boat race in front of the entire IGRAB community. As the 2008 Bingham Cup® tournament in Dublin came to a close, the San Francisco Fog yet again held its head up very high, as the Fog first side nobly placed fourth in the Cup bracket, while the Fog second side played its best rugby yet in the history of the club placing fourth in the Plate bracket, the second highest of four brackets. Perhaps most notably, Fog rugger Matt McManus of the Fog second side achieved high honor as the top try scoring player in all of the Bingham Cup® tournament. Over the course of these last three days, the legend of the Fog continued to resonate strong within the IGRAB walls, as the eye of the Fog looks onward towards the future and the next tournament in two years time.
PLATE BRACKET - Quarter Finals
SF Fog 2nd Side 14, Chicago Dragons 7
The Fog second side started the day playing tough rugby, scoring quickly and never looking back. With gorgeous morning weather shining on the pitch, the Fog showed why they belonged in the Plate bracket with its third victory of the tournament, scoring two tries to the opposition’s one.
CUP BRACKET - Semi Finals
SF Fog 1st Side 7, London Kings Cross Steelers 7
London advances on points differential
In a match that players and spectators will surely be telling for the next many decades, the first sides of the Fog and Steelers put on one of the most passionate rugby contests of the 2008 Bingham Cup® tournament. The Steelers came out of the gate strong, scoring a try in the first minutes of the match, and carried a lead over the Fog into the half. As each minute passed in the second half, the Fog looked into the eyes of fate, and when faced with possibly the last play of the match, the Fog marched almost the entire length of the pitch and scored one of the most glorious tries in its hallowed history to even the score at the end of regulation. What ensued was unprecedented in Bingham Cup® history, as London and San Francisco played through four complete sudden death overtime periods, and each team came a hair close to scoring tries numerous times in the process, miraculously stopping each other every time. The sidelines of both clubs multiplied rapidly, and the booming chants of “Steelers” and “Roll Fog Roll” permeated throughout the entire Bingham Cup® grounds. As the fourth overtime drew to a close, the referees and captains met and determined the match based on point differentials. As a result, the match that could have gone either way went the Steelers way based on the slimmest of margins, as the Steelers +123 point differential bested the Fog’s +120 differential by three points. Quickly, the Steelers and Fog not only shook hands but hugged each other, as they knew that they had just played a Bingham Cup® match that will surely be remembered for nearly an eternity. This remembrance was further cemented as both the London and San Francisco clubs proudly traded touring polo shirts with each other at the official tournament dinner later in the evening.
PLATE BRACKET - Semi Finals
SF Fog 2nd Side 0, World Barbarians 16
The Fog second side squared off in the semi-final match against the noteworthy World Barbarians, a group of ruggers that traveled from many continents to play with each in this hallowed tournament. The 2008 Barbarians continued its tradition of fielding a very strong side, yet the Fog second side once again never let down its guard, playing intense, technically-proficient rugby and holding the Barbarians to its lowest score in the Plate bracket competition, a feat that went unnoticed in IGRAB.
CUP BRACKET - 3rd/4th Place
SF Fog 1st Side 5, New York Gotham Knights 10
After playing 60 grueling minutes of passionate rugby earlier in the day, the Fog first side dusted itself off for one last match against the New York Gotham Knights, a contest of two United States powerhouses. The Fog scored early on a prop try, while the Gotham Knights answered back with a penalty kick shortly after. Both sides traded the ball back and forth with stifling defenses, until New York edged through in the last minute running to the corner of the pitch with the winning try. Though the Fog first side may have suffered its first solid defeat of the tournament, witnesses roaming the sidelines unofficially declared the Fog its champions of the day, as they saw the grit and resolve of the Fog over the course of a day that few are able to match.
PLATE BRACKET - 3rd/4th Place
Cardiff Lions 8 Beers, SF Fog 2nd Side Almost 8 Beers
A Boat Race Challenge
In unquestionably the most entertaining match of the day, both the Cardiff Lions and Fog second side counted their lickings and agreed to settle their score in Rugby’s esteemed third half, as eight members of each squad took the stage at the Olympia Theatre during the Bingham Cup® Closing Ceremonies, in front of rabid ruggers from more than 30 teams in the tournament. The theatre echoed ferociously in cries and shouts from the crowd as each player gulped their beer as fast as they could, with Cardiff finishing their beer just a little fast than the Fog. In the end, each team shook each others hands and drank to brotherhood and sisterhood, and similar to the Bingham Cup® tournament itself, went out in a style that only Rugby would know.
