Outback Barbarians 25 d Missoula Maggots 0
IN jerseys carrying the red, white and blue of Australia’s flag, the Outback Queensland Barbarians marked Anzac Day with a hard-fought 25-0 victory against the pride of Montana rugby, the Missoula Maggots.
The second match of the Barbarians tour was a step-up in intensity for the tourists against a team which plays a physical and structured game under the guidance of their New Zealand coach Eddie Murphy from Christchurch. The Maggots are a well known rugby force in the United States and would be competitive at Darling Downs A-Grade level, according to young Toowoomba-based referee Peter Buchanan who is in Montana for snow season and has refereed several of the club’s matches.
It was not just the Maggots the Barbarians had to overcome but the wind-chill factor as well. Icy gusts from nearby snow-capped mountains lashed the players as they warmed-up to the stirring tones of “I was only 19”, played on a mobile iPOD in recognition of ANZAC day.
From the opening exchanges it was clear the Barbarians were going to have to work hard against the team of passionate, fit and physical Montana boys.
But the Barbarians had come to play and it was through hard-running and high-intensity at the clean-out they managed to gain the early ascendency.
Try scoring opportunities were limited against the tougher Missoula defensive outfit but the backs made the most of their opportunities to turn chances into points, particularly through fleet-footed Ashley Kirk and Murray Brooks who were again among the standouts. Five-eighth Steve O’Leary playing on a sprained ankle repeatedly challenged the Maggots defence while Ben Dare from the Toowoomba Bears had an excellent game at inside centre, scoring the Barbarians’ second try and having a powerful impact throughout with several crashing runs and hard-hitting defence.
The front row rarely get the accolades but the Barbarians’ victory was built on the engine room work of Andrew Walker, Trent Raymond and Eddie Shaw who gained the upper hand over their opponents with hard work throughout.
The scoring opened five minutes in when Ashley Kirk found a hole and lit up the afterburners to race into the open, before drawing the final defender and passing to Sam Rollinson who touched down in the corner. A second try followed five minutes later, this time with Murray Brooks finding the gap and probing deep into Maggots territory. Brought down by two defenders close to the line he floated the ball to his left which was snatched up by a charging Ben Dare who slid across to take the score to 10-0.
The score then remained locked at that point through half-time and beyond as the game became an arm-wrestle for control of the ball.
A Maggots comeback was on the cards and with just 10 points on the board the Barbarians came under some intense attacking pressure. The ANZAC spirit came to the fore midway through the second half when the Barbarians were forced to draw on every ounce of energy and character to defend their line. With the Australians strung out across their try line the Missoula Maggots pounded the barricades for 17 consecutive phases, but in a backs-to-the-wall defensive effort every advance was repelled.
It was the moment that triggered a lift in the Barbarians intensity, and led to three more tries in the final 10 minutes.
The first followed a mid-field break by St George Frillnecks winger George Winks who raced downfield 30 metres. The ball then moved through the hands to Tim Dwyer and Sam Rollinson who popped a nice pass to a flying Ashley Kirk who glided away from two defenders to cross in the corner.
Murray Brooks took the score to 20-nil a three minutes later. Jono Bradbury ran wide from a ruck and passed to Homuk who then slipped a skilful flick to Brooks and the tall fullback’s pace did the rest.
The fifth try came courtesy of a penalty try and followed a sustained barrage of the Maggots line. The Maggots were penalised for using unbound defenders once too often, and referee raced to the posts and whistled a try.
The Barbarians enjoyed a day-off to go white water rafting on Friday before playing two games on Saturday and one on Sunday.
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