Hard fought win against good opposition.

A chilly but dry December morning was the setting for this last home game of the season. Our visitors, Bracknell, turned out to be tough and feisty opponents.

The pre-match worries that the boys were not up for it (maybe a few too many Christmas celebrations recently?) proved to be unfounded once the game got underway, and the first few minutes saw some heavy tackles being made by both sides. Bracknell were a big team, and it quickly became apparent that their front row was going to be a handful. Switching Robbie Marsh and Harry Skully helped, but it was clear the forwards were going to have a tough time of it.

Bracknell scored first. Very good handling from their backs saw some good draw-and-pass technique and when the ball finally went to the winger he ran in a nice try. The five minutes or so was a bit of a dog fight, both teams playing strong rugby. When a knock-on led to a scrum about 20 metres from the opposition line, a well-worked set play (we all know which one) saw the skipper make a very well timed pass to his back row partner. There was still a bit of work to do, but Monty Rennoldson’s two hand-offs to make his try possible were superb (the second hand-off was text book stuff and sent the opposition fullback flying). Max Brown duly converted from under the sticks, and the game was tied at 7-7.

The halftime talk was all about keeping our shape and being a little more clinical with our passing. We were still struggling with the scrum; Harry Samuel won most of the hooks, but Bracknell’s forwards continued to boss us, driving us off scrum after scrum. Nevertheless, the lads stuck to their task, and after a good passage of play involving both forwards and backs, Tom Walsh went on a barnstorming run and kept his head when tackled on the try line. Putting the ball against the posts showed a good knowledge of the rules (unlike a certain coach I could mention), and after MB converted his 2nd we were 14-7 up.

What happened next could have (and in the past, would have) cost the team dearly. Monty went in for a tackle that was harshly deemed to be high (despite his opponent ducking into it) and was sin-binned for ten minutes. The boys manfully set about holding their lead, playing as much for Monty as anything else. Despite this, Bracknell scored with nine minutes of the game left. A good call by the skipper to charge the kick was what probably led to the miss and somehow the lads, showing great passion in defence, held on to win 14-12.

A special mention has to go out to Ethan Meller, who led the line extremely well in defence. This, for those watching, was a major difference between the two teams, and was key in keeping Bracknell's skillful backs nullified throughout most of the game. He rightfully deserved his Man of the Match award.

A good way to end 2013 against a very good opposition who were extremely gracious in defeat.

Scorers: Monty R (x1); Tom W (x1); Max B (x2 cons)
MOTM: Ethan Meller