Better Late than Never

First of all, we must apologise for the late report on the Catalonia match. But some of us find it difficult to type with one hand, especially if it's not the one you are used to writing with. Enough sympathy, on with the report.
The game kicked off at a cracking pace and the experimental Sweden team were soon into their stride. With Tobias Borg's pace being complimented by the speed of thought and direction from Ian Gowland, playing Fullback, this was to prove a serious threat from the backline. Alex Taylor was in commanding form and was well supported by Paul Sullivan and Thomas Ardvisson, all of which instilled confidence throughout the team and for the first twenty minutes, apart from some misdirected kicks, there appeared to be only one team in the game. The forwards were sticking to the game plan and playing simple but effective rugby. Tries for Tim Johansson, Ian Gowland and Tobias Borg with one successful penalty, gave a scoreline of 0-18 after 17 minutes on the clock. However the coaches were aware that Catalonia were not going to lie down, sure enough they came back at the Swedish Team and scored a pushover try from a rumbling maul.
It was inevitable that the visitors would start to fade as the majority of the squad had not played any rugby for almost 5 months. This became more apparent as the game progressed, with the Swedish forwards fighting hard at every set piece to maintain some pressure. Although the home side were gaining the upper hand, especially in the second half, there was a tremendous spirit within the squad and with some well executed replacements being made by Mike Tatu, the Swedes were managing to repel the most of the constant waves of attacks, and they occasionally made their own forays into the opposition 22. With the Catalans closing the scores to 17-18, Sweden were awarded a penalty. Playing a captains role, Alex Taylor stepped up and with a casual glance, slotted the ball between the posts. This gave the side a bit of breathing space and despite the pressure in the last 5 minutes, they held out for a vital and deserved win.
The training camp was a complete success, it was well organised and the players were more than happy with the schedule. The coaches got the opportunity to look at new faces and see how they performed under pressure.
We have been told that there is a further camp in March, where the coaches will be looking at other players before making their selection for the friendly against Denmark in early April.
Looks like that National Squad is moving forward and that can only be a good thing for Swedish Rugby!