October 11, Northwest Woodsmen - Columbia Heights, MN

In what is fast becoming a tradition with the Northwest Woodsmen of rough-and-tumble rugby in driving rain, Metropolis outlasted the Chicago side in a must-win divisional matchup, in a 20-19 nailbiter.

Although Metropolis led the entire match, the Woodsmen fought fiercely and seemed to have an answer for every score. Metropolis came out strong, and with the aid of some early NW penalties, they were able to run their big forwards into the heart of the Woodsmen defense, which they did with great success. Hooker Chris Babiash finished multiple phases of rucking with a try 5 minutes in. The conversion by wing Bryon Smith gave Metropolis a quick 7-0 lead. The game continued in the Woodsmen's end for another 5 minutes, with prop Andy Renner barrelling in off a penalty from the 5 meter line, to put Metropolis up 12-0.

The Metropolis tackling was outstanding from start to finish, in both the forwards and the backs. They yielded little ground over the course of the match, preventing any big breaks and often poaching balls in the tackle. However, they made the match a little more difficult than it needed to be with frequent knock-ons or turnovers, often right after a steal of their own. The result was long stretches of defense at a time, after which the experienced Woodsmen would eventually make decent ground. After the initial 10 minutes, the rest of the half was played in the Metropolis end. The Woodsmen twice broke the tryline, but twice were held up by Metropolis tacklers. The field position eventually did lead to a score, as the Woodsmen pack stole a scrum and drove in from 5 meters out. The first half ended at 12-5 to Metropolis.

The second half saw momentum swing back and forth. Metropolis continued to ruck and tackle well, but dodged a few bullets after some ill-advised passes in the open field. They eventually found themselves with a penalty just in front of the posts, and chose to take the penalty kick, which flyhalf Jeremy Prahm converted. Momentum swung back the other way, and after again being rebuffed by Metropolis at the tryline, the Woodsmen finally broke through the backline with a try, cutting the Metropolis advantage to 15-12. Metropolis then again turned up the pressure, and controlled ball in the NW end of the field. The pressure led to another penalty by the frustrated Woodsmen, this time leading to a sin bin of the outside center. Metropolis kept the pressure on, and eventually converted the advantage to points, when Prahm pop-kicked over the depleted backline, and center Dave Heebner outraced the fullback to touch down in the try zone for a 20-12 lead.

Just minutes later, Metropolis again was deep in Woodsmen territory. As the Woodsment tried to get the ball wide out of trouble, Heebner pressured and picked up a dropped ball, eluded one tackle and touched down for the apparent clincher. However, as Metropolis celebrated, the referee whistle signalled offsides, not a try, and the Woodsmen started a furious run downfield against surprised and disorganized Metropolis. Metropolis never did fully recover and the Woodsmen eventually cashed in out on the wing, with the conversion narrowing the gap to 20-19. The Woodsmen center was reinstated for the final three minutes, but Metropolis held on until the final whistle, with the Woodsmen threatening yet again.

Lock Jason Hoenstien was awarded man of the match for doing nothing more than rucking and tackling for the full 80 minutes. Flanker Jamey Kohlbeck was a force in the lineout, disrupting and sometimes outright stealing Woodsmen throw-ins. The Woodsmen played solidly at the social as well, being excellent sports and winning the boat races handedly. Kangaroo Court was held for the heinous crime of a clubman who misplaced the club axe handle. The punishment was painful to watch, and too painful to be listed here as well. You'll just have to ask someone.

METROPOLIS 20, NORTHWEST WOODSMEN 19

Tries: Babiash, Renner, Heebner
Conversions: Smith
Penatlies: Prahm