To kick off the fatal attraction of another National Championship, your Denver Barbarians will travel to the state of Arizona (also known by the “Copper State”, “Valentine State”, and the infamous “Grand Canyon State”). The team will play two games in three days … a litmus test for where the club stands on the pitch. The travelling side (listed below) will feature ruggers of all shapes and sizes.

Forwards: Luca Tani, Max Murphy, Dan Wagner, Cortland Castro, Marco DeGuire, Jack Grisanti, Juan Bialy, Steve Karas (C), Robert Valle, Felix Dunphy, Rob Moreno, Joe Goldbloom

Backs: Dante Brown, Brett DeBoy, Harold Hernandez, Eric Sykes, Luka Pavlakis, Tyler Grant, Benny Ferrazza, Conor O’Brien, Kierian Langskov, Liam Wynne, Malik Bryant, Noah Pflaum, Ryan Walker

The first test will come Thursday night, as your Denver Barbarians take on Phoenix RFC at the Legacy Sports Complex, on the East side of the Sun Valley (official address is 1 Legacy Drive, Mesa, AZ 85212). The game will kick off at 7:30pm local time, and although the game is a “friendly”, it will be a full blown 80 minutes of rugby.

New club president Danny Bell leads his new club back to the place where he first played rugby here in the states. While Danny grew up playing rugby around the globe, he completed his undergraduate degree at Arizona State University, and continued to play club rugby in the area for years to come.

Danny has been instrumental to organizing this tour, and prepping the team to make a championship run in the spring of 2022. Here are some comments on the upcoming weekend (audio below).

Leading up the backline this weekend is veteran player Liam Wynne. His skill set allows him to switch between fly-half, inside or outside center, and in a pinch his apt boot makes him a very serviceable fullback. He’s been a major contributor to the Barbo 7’s in years past, but this year has leveled up and brought his finesse and field vision to the XV’s pitch.

Liam Wynne commented on how the Barbos will look to move the ball around the pitch (audio below).

On Saturday, March 12th, 70 Miles away from Thursday’s pitch, the Denver Barbarians will square off against Tempe RFC. The game will be held at the Westside Sports Complex (2209 N 99th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85037) and the kick off will be at high noon (when the sun is at it’s zenith).

Tempe RFC has started their 2022 campaign with a hot start, with wins against Phoenix and Las Vegas. Tempe is Danny Bell’s old club, so although this game will be a “friendly”, the BarboFam knows that bragging rights are on the line for our club president.

Stay tuned on our website and social media platforms for updates and content throughout the week.

As always, BLEED GREEN!