The second half of the season kicked off with a try-filled affair in which the Tridents secured a bonus point within the first half hour then set upon making a statement against the Miami RFC fresh off their first win of the season.

From the kick-off, it was clear that the forwards were interested in making the most of the embarrassingly narrow field. The safe hands of Mateo Carrazana, making his debut at 8-man this season, provided a consistent attacking platform from every kick-off. His balanced footwork and strength in contact set off a rampaging Trident attack that, like Mateo’s freestyle later in the evening, needed just a few lines to break its opponents. The Bumblebee defense struggled to keep its shape, and with the defense on the back foot, the center pairing of Matthew Mairowitz and Kyle Burnett made easy work of deflating the Bees’ hopes for a competitive tie.

Tries from Mateo Velazquez and team captain Fede Torres Garcia, who also scored an early penalty and a slew of conversions, complemented the forward-dominated scoresheet, which included an 80-meter effort finished off by Keiffer Scott and a first half hat trick from Agustin “Kin” Iglesias. When asked on the field about his first half try, Scott said “Well, (wheeze), it was a …. (long pause for a possible dry heave) team … (another long pause, some concern was shown on the sideline) effort.”

The comments at half were largely positive, but the coaching staff was slightly displeased at the 43-7 score-line. The suffocating attack could not hide the brain fade that led to a walk-in try from Miami before the half following a penalty in which Tridents players were slow to react.

The second half was academic. The Tridents onslaught met little resistance from a battered Bumblebee team that enjoyed slightly more of the ball but could only manage to break the Trident defense for the second time in the waning minutes of the half. The comfortability of the 80 minutes was not without its hints of ill-discipline. Credit to the referee for tempering the flare-ups and making sure that they did not mar a resounding Trident performance.

Second half tries came from Pedro Cappellani, Pablo Reynoso de Mare (2), and Julian Monayer.

After the game, President Jose Bermudez, who could hardly contain his smile, presented the Trident squad with a well-deserved Miami Cup. After retaining it for the tenth straight year, the victory is a testament to the club’s efforts both on and off the field. When reached for comment, Coach Dimitri Efthimiou fought through a scowl to say that he was (making air quotes) “happy” and “proud.” However, he was quick to say that he will arrange to have at least two dozen whistles of varying sizes, decibel levels, and intonations at practice on Tuesday to begin dedicated operant conditioning training and ensure the post-penalty brain fade “NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN.”

The Trident RFC will host the Brevard Old Red Eye Rugby club next weekend for their first taste of interdivisional play at Athalie Range Park at 2PM. Hope to see you all there.