This season, in the Latvian championship in rugby-15, five teams play a one-round tournament, thus the winner of the title was determined in a mutual battle between the two principal opponents.
“Miesnieki” could have taken the lead already in the third minute of the game, but the penalty shot by Jura Iesalnieks was not accurate. However, a couple of minutes later, Tom Asejev brought the ball into the scoring area, while Iesalnieks failed to score points even with a conversion (5:0).
In the ninth minute, Valeris Runco recovered three points with a penalty kick, but five minutes later, Isalnieks was also on target (8:3). In the 28th minute, Iesalnieks strengthened the lead of “Miesnieks” with another penalty kick, achieving the result with which the first half ended (11:3).
In the seventh and eighth minutes of the second half, Dāvis Jansons brought the ball into the scoring area and Iesalnieks responded with a shot – already 18:3 in favor of “Miesniekus”. A little past the middle of the second half, Glebs Vorobyov also used a mistake in the opponent’s defense, who recovered five points, but Runco’s imprecise shot (8:18) prevented “Miesnieki” from reducing the lead even more.
About seven minutes before the end of the match, Iesalnieks realized a penalty kick and the advantage of the home team was already 13 points, which could only be recovered with two touchdowns and conversions. At the end of the match, Evgeniis Mikulovs made a touchdown and reached 13:21, but Runco’s conversion shot did not reach its goal.
Since 1997, “Miesnieki” have been crowned state champions 15 times.
In 2021, “Livonia” won 51:37 in the same Baldones Stadium, becoming the five-time Latvian champions in the last nine years, but last year “Miesnieki” celebrated victories with 26:23 and 33:20 in both championship games, regaining the championship title.
In the second half of the season, Latvian teams will compete with Lithuanian teams in the “Top” league and the Baltic Rugby Championship (BRC).
