BARBOS FALL TO PARK CITY IN A TALE OF TWO HALVES

The Calm Before the Storm

When the team travelling to Park City was named on Thursday night, we saw some new names looking for new opportunities on the rugby pitch. Luckily for them, there is no greater opportunity that travelling west to face our Utah based league rivals Park City Haggis.

This trip isn’t for the feint hearted. It’s an 8 hour drive (knowing you have to make the same time sacrifice on the way home), a quick rest up in a hotel, then … rugby. On a grass pitch too. The players were eager to roll around on the natural grass after weeks on the Infinity Park turf. Our team was focused, and after the long drive from Denver to Provo, the team went straight to bed. An honest night’s rest before a physical clash.

After waking up in a queen bed next to a rugby sized bedmate (that’s right, we squeeze 4 to a room), the team convened in the lobby, enjoyed a Best Western Plus breakfast, then loaded up the vans and made the beautiful drive to Park City. For those who have never been, it’s a luxury mountain town tucked in a serene valley. The fall colors were out, and the scene was set for a great day of rugby.

Wingers these days come in all shapes and sizes

The game opened with a massive swing in favor of Park City. A deep kickoff was followed by a huge hit, pinning the Barbos back in their own territory. The exit kick shanked off flyhalf Noah Pflaum’s foot and the Park City winger scooped it and scored. A 5-0 Park City lead within the first minute was worsened when veteran winger Brett DeBoy went down with a knee injury in the 4th minute. But the men in Green & White soon grabbed hold of the reins and began to steer the ship. A clean line break from Noah Pflaum was followed by a great support line and inside pass to scrumhalf Conor O’Brien. He touched down under the sticks, and the conversion by Liam Wynne was successful. 7-5 Barbo lead. At the 20 minute mark, Conor O’Brien switched roles from try scorer to try provider. Liam Wynne ran a sharp line at a tiny hole on the weak side, and O’Brien connected with a dime that saw Wynne through for another try under the sticks. 14-5 Barbos.

At the 28th minute, the Barbos had a spectacular team try after another Pflaum line break. Kaleb Boleyn was in support, and he made the final offload to Landan Banks who dotted in the corner. It really was a thing of beauty, with the forward pack finally finding their lungs to give the break the support it needed to go the distance. Better yet, the Barbos pressure resulted in a yellow card for a Park City forward. Kick no good, Barbos up 19-5.

After even more attacking pressure, the Barbos seemed totally in control. Another Park City forward was sent off for slowing the ball down, and Devarius “Beanie” Miller scored in the corner bringing the halftime score to 24-5 Barbos. With a four try bonus point secured, and a two men advantage it was almost too good to be true at halftime.

But like most things in life, your luck can change in a minute. The Barbos lost a defensive leader in Eric Sykes to a hyper-extended knee. The team simply squandered the first 8 minutes of the half with a critical 2 man advantage. It’s imperative that scoring opportunities are taken advantage of, and it was just a day full of mistakes. Multiple penalty kicks to touch didn’t find their mark. Players became complacent on defense, often lagging the line speed needed to snuff out a wide attack. Park City got their men back from the bin, and it was like a fresh start for the home team.

Credit to the victors. Park City played a flawless 2nd half, and made the men in Green & White pay for the aforementioned mistakes. Two unconverted tries in 2 minutes quickly had the score 24-17. Then in 56th minute, the Park City pack would not be denied on the tryline, pushing over under the posts and drawing the score to a dead tie at 24 a piece.

And this is the way it stayed for nearly 20 excruciating minutes of physical, fast rugby. Both teams brought on their impact subs, and the defenses continued to battle and hold each teams attack scoreless. But in the end the home team managed the most out of their attacking chances. A final push in the 79th minute lead to a chip kick that dinked over the Barbo back line, took a wicked bounce, and was touched down by the Park City winger. Kick converted, final whistle. The Barbos collapse was complete, and Park City were the victors 31-24 and the better team on the day.

Park City Haggis (led by their President & all around rugby man Jason Hoke) were phenomenal hosts after the match

This loss will sting for a while due to the nature of the game (see blog title). The ride home is no picnic either. After being bashed and bruised for 80 minutes, the lads piled back into the vans and headed back east to reunite with their loved ones back in Denver. It’s never easy winning on the road, and Park City Haggis proved that no lead is safe. We thank the hosts for their amazing hospitality and allowing us to play the game we love on a soft, supple and green grass pitch.

That feeling when the Sunday Scaries are creeping up on you in an IHOP in Evanston Wyoming …

This loss drops the Barbos first XV into second place in the Rocky Mountain Rugby Premiership. They face a huge test this Saturday against the Denver Water Dogs, 11am at Infinity Park. Details on this match to follow.

Thanks for reading. As Always,

Bleed Green