Change of Weather, Change of Fortunes!

****Please remember that the following match report is almost entirely fictional****

On the first bad weather Saturday of the season the Choughs were at home against Rosslyn Park ‘Bs’, aiming to put our poor start to the season behind us and record our first win of the season.

A familiar looking side was given added strength and experience with Hamish Cuming, Will Carew-Gibbs and an unnamed Scotsman coming into the team for their first club run outs of the season. A new face in kiwi Simon Cauldfield was debuting outside Keitho in the 13 channel.

A lack of several regular second row would ensure departing Aussie, Ryan McGregor, got 80mins in the middle of the pack.

Coin Flip Lost (#wtf!) and the Choughs would be receiving at the clubhouse end of ‘Stade REMPF 2’.

What was more of a grubber than a kick-off started the game and it was picked up comfortably by Prop Farid Hashemi and some rugby started to happen.

A close first 10 minutes saw very few mistakes from either team but the Choughs got themselves up the pitch with several decent phases including a gazelle like jump over an injured player and 20 yard dash by the skipper drawing gasps of awe from the huge crowds…. or something like that…..

After a knock on following a Choughs lineout there was a scrum with a Park put in. The ball went straight out the side and the Choughs blindside may have illegally shepherded it back with his hand to No 8 Ed Monkley to break and dive over the line for his 5th Try of the season. Conversion wide left missed. 5 – 0.

A repeat of the first kick-off saw the ball along the floor and straight to Farid and some rugby happened again. Shortly afterwards RP broke, getting quick ball to their backs and after skipping a tackle and getting the ball wide scored in the left corner, a worrying defensive trend for the Choughs looked to be returning. The RP 10 kicked the conversion from a wide angle and we found ourselves 5 -7 down.

With 25 mins on the clock it seemed a sensible time for a substitution…… The skipper was off with the ‘Unamed Scottish Back Row’, who I shall refer to as Jock McHaggis for the purpose of this report, in his place. Cornish flew back at RP after long restart from fly half Iain Buscombe and McHaggis straight away introduced himself to the small oppo 9 with a clattering tackle.

Cornish were now beginning to dominate the breakdown with Gibbsy marshalling the pack very effectively and everyone across the pitch upping their game. A penalty allowed Buscombe to put the ball deep into oppo touch and a trademark Cornish driving maul freed Jamie Saunders to touch down to the left of the posts. Lawley had no problem with this conversion and the score was 12 – 7.

Unfortunately for the team, a sprained ankle for Tom Glavina, playing in the row, saw the skipper back on the pitch. Aussie Peter Boele was also on to replace Jamie Saunders (done his bit after the try obviously!).

The Choughs finished the half strongly with Lloyd Richardson and Buscombe having their best game to date in the half back pairing, mixing up strong forward and back phases.

A fired up Choughs side went into the break knowing they had to win this game and needing to put some daylight between the scores. Tom Riddolls was on at fullback for Thom Lang and Jamie was back on for me in the back row.

Unfortunately only five minutes in to the half Hamish was down with an injured knee. With little between the scrums and a prop down on both sides the skippers agreed to keep 15 aside and go uncontested so after another 5 minute rest I was back on to take up my true position as a specialist uncontested prop.

Our forwards were getting the better of the oppo pack around the park now. With Gibbsy, Saunders and McHaggis leading the way in turnovers and almost no ground being made by the oppo’s pick and goes around the fringes. Their game plan made some sense in the weather but they would have probably had a fair bit more success if they had tried to get the ball wider.

After a held up ball on the oppo try line a Choughs scrum saw the pick and go from McHaggis offloaded to Gibbsy for a try, converted by Lawley and the score was 19 – 7 (this may have not happened but it fits the final score tally!).

The rugby and the rain continued to happen with some shirts starting to become unrecognisable.

A deep kick from Buscombe saw the oppo’s substitute winger make a hash a collecting it and RP were suddenly under a lot of pressure again within their 22. A turnover a several very well worked phases saw Keitho cutting a good inside line off Buscombe and in under the posts, converted by Lawley. 26 – 7 and Keitho looking for any excuse to bench himself!

Jake Cannon was now on for Simon Cauldfield, with Lloyd Jones moving into 13 and Jake taking up position on the wing.

RP began to follow our lead by starting to put a few balls over the top but found Tom Riddolls in good form, solid under the high ball and counter attacking strongly with good support from the wingers.

One ball over the top from RP found itself to Thom Lang, back on in place of Lawley. Thom ran the ball right leaving a gap on the left wing. The ball was shipped across to Jake Cannon, who got his head down and sprinted down the right wing. Several offloads in contact saw the ball in the middle of the pitch with Jamie ‘Sonny Bill’ Saunders who threw a pass out the back door to Simon Cauldfield. Another good pass to Buscombe saw the ball into the oppo’s 22 and surely one more pass to the winger outside would seal the win and secure the bonus points.

Another pinpoint pass saw the ball to the outside man who to everyone’s disgust was not a winger but the skipper trundling down the left wing, trying to relive his youth. Luckily a 15st Scillonian at full trundle was never getting stopped by an 11st winger on the line and with an elegant belly flop the score was 31 – 7.

The was still time for another RP attack, but out strong defence held firm and the ball was eventually turned over and passed out to Peter Boele who kicked the ball to touch.

Some great rugby in pretty poor conditions and 26 unanswered points was a very good result for a Choughs team who have struggled to pull everything together this year.

Performances all around the pitch and a great send-off match for Ryan McGregor!

M.o.M – Ryan McGregor (great season and a half with the Choughs, with only me having played more games in that time)

D.o.D – Non- Applicable

Quote of the day – Gibbsy: ‘It’s just great how people actually listen to me here.’

Squad. Hashemi, Carew-Gibbs, Cuming, McGregor, Glavina, Newton, Saunders, Monkley, Richardson, Buscombe, Jones, Keith, Cauldfield, Lawley, Lang SUBS: Boele, ‘McHaggis’, Cannon, Riddolls.