Berlin Irish pip last season’s champs in come from behind win

Berlin Irish’s men's team secured a thrilling 28–27 win over last season’s Regionalliga Ost champions BSV 92 II thanks to an inspired second half performance.

Zapata breaks through towards the in-goal

The Irish showed remarkable determination and skill to overturn a half-time deficit at the Bistro-Melody-Arena, scoring two brilliantly worked team tries to take their second win of the young season.

The visitors started the game formidably, converting an attacking scrum in the opening minutes with a slick backline move to take an early lead. Irish thought they had a reply when prop Gordon Wuopa made a scintillating break from 40 metres out. However, he was adjudged to have stepped over the dead ball line before dotting down. The lads didn’t let that disappointment quash their attacking flair, as Ridaa Ismail plunged over the whitewash for their opening score following the restart. Seán Healy converted to tie the teams at 7–7 after an intense opening quarter that saw the visitors temporarily reduced to 14 men after an early yellow card offence.

Both teams were up for the fight, trading two more scores in the following moments. BSV briefly took the lead with a try in the corner which went unconverted, before Irish quickly replied through a trademark Healy try, which he duly converted. Again, BSV found a response, first through a penalty in front of the sticks before scything through a game Irish defence after Wuopa was sent to the sin bin, giving the visitors a 20–14 lead at the half.

The momentum was squarely with the visitors in the opening minutes of the second stanza, as BSV once again made the extra man count when they scored their fourth try of the game; a poorly pruned branch overhanging the posts provided a lucky assist on the conversion, stretching the lead to 13 points.

Irish kicked into life from then on, matching ferocious intensity in defence with skilful attack and proficient game management. Fly half and captain Ethan McCambridge put forth a virtuosic display with the boot, peppering the BSV backfield with clever kicks; our skipper completed three 50-22s on the day, keeping immense pressure on the visiting side.

Just a few minutes later, McCambridge’s half-break collapsed the BSV defence. A deft offload found Gabriel Zapata steaming through on an incisive line. There was no stopping the rampaging Argentinian, who crossed the line for a crucial try. Healy slotted the kick, bringing Irish within one score.

A break by Dylan Storey brought on the game-winning try. His ferocious carry was backed up by another stampeding run by Wuopa. The mercurial prop was halted just shy of the BSV line, allowing Gabriel Zapata to dart over for a sniping effort in the shadows of the posts. Another converted kick gave Irish a one point lead, setting up a nervy end game. Twice BSV took a shot at the posts, but their kicker came up short on a pair of tricky attempts from considerable distance. The aggressive tone of the game threatened to spill over at times, but the Irish were able to maintain their cool in a febrile atmosphere to earn a thrilling victory.

It was a complete performance from a team that has come on leaps and bounds in the past few months. No two players better exhibited that spirited display than player of the match Fouad Farnisa and his partner on the flank Killian Doyle. Farnisa was everywhere, tackling anything that moved and throwing his weight around after moving from his typical position on the wing to openside flanker. Doyle — playing just his second game of rugby — showed a natural propensity for the most physically demanding aspects of the game, emptying the tank in a battling first-half display that was cut short by injury.

The win pushes the boys towards their goal of finishing in the top four of this season’s Regionalliga Ost. It comes after a thumping 41–10 opening day victory over arch rivals BSC, and a disappointing 26–12 loss against last season’s semi-finalists SG Oberhavel.

After the game, Daubney said: “It was an exhilarating bounce back performance from the lads to get our season well and truly back on track.

“We’re building a team that oozes attacking flair and is willing to go to some deep and dark places for each other to stay in every fight. There are still plenty of things we can fix up, but I’m extremely proud and excited about where our hard work and effort can take us over the next few months.”

McCambridge added: “It was a really tough and physical game against the defending champions. We knew that coming in, that they would come out swinging, and they did. We started off falling behind early in the beginning of both halves, but we were always still in it and fought back by playing in the right areas of the field.

“The real key to our win was our defence. We managed to match them physically, especially in our 22, forcing them into going for three, which is usually a very positive signal for your defence.

“They had a chance to steal it at the end with a penalty kick, but they missed, and we came away with a very well-deserved win. Full credit to the boys on a great performance!”

Berlin Irish RFC

Starters

Ridaa Ismail; Alvise Verso, Gabriel Zapata, Phil Guerrero, Seán Healy; Ethan McCambridge (c), Jadon Goh; Florian Bienvenu, Peter Boehme, Gordon Wuopa, Dylan Storey (vc), Panagiotis Sourilas, Fouad Farnisa, Killian Doyle, Dáire Guiney

Finishers

Johnny Martin, Benji Lenzing, Moritz Bins

Head Coach

Chris Daubney

Photos courtesy of @marco.yyz