In a game that was influenced by inclement weather and poor field conditions, the South Valley Bucks’ three-game winning streak came to an abrupt end, 12-5, at the hands of Silicon Valley in a Bay South Silver division rugby match Saturday at Cupertino Middle School.
Silicon Valley opened the scoring with an unconverted try at the six-minute mark. South Valley responded 10 minutes in with Sobrato junior lock Vince Fanua powering through would-be tacklers for a try on a strong run from the base of a 5-meter scrum. The conversion failed, but Fanua’s try knotted the score at 5-all.
South Valley continued to pressure Silicon Valley with several attempts at crossing the home team’s try line, but an errant pass was intercepted by Silicon Valley’s center, who sprinted untouched for an 85-meter try between the posts with 20 minutes left in the first half. The 12-5 Silicon Valley lead was carried into the break.
The Bucks came out strong in the second half, dominating their opposition in scrums, line-outs, field position and ball possession. Silicon Valley was up to the challenge, though, with relentless defense, solid tackling and just enough of a kicking game to keep South Valley out of its try zone.
The Bucks came close to breaching Silicon Valley’s line on several occasions, but each time were thwarted.
Live Oak junior center Devin Jones and Sobrato senior lock Randu Lucachin played well for the Bucks, who continue league play against the Diablo Rugby Club in Concord on April 7.
