uphill

Dona Elliott, 59, owns this combination country store and saloon, built in 1929 of clapboard and shingles, uphill from the river and hard by a narrow woodland road.

It has left the Republic bottom of Group F on one point and facing an uphill struggle to qualify for next year's finals.

Fire officials, in a briefing Sunday, explained that the blaze had crossed Dinkey Creek and was driven rapidly uphill due to the steep topography and shifts in weather.

It burned through around a quarter of an acre of vegetation as it moved uphill, briefly threatening nearby homes.

A disappointing 38-8 defeat left an uphill task to qualify for the knockout stages, and a win on Saturday over the world's number two ranked side Canada was required.