1st XV match reports |
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| November 26th 2005 |
London League Division One |
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Tabard 3 London Scottish 84 Overview From the first moments, when the visitors passed up a seemingly certain score, to the last when, with no time for a lineout, Tom Williams confidently potted a 45m metre penalty from out wide, with the planned assistance of the swirling wind, Scottish dominated relegated Tabard who, on this showing, will keep going from National Three last season to London Two next. It was the Scots' biggest win since the 14-try, 89-0 demolition of Cheshunt in February 2004 - again at the home of a relegated side in free fall, though at least the mismatch at no stage looked to be actually dangerous as had the Cheshunt match and the slaughter of Uxbridge 105-0 in February 2001. Not that the faithful few dozen who braved the elements on a pretty Hertfordshire hillside - outnumbering the home support and passing up a quiet afternoon in front of the fire and a feast of test rugby - minded missing out on a post-professional era record ... they were grateful for the excuse to keep clapping and keep warm, heartened by a display of dominant running rugby from 1-15, after several weeks of, at best, insipid performances. Indeed though Scottish could well have run up three figures, it would be churlish to dwell on the opportunities missed; when after all is a huge score not also marked by several glaring "ones that got away"? report The tone was set early on with a 70 yard dash by Max Evans for a score converted by Williams. Tabard replied with a Jamie Whelan penalty, but Scottish stretched the lead soon enough when Paul Byford came up with the ball after a push over from a lineout. Already it looked hard to see where the home side could mount a rearguard action, since the visitors dominated up front and had the pace and guile to punch holes outside when and where they chose. Perhaps the main inhibitant was to face yet again a referee unwilling to let such an awesome front row scrummage properly. With Jim Kelly starting alongside Magnus Macdonald and playing the full 80 for the first time in a year, Scottish fielded both their former professional props. Time and again Tabard were allowed to angle their own shove but at any sign of the home pack retreating Mr Nicholas got anxious. At least on this occasion it mattered not: Scottish fired the ball wide and the points accumulated anyway. Even so the next two scores came from forwards. First Evans broke from midfield, looking likely to score himself, but was held short, illegally as it transpired. The ball was moved quickly wide for Alex Alesbrook, deputising at No 8 for the rested skipper Karl Hensley, to score out wide. Williams missed the kick, the wind proving capricious once the ball got above the height of the posts, and foiling four more conversions in the opening half. Evans made the key break for the next score too before Alesbrook and David Gaule fashioned the opening through which rumbled the unstoppable figure of Chad Eagle. Next up was another free-flowing move from inside the Scots' own half, Josh Heke forcing the turnover and freeing Matt Vines who combined with Chris Webb to send Williams in close enough to the posts for the kick to defeat the elements. Try number six was Evans' second, after Alesbrook made the first break and Webb took the ball down the right before cleverly kicking inside. Pressed by James Templeman, the defence knocked on and, from the scrum, ball wide right was a gift for the elusive full back. Numbers seven to nine were grabbed by the superb Heke, who took a break from creating ball for others and notched a hat-trick for himself either side of half time. First he outpaced the blind side cover to score in the corner; then he pounced when Scots pressure won the ball back from a home scrum only awarded in error when an Evans pass was adjudged forward. Both scores came in added time a the end of the first half, Mr Nicholas deserving credit for ensuring maximum scoring time by playing a full quota in each half; it may have been temptingly humane to spare the home side but in a tight division Scottish were rightly given the opportunity to maximise the gain to their points difference,. Heke's third came at the other end when, after quiet opening to the second half, the team seemed collectively to draw a deep breath and re-focus on the job in hand. Suddenly pressure in midfield yielded up possession and in a trice Heke was away and gone, leaving the midfield defence to watch him dash 30m to the line. Scottish brought on fresh legs: former Ireland junior prop Adam Friel for Macdonald and Fijian winger Kim Vuadreu - signed from Bracknell after impressing against Scottish in the cup - for Evans. Now came the chance for others to score. Vines got the first of his two after a lovely passage of play involving pretty much the whole 15 in a multi-phase and high speed move, and a second when, as a similar move appeared to break down the ball was flung back to Vines, now in the full back position, and he managed to tack a course to the line avoiding all of his own side as well as the whole of the defence. In between, another fine move was wrapped up by Williams's pass to Hemsley for a first try for the club's 1st XV. Number 13 went to number 13 (just as the men in shirts 2 and 4 had scored the second and fourth...), Webb's selfless performance deserving of the score when he broke down the right, kicked over the top and won the chase himself. Williams had nailed all the second half kicks, and then surpassed that effort with a closing penalty when Mr Jones had advised there was no time for a lineout catch and drive move. The scoreline will be noticed by others in the promotion hunt; but coach Rowly Williams will not need reminding that his side have made a habit of following highs with lows: he will surely insist his men take the opportunity to go out and perform in like manner against Barnes on Saturday. London Scottish 15. Max Evans (Kim Vuadreu 58), 14. Matt Vines, 13. Chris Webb, 12 Josh Heke, 11. Fraser Smeaton, 10. Tom Williams 9. David Gaule, 1. Jim Kelly ©, 2. Paul Byford, 3. Magnus Macdonald (Adam Friel 58), 4. Chad Eagle (Will Hemsley h.t.), 5. Coleman McCarthy, 6. James Street, 7. James Templeman, 8. Alex Alesbrook Scoring sequence: 0-7 (4 mins), 3-7 (8), 3-12 (14), 3-19 (19), 3-24 (26), 3-31 (35), 3-36 (38), 3-41 (40+), 3-46 (40+), 3-53 (52), 3-60 (63), 3-67 (67), 3-74 (74), 3-81 (80+), 3-84 (80+)
Scorers: tries: Evans 2, Byford, Alesbrook, Eagle, Williams, Heke 3,
Vines 2, Hemsley, Webb Paul McFarland |
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