Knox 38 — Barker 7
by “Sadler”
It was hyped up to be the possible match of the round, but the Barker fans who braved the cold to watch some solid rugby were somewhat disappointed.
First Half
It was apparent from the kick off that the Knox game plan involved using their far bigger forwards to dominate the match. Within a few minutes, Knox had regathered the ball with a lovely steal on the Barker 22. Soon after, the hooker crossed the line off a short ball, leaving the Barker crowd stunned, and the scoreboard at 7-0.
The Barker team lifted, controlling possession for the following 10-15 minutes. However, they lacked packed any real penetration against a tough rush defence. Phase after phase, the Barker backs and forwards struggled to make the advantage line.
The Knox boys finally regathered possession, and well worked maul led to a try for Brett Van Zyl.Soon after, Barker’s most potent attacking weapon, Dave Smerdon, was taken off the field due to what looked like an ankle injury.
Following this, Barker looked even less dangerous against the fantastic Knox defence. Possession evened out, with Barker giving away consecutive penalties. This allowed the larger Knox pack to get on a roll.Their forward momentum led to a well-worked backline manoeuvre, seeing Connor Watson stroll through a gap and over the line, taking the score to 21-0.
Just on the half time hooter, a frantic quick tap by the Barker half back, Steve Kirkby led to a overlap on the right hand side of the field. The winger, Will Rowbotham, finished well with a clear run over the line. Well converted by Dave Balcomb from the sideline.
Half time score 21-7
Second Half
Hope seemed to emanate from the Barker side in the early stages of the second half as Barker managed to press Knox’s line, but the Knox defense was too solid to be penetrated.
Barker’s upper hand was extinguished as Knox’s halfback, Jacob Rose, made a cheeky turnover and break up the middle of the field.
Barker managed to hold Knox in their own half for a solid ten minutes of grueling defence and attack, the score-line remaining unchanged.
As was inevitable, this exchange was finished with a try in the corner from Knox, which saw Barker’s heads drop permanently. With the score 26-7, there was no coming back for Barker.
A similar exchange followed with another penetration from Knox and a try in the same corner, 31-7.
Five minutes out from the end of the game, Knox’s fullback, Sebastian Field scored beneath the posts off a break through the center.
That was the end of the game, closed by a clearly dominant Knox 1st XV winning 38-7 on a cold and blustery afternoon.
The Teams
Barker
Strengths
· With Smerdon on the field, the backline looked somewhat threatening, although they didn’t manage to penetrate.
· Solid, well drilled line out allowed several steals of possession.
· Kirkby distributed the ball well to the forwards, who ran hard.
Weaknesses
· Small, submissive forward pack. No match for Knox’s size up front.
· Communication – it was clear that at times the pack and the backline were not in sync, leading to errors and turnovers.
· Commitment – although most players dug deep till the end, some seemed to give up after Knox’s first try in the 2nd half.
Knox 
Strengths
· Dominant forward pack, in terms of size, aggression and ability.
· Well-drilled backs, led by the explosive Watson.
· Rock solid rush defence. Hardly any missed tackles, and the defence often made ground.
Weaknesses
· Lineouts were dominated by Barker, equally due to poor performance from Knox as well as Barker’s solid effort.
· Half back from the ruck, struggled to find the target on a few occasions. Not confident to say if it was half back or receivers error.
· Nothing else to fault in Knox’s game.
Best Players
Barker: Smerdon, Kirkby, Burkett, Fernandez
Knox: Pierce, Van Zyl, Watson, Widders-Leece, Field
Scoring
Knox — 38 ( C Watson (2), J Widders-Leece (2), B Van Zyl, D Bindczus tries: L Price 3 goals, S Field goal, )
Barker — 7 ( T Pearson try, D Balcomb goal )
Other results
2nd XV: Barker 15 — Knox 13
16As: Knox 31 — Barker 5
Click on right arrow to see report of St. Aloysius v. Cranbrook
