The Mystic Barbarians retained top spot in the D2 league standings with a big 47-17 win on the road over second-placed Amoskeag. The Mystics came away with a big win, but had to dig deep to seal the win.
The game started out with both teams playing good rugby, though the Mystics moved out to a 13-0 lead off tries from Nick Fujiwara and Aaron Smith and a penalty from Nick Vettese. Amoskeag then got a boot onto a dropped ball and clawed back a try to give the Mystics a 13-7 lead. Vettese followed that up with a second penalty to extend the lead to 16-7 before Andrew Burns scored a try to push the lead out to 23-7. Amoskeag were still in it, however, and scored a try and a subsequent penalty to cut the Mystic lead down to 23-17.
But that was when the Mystics starting putting their stamp on the game, and Amoskeag started hitting major discipline issues. The next Mystic try saw the Barbarians start from a scrum on their own 5 meter line, and move the ball through the backs all the way down the field to let Adnan Kawuma claim five points and move the Mystics into a 30-17 lead. Nick Fujiwara finished off the next try to give the Mystics a 35-17 lead. The Mystics were then awarded a penalty try after Mike Spiro was tackled without the ball, giving the Mystics a 42-17 lead. The final Mystic try came from Peter “Jiggles” Haxton after some great support play, and gave the Mystics a final score of 47-17. Amoskeag received four yellow cards during the course of the match, and the Mystics took full advantage of their numerical advantage.
The win takes the Mystics to 7-0-1 on the season and gives them three matches to solidify their dominance in the league. The Barbarians take on South Shore at Pine Banks this Saturday, November 7, and will be looking to close out the fall with another big win. The Old Boys will also be donning their boots, so let’s get out and support everyone on the pitch this Saturday!