The only match played in the Men's Elie Series this weekend turned out to be a stroll in the park for Hammarby. According to reports, Spartacus only managed to to bring 15 players to Arsta for this clash and as a consequence had nobody available on the bench. Although Hammarby took the lead within the first few minutes, the visitors attempted to take the game to the opposition and at times managed to gain some ground. However it did not take long until the home side scored again and with an injury suffered to a front row player , the game had to resort to un-contested scrums. With the Hammarby 10 controlling the game, the visitors struggled in many aspects of the game, although to give them credit, they still attempted to attack and scored two fine tries and a penalty, through some fine work by their forwards. Nothing though was going to stop Hammarby and they eventually ran out 59-13 winners.
This fine win sees Hammarby go 2 points clear at the top of the league and with two games left to play before the semi-final against Goteborg and Enkoping, it is difficult not to see them finish there.
Spartacus on the other hand have away games against Enkoping and Exiles, both away. They will need to have a full compliment of players if they are not to suffer similar results as this.
Quick one,....explain what 10 man rugby is please. you use it often.
ReplyDeleteDid the injury to the front row player mean that Spartacus only had 14 as well as there being unopposed or was the injury only sufficient to prevent the player from scrummaging?
ReplyDeleteBy 10 man I assume that you mean that if the forwards let the ball out it only ever goes as far as the Fly half who either kicks or gives it back to the forwards. Ie Only the 8 forwards plus the half backs 9 +10 are really involved in the game.
That has to be the biggest load of shit! Obviously you have not seen Hammarby play this year...
ReplyDeleteI can't understand how a team that travels can't manage to bring more than 15 players. That to me says that the club isn't serious about its rugby. Surely when the Stockholm clubs travel they take more than 15 players.
ReplyDeleteAren't Spartacus players serious about their rugby that they can't sit in the bus for a few hours
I have heard all season how Hammarby only play 10 man rugby and it is a whole lot of shit. I have watched a few of their games and they play more attractive football than any other club.
ReplyDeleteThe other top teams try and smash teams with their forwards. I have watched Exiles and since they were coming third at the halfway point they went out shopping for new forwards to try and beef up their pack.
Enköping try to dominate with their forwards and have bought extra forwards during the season even though they have some Swedish national backs.
Spartacus use their forwards to try and intimidate in the rucks.
BORING!!! Give me running rugby any day over smash rugby.
I agree with the third comment. Go Hammarby!!! You are playing cracking rugby
ReplyDeleteI think that to improve Swedish Rugby a club should only be able to "buy" three import players per year. That way our own swedish players get a chance to play rugby and to develop. I agree with another comment I just read about the damage that is being done at the moment to the younger players that don't go on to play rugby because their top grade is full of import players.
ReplyDeleteThe ladies team is now ranked in the top 12 in world rugby but our men's side is below 50.
Of course you have players from overseas who come here because of work or to follow girlfriends but it's not fair that a club can go around the world with a shopping list buying players because they have money and stopping our own swedish young players from developing into better men's rugby players.
It would be interesting to know how many players from a club that has the majority of the national academy team actually go on to play senior men rugby.
Just a thought because I want our national men's side to to try and improve and not just be happy with a win over Croatia.
If the Swedish Rugby Union Board are serious about improving the standard of our national teams I believe they should cap the imports that clubs can buy like is done in most sports around the world.
Anonymous Sept. 2, 20:19
ReplyDeleteYou are not correct. All Exiles forwards that played Enköping recently played in the first game between these teams also. The Exiles first team squad has one (1) new player since playing ERK and Hammarby. he financed his own ticket here and works for NCC.
Anonymous Sept. 2, 21:35
Your ideas are interesting, but not practible or enforcible. You cannot limit EU citizens. Apparently the UK is in the EU and apparently they have some pretty good rugby players there. Half of Australia has UK passports or can obtain them. Non-EU citizens that have qualified for Sweden cannot be held out of the teams, not if the goal is to improve the National team. In short - it wont work...
Ah, but how many of the Exiles players were playing for the team last season? Just because you didn't buy players during the summer break, doesn't mean that you didn't buy players at the start of the season. I remember when we played Exiles half of the players didn't know each other's names!
ReplyDelete