Finland proved that the hard work over the winter was worthwhile after taking an 11-13 victory in the European Nations Cup (ENC) Group 2D versus Greece in Athens.
After opening their ENC account with losses at home to Luxembourg and away to Norway, Finland had a lot to prove and everything to play for if they were to salvage their chances of avoiding the drop.
Leaving from Vantaa on another cold morning, the squad swapped snow for sun, stepping off the plane into a pleasant 18 degrees. Although the squad found time to enjoy the weather and see the sights around the Greek Capital, this was a focused trip. Coach Alan Hine and his Assistant Alastair Davies have developed a good system of managing the squad and seem to be well on the way to getting the best out of their players.
Voitto! The team after the final whistle.
Match day was a hot, but not oppressive, 20 degrees and a decent crowd of Greek rugby enthusiasts turned out to create a buzzing and surprisingly friendly atmosphere. Early in the game, Finland showed signs of rust, as was to be expected after the long winter off-season but there was also plenty of positive intent. Fly-half and captain Drew Myrie showed his determination to lead from the front early on, playing pivotal roles in both attack and defence, which hard-running Tampere number 8 Petri Virrankoski linked well with England-based flanker Mikael Ahola to create front-foot ball.
Despite conceding an early try, Finland's defence showed signs of substantial improvement compared with previous performances, with better vision and communication around the field. The same vision provided more opportunities for Finland's back line in attack, which resulted in a strike-back try in the corner for Warriors' wing Lasse Sariola. This was followed up by a second try late in the first half: a period of sustained pressure by the pack close to the Greek line drew in enough defenders to give Warriors' half-back Joakim Grader space to sneak over for a try (converted by Jussi Viljanen). Drew Myrie was unfortunately forced off after suffering an MCL tear, something that was not helped by the excessive stamping of the Greek scrum-half (which earned him a yellow card).
The second half highlighted the improvements still to be made, especially in terms of continuity following substitutions and positional shuffles. Jussi Viljanen added three points from a penalty to give Finland their total, but we failed to see the same attacking flair in the second half that we glimpsed in the first. Nevertheless Finland showed plenty of heart in the face of some relentless Greek attacks, covering across the park in defence. Credit should go to Lasse and Antti Lammi for making some crucial cover tackles. We might count ourselves lucky in the final ten minutes after conceding needless penalties and surviving two missed kick attempts, including one in the dying moments. Yet a win is a win and in large part it was a good win. Hopefully this was the result that Finland needed to set them on the right track in 2013.
Next up, Bosnia will host Finland in Zenica on 20 April and this is likely to be a bruising encounter for both sides, with a lot at stake now that Finland have moved to third place in the group. In the mean time, Finland A will travel to play their first ever match against Stockholm Exiles 2nd XV in Mariehaminna on 13 April. On the same weekend, Greece will host Norway, while Bosnia host Luxembourg.
Here is the game footage courtesy of the Greek Rugby Federation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Wvaq5GRYs&feature=youtu.be
