Mustangs V Thanet 2nd XV – 11/11/06

Kent Invicta League Fixture

Result: Lost 22-14

With a confident Mustangs side only 1 point behind the league leaders, this was not the result that they either needed or expected. With a clear game play laid out, Maidstone, not for the first time this season made the perfect start. Quick ball from the forwards and good hands from the backs, allowed full-back Ian Howson to enter the line on the right hand flank and sprint into the corner from 30 metres out. The successful conversion by centre Mike Laurenson meant within 2 minutes of the start, the Mustangs were 7-0 up. Despite the enforced replacement of forward Dan Cummings, the Mustangs continued to apply the pressure and it looked very much like a rout was on the cards. However to Thanet’s credit, although on the back foot for much of the time, they defended well and it was not until the 25th minute that the Mustangs made their second score. An individual break by Sam Mann at fly-half and incisive passing through the backs once again found Howson entering the line at pace to draw the Thanet defence and off-load to ‘speedster’ wing Chris Leggat, who still with work to do, ran run around his opposite number to score under the posts. The added conversion gave the Mustangs a 14-0 lead and with clear superiority in the backs they were looking to really turn on the style.

Unfortuantely, the bigger and more ‘streetwise’ Thanet pack had other ideas and began to play to their strengths by keeping the ball tight and using the driving maul to good effect. This resulted in a forwards try 5 minutes before the break to reduce the deficit to 14-5 with a Thanet side growing in confidence and a Mustangs side beginning to lose shape, seemingly unable to adapt to the Thanet change in tactics.

Thanet started the second half as they had left off in the first and with sustained forwards pressure and poor tackling, Thanet crashed over the Mustangs line to score. The successful conversion closed the deficit to just 2 points and at 14-12 and with 30 minutes of the game left, it was game on! Despite some glimpses of the type of rugby that the Mustangs are clearly capable of, the closing score line seemed to panic the Mustangs and instead of re-grouping as a team and tightening up their game, their play became more frantic and ill-disciplined. As a result, a penalty in front of the posts 20 minutes in the half, meant that for the first time in the match, Thanet were in the lead at 15-14. This rallied the Mustangs and they started to put together some penetrating attacks. However, a number of errors and a lack of clinical finishing meant that the Mustangs squandered at least 2 tries. If that wasn’t enough, with 5 minutes remaining and against the run of play, an interception on the Mustangs 22 allowed Thanet to run in uncontested under the posts and a deflated Mustangs side pondering what should have been.

This weeks ‘Man of the Match’ goes to Ian Howson, whose lines of running and injection of pace into the line were one of the highlights of the game.

Next week the Mustangs are at home in the Invicta League to Tonbridge Juddians 2nd XV, kick off 2.30 pm.

Maidstone Scorers:

Tries: Howson (1), Leggat (1)
Conversions: Laurenson (2)

Squad: Howson, (Faulkner), Leggat, Deissner, Malejac, Laurenson, Mann, Ferris (capt), Farbrace, East, Plowman, Cummings, (Williams) Johnson, O’Brien, Pankhurst, Smitherman.

Coach: Andy Golding
Manager: Laurence Waters
Sports Therapist and Physio: Wendy Edwards