On a day that looked like it was made for postcards—blue skies, sunshine, and the kind of fresh air that makes you wonder why you’re playing rugby instead of having a picnic—Vorarlberg Rugby traveled to Bad Reichenhall with a heroic dozen instead of the full fifteen.

The odds were stacked against us from the very first whistle. With three players short, it felt less like a rugby match and more like an audition for Survivor: Bavaria Edition. Still, the Vorarlberg spirit was high, and the first half gave us a moment of pure magic.

Antonio decided he’d had enough of tackling practice and simply turned on “superhuman” mode. Collecting the ball at halfway, he bulldozed through five defenders as if they were cardboard cutouts, brushing off tackles, dodging grabs, and running like he’d stolen something. By the time he dived over the try line, the Bad Reichenhall crowd was clapping in admiration. It was a try to be told and retold at club nights until the end of time.

Unfortunately, Bad Reichenhall then remembered they had fifteen players, substitutes, and probably even a few cousins on standby. They started spreading the ball wide, running around our brave but overworked defense. For the first 60 minutes, we held firm, trading tackles and trying to plug the gaps. But rugby is a cruel game, and after a few injuries, we found ourselves recruiting opposition players just to keep the numbers up. Nothing says “international friendship” like getting smashed in a scrum by your own stand-in teammate.

Still, we weren’t done. Tom powered through to score in the second half, reminding everyone that we can still break a line when given half a chance. And then Roman, ever the opportunist, snuck in for another try, putting 19 well-earned points on the board.

The final whistle blew at 87-19, and while the scoreboard might suggest we were outplayed, the truth is more heroic: with only 12 men, glorious sunshine, and a lot of laughter, Vorarlberg Rugby showed the kind of heart you can’t measure in points. Besides, not every team can say they scored three highlight-worthy tries and borrowed half the opposition before the day was done.

Next stop: training, a few ice packs, and maybe recruiting a couple more players who like sunshine as much as rugby.

Why don‘t you join our team? The info on how to do that is here.