Meadow Cup Musings / Round Three
Thill Brenner – Correspondent for TSS
The fans at the Innsbruck Meadow shared something the other meadows could not offer during the third round of these Meadow Cup games. One of their own was playing against one of their own. And despite the striving and straining to all extremes for victory by those men on the field, they knew they would find no extra joy in succeeding at the expense of the other.
The Austrian flag, beloved by all in the bleachers and those milling about the grounds, whipped in the wind over the slightly soggy field as the Salzkammer from Bad Ischl took on their Original 8 compatriots, perhaps immune to the nostalgia of playing their rivals under the same flag. I say that because, unlike the boys from Tyrol’s capital, where Olympians have skied their slopes and sped their sleigh tracks, and 3 Meadow Cups reside engraved with their champions’ names, the Salt Men did not bobble away their first two possessions; they did not miss tackles they had routinely made for 18 weeks during the Austrian League season; they did not seem nervous or distracted or, frankly, uninterested.
But when the Downhillers walked off at the conclusion of the 40 trailing 11-0, most of those in attendance, and certainly Captain Elias Moser and the rest of his mates, hoped and even expected the remaining 43 to go differently. Alas, it did not. Axel Neuwirth, the Bad Ischl Gate who seemed more like a bulwark, defended his goal like the life of his newborn daughter depended on it. Durante Steffan eluded defenders as if cloaked like James Bond’s Aston Martin. Together, the boys who narrowly avoided relegation to the Wheat League played more like a team who might have only a few months ago battled for the coveted Tyrol Cup. And as difficult as it may seem to believe, the final score of 20-0 hardly expresses the disparity on display that afternoon. Innsbruck has known much glory – 8 Tyrol Cups attest to that – but this was not their day. And Bad Ischl moves on, intent on keeping that Austrian flag flying for as long as possible.
Five of the Original 8 teams were playing in this traditional midweek round of 16. And as my beautiful and talented colleague, Zino Stiles-Johnson, will attest to in her Musings for the TSS, things did not go as well as one might expect for the lot. Across the border into France, near the base of the Jura Mountains, the ‘Huts found themselves in a battle for survival. Besançon had surrendered a mere 3 points through their opening two matches, and with the Citadel of Besançon off in the distance, perhaps inspiring their defense all the more, the Artisans were dug in for the full 83.
As this correspondent settled in among the patrons, doing his best to not stick out amidst the thousands of brilliant white Besançon jerseys, each partisan wearing that shirt seemingly at the ready were they needed to impel their team across the line, I was able to overhear the hushed tones of the hopeful. Expressing more confidence than their Harvest League status might imply, but befitting a team, one of only 15 in 150 years, that has claimed the Parzer Pair, the fans of “la Boucle” seemed to feed off of the crispness and precision with which their Artisans attacked even their warmups. Attending to every detail, Gates Patrice Larue and Rogier Chaput covered each other with the skill of a Tor medalist, dragging down Tirolerhut runners, clad in their famous green and gold kit, who fully expected to continue on for more yardage. The young man sitting beside me repeatedly wondered aloud whether anyone could escape the grasp of Chaput’s massive paws once they sunk in (and he was quite thankful they weren’t sinking into him!).
Come the break, the pleasant conditions had somehow produced some stifling results – Besançon 5, Villach 3. But when Tomm Ringl ran in a skot from his Left Wing position, giving the County their first lead before many of the fans could return to their seats with their crêpes and cider, 7-5, the mood began to tighten. Sensing the swing and seizing the moment, Besançon Manager Jacques Perreault quickly gathered his men and, pointing to the six hills emblazoned on their jersey sleeves, reminded them of the fortress of defense symbolized by that logo, a defense that would need to continue imposing its will if they intended to be playing next week.
Message received. Over the next 35 minutes, though geographically impossible, the meadow seemed to tilt in one direction, that being away from the Besançon line to defend. Similarly, Center Gy Bourreau and Farmhands Baptiste Perrin and Fernand Paquet (the Twin P’s) seemed to move twice as fast as normal, darting and dashing, each crossing the goal line to retake the lead and stretch it, eventually reaching a comfortable 17-7 margin. A (too) late push by Villach provided the final 17-11 score, and Besançon joined three other clubs in knocking off four of the remaining five O8 teams.
MEN OF THE WEEK
3] Rato Gräflin, Gate, Bern Armed Bears.
Little has gone wrong for the Armed Bears since last November. A 17-2-0 record delivered them their 12th Tyrol Cup, and three games into the summer classic, they just keep on winning. And win number three came thanks to a spirited effort from Gräflin, who suffered an ankle injury early in the 40. Refusing to sit out, however, Rato made tackle after tackle, helping to shut out Moena for 79 minutes in the Bears’ 14-2 win.
2] Axel Neuwirth, Gate, Bad Ischl Salzkammer.
As noted previously, Axel played defense as one making a training video on how to be the perfect Gate. Zero mistakes, zero lapses, and zero points surrendered. He wasn’t privy to the plans and playbook of the Downhillers, it only seemed that way.
1] Lex Kees, Schleissman, Oberammergau Troupers.
Scoring 17 points against a Scheibbs defense that gave up 16 the round previous may not feel worthy of any particular mention. But when Lex Kees almost singlehandedly took his team from trailing 7-0 to leading 17-7 within a matter of minutes, and did it when the entire Lamplighter side knew what was coming, he earned his place among the best of Round Three.
PREDICTIONS
Stiles-Johnson and I have agreed to offer up our takes on what will happen in the Round of 8. She has previously shown herself adept on occasion at reading the leaves, so do not be surprised when my guesses look like just the shots in the dark that they are.
ALPS Championship – Lucerne v. Zurich
Two offenses that are running at full swell. That means Zurich’s Thames Bertier and Lucerne’s Niels Bowen can be expected to keep the points coming – they finished 9th and 11th in scoring this past season. I’ll pick the home team and a Zurich win, 23-18.
CASTLES Championship – Oberammergau v. Mulhouse
What hasn’t been said about the Locomotives defense? Will it ever surrender a point? Records indicate only one team has ever put together 4 consecutive shutouts in the Meadow Cup. I’m banking on that record to stand. The Railmen win, but there are no zeros on the board, 13-7.
FARMS Championship – Vienna v. Bern
Bern’s path thus far has been easier than most, but that changes here in the rematch of this year’s Tyrol Cup Championship. The Bears not-so-secretly want the first Parzer Pair in 45 years, and their effort and execution will keep that hope alive. Vienna again comes up short as the Alpenhorns announce another Bern victory, 16-10.
VALLEYS Championship – Besançon v. Bad Ischl Few had this matchup scribbled in when the tournament started. Few, that is, except for the Artisans and Salzkammer faithful. All I know is that Centers Gy Bourreau and Karle Angler will shake hands at midfield. After that, it’s anyone’s guess. And so, mine reads Besançon 22-14.