Stockholm Exiles Rugby Football Club

The same clubs as last years final but big changes in the players. Enköping, with six new foreign and domestic imports this year now have a minority of their players coming from their home town. Exiles also have many foreigners in their team but the old guard is now relegated to the bench and the starting line up had an average age of 25.
Enköping started strongly with wave after wave of phases and the Exiles defence was hard put to contain them. After 6” the pressure told; a fumble led to the ball being snapped up and Jonny Pettersson just got the touchdown. Tim Johansson put over a good conversion.. Enköping continued to press, but Exiles defended a 5-metre scrum well. Then they strayed offside in defence and Johansson took another easy three-pointer. It was still all Enköping and a clever change of direction saw Bobby Nave just squeeze in far out on 22”. The one-way traffic came to an end on 26” when another penalty for playing the ball on the ground gave Johansson another three points to make it 18 – 0 to the visitors. No team can maintain this standard for a whole game and gradually Exiles got back into things. The backs started moving the ball and suddenly the play moved into the Enköping half. A penalty was conceded on 35” and Zander took the points. Exiles were starting to press but a ball went loose and Enköping launched a great counter-attack which good defence just held up.
18 – 3 at half time and a clear lead for the visitors, with a few rays of hope for the Exiles in the last quarter.
Enköping stared strongly again and got another easy penalty by Johansson on 45” to make it 21 – 3, but thereafter the game was gradually taken over by Exiles. Good running on 50” set up a kickable penalty which Zander for once missed. Enköping were giving away more and more penalties in defence and this cumulatively gave a yellow card on 60”. Good running at 64” by Hunter gave a bit of space for Zander who scooted away for a try, leaving Bobby Nave at fullback for dead. He converted his own try and Exiles were moving back from the dead. It was all Exiles now, with the backs moving the ball out wide. From one of these moves the forwards drove over on 68” with old man Hamish getting the touch. Another good kick from Zander and it was 21 – 17 with 12” to go. Most of that time had Exiles pressing but the Enköping defence held firm although a couple of times a try was on but the last pass just went astray. Enköping had one last chance after a long kick downfield. They chose to kick for the corner, hoping for a trademark try, but this was easily snuffed out.
For Enköping ”Budda” Martinskas and Aden Kelly were outstanding in the pack, while Matt Youngman held the backs together when they were under pressure latterly. For Exiles, George and John, the wing-forwards did an enormous amount of tackling in the first half onslaught while Stoffel steadied the scrum in his comeback. Zander ran and kicked well all day while Hunter and Hamish really made a difference off a very strong bench.
As good a game as I have seen between two Swedish teams. Let´s hope that the return is as impressive next week.