Game Report: Sat. October 23, 2004

Senior Mens 1sts
ABRFC 12 Irish Canadians 32
Commentary to come

Senior Mens 2nds
Barbs II's 29, Irish Canadians II's 22

Playing in the curtain raiser to the club's much anticipated 1st XV Semi-Final match up against the Irish Canadians, the 2nd XV were hungry for a win to set the stage for their team mates playing in the big cup round game.

The 2nd XV saw there season come to an end on Saturday on an extremely positive note.

Going back to last season's playoff round, the Barbs II's lost to the Irish II's by scores of 44-0, 37-18 and 29-7 respectively. The trend appeared to be that we improved each time we played this very seasoned and efficient Irish Development Squad, so we were very excited at the opportunity to take them on one last time this year.

The game started with play going back and forth between the two sides where all appeared to be just a little disorganized. There were several penalties very early on, indicating that this was not going to be the "friendly" some may have expected as both teams were out of the "hardware" round.

Both teams seemed to settle down after the first 15-20 minutes, and were able to get their game plans in motion. The Irish attack seemed to be built around a large and powerful center who bowled over several Barbs defenders throughout the day ( Graham Brown's broken nose being just one of the results of bringing the big man down ), as well as the speed and good decision making of their young fullback.

The Barbs recognized that an attack based on quick ball won by the forwards in tight and presented cleanly to a very experienced back line would net favourable results. Sure enough, the plan worked as the majority of our points came from tries out wide.

We saw great attacking runs by veteran Rob Futter. The big boot of Brian D'andrade was a welcome addition in light of the absence of 2nd team fixture Stu Hulbert. Bart Hennessey provided a solid cork to help stop the attack through the center, and as always was involved in orchestrating scoring opportunities out wide. Graham Brown offered the impact he has become known for hitting almost anything that moved within his reach. Line outs were improved ten fold over the beginning of the season, and scrums late in the game, where we actually drove right over the Irish pack were a real boost.

Credit to the Irish team that never gave up, and certainly threatened twice in the late going with runs down the touch line that we managed to pressure just enough to force the threat in to touch.

This was a big win for our 2nd XV, as we have strived to prove that our entire club has a place among the top tier at all three levels of the Marshall Competition.

Congratulations and thanks go out to every member of the club that played with the 2nd XV this season. You worked hard, learned much, and never ever gave up. I have enjoyed stepping on the field with each and every one of you this season, and I am proud of the job we have accomplished.

Here is looking forward to another improved season next year, as we continue to take the small steps forward, towards our goal of becoming a force in the Marshall, instead of the "up and comers".

Cheers,
Nick Taylor