Saimaa Sharks Kicked off their 2018 season against KRJ Joensuu this weekend at Harapainen pitch. Unfortunately the Sharks didn't come away with the result they were hoping for, with the game ending 44-19 in favour of KRJ although the Sharks can still take some positives away from the game.
The first half was all KRJ as Saimaa struggled to shake off the off-season rust and made some unnecessary errors leading to tries from the visitors. The second half went much better, when sharks pulled back one try through some slick handling and Juha Pulkkinen going over in the corner for his maiden try for the club (and in his life....!). Despite going one man down due to a yellow card, Sharks continued to pile on the pressure and a quick chat between Fly half Ben Fisher & Jani Koponen at centre led to a set piece that opened up the KRJ defence, with Jani scoring under the posts. There were still a few lapses in concentration in defence and Joensuu scored to bring their total up to 44 points, with Pasi Hirvonen exceptional from the tee as always. Sharks got the final score, though, with Severi Virtanen scoring after a great team move including great offloads from Koponen and debutant Kari Päivinen.
A game well played and congratulations to Joensuu on their victory. In the end the difference of 25 points was harsh on the Sharks, as they know that most of those points could have been prevented with a bit more awareness and discipline, especially in the first half. Saimaa continue their season this Saturday 16th June, away against Jyväskylä 2nd team, where they will be aiming to continue their momentum from the 2nd half of this match and achieve their first win of the season!
Kuva: Marko Pessi