Barbos Bark, Dogs Bite Back: Rivalry Clash Ends 48–38

The Water Dogs and the Barbos rocked up to Infinity Park Turf on September 6th ready to kick off the Rocky Mountain Rugby season. Both teams came into the match with high expectations – the Barbos fielding a young, hungry, and fast group of players, while the Dogs brought in a talented side anchored by a core of veterans. No matter the stakes, this rivalry always promises to deliver, and in the recently reformatted RMR Premiership, every match and every standings point counts in 2025.

The Barbos kicked off and quickly forced a turnover at ruck time, launching a long series of phases as they hammered at the Water Dogs’ door. The Dogs repelled the tenacious attack until the Barbos seemed to have struck in the corner. However, the sir ruled an infraction at the breakdown, giving a penalty and relief to the Dogs.

Despite the reprieve, the Barbos maintained territory deep in the Dogs’ half as the men in purple struggled to exit effectively. The defense held firm, eventually forcing a penalty that allowed a deep kick into Barbos territory. Off the ensuing turnover, the Barbos won a lineout, but with pressure on the kickers, Dogs inside center Andrew Wulf (Man of the Match) charged down and dotted down the pill for the first points of the match. Standoff Sean Kilfoyle added the extras to make it 7-0.

On the restart, the Barbos forced a knock-on and launched a set-piece move that unleashed winger Zach Thies, seemingly away in the corner. But a desperate ankle tap from teenage winger Sam Patterson forced a turnover just in front of the line.

A few clearing kicks later, a penalty was forced, and the Dogs were back in the Barbos’ end. A spell of kick tennis followed, with both sides trading territory. The Barbos held the edge, pinning the Dogs in the northeast corner of the stovetop.

The Water Dogs and Barbarians pack down at Infinity Park Turf in their Rocky Mountain Rugby season opener — a rivalry clash that saw the Dogs pull away late for a 48–38 victory

The purple defense stayed strong, and a clearing kick from Wulf gave Barbos fullback and dangerman Luka Pavlakis a chance to counter. But when a pass went astray, Martini “Tini” Talapusi pounced, scooping it and racing the distance for the Dogs’ second try. The conversion missed, leaving the score 12-0.

Despite the early hole, the Barbos showed plenty of heart. They worked territory again, and after Jack O’Connor charged down a Wulf kick, his center partner gathered. A few phases later, fly-half Todd Oswald chipped through for Pavlakis, who gathered and dotted down. Oswald slotted the conversion to close the gap to 12-7.

From the kickoff, the Dogs regained possession in Barbos territory, but a disjointed attack handed a scrum back at midfield. From there, the men in green executed a slick set-piece to put Jake Vassar under the posts. Oswald’s second conversion gave them a 14-12 lead.

As the half wound down, the Dogs were hammering the line, but a knock-on by Wulf handed possession away. The Barbos capitalized, breaking 50 meters downfield off the blindside before spreading wide. A few phases later, Pavlakis streaked down the sideline to score under the posts, stretching the halftime lead to 21-12.

The Barbos carried momentum into the second half, with hooker Jackson Zabierek punching holes and winning a penalty. A blindside lineout peel from Zabierek put even more pressure on the Dogs, though scrumhalf Tyler Ingram’s tackle slowed things down. After multiple pick-and-go phases, the Dogs finally forced a penalty and cleared after a Barbos handling error.

Along with his four tries, Man of the Match Andrew Wulf (pictured), kicked reliably out of hand.

Another exchange of kicks gave the Dogs field position, and from a 5-meter lineout, Wulf crashed over again. Kilfoyle converted, closing the gap to 21-19.

The rivals battled fiercely, but a penalty from 40 meters allowed Pavlakis to stretch the Barbos’ lead to 24-19.

With the Dogs searching for a spark, Coach Mose Timoteo turned to his bench, bringing on Sefo Selevasio and Jesse Adelberg. With Ingram off, Talapusi shifted to standoff and Kilfoyle to scrumhalf. The move paid off: Martini launched a pinpoint cross-kick that bounced into Casey Miller’s hands, who dished inside to Sefo for the try. Tini converted, swinging the lead back to the Dogs, 26-24.

But the Barbos answered. Pavlakis sent a long grubber from his own half, and Thies pounced on the loose ball to streak away under the posts. The conversion put the Barbos back ahead 31-26.

That would be their last big punch. From the restart, Kilfoyle tapped quickly off a Barbos infringement and drove the Dogs deep into the red zone. Flanker James Loehr powered over from ten meters to tie it at 31-all.

The Dogs’ bench took over from there, sparking 17 unanswered points. First, a loose ball was scooped up by Adelberg, who linked with Tini to send Miller flying down the sideline for his first try.

Next, impact forward Isi Kava stripped a Barbos carrier and set the Dogs rolling. A few phases later, Wulf barreled over for his hat trick. Talapusi converted, extending the margin to 43-31.

Momentum fully on their side, the purple pack sealed it with their eighth and final try, as Adelberg (now at halfback) spun it wide for Wulf for his fourth and final try.

The Barbos fought to the final whistle, with Conor O’Brien crashing over for a consolation try to set the final score at 48-38.

Both sides laid down a marker for the season, and all eyes will turn to their rematch on October 25th to close out the RMR League season.

With the win, the Dogs head to Aspen this weekend to face the defending champs, who dispatched Park City 34-13 while denying them bonus points. The Barbarians, meanwhile, travel to Salt Lake City, where Haggis will be eager to rebound from their loss to the Gents.

The Water Dogs were also hosting their inaugural Tackle-a-thon. Eight-man Zack Jessell led the way with nine tackles on the day. Unfortunately, he only had one pledge for $1. Kilfoyle despite only making three tackles, raised the most money for $69 a tackle, $207 total with his halfback partner, Tyler Ingram, raising the second most at $147 with seven tackles.

(pictures credit: Scott Smith)