Time For Oranges!

It has been an action-packed first half of the season, full of surprises and plenty of crowd-pleasing rugby on show around the country.  Ruck Tales takes a step back to assess what’s been going on and what we might expect to see in the next two months leading up to Finals Day.

Ladies’ Championship:

Ruck Tales has had the pleasure of watching several ladies’ games this season and we are pleased to report that numbers are up and, despite some thumping score lines, there is some fantastic rugby being played by all sides.

(Photo by Hanne Yli-Parkas - Making an impact: new teams has meant new talent on the ladies' scene)

At the midway point, Jyväskylä’s ladies top the table after strong performances against Pori Lollers, Tampere Ladies and Helsinki Ladies, but they were edged out by the women from Warriors, who are just one point behind in the table with a game in hand.  Tampere, Helsinki and Pori are a long way back at present, but with the possibility of bonus points and ever-growing confidence from the newcomers, the ten ladies’ matches that remain have the potential to turn things upside down if any team gets complacent.

RT predictions: Warriors’ ladies to finish top to play the final against Jyväskylä.

(Photo by Ann-Marie Dahlqvist - No shrinking violets: ladies' matches have proved every bit as physical)

Division 1:

There is plenty to be happy about when looking at the developing teams in Finland. Plenty of brand new players are being blooded into rugby and many are making big impacts. Most importantly, the spirit of the competition has generally been well respected, with teams swapping players to help out oppositions who are short on numbers to get the full benefit of matches. In the East, Helsinki’s 2^nd team have produced consistently strong performances to top the table, showing the club’s strength in squad depth, while newcomers Old Town Shamrocks from Porvoo (coached by former NT coach Bro Bannatyne) also took a tournament win.
In the West, Rauma have continued their Division 1 dominance by winning all three tournaments to date, but the competition is starting to catch up. Pori Bombers have proved that on their day they have punish teams and several of their players have earned themselves places in Tampere’s championship team. Meanwhile Eagles’ second team and Linna Rugby of Hämeenlinna have both provided the opportunity for new players to get a taste of the game, and both teams have second place finishes for their efforts.
Up North, last year’s finalists Vaasa Wolves have struggled: despite recently thumping Jyväskylä’s 2^nd team by almost 50 points, they had previously suffered losses to Kuopio, OYUS (Oulu) and JRC 2nds. Though JRC lead the table, problems with player availability may open the door for a strong OYUS team to sneak ahead and clinch that all-important semi-final spot.

RT Predictions: Rauma Ice Pack, Helsinki 2^nd XV, OYUS and JRC 2nds will be the four semi-finalists. Rauma are sure to make the final, but the other spot is wide open.

(Photo by Ann-Marie Dahlqvist - Shaking things up: JRC's 2nds have knocked Vaasa from the Div 1 North top spot)

Mens’ Championship:

Eagles RFC from Turku have changed their fortunes to top the table at the midway point. Though they stand undefeated after four games, it must be said that all but one of their wins have lacked conviction and they will need to do plenty of work if they want to finish the job. Strong individual performances have seen NT regular Ilkka Tuomaala and newcomer Sean Shields score three tries apiece so far, while the tackling of centre Pieter Le Roux has given morale a massive boost and halted plenty of attacks.

(Photo by Rod McCracken - Catch me if you can: Eagles have thrown down the gauntlet but have a long way to go)

Warriors in second place have recovered from their opening defeat to put on three strong performances and earning two bonus points. Captain Tumppi Finell has raced to the top of the points rankings with consistently strong kicking performances and a brace of tries, while wide men Juuso Siren and Jim Rhoné have found their way to the line three times each.

Tampere RC have been struggling with absentee players, but have nevertheless given their usual bruising performances. Some wise usage of Pori's fresh talent has seen U20 wing score them two tries in as many games. Number 8 Petri Virrankoski scored four tries in two games to steal the top spot on the try scoring rankings, while centre Mikko Luopio is hot on Tumppi’s heels in the overall points rankings.

Helsinki may consider themselves unfortunate not to be higher after controlling their match against Eagles only to fade badly in the final 10 to concede the game. However they finally earned not only a win but also a bonus point to keep themselves in the running for a semi-final place.

Jyväskylä RC have pushed hard and expanded away from just their traditional forward play, but have failed to come away with a win, despite earning themselves a bonus for scoring four tries in their defeat to Warriors. National Team regulars Ari Tikkanen, Mauno Konttila and Aaro Katainen have been the driving force, scoring seven tries between them.

The second half of the season is bound to be determined to a great extend by player availability for crucial games. With the holiday season in full swing and some very physical matches claiming the usual list of injuries, squad depth and the impact of reserve players is likely to decide the tight games. One very positive note is that there have been no outright destructions of a team as seen with 60-point win margins in prior years, meaning that standards are well the rise and competition for those National Team jerseys is going to be fierce.

RT predictions: Eagles to take the league win (but only just), with Warriors and Tampere knocking the hell out of each other in the semi-final.