Photos
Photos by Jeff Andreasen
Binghamton Barbarians 19, Alfred State 0
Barbarian Scoring (as best as can be remembered)
Can you believe I can't remember?
Barb O' The Match: I'm Drawin' a Blank...
What Went Right:
Alfred State came down to play us due to Barracks' numbers being slashed due to military duty. Good luck to the Barracks guys when/if they ship out, and thanks to Alfred State to agreeing to come down to give us a game. What went right? The weather, for one thing. Awesome. Also? We won. There were periods of outstanding support and sustained pressure that resulted in points. The scrum was a huge advantage for the Barbs. Great job in the set piece, guys! Defense was outstanding as well. We were right up in their grills pretty much the whole time and kept them from developing any sustained movements. Despite some good probes by their backs, Alfred State didn't touch down a single try. Even more outstanding? We didn't yield any kickable penalties, keeping our evil-doing in the middle of the pitch or in Alfred State's end. A good tactic.
What Went Wrong:
Outstanding support was not consistent. Especially in the first half, too many eyes watching rather than limbs busting in to ruck and maul. Clumsiness. Too many balls bouncing around on the ground. A generally lackadaisical attitude especially as the match started. As the first half wore on, the intensity picked up, but that has to be how games begin. Alfred State did a great job of controlling things early, and were unlucky not to have capitalized on their many first quarter opportunities. The backs weren't engaged as often as they ought to have been. With the speed on the Barbs' back line, it has to be unleashed on attack, not left to support at the breakdown or react to a kick.
Bottom Line:
Alfred State really took it to us and gave us a great game. They had some big boys and surprised us with not only their size, but their enthusiasm. Neither should have surprised us. They did a good job on defense and keeping us off our game. We have to work on maintaining concentration and not getting distracted if the game plan starts to go awry. We're can't afford to underestimate any opponent...