The Barbarians (0-2-0) today hosted cross-town rivals Black & Blue (0-1-0) in an important match for the clubs: both teams were hunting their first win for the 2024-2025 season.
Perhaps more importantly, the Barbarians needed a win today to keep alive their hopes of advancing to the post-season.
With so much on the line, the match was tense and scrappy to the final whistle.
Barbarians push ahead early
The Barbarians made good us of their offensive opportunities early in the first half.
On three entries into the Black & Blue red zone, the hosts converted twice (Mike Eagan, 14′; Max Medvedev, 22′) and pushed out to a 14-0 lead after conversions by Chase Johnson.
But the visitors were not about to roll over. Repeated pressure and some clever kicks had the Black & Blue looking dangerous on multiple occasions.
With 10 minutes remaining in the half, this pressure was converted to points following a penalty quick-tap down the narrow side of the pitch. After the conversion, the Barbarians lead was cut in half with the score at 14-7.
As the break neared, the penalty count began to creep up for the Barbarians. But knock-ons prevented Black & Blue from taking advantage.
At the whistle, the score remained unchanged with the hosts up by 7.
Defense wins games
In the second half, the slugfest continued with neither side able to control the action for extended periods of time.
Continuing to rely on the boot to exploit the space behind the defense line, the Black & Blue scored in the corner at the 53-minute mark. Unable to make the difficult conversion, the Barbarians maintained a 2-point lead 14-12.
Both sides continued to probe for advantages. But penalties from the visitors, knock-ons from the hosts, and good cover-tackles kept most of the action in the middle of the pitch.
Black & Blue did make entries into the Barbarian red zone numerous times. But but time and again the Barbarian defense forced errors and shut down scoring opportunities.
Finally, the Barbarians broke the stalemate after a long spell inside the visitors 22-meter line. A quick-tap penalty spun to the wide channels allowed Barbarian Maquian Johnson to cross the whitewash and extend their lead 19-12.
The final 10 minutes was a grind of possession with neither side able to break through the defense.
At the final whistle, the Barbarians notched their first win of the season and kept their Division 3 playoff hopes alive.
Looking ahead
The Barbarians 1st XV (2-0-0) are away at Des Moines (1-1-0) this weekend for a Division 2 match on 9/21. Both sides have defeated Metropolis by similar margins, so we expect a competitive match and lots of action.
Division 3 returns on 9/28 as we host Oconomowoc at Brown Deer Park.
Match statistics
| KPI | Barbarians | Black & Blue |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | 13 | 15 |
| Knock-ons | 11 | 13 |
| Ruck Turnovers | 5 | 7 |
| Line-out Success | 75% (3/4) | 60% (3/5) |
| Scrum Success | 89% (8/9) | 92% (11/12) |
| Red-zone Success | 60% (3/5) | 33% (2/6) |
| Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Tries | 3 | 2 |
| Conversions | 2 | 1 |
| Penalty Kicks | 0 | 0 |
| Points Scored | 19 | 12 |
Match Photos
Photo Credit: Badger Kings Rugby Company.
