Berlin Irish keep finals hopes alive with emphatic win in Erfurt
Berlin Irish Men showed class to record a commanding 58-22 away victory over SG Jena/ Erfurt in their first game after the winter break.
In a performance that showed few signs of post-winter rust, Berlin Irish Men dominated territory and possession for large portions of the first half. Silky skills and expert continuity early on produced three incursions into the home side’s 22m zone, all of which the visitors calmly converted in points.
An early 3 points through the boot of Eóin Allan was great reward for the immediate pressure the Irish exerted on their opponents who were caught offside at the ruck right in front of the poles. From there the floodgates seemed to open fast as the men from Berlin put on two unanswered converted tries within the next 8 minutes. Hot on attack 5m out from the tryline, vice-captain & fly-half Ethan McCambridge spotted a gap that quickly closed, but displayed incredible power to bump off the home team’s tighthead prop before crashing over the line. The 60m build up to that try was immediately bested by a patient and methodical 9-phase effort directly from the restart, resulting in Player of The Match Dáire Guinney’s first of three tries for the day.
Up by 17-0 with the game just 13 minutes old, the visitors soon discovered they wouldn’t have it all their own way as back-to-back offside penalties handed SG Jena/ Erfurt prime attacking ball deep inside the Irish 22. Home side hopes of getting back into the contest were quickly thwarted by plucky Irish goal-line defence, announcing the team in green meant business on both sides of the ball. Lightning left-winger Manuel Asnar snaffled the loose ball 1m out from his own line streaking away 40m before only a dangerous tackle could stop his advance, earning the defender 10 minutes in the sin bin to catch his breath. It took a ruthless Berlin Irish side only a few minutes to punish their 14-man opponents, as Papuna Ebanoidze’s pick and go caught a hardworking but overstretched defence on the back foot as he muscled his way beneath the posts. The short-range nature of the big Georgian prop’s score, making his backline debut for the club at no. 13, ensured he would remain in the front row group chat (for now!).
Running hot with four from four 22m entries now converted into a 24-0 advantage, the men came slightly off the boil with a number of handling errors, yet showed no lack of attacking endeavor as they continued to control territory with the clock winding down to halftime. Despite no change to the scoreboard for over 10 minutes, the home side were kept trapped inside their own half largely defending thanks to excellent Irish backfield coverage, orchestrated by seasoned no. 15 Ridaa Ismail. With no plausible means of escape, the relentless pressure meant an Irish score seemed inevitable as they hammered away at the opposition line. Although the hosts manufactured a critical turnover at the ruck to stop the attack, industrious scrum half Felix Stavonhagen made sure the constant Irish pressure was rewarded with points, as he showed cat-like reflexes to pounce on a fumbled SG Jena/ Erfurt ball in goal that sprung from an ambitious attempted offload on the counter attack.
Smarting and now trailing 29-0 upon the final action of the half, the home side forced an Irish error from the restart, crossing the line soon after for their first score of the match. This provided a stark and timely reminder of the class within the home team, who merely two seasons ago produced a shutout 37-0 victory over Berlin Irish in the first encounter between the teams. The halftime whistle sounded with the score now 29-5, ensuring no complacency would creep into the visitors’ team huddle at the break.
The second half began in similar fashion to the first, with the visitors extending their lead by 3 points through sustained territorial pressure and the metronomic Allan boot. A period of midfield exchanges then ensued as the game quickly descended into an armwrestle against an opposition finding renewed determination. Only a special piece of skill from no. 7 and skipper Jonny Aplin could break the deadlock, who spotted space in the backfield and deftly toed the ball through a fractured defence. With a lone backfieldsman retreating to retrieve a bouncing ball, impressive debutant Gega Lotishvili led the chase and caught him wrongfooted in the righthand corner. Under pressure from the chase, the home fullback skewed a hurried kick into centrefield and into the waiting arms of Fouad Farnisa who ran in under the posts untouched from 15m out.
With their backs firmly against the wall at 39-5 down, the home side kicked into gear claiming the restart, and a few phases later had the Irish in a huddle under their own posts to make it 39-12. The rest of the match would mirror this tit for tat try scoring rhythm, as the teams posted 5-pointers of their own in response to each defensive lapse. Highlighting this period of play was a try on debut to Tillman Stabenow. Playing his first ever game of rugby, the rapid backrower showed remarkable game awareness and quick thinking by running the perfect support line off fellow bomb-squad finisher Gordon Wuopa. Wuopa effected a crucial turnover against the run of play to turn SG Jena/ Erfurt around before unleashing Stabenow down the wing. Stabenow calmly stepped inside an overtracking cover defender and dived across the line for the score. It was a finish that belied his level of rugby experience, adding to the assured 80-minute performance of fellow rugby newbie Lotishvili in a game that featured 6 club debuts in total.
The traveling side deservedly had the final say of the game through Guinney’s third try in the 82nd minute. Stunned onlookers were then treated to the unusual sight of a wide grinning Ebanoidze lining up the conversion kick, which he proceeded to effortlessly land between the posts, sealing both the 58-22 Berlin Irish victory and his fate in the front row group chat.
Captain Aplin after his long-awaited post-injury return to the pitch was “massively proud of the lads and the effort out there, with a big performance away from home. We were ruthless in attack and very disciplined throughout the game, with a fantastic showing from our debutants. Can’t wait to build on that into the next games as we see out the tail end of the season!”
The team now look forward to their remaining 3 regular season games as they chase a first ever finals appearance, starting with their April 12 home fixtures against Oranien Raptors.