The hopes of capturing a wild-card spot in the Midwest Division 2 playoffs hung in the balance today for both the Barbarians and the visiting Green Bay Celtics.
Both sides came into the match with 3-2 records. A win for either would put them in contention for a spot in the playoffs while a loss would eliminate their chances.
Green Bay clinical in 1st half
Fresh off of an important win last week over Des Moines, Green Bay started fast and physical. Pinning the Barbarians in their own half, they pressured the home team into turning over the ball and scored shortly after to lead 7-0 after 5 minutes.
The match settled into the familiar jab and parry until a high, horse collar-style tackle by Green Bay led to a red card at the 10-minute mark. The visitors would finish the match with only 14 players.
Shortly after the card, the Barbarians exploited the man-advantage and scored a converted try of their own to level the scores at 7.
Green Bay spent the remainder of the half acting like the red card didn’t happen. They scored three more tries for a total of four, and two more conversions for a total of 26 points.
The Barbarians scored two more converted tries, bringing their tally to 21 at the half-time whistle.
Barbos defense shines
With the scores close, the Barbarians came out the blocks with a renewed intensity in the second half. They scored early to take the lead and never really looked back.
Green Bay appeared to be tiring from the effects of the red card, and their penalty count climbed rapidly, eventually doubling that of the home side.
The Barbarians really went to work on the defensive side of the ball in the second half. From five opportunities in the red zone, Green Bay only converted one into points.
In contrast, the Barbarians converted 3 out of 5 opportunities into tries with accurate line-outs providing a consistent base to attack from (both off penalties and from stolen line-outs).
At the final whistle, the hosts would be victorious with a final score of 42-33.
Man of the match
Congrats to Tim Grams on earning Man of the Match honors.
Close but no cigar
The win improved the Barbarians regular-season record to 4-2-0. This put them into contention for a wild-card spot in the Midwest Division 2 playoffs with Fort Wayne (4-1-1) and Columbus (4-2-0).
After all the match results were tallied, Fort Wayne would go on to win the tie-break based on having allowed the fewest points scored against them. The Barbarians had won the day, but will have to look to next season for a return playoff glory.
Match statistics
| KPI | Barbarians | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| DISCIPLINE & ACCURACY | ||
| Penalty | 7 | 15 |
| Card (Yellow/Red) | 1 (Y) | 1 (R) |
| Knock-on | 8 | 6 |
| Forward Pass/Not Straight | 0 | 2 |
| Kick Success | 86% (6/7) | 67% (4/6) |
| OFFENSIVE OPPORTUNITIES | ||
| Line-out Success | 90% (9/10) | 50% (2/4) |
| Scrum Success | 78% (7/9) | 100% (7/7) |
| Line Break | 8 | 7 |
| Red-zone Success | 67% (6/9) | 42% (4/12) |
| Defensive Turnover | 3 | 2 |
| SCORING | ||
| Try | 6 | 5 |
| Conversion | 6 | 5 |
| Penalty Kick | 0 | 0 |
| Points Scored | 42 | 33 |
Match Photos
