Barbarians survive second-half push by Black & Blue in season opener.

The Milwaukee Barbarians kicked off their 2016-2017 campaign on Saturday with a spirited match against local rivals the Milwaukee Black & Blue.

The Division 3 match started in windy and wet conditions which kept both teams playing cautious, high-percentage ball until prop Jake Elsner rumbled over for the first try of the match at the 12-minute mark. 

The next 25 minutes saw both teams open up as the surface dried and improved under ever-sunnier conditions. But the defenses were also up to the challenge as no tries were allowed during long phases of attack and defense, and just a single penalty kick was scored.

Finally, at the 38th minute center Wes Seay broke the stalemate with a well-earned try. After a successful conversion by flanker Zach Price, the match broke for half-time with the Barbarians ahead 15-0.

Offenses come alive

In the second half, the offense on both sides starting firing.

For the Barbarians David Gray, Daryl Bagley, and Jack Carter scored their first try of the season and Seay dotted down for his second. 

For Black & Blue, substitute Michael Johnson made a big impact with a pair of hard-won tries at the 60th- and 70th-minute marks.

At the  whistle, the Barbarians won the day with a final score of 39-12.

“We have a group of extremely talented young rugby players and a terrific coaching staff that is just starting to gel together,” said Asst. Head Coach Joe Birdsall. “It’s a very fun and exciting time for everyone!”

On deck

The Barbarians will play the return fixture against the Black & Blue on Oct. 15 at Minooka Park. Their next match is this Saturday, Sept. 17 versus the Wolfpac: kickoff is 2:00PM in Fond du Lac.

Roster

• #1 – Bagley, Daryl
• #2 – Abt, Jared
• #3 – Elsner, Jacob
• #4 – Brown, Jordan
• #5 – Carter, Paul
• #6 – Price, Zach
• #7 – Gray, David
• #8 – Fendryk, Randy
• #9 – Kloiber, Thomas
• #10 – Albert, Zachary
• #11 – Talbot, Jason
• #12 – Seay, Wesley
• #13 – Setum, Zachary
• #14 – Chini, Todd
• #15 – Mross, Alex
• #16 – Nirschl, Benjamin
• #17 – Rudy, Michael
• #18 – Ruys, Adam
• #19 – Melnick, Brendan
• #20 – Drobot, Steve
• #21 – Carter, Jack
• #22 – Hickey, John

Match Stream

MIN	EVENT	SIDE	SCORE	DETAILS
12′	TR score	MIL3	5 – 0	#3 – Elsner, Jacob
12′	IJ sub	MIL3	5 – 0	Off: #5 – #5 – Carter, Paul On: #18 – #18 – Ruys, Adam
13′	PK score	MIL3	8 – 0	#6 – Price, Zach
23′	TC sub	MILBB	8 – 0	Off: #6 – #6 – Backhaus, Steven On: #17 – #17 – Wall, Nicholas
27′	TC sub	MIL3	8 – 0	Off: #9 – #9 – Kloiber, Thomas On: #20 – #20 – Drobot, Steve
38′	TR score	MIL3	13 – 0	#12 – Seay, Wesley
39′	CV score	MIL3	15 – 0	#6 – Price, Zach
42′	TR score	MIL3	20 – 0	#7 – Gray, David
43′	CV score	MIL3	22 – 0	#6 – Price, Zach
48′	TC sub	MIL3	22 – 0	Off: #14 – #14 – Chini, Todd On: #22 – #22 – Hickey, John
55′	TC sub	MILBB	22 – 0	Off: #17 – #17 – Wall, Nicholas On: #20 – #20 – Johnson, Michael
57′	IJ sub	MIL3	22 – 0	Off: #3 – #3 – Elsner, Jacob On: #16 – #16 – Nirschl, Benjamin
57′	TC sub	MIL3	22 – 0	Off: #4 – #4 – Brown, Jordan On: #17 – #17 – Rudy, Michael
60′	TR score	MILBB	22 – 5	#20 – Johnson, Michael
60′	CV score	MILBB	22 – 7	#10 – Weyenberg, Lucas
65′	TC sub	MILBB	22 – 7	Off: #11 – #11 – Mueller, Ben On: #18 – #18 – Haynes, Alan
67′	TC sub	MILBB	22 – 7	Off: #3 – #3 – Ziegler, Ryan On: #16 – #16 – Francksen, Philip
68′	TR score	MIL3	27 – 7	#12 – Seay, Wesley
68′	TC sub	MIL3	27 – 7	Off: #7 – #7 – Gray, David On: #19 – #19 – Melnick, Brendan
69′	CV score	MIL3	29 – 7	#6 – Price, Zach
70′	TR score	MILBB	29 – 12	#20 – Johnson, Michael
74′	TR score	MIL3	34 – 12	#1 – Bagley, Daryl
74′	TC sub	MIL3	34 – 12	Off: #11 – #11 – Talbot, Jason On: #21 – #21 – Carter, Jack
79′	TR score	MIL3	39 – 12	#21 – Carter, Jack