Match Report
Match Report - 28 Nov 2009, Old Priorian Rugby Football Club OP TWISTERS beat H.A.C
Historic Win in a Gloomy City
HAC 5 Old Priorians 20
OP Twisters visited HAC on Saturday 28th November 2009, for a top of the table clash at the
spectacular setting of The Honourable Artillery Company grounds in the City of London. The referee
was delayed in traffic and the game started half an hour late at 2.45 pm. Even with a quick
turnaround at half-time the game finished in gloomy darkness around 4.20 pm.
There was no gloom in the OP players and supporters as we ran out deserved winners of a hard
fought contest. Both sides showed skill and served up a classic of commitment to their clubs and
the game.
It was a fine day for rugby, dry with little breeze and a pitch which was in excellent condition. The
closeness of the surrounding office buildings created a stadium-like atmosphere and the supporters
made themselves loud and clear. The importance of the game was evidenced by the prolonged but
very professional pre-match preparation which was undertaken by both sides. The intensity was
tangible!
Our preparation in the run up to the game had been focussed but it was disrupted late in the week
when our selected out-half, Andy Jack, was floored by the “flu”. Happily we could call on Jack Dever
to deputise but alarmingly he was taken ill during the warm-up. Aristide Goualin came off the bench
to start in the crucial No 10 role, more anon.
The OP team was its usual blend of youth and experience and we were pleased to welcome Martin
Borthwick and Nick Farran in the spine at scrum-half and No. 8 respectively, for this big game. For
the very youthful, Andrew Haston at hooker threw in with accuracy and competed relentlessly all
day. Aristide Goualin stepped into the No 10 shirt at the last minute, and played with great aplomb.
We kicked-off and immediately put pressure on the opposition, the preparation and the warm-up
had the adrenalin running high! We had set out to play a structured game and create control and go
forward on platforms, from which we could intelligently, launch our attacking game. Seemingly HAC
had a similar idea and the pattern of fiercely contested set-pieces and breakdowns was established.
After about 25 minutes of inconclusive exchanges the commitment of the OP driving game and the
resultant pressure, created at breakdown, started to tell: full credit to the pack which was gaining
dominance at the scrum which was putting HAC on the back foot. Likewise, in the lineout, we
prospered with great decision making and execution from Colin Stokes and execution from Tim
Maynard and David Haston and the support players’ technique. We had worked strenuously on the
variation and quality of our lineout and this proved to be a key factor. In open play, our pressure at
the ruck was forcing HAC to transgress and the referee awarded us a penalty on the 28 minute
mark. Aristide converted and we had the all important first score. (HAC 0 OP 3).
Both teams were stimulated to greater efforts by that score and HAC showed that they had topped
the league for good reason and showed considerable skill and determination in attack. OP’s
produced a great exhibition of our all round repertoire with well organised and courageous defence
marshalled by Martin Borthwick who chivvied and probed the opposition all afternoon.
In one of these exchanges we were unfortunate to loose our free scoring right wing Rasheed
Alawiye who took a knock and pulled a hamstring and was forced to retire. Get well soon!
Tough times! The versatile Matt Davis had been selected on the bench to provide back row and
midfield cover, but we did not anticipate that he would debut on the wing in this game. He did so
with his usual skill and enthusiasm and dealt with everything which came his way.
With the bench now down to one forward (Phil Hardy) and the indisposed Jack Dever, any later
substitutions would be limited to injury replacement only. It speaks volumes for the spirit of the
squad that the bench put the interests of the team to the fore without demur.
Phil did get a brief outing when the mobile and rejuvenated Nick Farren, who had a fine game, was
off for a blood injury. We were penalised twice at the breakdown but the HAC kicker could not
convert the chances. On the 35th minute, HAC were penalised for holding on and Ari did the
honours with a fine kick and half-time approaching.
Half-time. (HAC 0 OP 6).
At the shortened half-time break we laid out more of the same, commitment, pressure, support,
control, discipline, shape. Stay ahead and keep a clean sheet. The language was colourful and the
message was clear. Expect a blast from HAC!
The blast came and HAC exerted pressure through their backline. We resisted with Schalk Blom
and Damien Langley, prominent in defence. We drove them out of our control zone and on the 46th
minute after another powerful scrum, our young front row of McCulloch, Haston A., and Wilkie,
forced another penalty which Ari landed from 50 metres +.
The contest continued along similar lines, we maintained control at set piece and slugged it out at
breakdown, where the referee was playing a more intrusive role and liberally blew both sides. We
exhibited our best discipline of the season in this, (often inconsistently refereed), aspect of the
game. Both teams tried to break the stalemate with adventurous play wider out but the defences
were on top. HAC missed a few more kicks; we landed another one on the 58th minute. (HAC 0 OP
12). We had worked on our restarts and had handled them well up to now, but a flawed clearance
gave HAC ball and field position and they handled slickly to run in on the left and beat us by
numbers. They failed to convert. (HAC 5 OP 12) after 60 minutes, and so into the last quarter.
Game on!
In the fading light we broke through when Rob Haxby, who had carried bravely all day, evaded his
markers, after fast ball off the ruck and fast hands through the half backs, only to be called back for
an infringement which had been “flagged in” to the referee. A relieving kick and it was HAC’s turn to
put us under pressure at the other end. When HAC tried to attack the OP defence was outstanding
and on this most dangerous and memorable occasion our centres Messrs Haxby and Conway
destroyed the attack with devastating tackling and Damien Langley, turned the ball over at our
posts.
Regrettably, we have since discovered that Ed Conway broke a toe, at the start of the game, and
played throughout with the injury. That’s guts and well done Sir!
Ari cleared with a long touch find and we were set for a final onslaught from the spaces in the
middle of the park.
A good throw and a good take and the skipper had won the lineout. We drove powerfully into
midfield and after several well disciplined phases of controlled ferocity we forced another penalty
between the HAC 10 metre and 22 metre lines. Ari obliged again with the 3 points on 69 minutes.
(HAS 5 OP 15). Ten minutes to go and HAC remained dangerous; we would continue to take the
game to them.
It was a unfortunate that the light in that last quarter was so poor, as the foundation laid by our
control and pressure earlier was difficult to exploit in near darkness. We did keep our discipline and
edged the final stages of the game with aggressive defence when HAC had the ball. When we
carried we kept our shape and protected the ball to advantage. We were fit and ready to play it out
to 80+ minutes and so it happened.
In the dying minutes of the game in near darkness, after remarkable handling, (given the near
darkness), Seb Oddi , dangerous as ever all day, was put away down the left wing but was held out
in the corner. From the resultant lineout, Dave Haston crowned a fine display and won the
opposition ball and went over for the try we craved to balance that ledger. (As Nick Farran said
later, “that explains why sometimes we train with only one light!”). After the restart we kept control
for the remaining few minutes and finished with the same commitment we had started with in
daylight earlier on.
Final Result HAC 5 Old Priorians 20
This was a win forged by team effort and on a day when everyone was heroic and played with great
skill and bravery. On such a day it might seem invidious to name a man of the match. However the
accolade goes Ari who played with great maturity to vary our game and keep the team moving.
When appropriate he kicked from hand with intelligence and accuracy, giving us advantageous field
position on many occasions. He kept the score board ticking over and contributed 15 points from a
series of penalties, none of which were a “gift”.
Nobody left anything on the field! The intensity and discipline was first rate throughout. The
captaincy and the supporting leadership throughout the team were of great quality and were telling
in the end. We won through sound preparation and great commitment and execution on the day!
Thanks and congratulations to all involved, the team squad, Louise Dever, our physiotherapist and
the supporters who made the journey, it is much appreciated.
We all witnessed a landmark day in the evolution of Old Priorians RFC.
Squad : S Blom, R Alawiye, E Conway, R Haxby, S Oddi, A. Goualin, M Borthwick, A Wilkie, A
Haston, A McCulloch, C Stokes (captain), T Maynard, D Haston, D Langley, N Farren. Bench: P
Harvey, M Davis, J Dever
Physiotherapist: Louise Dever
Onwards and Upwards.
Rob Alexander
Monday, 30 November 2009
MATCH REPORT 2
Match report HAC vs Old Priorians
On a cold and windy Saturday morning, the Old Priorians squad made their way up to the HAC home ground, located in the city, to play in what was arguably the club’s most important match since its formation a little over 18 months ago. A top of the table clash that would go a long way to deciding who would be promoted at the end of the season. With both teams unbeaten so far, the bookies had HAC as favourites, due to their tight defence and great scoring ability.
Before the match, the OP’s were well aware of HAC’s ability to play a wide, expansive game, and chuck the ball around a bit. There was a clear tension and feeling of anxiety in the OP’s camp before kick-off. A late change had to be made, with Dever not making it through the late fitness test, resulting in Goualin coming off the bench to start at ten.
The pre match preparations suffered a bit, with both teams having to deal with the late arrival of the referee, half an hour past kick-off time. This resulted in questions about whether or not the light would hold up enough for the match to be completed.
Eventually the match kicked off, with the OP’s kicking to HAC. The OP’s quickly took possession of the ball, slowly starting to work their way up the pitch. They quickly won a penalty, to the left of the post, just inside the opposition’s twenty-two. The resulting kick, taken by Goualin, went just wide of the post. However, the OP’s soon found themselves in that area of the park again, where due to a knock-on, they conceded a scrum. Nevertheless, the scrum, comprising of a young front row in Wilkie, Haston (light) and McCulloch, managed to overpower the opposition and win the ball. This led to a storming run from the centre of the park from Haxby. Unfortunately some questionable refereeing lead to the ball being turned over to the opposition.
The OP’s were then struck with another injury when Alawiye pulled a muscle on the wing. This resulted in his replacement by Davis, who while unfamiliar to that position, would prove to be invaluable in attacks the team mounted later on.
Early on, the opposition tried to test the OP back three with their kicking over the top. The combination of Davis, Oddi and Blom proved to be more than willing to receive these kicks, rarely if ever making a mistake under the high ball, with the opposition finding themselves in a testing position with either the return kick or the storming runs. This excited the away support on the side line, who looked on in admiration as Oddi got agonisingly close to the line a couple of times.
Due to the high stakes, kicking seemed to be the flavour of the day. Every penalty that was deemed to be within a kickable range was struck at, and all other penalties kicked into touch for possession. For HAC this was fruitless because of the complete and utter dominance of the two main OP jumpers, Stokes and Haston, who dominated all lineout ball. This provided another chance for the backs, who were looking more and more exciting each time they got the ball, launching another platform for attack.
The half back combination of Bothwick and Goualin seemed to work nicely together, especially with Goualin’s knack to get past the first man, and his ability to run as quickly sideways as he does going forward.
However, it wasn’t all one way traffic. HAC defended well, with the OP’s struggling to break the line, finding themselves frustratingly short of the line on a number of occasions. The OP’s too were strong and disciplined in defence, with both teams being overly cautious in trying not to give away penalties.
The first points of the match came from the boot of Goualin, from near enough the half-way line. This was quickly followed by a second penalty from a similar position, which Goualin slotted from around the same distance.
A six point lead at half time seemed slender, however it was much valued. After some words of advice from Head Coach, Rob Alexander, the boys took to the pitch again. Early into the second half, Goualin slotted over three more penalties, taking the lead to 15-0. However HAC weren’t ready to give up just yet. Remaining within only two tries of OP’s, they came back hard. OP’s defended hard in return, with big tackles from Maynard, Farren and Conway in the middle of the park. HAC were able to get the ball over the line eventually, but missed the conversion. With the match at 15-5 with around fifteen minutes to play, the large crowd that had gathered to watch were looking forward to what seemed to be a finely balanced encounter.
It was almost as if the OP’s had lulled HAC into a false sense of hope. From the kick-off, the OP’s seemed to be stronger and quicker than before. The forwards tightened the screw on HAC even more, with good link play between Farren (at No.8) and Bothwick at the back of the scrum. This provided great ball for the backs, with Langley foraging for the ball at the break-down.
A break on the wing from Matt Davis, who used his blistering pace to get past three of the HAC players, excited the away support. The crowd sensed a try in the OP’s favour. However he was held up, and although the OP’s managed to keep hold of the ball, it was taken off the pitch by Oddi on the other side of the park, resulting in a line-out to the opposition, just five metres from the try line. It was imperative for HAC that they won their own lineout and cleared their lines in order to stop the OP’s taking an even greater lead. With the crowd thinking that the OP’s had lost the opportunity to score, the HAC hooker overthrew the ball resulting in Haston (senior) taking the ball and crashing through the HAC forwards to score a valuable try. This took the score to 20-5, with only five minutes to go. The last try seemed to crush HAC as the game finished in the fading light. The OP’s ended the day at the top of the table, though careful to remember that the second half of the season remains to be played out.
With both sides scoring one try each, the only difference seemed to be Goualin’s kicking, as a result of which he was awarded man of the match. This takes nothing away from the dominant performance of the OP’s forward pack, who were dominant at the set piece, as well as in the loose, with notable performances from Stokes and Haston in the line-out. Overall it was a good performance against a good Rugby playing side.
Mark Machado
H.A.C 5 - 20 Old Priorian Rugby Football Club OP TWISTERS