Barraba v Walcha in Rugby
On Saturday, 15 August, it was a clash of the Rams, with Barraba travelling to Walcha to take on one of the top sides in the competition.
Barraba came out with the determination of a side with nothing to lose and everything to prove, and they certainly made Walcha work hard for the win.
From the opening whistle, both sides showed they meant business. Barraba narrowly missed an opportunity to put three points on the board early, but it did little to dampen their spirits. The visitors continued to defend strongly, holding Walcha out for 17 minutes before the home side eventually managed to cross the paint and convert, taking an early 7–0 lead. The Barraba Rams produced some solid attacking runs, while Cody Townsend’s in-field kicking game was a highlight of the men’s performance. Townsend regularly found space over the defensive line and was often the first Barraba defender there after the kick, applying plenty of pressure and forcing mistakes from Walcha. Unfortunately, Walcha proved difficult to contain and crossed for another converted try around the 30-minute mark to extend their lead to 14–0.
Barraba were quick to return fire. Some exceptional work from the forwards put the Rams in a strong attacking position before Nick “Nicko” Moodie barged his way over under the sticks. Logan Roberts successfully added the extras, putting Barraba on the board at 14–7.
Walcha responded late in the half, crossing for another converted try with just two minutes remaining to take a 21–7 lead into halftime.
The second half kicked off, and Walcha showed exactly why they sit inside the competition’s top four. The home side crossed three times in the opening 20 minutes, although only one conversion was successful, extending their advantage to 38–7.
But Barraba pulled up their britches and carried on. A number of key changes were forced through injury, leaving Barraba with a very different line-up to the one that had started the match. Despite the disruptions, the Rams dug deep and continued to fight.
Off the back of a strong rolling maul, Lachy Mack powered his way across the line to add another five points for Barraba. Roberts again made no mistake with the conversion, bringing the score to 38–14. From there, Barraba refused to let Walcha add another point. There were some outstanding defensive efforts across the entire Barraba side, with the Rams digging in and shutting Walcha out for the remainder of the match. Despite being forced to reshuffle their side and coming up against one of the competition’s leading teams, Barraba continued to fight right through to the final whistle. The scoreboard finished 38–14 in Walcha’s favour, but Barraba can take plenty away from a determined performance against quality opposition.
Scorers
Tries: Nicko Moodie, Lachy Mack
Conversions: Logan Roberts (2)
Points
3 – Cody Townsend
2 – Pat Newton
2 – Khadyn Mason
1 – Brandon Newell
PP – Cooper Chapman
The Barraba Rugby Club would like to extend its sincere condolences to the Crowley family following the recent passing of former Barraba Rugby player, coach and president, Bill Crowley. Bill made a significant contribution to Barraba Rugby over many years, serving the club both on and off the field. His contribution extended well beyond our club, with Bill also giving greatly to our community and our country.
A minute’s silence will be held in Bill’s honour at the Rugby Club this weekend as we remember and pay tribute to a valued member of the Barraba Rugby family. Our thoughts are with the Crowley family and all those who knew Bill during this difficult time.
Both Rams teams are back in action, taking on St Alberts College at Barraba for the last game of the regular season! It will also be the club’s annual Sponsors Day, with all sponsors invited to attend a luncheon starting at 12pm as the club celebrates and thanks those who continue to support the Rams throughout the season. There is a slight change to the usual game times this weekend, with the Men kicking off the day at 2pm, followed by the Women at 3:45pm. The Barraba Women head into their final regular-season game having secured the title of Minor Premiers after an outstanding season. The day will also mark a huge milestone for Amie Middlemiss, who will pull on the green and white jersey for her 100th game with the Rams. There will be live music at the club afterwards to make sure we see out the final round in style! So be sure to get down to the Barraba Rugby Club, get behind both teams and help us finish the regular season on a high.