Diablo Rugby scored first and quickly set the tone for a 47-5 victory over local club South Valley in a Bay South League match Saturday in Concord.
Establishing a wide open running style from the onset, Diablo built a 19-0 lead in the first half. The Bucks controlled scrums and line-outs but had a difficult time matching Diablo’s pace in open play.
The second half saw a surge by South Valley, though. With solid, controlled play from their forward pack, the Bucks got things rolling. Using hard-strike runs and good continuity in contact the Bucks broke through Diablo’s defensive line, and junior lock Vince Fanua of Sobrato High School touched down for a try. The conversion was missed, but South Valley had some momentum.
That evaporated quickly when the Bucks, a bit disorganized on the ensuing kickoff, knocked on. Diablo ran a nice weak-side play from the resulting scrum, putting the Bucks under intense pressure inside their own 5-meter line. Diablo scored from another scrum move, and the Bucks never did regain any sort of dominance.
Diablo ran in three more tries and ran away with a well-earned win.
South Valley concludes Bay South League play against Alameda at 7 p.m. Friday at the Outdoor Sports Center.
