Malmö Rugby Club vs Kalmar (6-May)

Saturday 6th of May was my first time donning the gear for MRC (Malmö Rugby Club).  The game was against Kalmar who has won their last game 67-0 so it was always going to be a close game.  We played at Lund Idrottsplatsen (Sports Place).

It was an important game for MRC and the boys were keen to bring home the win.

It was a beautiful day for rugby, if not a little warm (20 degrees C)

The game started well for MRC, with two quick tries, however missed conversions and a missed penalty meant that the score didn't blow out by as much as it could have.  Some strong work in the scums and some nice teamwork from the backs punched through Kalmar's defensive lines.

Ruck

Making a break (note the numbers don't match playing position)

Try!

So the score was 10-0 to Malmö only a few minutes into the game and the psychological edge was definitely on our side, however Kalmar didn't give up and put some points on the board. A converted try brought the game to 10-7.

The game sea-sawed from there, with MRC just holding their lead with another try both ways. 17-14.

Scrum

Incoming try!

 Malmö received a penalty in front of the goals and went with the safe option, taking the three points and bringing the score to 20-14, a six point margin.

Another penalty to Malmö and then a try to Kalmar brought quite a bit of tension to the end of the game, with the score at 23-19.

Me in the Malmö RC gear

As the time drew to a close, Kalmar received a line-out just out from their try line and Malmö held them back, but an interception broke Malmö's counter attack and gave Kalmar the ball at last play.

Kalmar's Lineout

It looked like Kalmar might score the winning try in the dying seconds of the game, but an awesome chase down tackle saved the try and Malmö came away winners 23-19.  It was a physical and close fought game, but the Malmö boys held on.

Due to the close score-line, excellent performance of the players on the field and (fortunate) lack of injuries I didn't get a run, but it was great to watch the boys grind out a hard-fought win.  I did managed to get a nice sunburn though, which was something I wasn't expecting..

Ett Två Tre MRC!

MRC