The “Baltrex-Šiauliai” rugby players secured their second consecutive victory in impressive style – the “Šiaulių-Exto” team was crushed 71:0 (29:0).
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Although at the beginning of the match “Baltrex-Šiauliai” still had to find their game, later neither the wet ball nor the wind hindered this team. Utilizing their fast players, “Baltrex-Šiauliai” began to dominate on the field and achieved the biggest victory of the season.
“We thought it would be harder to play in such conditions, but we managed to show fast play. The ball stuck to the guys’ hands. The team executed the game plan better than we expected,” said “Baltrex-Šiauliai” coach Žygimantas Radžius. “I don’t think it’s a problem to play well from the start of the season. We approach every game as if it were the last – we are trying to maintain this mentality this year.”
“We lacked a longer bench of substitutes, fatigue was felt, and ‘Baltrex’ began to show what they do best. They used their fast winger players and the result was big. Of course, our poor play in set-piece situations also contributed to the result. I have no doubt that with the strongest lineup and healed injuries, we can challenge any team,” said “Šiaulių-Exto” coach Tomas Astrauskas.
An intriguing match in Šiauliai took place between the vice-champion Šiauliai “Vairas-Kalvis-Jupoja” team and the league newcomer Stockholm “Exiles” (Sweden) club.
The match, played in difficult weather conditions, did not determine a winner – a draw 19:19 (12:7).
In the first half, the Šiauliai team twice took the lead, but at the beginning of the second half, the “Exiles” rugby players scored two tries and overturned the score in their favor 19:12.
Finally, after a tough and intense battle, “Vairas” veteran Kęstutis Marcišauskas scored a try, and Airidas Garbunovas leveled the score with a conversion kick, which did not change until the final whistle.
“The weather was definitely not like all summer. I think it was harder for both teams to play because of that. In such matches, a lot depended on the forwards’ play. It was a physical game, and the course of the match changed many times. I think both teams wanted to win. Both had opportunities at the end of the match. We ourselves were close to the scoring area and a victory. The draw reflects the tough fight that took place on the field,” said “Exiles” club captain Jamesa Cole.
He emphasized that the match against last year’s vice-champions showed that the Stockholm club can compete in this tournament for high places.
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“We wanted more, but we are quite satisfied with our performance. There are minor mistakes that we will have to review and correct. You can’t choose the weather, but we like this kind of weather, so it suits us,” said “Vairas-Kalvis-Jupoja” player Modestas Bekeris.
The Šiauliai club finished all three first matches differently – a victory, a defeat, and now a draw.
In an intriguing match in Kaunas, Vilnius “Geležinis vilkas” defeated the local “Ąžuolas” 44:22 (20:10).
This was the first victory for the Vilnius team, allowing them to continue fighting for higher positions in the regular season.
At the start of the match, “Ąžuolas” took the lead 7:0, but later the “wolves” took control of the game. Taking advantage of the favorable wind, the “Geležinis vilkas” rugby players led 20:10 at halftime.
In the second half, the Vilnius team again launched successful attacks and pulled away to 35:10. Then the Kaunas team began to show character and scored a couple of tries, but ultimately “Geležinis vilkas” withstood the decisive surge and celebrated victory.
“It’s hard to say if we were superior in everything. We managed to take advantage of our chances playing with the wind and score points, but overall it wasn’t easy. Although the score was favorable, we felt Kaunas breathing down our neck. At several moments we lost concentration and the opponents immediately closed the gap. The most important thing is that we managed to maintain the lead,” rejoiced Vilnius club player-coach Dovydas Taujanskas.
“We lost the one-on-one battle. The Vilnius players were physically stronger and wanted to win more than we did,” admitted “Ąžuolas” player-coach Tautvydas Mažylis.
The fourth round of the Baltic rugby “Top” league will take place in two weeks. On September 5, Vilnius “Geležinis vilkas” will meet “Baltrex-Šiauliai” at home, “Šiauliai-Exto” will face “Vairas-Kalvis-Jupoja”, and “Exiles” will play their first home match against “Baltic XL-Livonia”.
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