WHO LIKES PLAYOFF RUGBY? DENVER BARBARIANS VS. CLEVELAND CRUSADERS
It’s that time of year. The flowers are blooming, the brooks are babbling, the rabbits are mating, and the Barbo boys are buzzing. Spring has officially sprung, and with the seasonal change also comes our favorite thing of the year...
Playoff rugby!
Coach Brian Erichsen debriefs with the team after a 60-24 playoff win against San Diego Old Aztecs in 2018
This Saturday, the pool of 130+ teams in the Barbos division spread across the nation have been narrowed down to just 16. The Barbos being one, and their opponent the Cleveland Crusaders, being the another. If successful on Saturday, the Barbos will face the Wichita Barbarians on Sunday in the quarter finals.
The opportunity to wear the Green & White in these types of games is an honor bestowed to the few. When we geared up for a run back in 2018, all I can remember from the time was how fast life was flying by. We had toured Southern California in early February and were humbled by a slick O.M.B.A.C squad. They hung 50+ on us and we knew we had to make a change….. Full effort, all the time. No excuses.
The next few months were some of my best rugby memories. There’s nothing like a team that fully opts into the price of victory. After all, the goal of hoisting a trophy at the end of the season is a task that requires delayed gratification. You pay up front in the form of commitment, and with that payment we bought ourselves the right to play in the National Championship final— which we won 38-39 against the steel forged Detroit Tradesmen.
The faces of victory. A few of the Barbos after the 2018 playoff win vs San Diego Old Aztecs.
Flash forward to this year. The 2021-2022 season has come up Green & White all year. Before last week’s close loss to our local rivals the American Raptors, the team had ripped off 11 straight wins dating back to Ruggerfest last fall. The pandemic did something to our club. It galvanized it. Get enough rugby-hungry “people” (fanatics is the word), and tell them they can’t have rugby for a year? Something’s gotta give. When the team returned last summer, the energy and focus was at a level I hadn’t seen since 2018. It’s been a spectacular year, and the players are hungry for more.
What Propels a Good Team to be Great? The entire squad after the 2018 Old Aztec playoff win.
The game is being played faster and more physical than ever. I’ve left the pitch for a life in the front office. So much work goes into preparing your body for high level, high stakes games. As I’ve watched this team continue to up their efforts and become more than just rugby teammates, I remember back to our run in 2018…. Full effort, all the time. No excuses.
What will this weekend entail? If you’ve never experienced back to back 80 min games, it’s not an easy task. What’s usually a 7 day recovery is shortened to less than 1. And the stakes only grow with each successive playoff match.
Your Denver Barbarians will face off against the Cleveland Crusaders at 2:00pm local time (1:00pm MDT) in St. Charles, MO. Click HERE to see a live stream of the game thanks to the Crusaders.
There are multiple old boys who will be traveling to the game. Gay Guthrie is perhaps the best travelled Barbo Old Boy I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. He’ll be there cheering on the lads like he did back in 2018 when he travelled to Ft. Worth, TX to cheer us on then. If you know Gay Guthrie, he doesn’t make the trip on a sense of obligation. While he does enjoy hoping on his motorcycle and cruising hundreds of miles on the open road, his true passion is showing how much the Green & White means to him. By showing up and supporting his team.
Gay Guthrie and Paul Robertson
How are you supporting the squad? Whether it’s from the sidelines or from your keyboard, we appreciate all the love and support we’ve received this season, and hope you have a little more to give to help us over the line in this upcoming playoff run.
There’s no doubt, despite our impressive record this year, the playoffs are another animal and we’ll need your support. All 16 teams who make it to this stage of the season are well conditioned. All 16 teams have been practicing their skills. All 16 teams have been hitting the gym. And all 16 teams “want it”. But do all the teams have Barbo Nation behind them? Doubtful at best.
At least that’s what the Barbos reminded themselves while practicing on a rock hard turf field covered in a layer of frost during -4° weather a few months ago. “When a match gets tough, just remind yourself, it’s nothing compared to this!” shouted Assistant Head Coach Tim Hutchins in his Corby accent.
The Cleveland Crusaders on the other hand, well, no one really knows what to expect from them. Have we ever faced each other in our 55 year club history? Probably not. What we do know is that they’re a Midwest team which probably means they’re “well fed”, play a territory focused game, and have a few players who used to work in Chicago.
Irrelevant and erroneous. The Barbos will come out and play their game. The Crusaders will come out and do the same. The team who arrives more mentally switched-on with the higher desire to win, will. Should be a lot of fun for the boys. Stay tuned…
See you Saturday. Bleed Green!
How do you support the Barbos?