In a battle for hosting rights in the Division II Midwest Regional Playoffs in the spring between the top two teams in the Midwest Gold Division, Metropolis completed a fantastic come from behind effort with a penalty kick from fullback Greg Stern in injury time, to give Metropolis a 27-24 win over the Southside Irish in Chicago.

On paper, spectators would have expected a smashmouth, hardnosed match from start to finish from two of the top Division II teams in the Midwest. The match fulfilled every expectation, and probably more. While the loss for the Irish guarantees a lower seed in the playoffs, they clearly stood toe-to-toe with Metropolis from start to finish, and it would not at all be surprising for these two teams to meet again in April as the top two teams the Midwest has to offer.

A perfect day for rugby- about 50 degrees, overcast and a bit windy, in fantastic surroundings at Gaelic Park - combined with a near perfect match had all the aura of spring in Rugby, England vs. Old Laurentians. While Metropolis often has had the problem of coming out of the gates a bit slow, coach Jack Drakulich had the boys fired up from the get go. Metropolis received the opening kick, and promptly pounded 8 phases straight to the Irish try line. However, with the end zone in sight, overzealousness from a loose forward led to a knock on preventing points (a recurring theme of the day), before the ball could finally be spun wide where the backs had an overload.

There was redemption on the ensuing 5-meter scrum. The Metropolis forwards pushed the Irish scrum backwards, forcing an 8-man pick. The big Irish #8 was stood up by flanker Matt (Newt) Langsdale. Before support could get there to help, scrumhalf Matt Shanahan ripped the ball from his hands, turned and darted in for the try. The conversion from Stern gave Metropolis a 7-0 lead, and early momentum.

That momentum quickly changed. The Irish created a turnover close to midfield after the ensuing restart, and quickly spun the ball wide before Metropolis could react. A two-on-one was finished out wide, cutting the lead to 7-5. Metropolis missed a chance to get some breathing room, as Stern pushed a penalty kick wide from just outside the 22-meter line. Soon thereafter, with Metropolis again in Irish territory, the Irish flyhalf picked off a pass down the Metropolis backline in mid-stride, and returned 50 meters before offloading to the wing for the points. The Irish, with momentum, continued to control play for the next 20 minutes, kicking with the wind at their backs to keep the ball in the Metropolis end, and then pounding with their big forwards to control possession. From a lineout again deep in Metropolis territory, an Irish center punched through backline, and second phase produced a try, pushing the Irish lead to 19-7. A missed long penalty attempt from the Irish fullback kept margin from becoming wider. The Irish kept the pressure on with another well placed kick, but it was touched down in the try zone by Metropolis before the Irish could cover.

The big momentum change took place on the ensuing 22-meter kick. The kick was fielded from the big #8 (rumored to be a late-season transfer from Aspen), who was pounding through defenders early and often. As he was building up steam for another rumble, prop Andy Renner came streaming up to meet him head on. The collision shook the world, and knocked the #8 temporarily out. Folks, I watched this on the videotape later to get a better look, but there isn't one. On video, the hit from Renner knocked the ballcarrier straight out of the picture.

A couple of Irish penalties gave #8 Mike Kreblin a couple of touch kicks to move Metropolis downfield, the second booming effort giving Metropolis a lineout from about 10 meters out. The forwards kept the lineout tight, and a driving maul saw them go unimpeded to the try line, with flanker Terry Helmer touching down for the points. The conversion was missed, with score holding at 19-12 to the Irish until halftime.

The second half saw Metropolis with the wind at their backs, and making a few adjustments that kept much of the remaining 40 minutes in the Irish half of the field. The Irish backline was flowing outwards and coming up agressively on defense, preventing the Metropolis backs from being a factor at all in the first half. Taking a lesson from the fowards' success off the fringes, the backline was able to help the cause with simple switches, to the gap inside the flyhalf. Centers Nate Waters and Dave Heebner each had a strong foray into Irish territory. Flyhalf Jeremy Prahm began to use the foot as well, using the wind to Metropolis advantage. The pressure was rewarded as another multi-phase attack was finished off by a 5-meter rumble from Renner under the post. The Stern conversion tied the match at 19-19. The Irish came back, with another try off turnover ball, which was another quick movement out to the wing from about 35 meters out to the corner. 24-19 Irish.

Metropolis was unamused, and came back down the pitch again. Deep in Irish territory, the forwards again took over. An Irish 5-meter scrum was successfully wheeled 90 degrees, giving Metropolis the next put-in. Sensing the advantage, the Metropolis scrum walked in closer to the try line. As the push forward stalled, Kreblin picked up from the back and pummelled through the final two meters himself. Stern missed the conversion, and score was tied again at 24-24.

With the Irish ahead of Metropolis in the division point standings, a tie was not going to get Metropolis anywhere. They needed a win. Sensing the urgency, the last 10 minutes of the match were played entirely in the Irish end, with much of it played within the final 5 meters. The final furious rush WAS NOT for the weak of heart. While Metropolis was clearly controlling the game, they were also seemingly doing their best to throw it all away.

Within those final 10 minutes:

- With the first furious rush at the tryline, and the Irish defense holding for 5 crashes of the fringes, hooker Chris Babiash tried with all his might to reach through his defenders, but the ball rolled off his fingers as he tried to touch down.
- After an Irish lineout stolen by Metropolis, flanker Jamie Kohlbeck made a break downfield, starting a mad scramble for Metropolis and the Irish alike to control the play. Trying to keep the ball alive, and move it outside to Waters and Heebner with no defenders in front of them for the final 15 meters, the final pass dropped off Waters outstretched fingers.
- After a clearing kick by the Irish, adrenaline got the better of a Metropolis player, who rushed to get a quick throw in before the lineout could get set. The throw was called not straight, and the ensuing lineout and clearing kick went to the Irish.
- Again testing the try line, with the Irish defense again turning back runner after runner, Metropolis was awarded a penalty just to the right of the posts with about 2 minutes left. With either a penalty attempt or the dominating Metropolis scrum available as options, another adrenaline rush prompted Helmer to quick tap and try to catch the Irish off guard. His pass was in front of Prahm and called as a knock on.

Metropolis kept the ball deep in the Irish end, and was awarded another penalty about 5 meters to the right of the posts. This time, cooler heads prevailed, and chose to go for posts. As Stern slotted the chip shot, the final whistle blew, and the celebration began.

A few kudos need to be handed out-

- The Man of the Match was awarded to Andy Renner for his contributions. Without taking away from Renner, a case could have been made to give the award to the lot of Metropolis forwards. They dominated the scrums and spoiled the lineouts against a strong Irish pack, gave no quarter defensively and were responsible for virtually all of the ground gained offensively. The win rests entirely on their shoulders.

- When Metropolis took over at the end of the match, a clear difference could be seen with the substitutions that came on on both sides. Many of the bigger players that started for the Irish were not around at the end of the match, and the drop off showed on the field. While starters Matt Langsdale and Mike Kreblin contributed, the standard remained high with substitutes Terry Helmer and Gordon Hilleque.

- While we're on the topic of depth, the Irish captain commented at the social over and over again how impressed he was with the numbers Metropolis came with. Going beyond the men who played the A-side match, the B-Side handed the Irish B's their only loss of the season, and a convincing one of 41-19. The side was filled out by a few older boys who came down, some of the U-23 players, and even a few college players who made the 7-hour drive in hopes of getting their boots on....not to mention the ever-present spirit of Doc Vinny, who caught a last second flight to witness the event. I can't emphasise enough how the feat would have been diminished were it not for every single individual that made the trip, including the ones who came just to cheer the boys on. It's what makes Metropolis special as a club.

- As for the B-side....the 41-19 victory was a treat to watch. Kima was awarded man of the match. Jester and Pretty Boy, a couple of St. Cloud boys, were lauded for their efforts by Jack. Additionally, the Irish coach heaped some compliments on Shady at flyhalf and Edgar at the center as well. I'll throw my own two cents in for the effervesent Dougie Burns, who played with a dislocated finger, Larry Prahm, who dislocated a few Irish players, and all the boys from the first side who had more balls to step out there when needed than I did.

And finally, if there was a game ball to give, it would go to Jack Drakulich. Two years of screaming, cursing, and speeches that don't make any sense have formed the most impressive group of forwards Metropolis has even seen. I always wondered why he spent so much time drilling them on scrums and lineouts, and after this game, it all makes sense to me. His dedication has put Metropolis at the threshold of successes at the National level not seen outside of 7's in many years, both for the club as a whole, and a number of budding individual stars. The future looks bright, boys.

METROPOLIS 27 SOUTHSIDE IRISH 24

Tries: Shanahan, Helmer, Renner, Kreblin
Conversions: Stern (2)
Penalties: Stern

B-side summary from Doug Byrnes

The B side match was the chippiest match I've been associated with in 7 years with the club, but nonetheless it was fun. We put a spirited group on the field including 2 Cloudies - Pretty Boy at center and Jester at prop. Our two regular Colts, Slim Shady (scrum ½)and Edgar (wing) made the journey south. We did a great job defending a straight ahead south side offense and we effectively crashed the ball on offense and then spun it wide for some wide-open offense that ate up the Irish defense.

The Cloudies and colts did great - each contributed and showed a high work rate being involved in big plays on both the offense and defense. I believe they also enjoyed the after game social. After the game, the South Side's fly half gave lots of credit to our play and our fitness. In particular, he said that our little scrum ½ (Slim) surprised the hell out of him when Slim picked him up and body slammed him on one tackle. Mike Vasquez did a great job and had a great 50 meter ramble down the Irish's sideline in which he made at least three players miss before off-loading the ball. He also did a great job distributing the ball and in particular, getting it outside where we exploited the defense. Big Pete's play was noteworthy, particularly on defense, where he was involved in many tackles as the south side continuously pounded the ball down the center of the field. Kima brought his Fijian-style of play in full force. as Jack would say, he asked no quarter and gave no quarter, clearly pissing off the opposing team. Kima and the south side's #5 got into it and were both sin-binned after a brief punch-up that brought both sides together for probably the third time that game. #5 exclaimed that Kima bit him resulting in punches thrown. Kima, admitting this cannibalistic endeavor said that #5 wasn't releasing the ball.

Man of the Match: Kima; the honor could also have been bestowed on many of the B-side players who stepped up to contribute to a great victory. Terry Helmer did a great job at 2nd row - he was all over the field on both offense and defense (after playing the 2nd half of the A-side). Also, a thanks to the A-siders who stepped in to round out the B-side.