Back with a bang against ERK

In Berserkers shirts for today

Back with a bang after the summer break - Uppsala/Berserkers travelled to Enköping to resume the 15’s season. Both teams had some trouble filling the team sheet (always the case in August) and showed up with 1 sub each, fielding a few rookies.

Uppsala kicked off and let in a try almost instantly. Everyone must’ve had a quick reset just then and there, because that was the last time the home team got away with anything that easy. Uppsala pushed hard, tackled well and forced handling errors in the opposition, resulting in a few scrums initially. The ERK pack was strong and Uppsala/Berserkers eventually decided to swap Millde for Devine in the second row for more experience. The front row had a tough day but stood up well and made sure we could regain our own ball. In attack there were opportunities to be had; one sweeping move sending the ball to the wing was a close call, Maud Ringertz dived for the line but the ball was deemed lost forward at grounding. The team still felt a forward momentum and shortly after that Sigrid O’Gallagher took a quick penalty close to the line and scored the first 5.

Team chat from the coach at half time basically consisted of “you’re awesome, keep doing what you’re doing!”, which is a pretty good feeling. The one sub had to play more than expected since no 8 Woolley had had to go off with a shoulder injury. Winger Ringertz was moved into flanker and very experienced but potentially rusty Thorsell was put in the back line (where the rust wore off immediately). This second half the team managed to close down the strong ERK no 8 better and win some good ground with hard runs – rookie Siri Millde was having a great first game and looked hard to stop when she got going. Uppsala/Berserkers next 5 points came from a solo sprint where vice captain Devine picked up a loose ball from a ruck and took off, eventually tackled on the line but the try was there. Fly half Limé then scored a fantastic conversion from far out on the right side!

The end of the game got messier as players were tired. The attack was hesitant at times and a few injuries made the last 20 a stop-start event. It wasn’t all shambles tho; a lot of crashes up the middle freed up space on both sides and fullback Liv Sixtensson could finish off the attack with a try in the far end corner. Getting closer to full time, the ERK 15 was sent off for a high tackle, which the away team answered with having captain Valdivia Vela yellow carded for a clear out from the side. At this point the teams were asked if they wanted to play the last 4 minutes or just call it quits. Sure, legs were tired, but we chose not to give in before the time was up. The final result was 38–17 to Enköping, but the progress and the fighting spirit in the team made it feel more like a win.

/ Josefin

SQUAD