The air at the Yass Rams Rugby Union Club on Saturday, June 28, 2025, was electric, thick with the scent of freshly cut grass and the murmur of anticipation. It wasn’t just another weekend fixture; it was the formidable Jindabyne Bushpigs rolling into town for a Round 11 clash, a team known for their bruising forward pack and unyielding resolve. But the Rams, fuelled by a deep-seated belief and the unwavering roar of their home crowd, were ready to defend their turf.
As Yass Rams coach Bronson Sainsbury later reflected, this game carried extra weight. “It was good to get one up on them after a few years. It’s the first time we’ve beaten them for three or four seasons,” he revealed, highlighting the significance of the challenge. The Bushpigs, despite having “a bit of a changeover” with “a lot of new young guys coming through” and not being “the team that they were over the last three years,” still boasted “a few of those old blokes that have been around for a few seasons and they are leading them around.”
This history of recent defeats against Jindabyne, coupled with their formidable reputation, was a powerful motivator. “It was a motivator,” Sainsbury affirmed, “That’s what we spoke about during the week. They were undefeated for three years.”
The message at training was clear: “We just wanted to focus on that and try and get one up on them.”
From the moment the whistle pierced the cool morning air, it was clear this would be no ordinary contest. The Bushpigs, true to form, charged out with ferocious intent, their big forwards aiming to rumble over the gain line. But the Yass Rams, a team forged in the heart of their community, met every challenge with a defiant thud. The early exchanges were a brutal ballet of bone-jarring tackles, with the Rams’ defensive line holding firm like an unbreakable wall. Each crunching hit was met with a cheer that echoed across the field, driving the home side forward.
The breakthrough for the Rams came from a moment of sheer brilliance and strategic patience. After absorbing relentless pressure, a perfectly executed turnover deep in their half saw the ball whisked wide through swift, confident hands. The Yass backs, nimble and quick, carved through the Bushpigs’ defence, culminating in a spectacular diving try in the corner that sent the crowd into a frenzy. The subsequent conversion sailed true, pushing the Rams into a well-deserved lead.
The Bushpigs stung but not broken, retaliated with a penalty goal, making it a tight affair heading towards halftime.
The second half was a testament to the Rams’ grit and determination. Jindabyne, desperate to claw back the advantage, threw everything they had at the Yass defence. Wave after wave of attacks crashed against a green and white tide of resolute defenders. The Rams’ forwards, often praised for their work rate and physicality, dug deep, winning crucial turnovers at the breakdown and disrupting the Bushpigs’ rhythm. Every scrum was a titanic struggle, every line-out a fierce aerial battle, and the Rams consistently came out on top, denying Jindabyne precious possession.
Midway through the half, with the tension palpable, the Rams capitalised on a hard-won penalty. The kick, struck with unwavering confidence, sailed between the posts, widening the gap and giving the Rams a vital buffer. It wasn’t just three points; it was a psychological blow to the Bushpigs, who now faced a more significant uphill climb. As the clock wound down, the Yass Rams entered a period of heroic, unyielding defence. They played with heart and soul, putting their bodies on the line, refusing to concede an inch.
The Bushpigs managed to snatch a late try, narrowing the margin, but it was too little, too late. When the final whistle blew, signalling a 17-12 victory for the Yass Rams, a wave of exhilaration washed over the home ground. The cheers were deafening, a well-deserved tribute to a team that had not only played with skill but with immense courage and pride. The Yass Rams had not just won a game; they had reaffirmed their fighting spirit and delivered a memorable triumph on their home turf. It was a victory hard-earned, celebrated loudly, and a clear signal that the Rams are a force to be reckoned with this season.
Looking ahead, Sainsbury acknowledged the challenges. “Big game against Bungendore for us this week, they’re undefeated this year, so I think playing them at home is going to be a real challenge. They put a pretty big score on us when we played them in the first round, so we’ll be looking to contain them a little bit better this weekend.”
He noted that Bungendore “had a pretty close one against Crookwell a few weeks ago, and we beat Crookwell at home a week after,” suggesting that “if we can disrupt them a little bit, we can certainly go pretty close.”
The Rams have Bungendore, Taralga, and Cooma left to play, with an uncertain fixture against Taralga still pending. Regarding their final aspirations, Sainsbury was candid. “Our chances of making the finals are pretty slim. It’s not impossible, but I think we’re in one of those positions where we need some other results to go our way and we need to keep winning.” He attributed their situation to a tough start: “The start of the season did the damage for us. I think we had four away games on the trot at the start of the season. Then our first game was against Bungendore.”
Despite this, there’s resilience: “It took us a while to get going. I think there were a few games that we probably should have won along the way, and there were a few that got away from us. Crookwell at home was a close one. Jindabyne in Jindabyne was another one that probably got away and then ADFA at ADFA that we probably could have put away.”
He drew a comparison to last year: “We started a little bit slow last season and made the finals. Probably not as slow as this season, we had this thing last year where we let teams get away from us, but we’d manage to wind them in late in the second half.”
Ultimately, in a competition where “anyone could beat anyone on their day” (besides Bungendore being well in front and Taralga struggling), the Rams are determined to keep fighting.
-Tully Potts
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