Match Report

Ruislip made the better start and looked to stamp their authority on the game from the go. We on the other hand really did not get going though despite not seeing much of the ball our defence (as has been the case for most of the season) was resolute and we held firm when it mattered. Ruislip’s only reward was 3 penalty points which they secured mid-way through this period.We managed to weather the storm and eventually got ourselves going in attack. From a turnover we hit Ruislip on the counter attack and soon found ourselves inside their 22. After a short period of sustained pressure Ruislip conceded a penalty and we went for the 3 points converted by Chris Smith 3 – 3.

It was not long again before we played our back into Ruislip’s 22. We kept Ruislip on their toes and at times came close to scoring though they kept us out with some resolute defending. We eventually settled for another 3 penalty points once again converted by Chris Smith 3 – 6. From there on the first half remained very close with both sides having half chances but ultimately the defences of both sides prevailed and as a result we saw out the half with a 3 point lead.Within a few minutes of the second half we extended our lead to 6 points with another penalty conversion by Chris Smith 3 – 9. However, Ruislip soon stepped up the intensity of their game and had the better of the next 15 minutes. In this time they missed one penalty attempt but scored on their second attempt making it 6 – 9.

Once again our defence held for the most part in a period where Ruislip just kept coming forward. Ruislip came close to scoring and despite crashing over the try line we were somehow able to keep the ball held up.Soon though we found ourselves down to 14 and
Ruislip used the extra man to their advantage. Through a driving maul a couple of metres out they were able to drive over the try line and score.

With Ruislip missing their conversion the game was poignantly set-up at 11 – 9 with 10 minutes to go. We got back to playing on the front foot knowing we now had nothing to lose but give it our best shot. That we did and with about 5 minutes to go won a penalty some 35 metres out which we opted to convert. Chris Smith stepped up and just missed the posts to the left despite having the distance.

We were back to our full compliment of 15 at the next play and kept pushing forward. Ruislip’s defence again was keeping us out and at one point it looked as if they would see out the game. However, we managed to win back possession of the ball and with final play called by the referee we threw everything at Ruilsip including the kitchen sink. Our efforts were rewarded and we won a penalty with no choice but to convert in what was a similar position to the penalty we had 5 minutes before hand. The crowd fell silent for the kick (though a few stragglers did decide to make their voices heard as Chris Smith took his runup). Unfortunately, Chris Smith could not steer the ball between the posts despite having the distance. Therefore, in the end it was an extremely tight and closely fought final and despite losing it was a performance we all could be proud of.