Transportation was not without it’s hitches, with massive expectations and excitement about team bonding on TTE’s bus, we were lucky to secure the services of Dave form Palm Beach coaches for the day and arrive in style to the awe of the masses.  A day of days was unfolding as 10 teams were jockeying for position on the grounds and started to strut their stuff.  The usual suspects were present, our mates from Penrith, Oakhill, Wahroonga, and teams we knew from Gordon, Eastwood, Terrey Hills, along with new faces from Hawkesbury, Bathurst and Engadine.  All corners of the globe had gathered for the mecca of the gala day.

The nasties strode out and looked the goods, with the generosity of Dim Sim, we constructed our shelter under the shade tent as the day began to warm up.  Today saw the inauguration of the Nasties Banner, as it was proudly erected on our camp by Tinkerbelle and TTE, and minutes later it was “let the games begin”.

Game 1

Our old mates from Penrith met us on the pitch, and with no reserves, the Nasties played like it was already World Cup, backing each other into the fray, talking it up hard and standing solid in defence.  Missing Coach Mojo, who’d blown a groin at training, the boys had obviously been brainwashed into a game plan, as the forwards made short work of the rucks, pushing us slowly up the field and drawing in the defence, before letting loose the the dream team of backs.  Deeks was on fire, as every pass smacked Gav on the chest as he began to weave his magic, resembling a young Cliffy Lyons as he orchestrated the play to put the outside backs through gaps.  Seany P playing fullback screamed onto an inside ball like the “black flash” to set up Dundee in a crowd pleasing display for the first try.  Field position and tries followed to Gunner and TTE.  TTE had a 10 man overlap as he strode to the line, but seeing the line, his eyes just about popped out of his head and he became mesmerised with no other goal than to score.  The defence did not stand a chance.  Much like Gunner who hit the “Refrigerator” –aka- Penrith Maori fullback, during one break.  “What were you thinking” said Deeks as Gunner was swallowed into the grasp of the huge warrior.  A convincing 3-0 victory and the adrenalin was flowing in top gear.

Game 2

A full strength Terrey Hills “Stillbillies” team, reinforced by a few Dee Why boys and a touch of Oakhill withered oaks, put up a stiff encounter for the 2nd hit out.  Bouyed by the teams first game performance, the Nasties again demonstrated the benefits of their training regime.  Tries soon followed to Gunner and Irish from brilliant setup play from the piggies, including Pete Johnno who stepped up today to fill in the piggies declining numbers.  “Are you crazy” Mita was heard to say to Johnno as he donned the burden of a piggie, having been there done that and happily slotted into the backs. “Someones gotta do it” was Johnno’s brazen response, as he showed why Nasties are so revered.  Joined by solid rucking from SinBin, Axe and Cowboy, the Nasties were in fine form.  But it was the Nasty defence that earned the team their namesake at this Historicals day.  Heavy hitting from TTE, SinBin, and Pup saw the ref get quite shitty with the Blue, White and Pinks, penalising often and heard saying “This is golden Oldies not Masters, so tone it down fellas”.  Well that was like a red flag to a bull, as the Stillbillies joined the ref’s commentary in bagging out the Nasties.  The match nearly erupted when the undisputed hit of the day was made.  TTE, looking more like Scott Sattler, made the biggest cover tackle of all time.  The stillbillies winger, not a small lad, broke our defence and set his sights firmly on the line with a fair gammet of pace.  TTE homed in his radar and got those calves pumping as he flew across in cover defence and knocked the number 14 off his feet and into touch metres before the line.  The guy didn’t move, as abuse was thrown.  TTE’s comeback, “I can’t tackle low”, and the Nasties legend grew.  Given penalties, and continous ball, the Nasties defence dug deep to display a spirited, tough rugby team.  “They shall not pass” could have been the motto, for we kept them scoreless, and in amazement, Newport hit straight back through a masterful clearing kick from Gav, chased down and eventually run away to score by SinBin.  A bone crunchin display of raw guts and emotion saw a 3-0 scoreline, but the game was to take it’s toll.

Game 3

The writing was on the wall. With just enough time to skull the Boylo, our rest between matches was short lived and we faced up against a refreshed Gordon, backed by some Bathurst boys and Wahroonga within a minute of the last game finishing.  The same ref as the first two games who’d seen the physical prowess and domination of the glamour team, The Nasties, and it was as obvious as the nose on your face, we were in for a tough time with the attitude he’d been brewing towards us.  Several acute cases of foot in mouth did not help our cause as we continually pointed out knock-ons and faux pas of the opposition, yet the Nasties held their ground.

Fatigue soon appeared, assisted by one-eyed refereeing and we had our backs to the wall.  Inevitably, we succumbed and let in two soft tries.  Highlight of the game would have to have been Mita’s bone crunching tackle, for which he duly got penalised for being too physical, and the now famous call from TTE was no more apt, “You don’t need to see a good tackle when you can hear one”.  The full time whistle was a blessing in disguise as we solidered off the pitch, chests puffed out and proud of the display.

The heat of the day and the long walk back to “Camp Nasties” shade, was surprisingly not enough for some.  A few injuries, as expected, but a few solid performances to boot.  Tinkerbelle, unaccustomed as he is to playing full games, played all 3 without a hint of exhaustion.  Massive effort considering his absence from training the past month.  As quiet came over the crew, a lone voice vowelled, “I love playing footy with you guys”.  A sentiment that rang through all.  But that was not enough.  The Newport Nasties clearly dominated the Barbarians match to close the day.

Celebrations and new friendships were afoot at the Jolly Frog for presentations.  All teams were declared winners, as is the spirit of Golden Oldies, as teams nominated their most dastardly player for a “Scull – off”.  Despite not being penalised on the field, AXE was our man for the race, and he didn’t disappoint.  The highlight of this post match gathering, was however the rendition of the Haka from the 4 Penrith kids aged 4-6 that stirred the moment.

In closing, I’d expect we’ll be back next year, and most likely see all those from the day at the next bus trip way out west on the Penrith Gala Day in August.

Onwards and Upwards