Tarheels get another win in Athens, but it wasn't easy

South D1 League Match

Saturday, February 21st, 2009

Carolina A 29, Georgia 5

Athens, Georgia — A tough week both mentally and physically after losing to Tennessee saw a very different UNC team take the field against an ever-improving Georgia Bulldog side.

The first 10 minutes were all Georgia as the Tarheels soaked up alot of UGA pressure . Importantly though, UNC did not ship any points and had seemed to weather the storm when Junior Prop Evan Raczkowski picked up the ball at a ruck and charged over from 20 yards out. The conversion was missed; stand-in outside half Gaston Tarabal hadn't place kicked a ball since he was a teenager and so without MacLennan missing, who was at home in Scotland for the weekend, the Tarheels were to leave at 18 least points on the table in kickable penalties.

With just a 5-0 halftime lead, the Tarheels resolved to come out strong after the break and effectively put the game out of sight with 2 quick tries. Razckowski made another darting run and scored his 2nd try before the pack started to show the benefits of their new scrum machine, turned over a Bulldog scrum, Moye broke blind, off-loaded to scrum-half Lawrence Le who slipped the ball to Tarabal.

With the score at 15-0 the floodgates should have opened but with so many positional changes it never really quite clicked. Lawrence Le made a neat break from the side of a ruck, and then off loaded to Tarabal who went under the posts. He converted his own score now drop-kicking the extras with more success. Finally, a dogged and hard-working display from the forwards was rewarded by Stewart Stokes who crashed over the line - again Tarabal converted with a drop-kick.

To their credit the Bulldogs never gave up and got a score of their own at the end of the game to finsh it 29-5.

Credit must be given to all those that played out of position or came into the A side to fill the void of absentees and injuries. Everyone of them (Max Stirling, Greg Moye, Evan Raczkowski, Jackson Barnes, Rob Wessels, Aaron Riddick, Gaston Tarabal, Daniel Van Niekerk & Alex Lee) and everyone else who travelled, all played their part, and are the reason why UNC's season is back on track.

Next week it is another road trip to South Carolina, who will be a much sterner test. The Tarheels should be back at full strength and will travel down the night before the game. UNC moves to third in the Matrix standings and can keep its slim hopes of a National play-off place alive with a win - lose and its all over.

UNC Lineup: Webber, Rierson, Raczkowski, Stokes, Mohar, Epifanio, Martin, Moye, Spencer, Tarabal, Barnes, Rose, Lee, Le, Van Niekerk. Subs: Wessels for Epifanio, Riddick for Moye, Stirling for Van Niekerk.

Man of the Match:

Tries: Raczkowski (2), Tarabal (2), Stokes (1)
Conversions: Tarabal (2 of 5)
Penalties:
Drop Goals:

Reported by Andy Richards

Modified Feb 28, 2009. 01:11 pm