Brussels Barbarians Rugby Football Club

The Babas went into their third match of the season against Anderlecht knowing that a win would be just reward for the two weeks of hard training put in since their defeat against BUC. After managing to navigate through the Brussels traffic, made worse by an inconveniently scheduled marathon, the Babas strolled out on to pitch with an attitude which has been lacking in previous matches.

With the wind behind them, the Babas dominated both possession and territory in the first quarter. The forwards had the upper hand in the set pieces, while Lewis Francis gave the Babas some much needed security at the back, taking every opportunity to counter attack with conviction. It took twenty-five minutes to break the deadlock, John Chamberlain taking the ball up from his own half before releasing Karl Meiring who found some space on the left wing. The young centre sprinted in from 30 yards, beating two defenders with consummate ease before diving over for a try beneath the sticks. Dowsett knocked over the conversion to make it 7-0 to the Babas.

This served as a wake up call for Anderlecht who almost capitalized from a stray pass in a daring Babas counter attack, only for the ball to be knocked on five metres from the line. Just minutes later, the Babas found themselves on the back foot again, caught waiting for the referee's whistle which never came, following what looked like a knock on from the Anderlecht fly half. Instead, play continued and the ball was spun wide, the home team's winger diving over for a try in the corner. A difficult conversion was slotted to make the score 7-7.

Buoyed by their continued dominance in the forwards, the Babas continued to attack with power and pace. Following a well placed penalty kick to the corner by Dowsett, the forwards set up a menacing drive from a line out, forcing a penalty metres from the line. Man of the match Chris Rulli was quickest to react, taking a quick tap before crashing through the Anderlecht pack to touch down for a try. Dowsett added 2 points to give the Babas a well deserved 14-7 lead at half time.

Unfortunately for the Babas this was truly a game of two halves. The visitors tired and began to lose possession in attack, whilst failing to make first up tackles in defence. It was only a matter of time before Anderlecht got back in the match, touching down in the corner to make the score 12-14, after the Babas failed to clear their lines. Yellow cards and injuries disrupted the visitors' momentum, who failed to build up the kind of sustained pressure that they exerted in the first half. Stainton and Nardi continued to put in some big hits in a defence which was increasingly tested by an Anderlecht team growing in confidence. 

The home side finally took the lead with a well executed backs move that cut through a depleted Babas defence, which leaked a fourth try not long after. This proved to be the last nail in the Baba's coffin; the game ended a disappointing 24-14. Nevertheless, the Babas can certainly take positives from their first half performance, which would have tested the majority of teams in Division 2. With two weeks before their next match, the Babas will certainly have things to work on in training but no one can deny that there is a good spirit in the club at the moment, which bodes well for the future.