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 |
The complete and official match report can be found on the USA Rugby website.
