Match Report
Colfeians 62
Maidstone 8
London League 1 South
by Trevor Langley
Away at Colfeians, Saturday 5th December, 2009, Kick Off –2.00pm
Some games are held in the balance for a long period but it was clear, soon after the opening encounters that the Colfeian’s pack was going to dominate proceedings unless Maidstone could devise strategies to counter the home eight’s tight knit display. In that the final score was 62-8, it is obvious that Maidstone failed this test.
Six of the nine tries conceded came directly from the dominance of the Colfeians pack, either from a catch and drive move after lineouts, which was the preferred route in the first half, to pushing the Maidstone eight backwards, thereby generating momentum to launch attacks, which happened in the second half.
Among this forward dominance, it emerged that once Maidstone managed to gain some ball, their back line could match that fielded by Colfeians and for brief periods extended the home side’s defence. A single penalty and a try were scant reward for their efforts, however.
Maidstone had only one change from the previous week, with Peter Horne returning from injury, taking up the fall back role, with Gareth Hill moving to the wing and Lewis Fawcett dropping to the bench. There was an expectation that the momentum generated from the previous week’s narrow defeat against Thanet would prove a springboard into this game, especially with only one change. But this hope was swiftly dashed.
The auguries for the game were set when Maidstone lost the first line out on their own put in and then conceded a penalty in front of the posts as they desperately defended their line. But the first try on 11 minutes set the tone for the half as Colfe’s set up a catch and drive from a lineout five metres from Maidstone’s line. Stand off half, Poole, converted the try to add to his previous penalty.
With an arm chair ride behind his dominant pack, Poole gave a master class in the arts, kicking well from hand to constantly position his forwards within the Maidstone line, from which further catch and drive tactics led to two of the further three tries in the half.
Only the final score saw the ball moving wide, when outside centre, Pemberton-Hill, was released by Poole to score out wide. With three out of four conversions, the score at half time was 29-3 to Colfeians.
Among this offensive devastation by Colfe’s, the defensive rearguard action fought by the Maidstone team was notable for its application. But with such little time in the Colfe’s half, only one opportunity presented itself for a score when Molloy duly converted a penalty on the half hour. Maidstone failed to help themselves by conceding penalties in the Colfe’s half. This was a double blow in that it relieved pressure and stopped Maidstone’s momentum and could have made Colfe’s play to their strengths.
Maidstone started the second half with a positive, high tempo approach and, for the first time, put consistent pressure on the home side. A penalty in the Colfe’s 22 was kicked to touch and, from this bold approach, the ball was spun first left and then right. With Molloy and Ben Cleary prominent, the Colfe’s defence was stretched to the limit, but held.
With Maidstone attempting an open, free running game and drizzle beginning to fall, mistakes were made, allowing the Colfe’s pack back into the game. And on ten minutes, from a scrum on Maidstone’s 22, with the visitors desperately back-pedalling, Colfe’s scrum half Roux strolled over unopposed to complete the first of a brace of tries in the half.
Maidstone countered with a good try of their own on 65 minutes, when from the half way line, Molloy set up a move to the left and then from a loose scrum, to the right, with Fawcett, on for skipper Mark Ryan, on the end of a good move to score in the right corner. But by this point, three further tries had consolidated Colfe’s position and as Maidstone threw everything into attack, a further try at the death, from a loose Maidstone kick, rubbed salt into the wounds.
Team
Sam Bailey; Josh Pankhurst (Martin Maytum 60 mins); Luke Debnam: Andy Bacon (Charlie Simpson 50 mins); Steve Matthews: Lee Thomson; Nick Sargent; Ben Court: Dave Tugwell; Mike Molloy: Mark Ryan (Lewis Fawcett 60 mins); Neil Graves; Ben Cleary; Gareth Hill: Peter Horne
