LCRFC Dukes 15 – 5 Old Paulines 3’s

It’s a home game, the sun is shining and the Clark chariot is on time to pick me up (with a new signing on board). This could be the perfect day for rugby and the perfect day for a win I think to myself…

Well give it half an hour, certain players not turning up and a sudden rainstorm and I am thinking this game will take a different turn from my idea of perfection. More than likely the forward will have to do some serious work as they did the previous week against Esher to fight back for a draw.

Now, it’s been said that Old Paulines are a little like the Ironsides, in that they have solid sides right the way through the club but with little difference between one’s and three’s. So we were not entirely sure what to expect.

The first half kicked off at a fairly frantic pace and in all honesty the Dukes had to weather the storm. OP’s threatened on a couple of occasions to over run the defence, but some excellent work from “experienced” fly half Martin Bevan amongst others kept them at bay. For all their huff and puff the best OP’s could get from their opening period of pressure was a penalty which they chose to kick and promptly missed. Following this it was the Dukes turn to start applying the pressure, the pack doing what they have done well so far this season, working hard and taking control – Jack Davidson and Man of the Match Tom Acton working hard to get us up the pitch.

Then it was the Dukes turn to have a kickable penalty, this time though “Points machine” Nick Lewis stepped up to slot home the first of his penalties. It seems that OP’s didn’t get the message about giving away penalties in kickable positions and Nick continued to put them to the sword. This continued into the second half and the Dukes continued to build the score with the same thing working each time, the pack working hard and carrying the ball up field and OP’s committing infringements and Nick slotting the penalty… until Mr Lewis finally missed one.

OP’s are a tough bunch and it takes a lot to knock them down, after making a few changes the Dukes lost a little impetus and with only a few minutes on the clock OP’s finally broke through after being thwarted by Ged “Go go gadget arms” Mc Hugh earlier on. There was still time for Nick to slot one more penalty to make the game safe and keep the Dukes unbeaten and top of the table. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a win…

Squad: Fisher, Owers, Davidson, Linard, Dixon (C), Lunn, Acton, Studt, Crook, Bevan, Willoughby, Wyatt, Clark, Mc Hugh, Lewis, Colby, Brennan, Harkness, Phillips.

Points: Lewis (5 Pens)