Hungarian rugby: Budapest Exiles won their first match in the season – with comments

Budapest Exiles are a rugby club with teams playing in the Hungarian Premier League, second tier, and ladies 7s circuit. Now they won against Kecskemet ARC 29:24 with the winning try coming in the last minutes of the game by Lucas Deyts. With more than four tries scored the Exiles managed to pick up a bonus point, with their opponents also getting an additional point for losing by less than 7 points. This was the Exiles first home fixture of the season, and also their victory.

The team that

represents the Hungarian expat community,

got of to a flying start with an early try by Hungarian full-back Zsombor Tuskan. The Exiles were in control of the game, with Frenchman Francois Lafuente leading the defence with tackle after tackle. This gave the backs a chance to attack with ease, and the Exiles could have extended their lead by another try, had it not been for a knock-on by Tuskan right before the try-line. Kecskemet punished the Exiles, by scoring on the opposite end of the pitch.

The points by KARC were a wake-up call for the Exiles who replied with a a very clever try from Hungarian rugby legend Zsolt Haboczky. During a Kecskemet lineout ”Habo” managed to steal the ball from them and place the ball past the try line. With another try added by

captain Joris Auger the Exiles went into the second half with a 19:7 lead.

Kecskemet came back after the interval, playing a very physical game. The same type that had helped them beat the Exiles on their previous two occasions. Despite many tackles from the Exiles defence they managed to score one try, to which the Exiles responded with 5 points on the opposite end scored by playing coach Thomas Aponte. A few minutes later, the Venezuelan gaffer received a yellow card for a shoulder tackle on one of the opposition’s centers, forcing the Exiles to play with 14 men.  This gave KARC the extra man that helped them score their third try of the day.

The game soon got interuppted,

after Exiles center Joel GauGau got a high tackle on the oppositions fly-half, which lead to a fight between both teams.

The referee Norbert Matrai had no option but to send two players from each team off. The touch judges pointed at Mexican Luis Fernando Herrejon from the Exiles and Mihaly Kadar from KARC, who were involved in taking blows at each other.  Whereas the Fijian GauGau received a yellow card for his high tackle and the visitors were awarded a penalty kick. Kecskemet scored the 3 points and the game was level at 24:24.

With the return of Aponte back on to the pitch after serving his time in the sin bin the ”Pink and Black” picked up their game. In the last minutes of the game