Exiles ‘Super Twos’ escape with lock, stock and five smoking tries

Exiles‘ Sajeewa Chathuranga is congratulated after scoring

The last time the Exiles‘ ‘Super Twos’ played Barrelhouse Rugby Club it ended in a 108 points to 12 annihilation of the visiting Barrelhouse side. The Exiles teenagers running in 16 tries against the hapless visitors. That was in the 10 man format of the game that was hastily arranged to get some rugby played in the UAE in the Covid hit 2020-21 season. With the return of the 15 man format of the game the Exiles‘ ‘Super Twos’ faced a very different proposition.

Max Hennessey dispatches a penalty to the touchline

AR Monray Gilbert patrols the touchline

It was a somewhat unexpected scoreline by the end of the first half of this particular UAE Division 1 match. With Barrelhouse firmly routed at the bottom of the Division 1 table and the Exiles ‘Super Twos’ in contention for a play-off spot, most people would have been forgiven for expecting some sort of repeat of last season’s game. How wrong everybody was!

There are some very basic rules to playing rugby union. Run forward, pass the ball backwards, avoid dropping the ball – a ‘knock-on’ means that the opposition get to put the ball into a thing called a ‘scrum’, score points by either grounding the ball over your opposition’s ‘try line’, and of course the scoring methods which basically consist of kicking the ball between the opposition’s posts, above the crossbar’.

There are also some ‘laws’ that are more of an agreement between you and your team mates. Things like ‘don’t kick good possession away’, ‘don’t give your opponents penalties unless you absolutely have to’, and of course one of the most important ones – ‘don’t miss your tackles’, if you ignore that one it drops your entire team into serious difficulties.

When the first half ended most of the above had been completely ignored, or just forgotten about and when referee Neil Horn blew the half time whistle the Exiles Twos had not been overly Super and were 0 -15 down to the visitors.

It’s probably a good thing that the half time team talk from coaches Emil Seyfferdt and Don Muir didn’t have a microphone in the middle. Whatever was discussed during the break evidently had a significant effect – eventually.

Thusitha Dushan leads the charge

Things didn’t immediately improve for the Exiles in the second half. In the opening couple of minutes, several passive and missed tackles along with a failure to count the Barrelhouse attackers led to the visitors moving the score along to 0 – 22 with only two minutes off the second half clock expired.

This score seemed to rattle the Exiles alarm clock into life and the reply was almost immediate. Max Hennessey delivered a pin point accurate restart and when Barrelhouse failed to gather, Thusitha Dushan went on the charge into the Barrelhouse‘ 22. Sajeewa Chathuranga was the first to react and moved the ball swiftly to captain, James Crossley, who in turn fed the ball to Willem Jansen who stepped inside a Barrelhouse defender to open the scoring for the Exiles Twos – not ‘Super’ just yet.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane..?

It was just a couple of minutes before the Exiles Twos scored again. Willem Jansen had gathered a loose Barrelhouse kick and set off looking for a defender to run over. After he’d successfully bumped a would be tackler to the ground Willem moved the ball and once again Thusitha Dushan carried hard into the Barrelhouse defense. Thomas Peacock was on hand to receive the ball and his perfectly weighted pass to Sajeewa Chathuranga sent the fleet of foot Sri Lankan over the line to score. 10 – 22 to Barrelhouse.

James Crossley whips another pass across the backline

Max Hennessey was the next youngster to get on the scoreboard for the Exiles after what was a Comedy of Errors that the Great Bard himself couldn’t have penned. The restart from Sajeewa’s score didn’t go the prerequisite 10 meters and the Exiles found themselves with a scrum on the centre spot. The Barrelhouse flanker, fresh from a swimming session in the pool of Cocoon, got off the back of the scrum and intercepted a laboured pass from the Exiles‘ scrum half. When it looked like he might make some serious yards he managed to roll the ball forward like David Bryant on a bowling green.

Willem Jansen snapped the ball up and set the Exiles off on their best passage of play so far. The ball moved, supporting players, running rugby. It was only what the referee deemed to be a deliberate slap down from a Barrelhouse defender when Exiles looked odds on to score that brought a halt to proceedings. With the offender heading off to the naughty chair, a series of penalties was eventually punctuated with an exclamation mark when Max Hennessey scored from a quick tap. 15 – 22 Barrelhouse.

Will Bacon gets ready for lift off

Stephen Laverie enjoys the more physical aspects pf the game

There were still 25 minutes left on the game clock, and the Exiles Twos were certainly looking a bit more ‘Super‘ at this point. Every penalty was being tapped and taken quickly – the Barrelhouse defence looked ready for the changing rooms, a pizza and a beer. Max Hennessey took a quick tap from a Barrelhouse offside and suddenly found himself with acres of space to run into. After making 60 yards the Australian youngster was hauled to ground in the Barrelhouse‘ 22. Rucks were quickly recycled and the ball once again moved across the backline. When it looked like the Exiles had finally taken the wrong option, Stephen Laverie collected the ball from a ruck and floated a pass you Kiwi youngster Kahurangi Emberson who spun out of an attempted tackle and across the line to score. 20 – 22 Barrelhouse.

Kahurangi Emberson grabbed a brace and scored with winning try

It was yet another penalty given away by Barrelhouse that finally gave Exiles the lead and hammered the nail that had been threatening for all of the second half into the Barrelhouse‘ coffin. Max Hennessey safely delivered the penalty in to touch at the Barrelhouse‘ 22, and from the line out, gathered by Ben Hatcher, the Exiles ‘Super Twos’ set off on another attack.

It was simple and clean rugby, the ball moved swiftly along the backline, right to left, and when the ball reached the hands of Kahurangi Emberson the final Barrelhouse defender had too many decisions to make. Kahu had support runners on his inside and his outside but didn’t require the help of either as he skipped over the line for the winning Exiles‘ score. 25 – 22 Exiles. Full Time.

DUBAI EXILES RFC v BARRELHOUSE

UAE Division 1 (12th February 2022)