55-33 win against Exiles Babas

Foto: Nathan Ours

High temperatures did not deter spirited supporters coming out in droves to cheer on the mighty Plebs, facing off with Stockholm Exiles Barbarians in their final home game before the summer break. The first minutes of the game could however not be described as anything but an anticlimax as Plebs, like the previous week, gave away an early lead to the opposition. Well placed kicks with fortunate bounces from the opposing flyhalf gave the Exiles’ wings easy tries to run home. The guest-side were dominant the first half and capitalized on some initial defensive lapses, going into the break with the lead.

However, as the game went on Uppsala Plebs began to find their footing. Leading from the front was Uppsala’s man of the match and winner of the captain’s choice award, Jack Smith, who inspired the team with relentless and brutal tackles. The same aggression and passion carried over to the scrums where Uppsala’s own “Bomb squad” looked particularly strong. Realising that Exiles were more reliant on their forwards, the Plebs also began to send quick balls wide to the backs who were then able to pierce through the defence. Strong tries by Jacob Wester, Gustav Porse and James Oakley saw the home-team back in the game. And so, it continued. The battle went back and forth and nearing fulltime the match was all tied at 33-33.

The heat worked to Uppsala’s advantage as an undermanned Exiles team lacked substitutions. Yet, they still managed to push the home side back to their own try line who once again were forced to defend as their lives depended on it. For a second it even looked as though Plebs’ defences were about to crumble – but no! From nowhere Uppsala’s very own James Oakley intercepted a pass and ran the length of the pitch to give Plebs the lead, giggling as he did it. Uppsala’s attack reignited and the team were able to take advantage of a disheartened Exiles squad, scoring several more tries. Notably the up-and-coming youngster Simon Ståhl pinched his first try for the men’s team from a genius Sonny Bill-like offload from Plebs’ scrum half. Uppsala's resilience and tactical acumen shone through, securing a hard-fought and well-deserved victory against a strong opposing side. A special honourable mention to Ryan Coupland who, as always, delivered a strong performance in his last match for the Plebs.

/Will