Sat 12 Oct 2024
After a break weekend, and the disappointment of the Stratford second team game being called off on the Friday night, men’s senior rugby finally returned to Pearcecroft with the first team welcoming Newent. They were a tough match both home and away last season and were on top form, so Stratford had their work cut out. Despite what you would otherwise consider to be time for players to recuperate and return, Stratford were actually two more players down with neither Ben Cole nor Charlie Powell able to make a return.
When the game got underway, Stratford had an early attack forcing their way into the Newent 22 before spreading it to the left, sharp passing put the ball in winger Tom Houlahan‘s hands but the ball was spilt over the try line, with Stratford claiming it was knocked down by Newent, and the try should stand, the referee decided it was a knock-on by Stratford.
The first try was scored three or four minutes later with Stratford giving Newent easy outs, a penalty from the 5 m scrum after the disallowed try, another in the breakdown on the Newent 22 and then, after a fortunate bounce for Newent from a clearing kick, a third penalty saw them with a 5 m lineout. They gathered the ball towards the back of the lineout, and drove over the try line, scoring around 15 m in from the corner. With the conversion, Newent led 0-7.
After Newent tried a similar thing, but on this occasion giving away a breakdown penalty, both teams had periods of possession, before the home crowd were encouraged by a long weaving run from winger Houlahan, but the intended pop-on didn’t go quite into Zak Hamersley’s hands and Newent were awarded a scrum just outside their 22. Thankfully, the Stratford pack won a scrum penalty and this gave Gwilym Davis the chance to bring the game back to 3-7, which he duly did. With 20 minutes gone, there was not much between the two teams.
The next seven or eight minutes passed relatively quickly, with both teams having probing attacks but the defence coming out best, Stratford in particular winning lots of breakdown penalties with well-timed jackals. Newent did get back inside Stratford 22 and after a few breakdowns in a row, a penalty was awarded to them for the defensive line not getting back onside quickly enough. Newent, being almost directly in front of the posts, took the three themselves, to take the score to 3-10 just under half hour mark.
A spell of Newent possession was stopped after returning captain Tom Stanley won his side a breakdown penalty allowing Stratford to kick their way back into the Newent half. Despite Newent regaining the ball eventually, the same feat was then repeated by Angus Wightman to allow Stratford on the attack again. They worked their way to the Newent 22, with a penalty granting them another lineout, and from a driving maul had a third which saw them only 6 m from the corner with another lineout ball. This lineout driving maul gained more traction and drawing in more Newent players before a bruising run off to the right saw Wightman crash over the line with multiple defenders left in his wake. Sadly, Davis missed the conversion, but Stratford were now only two points behind, 8-10.
After Stratford won a penalty in their own 22 a fantastic kick to touch saw them once again inside Newent’s 22 with the lineout! Rather frustratingly, as they spread the ball across to the right a pass just behind the man was fumbled and toed on by the Newent defence, their left winger, then kicked it on again and was able to pick up as he fell over the line to score another Newent try. With the conversion it was now 8-17. Three of four minutes later, with both teams having stopped their own attacks due to knock-ons, the half-time whistle went.
With the second half back underway, Jo Cook rolled back the years, taking a Newent clearance and scything through the disorganised Newent defensive line, then offloaded left to Houlahan who was brought down from behind as he was about to step inside and head towards the posts. Stratford, who were frustrated with the way the game was going and the current lack of wins were punished when comments from scrum-half Jake Lowe saw him sent to the sin bin after only three minutes of the half commencing.
To compound issues, a high shot on 13 Lewis Mellor was missed and he was taken off and sent to hospital with hopes of fixing a badly broken nose. This forced a reshuffle with Bobby Scott-Walker taking his place with Nathan Geekie and Gwilym Davis shifting out to 12 and 13 and winger Houlahan shifting into nine. Stratford enjoyed a fair share of position considering they were a man down, with a high speed of play coming through Houlahan and Scott-Walker, with the latter keeping the Newent defence honest with a few darts into gaps into sometimes overly eager defensive lines.
After the ball was spread to Nathan Geekie, he dummied to number eight Jack Young, selling it well with the Newent defenders all too aware what Young can do. Unfortunately, the next pass didn’t quite work out as there was not the opportunity to safely pop it onto the supporting Stratford attackers. This break in play saw the return of starting scrum-half Lowe, allowing Houlahan to return to his left wing.
Despite Stratford having just been returned to 15, Newent spread the ball right from their own scrum in their half and managed to draw in the Stratford backs leaving 2-on-1 down the Stratford left. Though doing their best to slow the attack, and give more players a chance to get back, the Stratford backs were cut open and a couple of pop passes later, Newent scored 15 m right of the Stratford post. After the conversion, Stratford were 8-24 down.
Following two promising runs by Stratford into the Newent half, a tap tackle on number eight Young saw tempers flare, with Newent’s sarcastic congratulations prompting Young to push their player to the floor. This was let go by the ref, understanding the flow of the match, and possibly accepting that some of his decisions had caused frustration amongst the Stratford ranks. The game continued after he had a word with both captains. A few minutes later after a late hit by, still 12, Geekie on the Newent 12, they opted to kick for the post, hoping to extend the lead, however this was missed to the right.
The game continued at a rate and the next try was another for Newent. Having driven Stratford off their own scrum on Stratford’s 22, the Newent 10 saw the opportunity for a cross-field kick, which was gathered well, but the final pass didn’t get them in the corner. Instead, Stratford drove them back towards the 22 but gave away a penalty advantage. Newent jumped on the chance, with Stratford lock James Walton receiving treatment, one of his opposite men had stayed out on the wing and barged through the Stratford backs to score to the right of the posts whilst Stratford 10 Scott-Walker and the Newent 12 had a “conversation” on the floor. The conversion made it 8-31.
Newent continued to make the most of their possession, but Stratford were better than the score line suggested. Sadly, a promising attack from a lineout in the Newent half was brought back after a Stratford forward pulled someone back who was running from lineout towards the nine. From the resulting lineout in the 22, Newent continued to pile the pressure on. After a few scrums, following a dodgy lineout, the Newent forwards were careering towards the line again and although the ball was spread left, a Newent back looped back to the right again and went through a gap between the now tiring Stratford forwards to touchdown 10 m from the right-hand corner. Converted, the try made it 8-38.
Stratford still did have good spells of possession, and at one point Nathan Geekie exposed poor marking at a central breakdown and headed through towards the post, sadly none of the supporting players were close enough and Newent were able to stop the attack forcing Stratford back with a clearing kick just out their half. After a knock-on had given Newent the ball back, a penalty was awarded just outside the Stratford 22 with the referee showing scrum-half Lowe his second yellow of the match, sending him for an early bath.
There were only five minutes left now but Stratford who were stretched and tiring, conceded a final try before the full-time whistle after a driving Newent maul was brought down near the Stratford try line, a few more pics-and-goes from their forwards saw them go in down the blindside. An on-point kick from Newent made the final score 8-45.
As alluded to earlier, the scoreline didn’t fully reflect the game, and it was another game that Stratford may have one on any other day. Though they have a one and four record, Stratford should take heart from how well they have performed in all the games so far this season, considering the constant rotation of players in the first team squad for various reasons. Player of the match was awarded to Gwilym Davis who epitomised the effort shown by the Stratford players. Kristian White did make his first-team debut, getting onto the pitch during the second half, but it was trying circumstances by then.
Stratford: 1. Geoff Dyson, 2. Ben Cole, 3. Tom Stanley (C), 4. Will Dobbin, 5. James Walton, 6. Angus Wightman, 7. Zak Hamersley, 8. Jack Young (VC), 9. Jake Lowe, 10. Nathan Geekie, 11. Tom Houlahan, 12. Gwilym Davis, 13. Lewis Mellor, 14. Andy Oliver, 15. Jo Cook. Subs: 16. Michael Dawes, 17. Kristian White, 18. Bobby Scott-Walker
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