LIONS RUGBY

Ok, ok so I must admit....I LOVE when rugby season is here.  I'm a true blue Lion's fan!!  I'm a big fan of trucking all my kids to the park to watch the tournaments.  It's fun quality family-time together!  Ova helps me get all the snacks and treats for the kids (and the team) together and we head of to spend a whole day at the park!!  I love kickin-it with the other rugby wives, just talking, chasing our kids, cheering for our team and having a good time! 

My husband hasn't been able to play rugby for the past several years because of his illness, but he's just as involved as the players are as their 'coach' and sub-man.  I love the sport (even though I don't really fully understand the game) because my husband loves it.  Ova's little brothers Sau & Po play too, and I'm a huge fan of theirs...hahaha gotta support the brothers!!  :)

Well, this past weekend was the 1st annual APX Rugby Tournament put on by Minnesota Vikings Fullback Naufahu Tahi.  The tournament was held in Provo and it was so much fun.  It was only 2 days long, Friday and Saturday and the team that took 1st place took home $1500.00.  The Lions practiced every day preparing for the tournament....and oh my goodness it totally payed off!  They played 2 games on Friday, 1st game against the Bengals, which they won!!  Whoo-hoo and the 2nd game against Liahona and they lost... :(  The tournament was run with a point system and each game that was won earned points....at the end of the day, the team with the most points was the one in 1st place.  Well, I don't really think it's fair how it ended up working because all the teams got to play 3 games on Friday, except the Lions who only played 2 because it got too dark.  Since they didn't have the chance to play a 3rd game, they didn't have a chance for the points which put them in last place (really 2nd to last because the Bengals were out from losing all 3 of their games)  It was okay though because only 4 teams advanced to play on Saturday and this was the stats on Friday night:   

                         1st - Provo Steelers

                         2nd - Provo Liahona

                         3rd - Northside Tigers

                         4th - West Valley Lions

The 1st played the 4th, and the 2nd played the 3rd.... losers played for 3rd place and winners played for the championship.  Well, that meant the we got to play the Steelers..... the team that always takes it, and we were on their home court!  That didn't intimidate them....they were pumped up and ready to go and oh my goodness....they played freakin' amazing!  Steelers couldn't do anything.....the Lions defense was so strong, nobody could get past them.  The score was 3-0, Lions were up by a kick..... and then the stupid ref (Haloti...who hates the Lions because he got beat-up by one back in the day) made a stupid call, giving the ball to the Steelers so close to their endzone...and they scored a try right before the game was over.  Because of it the Lions lost.... 5-3.  Everyone was sad, disappointed and pissed off at Haloti for yet again doing this to them.... but they needed to focus on their next game against the Tigers for 3rd place.   It was time for their next game and once again, they played awesome!   Everybody on the Lions team brought their A game that day....they were amazing!!  They beat the Tigers and took 3rd place in the tournament..... happy that they placed, but disappointed that they would have been able to play in the championship game if Haloti didn't make that bogus call.  Next game was the Steelers against the Liahona team....keep in mind that the majority of the Liahona team split off from the Steelers and there were some players from the Barbarians as well.... so pretty much, it was Provo playing against Provo for the championship.  All I can say is they are poor sports.  Not too long into the game people started throwing punches...they all started fighting....people from the sidelines got involved....it looked like a mob out in the middle of the field.  The fight was broken up, then they would start fighting again, then it would get broken up, then they would fight again.....it went on for like a half hour before it finally was over.  Only in Provo were there are no cops around would people be able to fight that long....hahaha!  Anyways, the committee wanted to hurry and announce the winners, give the prizes and get everyone and all the drama out of there....so we all gathered around the main tent to hear the announcements!  Ladies rugby was announced first....

1st place & $1000.00 - Provo Lady Steelers

2nd place & 500.00 - Pink Panthers

3rd place & 300.00 - Majestics

Then it was time for the men's rugby.... the commentator (Fahu's dad) announced that due to the rules that were set before the tournament started....

3rd place & $300.00 - Bengals (who lost all their games)

2nd place & 600.00 - Tigers

AND

1st place &  $1500.00 & a new gym bag goes to............ WEST VALLEY LIONS!!!

Both the Provo teams were disqualified for poor sportsmanship and we got the title and the prize money!!  I was so happy because they deserved it... the team that everyone knows as the fighters didn't fight once....they played clean and hard and it all paid off in the end!!

So proud of them...... go LIONS!!  :)

Here are some pictures from the tournament compliments of Tina Tuakoi and her awesome camera!!  :)  Thanks Tina...you got some awesome shots!  :)