|
Beckenham
5th's 39 RBS 5
Try - Kenny Thomson
The
score reflects the way we played this game,
·
They were organised we were not
·
They were a team we were not.
·
They were up for it we weren't
From the kick off it looked good we secured the ball went to spin
it wide were tackled due to forward support not being there in
time the ball was spun wide and they were off to score this
happened 3 times in the first 15 mins and would have been more but
for some excellent cover tacking by Kenny T and Chris W. However
this vain continued despite us taking the ball to them with strong
running they were better organised we did manage a score before
half time following a strong run from Jon Green the ball was
re-cycled and crashed on again in mid field by Si Saunders the
forwards arrived re-cycled the ball once again and it ended up in
the arms of Kevin Foster to score his first try for the club. We
kept the pressure on but were unable to convert it into points.
half time saw them turn round with a 25-5 lead but we had started
to play as a team and began to believe we could fight our way back
into the game.
The
second half saw us start in a more positive frame of mind with our
line holding solid we pushed a harassed them and started to play
the game in there half, however an injury to Steff took some of
the momentum out of our attack and allowed them back in for a try
they didn't deserve. Kenny T, then took a heavy knock and allowed
Beckenham to gain more momentum however they didn't score. Then
came the most bizarre moment of the game from a kick down field
there Full Back collected the ball and proceeded to run the length
of the pitch to score past several players who were obviously
looking to cover the pass on the over lap, just hit the bugger in
future hopefully the person receiving the pass will knock on.
Firstly
a big thank you to Beckenham for dropping young Greg White so he
could play against his Dad, having played for us earlier in the
season he decided he liked big boy rugby and went back to
Beckenham where he was play colts anyway and has forced his
way into there 3rd's.
Also
to all of those that turned up and played when I know you'd all
rather have been watching the Irish beat the Italians.
The
lessons to be learned from this game is that we must play as a
team from the off, we also need to get fitter if we are to compete
in the league next season.
Only
one league game to come against Greenwich this coming weekend lets
have as many of you there as possible
Les
G
23
March 2004
RBS 2nd XV 17
Charcoal 7
Tries:
Tom Banks & Orpington Guest
Conversions:
Tom Banks (2)
Penalty:
Tom Banks
Meet time 6:30 and the bar is empty save for Me & Marc J ,
phone call Kev Mc's going to be late, opposition all down stairs
changed and raring to go, 7pm Tom (I've just brought my kit down
if you short) and Steve ( can I have 20 mins before tour) Rudawski
turn up by 7:20 were up to 8 so time to get changed as the oppo
were bringing along some friends from Orpington to play for us
7:30 time for kick off and all 11 are here up on to the pitch we
to find out whilst they had more players they were short of a prop
but one was on the way a piece of negotiation and Steve went to
play for them hopefully only until there bloke turned up ( now we
all know this is the biggest lie in Rugby).
The Oppo looked the part
but hadn't played together we on the other hand had so with the
addition of the Orpington lads fancied our chances against what
looked an impressive side ( see KCH report for similar scenario).
We took it straight to them and put them under pressure from the
start however could not turn this into points, the scrum was
steady and we were doing ok in the line out the strong running of
our 3/4's were also making in roads in to there back however
following a penalty the decided to run it and we missed first up
tackles allowing one of there back row to get points on the board
in some ways against the run of play. Following the restart we
went back at them and were duly awarded a penalty which we
dispatched accordingly to get us back into the game.
Kick off saw us put the backs away again only for them to be stopped on
the Oppo 22 with some good tackling but we managed to sustain the
pressure with that man Banks scoring a try more in the Wayne
Seeley school of finishing crashing over from short range with 3
people holding on. Conversion slotted back where we belonged in
front, the first half ended with the teams cancelling each other
out in the middle of the field despite them coming close again and
having a try disallowed for offside at the ruck this after we were
penalised for not rolling away in the tackle but there bloke could
climb all over the ball to make sure it went back on the right
side.
2nd half we had to up our game and we did with the backs making in roads
but lack of forwards meant we were unable to exploit the space
they had created due to lack of fitness ( mental note to ones self
over summer loose 8 stone) with our defence tightened up front and
big hits being made by all the front 5 this slowed the forward
momentum of there pack and made them try more expansive play with
penalties being missed by either side, they were also starting to
dominate in the line however the ref cottoned on this was being
done illegally and started awarding penalties accordingly which
meant we could keep the play focussed more in there half. Also we
were unlucky not to have scored through a push over try
unfortunately our no.8 went early for glory and when the ball was
shipped there defence held strong. Our second try and final score
of the game came courtesy of there error and an Orpington Guest
who was mighty quick and ran in from the half way line, this lead
both team to up the pace for the final 20 mins, our defence
tightened and we were not going to let them cross again final
whistle saw both teams finish knackered but in good spirits look
forward to playing them again next season.
A very big thank-you to the Orpington Boys who played for us and enjoyed
getting 1 over of there club mate and Charcoal skipper Chris, also
to Tom for coming down and exercising his Hamstring only to leave
with broken fingers. But the biggest thank-you goes to Steve
Rudawski for playing the full 80 mins for the Oppo in the front
row and making this game possible.
Ready
for Tour now.
Fat Bloke
RBS XV
19
Old Dunstonains XV RFC
29
Tries:
Steve Griffiths, Wayne Sealey & Kev (Andy's
mate)
Conversions:
Tom Banks (2)
The least said
about the pre match organisation the better - we started the day
with 13 players in the knowledge that the oppo would lend us 2 -
by 12 o’clock 4 had dropped out (fair enough one was ill, one
hurt himself on Friday night but cannot recall how, Tommy O had to
work - which was understood and one just did not bother to turn up
or let us know which is not acceptable).
However we turned
up with 9 players - Wayne, James T, Mark Jones, Me, Kev McG, Alex,
Tom, Kev Forrester and Kev (Andy's mate) - thanks to Andy for
providing the taxi service - we probably had more supporters than
we had players. OD's were very keen to play as there 2nd team game
was also called off although they were not allowed to use any of
these players due to their cup semi final next week. Their 3/4's
had 17 players turn up they lent us 4 so we were able to play 13
against 13 with 6 man scrums which led to a rather open game of
rugby. Playing into a raging gale in the first half Kev (playing
at fly half) took the game to the oppo with some quick breaks
which clearly worried them - the backs worked well together
although we were unlucky to lose one of their players early on
with a shoulder injury so we were down to 12.
Early possession
for OD's and some strong running from their centres led to a score
in the corner which was converted - a period of Bank pressure
should have seen us then score in the corner but at the crucial
moment a wrong decision was made when we had a 3 man overlap (not
easy with 12 players). Unfortunately a couple of missed tackles at
the breakdown led to a break away try from them which saw us turn
around 12 - 0 down but feeling we were still in the match.
At half time they brought on their first team winger for a
run out as he had not played for a while and gave us another
player to even up the sides - most of us knew Manni from previous
encounters and were aware of his danger. Whilst playing with the
wind we were hopeful of getting back in to it we again let OD's
through for an early score. Further pressure from the Bank so us
work down the pitch finally winning a penalty. A quick penalty
from Kev McG saw him make yards and commit their defence before
offloading to "your truly" to sprint (!!!!) in from the
22 to score (furthest I have run in months - probably because Lucy
shouted at me at half time for walking around).
Unfortunately elation was short lived as I then missed a
tackle to allow them in to score again. The remainder of the match
was very open and we got back to within 2 scores when Wayne barged
his way through to score under the posts. Whilst we had been
shackling Manni very well since he came on again a couple of
missed tackles around the fringes led to him picking up and
running half the length of the pitch to score. To the credit of
the players nobody's head dropped and following a further period
of pressure with Backs and forwards working well together Kev
(Andy's mate) went over to score.
Despite the chaos of the organisation - this was a match
played in great spirit which was thoroughly enjoyed by the
supporters and I believe the players - credit and thanks to
everyone who turned up and played for us - nobody lost heart when
we only had 9 players 10 minutes before kick off and a special
thanks to OD's for lending us players and making the game go
ahead.
Good luck next weekend against a Beckenham side as I am not
around. I am going to take Lucy away and drown her in Windermere
for shouting at me.
Cheers
Steve
7 February 2004
RBS RFC 2nd
XV 8 HSBC RFC 2nd XV 24
Try:
Pete Young
Penalty: Steff Burkwood
TThis was a game we did not deserve to win the game having
kicked off at 2:30 and us not turning up until 2:45 by this time they were already 14
points up and a long afternoon looked likely with the ref. Already deciding that he didn't
like us having already given a penalty against us for collapsing despite the fact it was a
blatant pull down and Jerry was the one injured. Fat Bloke made his appearance and
steadied the scrum unfortunately was in giving away penalty mode with 5 being awarded
against him.. Several other members of the team were also
being unusually penalised as well for no apparent reason, Our
sole achievement in the first half being a penalty we had however managed to keep the
score sheet clean on any other points and a new resolve was in place we were not taking
any prisoners. Then Griff is sin binned for a high tackle.
The
second half saw us up the game even more as we were now against the wind, we did manage to
score the best try of the game following an interception on our 22 by James Shepherd
(friend of the Whites he reached the 22 before feeding Phil Black who in turn gave it to
Pete Young to score after evading the last remnants of the defence this buoyed our efforts
even more. We then had a try disallowed as Wayne collided with the ref just as he went
over and with it we lost a little momentum HSBC cleared their lines came back down the
pitch and scored. The last 10 mins saw another new arrival in the shape of Kevin Forster
who immediately had a penalty given against him for in front of the kicker despite the
fact he hadn't been he is that quick. Kev was also unlucky not to score on his debut but
was a judged to have been foot in touch.
Big games
were also had by Wayne in the tight who was up against someone who made me look slim
though he is still lazy in the loose and Arran White in the back row for relentless
tackling and giving us a focus to drive on.
The
reason we lost this game was we failed to turn up at the start having just come off the
back of 2 wins, we also missed too many first time tackles, gave away too many penalties
once the ref had decided we had to be whiter than white. For this I also apologise as I
don't lose it with ref's that often.
Another
interesting fact was that HSBC 1st XV cried off there friendly with Old Dunstonians to
make sure they had a team to put out against us, this from a club who are apparently
running nearly 3 sides this season?
This is a
wake up call for us against Erith this coming week.
Fat
Bloke (Les)
4 February 2004
RBS RFC
25 United Banks' RFU 32
Tries: Alistair Hewitt , Randall Leitch, Tim Neale,
Phil Lloyd, not sure about the other one
An excellent game of rugby in a strong
wind with both sides trading tries throughout the game - The UB's strength was in their
forwards and all their first half tries were scored due to our inability to make early
tackles around the fringes.
As we got in to the game through winning
our own scrums and some excellent lineout ball through Alistair our backs started to
dominate and we scored some good tries.
The difference in the end came down to
UB's slotting two conversions in difficult kicking conditions and then scoring a penalty
with the last kick of the game.
This was a much stronger United Banks
side than last year and we had them worried up to the last kick of the game, which shows
the commitment and skill showed by our team.
Well
done everybody.
Steve
31 January 2004
RBS Club XV
43 Bexley 3rd XV 10
Tries: Steff
Burkwood 2, Wayne Sealey 2, Randall 1, Kev MacGregor, & Tom Fisher
Conversions: 4 scored - either Steff 3
Randall 1 or Steff 2 Randall 2
After our usual slow start in appalling
conditions with only 14 men (soon down to 13 with an injury to Tim Kirby) when we conceded
an early try the Bank dominated this game with some good forward play winning possession
for our backs who were in excellent form. Some good handling saw us cut through the Bexley
defence on a regular basis with Wayne, Steff and Tom scoring tries to put the Bank in
front.
In the second half Bexley rearranged but
it did not improve their tackling and Steff and Randall both ran in from some way out to
score tries before Wayne again barged passed most of the defending forwards to score
again.
Bexley scored a late consolation try but
this was an excellent performance where we played the conditions (by the end we could not
tell which team was which) - and where our superior handling skills saw us take the game
to Bexley.
Well done to everybody who played.
Steve
G
24 January 2004
RBS 1st XV 7
Erith 1st XV 30 something
Try:
Steve Griffiths
Conversion:
Stu Barry
Having played Erith earlier in the season and put up
a good show we wanted this opportunity to see how we could perform against a team which
may well be playing with us in Kent 3 next year.
It is fair to say that Erith had progressed somewhat
from when we last played them and overall fitness up front and the fact they play together
each week some them dominate possession and territory.
We lost Tom Banks in the early exchanges with a
hamstring injury (and we wish him a speedy recovery) and had to reshape with Joe coming on
out of position in the centre to wind up there no 4 for the rest of the game.
On numerous occasions we found ourselves outnumbered
at crucial amounts with the majority of the Erith tries being scored out wide when our
wingers found themselves trying to take on a flood of Erith players - the backs tackled
well at times but were found taking on too many players due to their forwards being
quicker to the breakdown then us.
Whilst perhaps our loose play could have been more
productive the scrums were very strong with the front 5 taking it too them up front and
with line outs also working well we won most of our own possession although all too often
we lost the ball in second / third phase possession and this is something we must work on.
In the second half we lost Alex to injury having been
taken out late by one of their centres and we had to reorganise, and are grateful to Erith
for lending us their "first half" scrum half to play in the centre for us.
Notwithstanding the pressure we were under, heads did
not go down and we managed to look dangerous when we started tieing their back row in and
then passing ball out to the backs. For the last 10 minutes both sides were down to 14
with Phil finding it difficult to run around their full back and after hand bags at dawn
both were sin-binned.
Eventually a break by Tom Leathes led to skips taking
the ball on one of his trundling runs (he says from his own 22) - but probably more likely
it was theirs before passing inside to Vice skips to score under the posts - converted by
Stu Barry.
Once again it was encouraging that as a club we
managed to get 2 sides out but we were shown the benefit of having a settled side every
week and full marks to Erith for the improvement they have shown since we last played
them. That being said lets keep our heads up and aim for 7 February to get 2 sides out
again.
Cheers
Steve
G
24 January 2004
RBS RFC 2nd XV
21 Old Elthamians 3rd XV 5
Tries:
Arran White, Greg Greg, Tom Fisher
Conversions:
Arran White (3)
Another win this one however should have been with a
big W and a clean sheet. Upon arriving for our 12:45 meet 12pm South African time for the
benefit of Tom Fisher we walked into a remake of Cocoon or was it the gathering of all the
local bowls clubs. It's amazing how much noise old people make, any way we found ourselves
short of the two promised replacements but acquired 2 others in the shape of a college
mate of Arran Whites and Jamie Glover I've got a family party turned into the real truth
(I was out on the lash big time and didn't think I'd make it.)
We arrived got changed and walked out on to the
muddiest pitch I've seen so far this year the Oppo only had 13 players to start so as
Jamie had told us porkies volunteered him for a good shoeing.
The game kicked off with Old E's putting our line
under pressure but the defence was solid and in the scrum we were dominant securing our
own ball and giving the opposition a hard time on there's the problems were being caused
by silly handling errors and not doing the basics after 10 mins we eventually cleared our
lines and from the resulting lineout we nicked one from them leaving stand in scrumhalf
Tom Fisher to break he reached the 22 before being dragged down the forwards recycled the
ball and it was spun out for Arran White to score under the posts with 2 players outside
in support this was always on.
However they came straight back at us but we held
firm however from what was an attacking position for us on there 22 they turned the ball
over and kicked clear the ball landing in our 22 instead of picking it up and running back
with it Eroy attempted to kick it clear this spun across the back line with the bounce
eluding Chris at fullback they followed up for a simple score. Time to switch our brains
back on more pressure by us lead to Greg White scoring under the posts.
Half time saw turn round 14-5 up and with the
opposition up to 15 men the second half saw us with lots to do and a tougher proposition
on our hands however we started positively and put them under lots of pressure this
eventually lead to a Try from Tom Fisher who had moved to centre with Arran’s friend
coming in at scrum half. This gave us the breathing space we needed but we relaxed to much
and this lead to O.E's putting under pressure for the last 20 mins however we almost
finished off with a superb solo try from Eroy to make up for his earlier misdemeanour.
Gathering the ball in our 22 squeezed through the smallest of gaps to run the full length
of the pitch only to be tackled by there full back and winger who had come across the
pitch from inside there own 22 and Eroy losing his footing as he tried to cut back in side
this gave us a breather we deserved and allowed us to defend once again in there half the
game finished with what was officially the longest minute in rugby history allowing them
to clear there lines, win a penalty take a line out, scrum another line out and penalty.
A big thank you to all of you who played also to Jamie for again representing the bank in
Oppo colours and trying his best to stop us winning. Eroy for coming up from Plymouth for
a game and he says he'll be back before the end of the season. The Whites who keep on
dragging along various friends and relative to keep us running on 2 sides wherever
possible. And finally the referee who thought we were enjoying the game so much he decided
to play 55 mins in the 2nd half.
Fat
Bloke (Les)
17 January 2004
RBS RFC CLUB XV
24 Askeans XV 14
Tries: Steff Burkwood, Wayne Sealey, Mr Guest x 2
Conversions: Stu Barry (2)
A friendly between 2 fairly evenly matched sides and a game where the
result could of easily have been reversed. Billed as a 2nd team fixture it actually pitted
2/3rds of our first team against 2/3rds of there first team. After a last minute change of venue we arrived in
sunny Charlton. The game kicked off and we very soon started to apply pressure. However
due to some slack handling in midfield they managed to breakaway putting there little
winger away to gracefully round Jamie on the wing for there first score. They scored again
this time from a line out following us having kicked away possession and the failing to
regain control when it was kicked into touch then allowing them to run to far before
making the tackle.
This actually stirred us into action with us taking the more direct route and keeping it
simple for whilst there backs were quicker ours were more experienced and larger. This
allowed for a try through neat handling to be score by Mr Guest the second came courtesy
of a tap penalty and strong running by Tommy O, from the recycle Steff went over to turn
round 14-12 down main casualty being Toms nose having been broken in the tackle.
Marc Jones came on as a blood replacement whilst we attempted to reinstate Toms good
looks. Half time loomed and we were back in this game. Half time saw a couple of changes
with Ken Thompson coming on for Jamie who had played very well but with the wind against
us in the second half was likely to be exposed due to lack of pace and Tim T coming on for
John Green in the back row. Tommy still off the pitch receiving treatment.
This saw us now start taking the game to Askeans with the backs putting together some
flowing moves with the pack now in control of the tight this allowed for Mr Guest to score
his 2nd try of the game. Tommy then entered the fray again after an additional 10 min rest
and the first lineout following his reappearance saw Pete Young break through the centre
and gallop for the line with Wayne in Support. Pete
knowing he was about to get caught slipped the ball to Wayne for him to crash over. The last 15 mins saw me come on for Gerry and give
away my normal couple of penalties even though I did get one reversed. We were however
lucky to finish with 15 players on the pitch Tommy deciding to take vengeance on the
person who had re-arranged his nose however he hit the wrong twin. Askeans kept up the
pressure in the last 10 mins however we held firm, in fact in the last minute came close
to scoring again. We then had to endure the
delights of Blackheath Rugby Club all I can say is thank God for Lower Sydenham as they
are far to Anally Retentive at Blackheath and I feel sorry for Askeans for having to share
with them far better if they came to us.
Fat Bloke (Les)
10 January 2004
RBS RFC CLUB XV
34 Bexley 2nd XV 24
Tries:
Steff Burkwood 2,
Alex Lowth, Ken Thomson, James Tobin, Phil Black
Conversions: Stu Barry (2)
A strong looking RBS side travelled to
Bexley and firstly thanks to everybody for making themselves available.
A typical first game after Xmas attitude
saw us struggle in the first half where the Bexley kicking game saw us trapped in our own
half for most of the first 40 minutes. Bexley took an early lead which immediately put the
Bank on the back foot and all the Bexley tries were break aways through poor tackling.
It was clear our backs were going to
break through on a regular basis if we could get them the ball and in the second half the
forwards took control up front and finally looked like they wanted to be in the game. Some
well worked tries saw us take the lead and it was particularly satisfying to shut Bexley
out for the whole second half. The score line could have been far higher but for some poor
decision making at certain times but overall a good win after a poor start and some good
spirit shown to come back from 17 points down.
There were a lot of positives to take
from this game not least the willingness of everyone to turn up on a Saturday afternoon
and after the initial half hour put in a good performance.
Naturally following Xmas there were some
signs of a lack of fitness but hopefully this will come back over the next few weeks and
we can have a strong end to the season.
Training has started again on a Tuesday
night at 7pm and feedback from those who attended was very good - please make the effort
on a Tuesday night to match that made on Saturday.
Steve
13 December 2003 - Kent 2 Beta League
RBS
RFC 0 Foots Cray 3rd XV
20
Well what can I say it was a cold wet morning and half
the team looked like they were still well over the limit by the time we had all met at the
club, with a few members of the team not making it because of drinking injuries from the
night before, a set of stairs and a cracked rib seem to come to mind. no names mentioned
of course.
Well the game started off as pretty much even with us losing Andy S to a damaged ankle
again, we used our only sub at this point and re-jigged the pack, to allow Steff to scrum
half. The forwards were up against it from
the start with our scrum going backwards at a rate of knots, and even though we were
winning our ball we were getting pushed back over it.
Our line outs were strong with Tim winning our own ball and a good number of
the oppositions.
The first half ended with Footscray 5 points ahead.
With the forwards struggling against a much stronger
pack, the fitness showed and the pack was struggling to make it to the next set play let
along the break downs, we coincided two more tries one from a simple 22 dropout, which
they ran straight back through, as our forwards were still walking to the 22 line.
Some good running in the centre proved to be a thankless task and we at least deserved a
score in this match, I felt over all we never really got going. this was a match we should
of won and we lost rather than them winning.
Lets get our game heads on an put a big score past the O's next week
If you are available next week please let me or Steve G know ASAP.
Regards
Andy
1 December 2003 - Kent 2 Beta League
RBS 2nd XV 18
Greenwich 2nd XV 15
Tries: Tom Banks & Odie
Conversion: Jerry O'Sullivan Penalties
Jerry & Stu Barry
View from the "Fat Bloke"
Probably
your last Fat Bloke view before Xmas as I go on Holiday Monday week and our esteem
publisher Mr Teale retires from the Bank's service, so I lose my e-mail link initially to
the outside world. Also I am proud to have played along side him many years ago and was in
fact his last ever Captain for which he managed to score a try in his last ever game. a
big thank you to him and I hope he enjoys his retirement. This does not mean you won't
hear from Fat Bloke again as service will be resumed in the New Year.
Now
on to the important part this weeks game the show gets back on track well stutters any way
! To save from the shambles of previous weeks we took the decision to card only 17 players
this week so firstly thank you to all of you who understood when we gave you a week off
however come kick off we found ourselves short, 1
person with flu, 1 person drunk from the night before poor excuse but at least they phoned
plus 1 no show this person being a regular so there should be a good reason.
Arrived
just after kick off due to work commitments
to find we had already gone a score down to an early penalty this being against the team
bottom of our league. We then pressed the self destruct button twice more letting in a
soft try and another penalty these being down to silly errors. We then decided to turn up
and start play with us now being at full strength thanks to John Cass coming on as a stand
in winger. From the next kick off we applied pressure through the middle of the park and
with the forwards having decided to start making the breakdown we cleared the opposition
out the way with Andy Surridge making a return at scrum Half following injury putting Phil
Cantell away for one of his charging runs including a handoff to which there supporter
responded well that would have given the person he hit a Cauliflower Backside, with just
the full back to beat Phil looked for his support and popped it up for Tom Banks to score
in the corner, well worked and showed our strengths. Brett the ground manager then made a
welcome appearance for us coming on to replace Casey however the ball failed to find him
admittedly this was not a day for running rugby but wingers do have a job to do rather
than get cold. We almost reverted to type with us going back to sleep and almost letting
in another sloppy score however due to some dubious refereeing decisions for once in our
favour and the oppositions inability to keep there mouth shut we were allowed to clear our
lines and again started to apply pressure which finally lead to us being awarded a penalty
20 yards out in front of the posts having learnt from a costly mistake against Orpington 2
weeks earlier this was duly slotted by Stu Barry this being the final action of the 1st
half.
2nd
half saw Alex Lowth coming on for Tim Timmins, Alex having turned up as seeing John Cass
on the wing returning home and grabbing his kit, Tim's comment being I don't mind coming
off because at least I can put some clothes on and keep warm now.
With the turn round at half time the wind was now in our favour also the pack had started
to gain ascendancy in the scrum things were looking promising however we decided to play
11 man rugby and whilst this was to ultimately lead to Odie scoring a try from a quickly
taken penalty from 15 yards out in the corner, which was superbly converted by Jerry. We failed to exploit over laps which would have made
the win easier and even more enjoyable. With Greenwich starting to lose discipline and
shape we were awarded another penalty in from of the post again this being dispatched
courtesy of a slip and a toe poke by Jerry.
Having
from the restart got ourselves with 3 mins to go back in there 22 we pressed the
self-destruct button again by opening our mouths the Ref had been hot on this all game and
a penalty was awarded against us all though the kick failed to find touch Phil
"Teflon" Cantell knocked on just outside the 22, with Greenwich smelling victory
they started to apply the pressure fortunately our defence held firm and there short fuse
ran out because by my watch the ref blew early as they started to argue with him about a
decision only 10 yards from our line.
A
let of !!!! Another win something to build on for the future remember keep your mouth shut
and you won't get penalties or more importantly the extra 10m awarded against you.
Just a chance to wish you all
a Merry Xmas.
Yours
Les
15 November 2003 - Kent 2 Beta League
RBS 2nd XV 12
Orpington 3rd XV 13
Tries: Tom Banks, Odie
Conversion: Stu Barry
Unfortunately we were unable to continue the winning streak
on to a 3rd consecutive week. Firstly though I would like to thank Orpington for agreeing
to allow the use of 6 replacements at half time 4 of which were 1st XV players the
opposition being made aware of this before hand but allowing us to play rugby in the
spirit it was meant.
The first half kicked off with the team which the previous
week had put 50+ points on Shirley and we thought it would be a similar task this week
especially with the quality of replacement we had on touch however Orpington were far more
up for this game than we were. Attacking and spoiling our possession wherever possible
particularly at the line out where we left big holes and allowed the opposition to flow
through unopposed, this lead to there first try, despite protests of a knock on according
to us however the referee gave it. We must remember that the only persons' opinion that
counts on the pitch is the Ref's. We then allowed them further possession in our half and
there number 18 bundled over from short range more complaining only earned then a penalty
fortunately only from half way. The remaining 20 mins of the first half saw the game being
played equally between the 22's our only real threat coming from Phil Cantell with big
runs however failing to give the easy pass when support was there the pack overall coped
well with the larger force against them.
Half time saw the introduction of Tom Banks for Keith Tonner
(making his first appearance in 3yrs) Phil Black , Stu Barry, Steve Griffiths, Richard
Simpson and Adrian Platts.
These fresh legs soon made an impact with Tom Banks having
had the ball shifted wide to him scooting into the corner to score was this the shape of
things to come. This try was soon followed up by a typical Odie score in true bullocking
style crashing over from short range we then went to sleep and got a touch of greed Phil
Black being judged to have knocked the ball on in touch and a 22 being given the ref
admitted afterwards that a 5m scrum should have been given instead. The ball also was not
being shifted wide enough where we had the pace and Tom Banks spent the rest of the
afternoon getting cold. The pack however had gained in dominance and proceeded to win us 2
penalties in front of the posts on or about the 22 however instead taking the points on
offer we went for glory and attempted to score tries which we failed to do this decision
was to ultimately cost us the game as we only had a 2 point lead. An injury to one of
there props saw Marc Jones going on for them having been substituted at half time for
Griffo to make his front row debut.
The final 5 mins saw Orpington breakout of there half and be
awarded a series of penalties the first one in front of the posts there kicker narrowly
missed the second however he didn't and with only a minute to play they edged in front by
a point.
Negatives from
the game poor defence at line outs remember we know where the ball is going the oppo don't
so remember once the ball is in give the scrum half a chance by grabbing a piece of your
opposite number and if its your job to tidy the ball, DO IT. Secondly if points are on
offer at a penalty take them at worse you end up with a 22 and regain possession.
Positives nice to
see so many people back from injury, retirement and holiday, this week we had with the
people on the touchline watching potentially 27 players that means we are just 3 short of
fielding 2 club sides. Secondly the spirit shown as we are no longer a 1st XV and a 2nd XV
but RBS RFC the club.
Yours
Fat
Bloke
8 November 2003 - Kent 2 Beta League
RBS 2nd XV 55
Shirley Wanderers 3rd XV 17
Tries: Phil
Cantell 4, Jerry O'Sullivan, James Hunt, Chris Wychard, Tom Fisher and Wayne Sealey
Conversions:
Jerry O'Sullivan 3 , Phil Cantell 2
No your eye's are not deceiving you ,that's is two win's in
two weeks. Once again this week we were struggling to confirm player up until the last
minute with only one team going out this really is not good enough. Although team
selections are looking good for next week, thanks to all those that have been carded
already. We (well I was on the side line) took the pitch this week with 15 and no subs
with Les making a come back and Pete Ward making his first appearance for the club this
season. The opposition only managed to field 13 players. so things were looking good from
the beginning, with some strong running and some good tackles we took and early lead
through the unstoppable Phil who ran in a total of 4 tries throughout the game, we
continued put considerable pressure on them through out the first half only conceding one
try which came from their only quick player making round our winger. through out the half
we were working a whole with the forwards cover plenty of ground and were getting to the
breakdowns in numbers, the backs were connecting and there were some fantastic running
moves. we went into the second half with a solid lead and decided to even the teams up
lending them Jamie. we went into the second half with heads held high and running down
hill helped. some fantastic tries followed with Chris W being put into space to score in
the corner, jerry kicking a dropped ball through and followed it over the try line for
another, Wayne plied over under the posts for his first try of the session, "only 10
more to go Wayne", further run in from Tom and James left our try tally at 9 which
cant be bad.
This was a good performance from the side however, if we had
cut out the mistakes we made, the dropped balls the missed tackles and the forward pass's
we could of put a 100 past this team and that should be what we aiming for. With our Club
side playing we should win every match in our league so lets pull together and prove we
want to get this club going.
To that end training will be held tomorrow at 7 PM it is
important that as many people as possible attend, we need to work on our set moves and
running moves, please confirm to myself if you can or cannot not make both training and
the Home match next week.
Regards
Andy
R
View from the "Fat Bloke"
A
second consecutive win for the 2nd team however this should be with a small w rather than the previous weeks this is not to put a dampener
on what is a good result. However we initially playing 15 on 13 so a natural over lap
should have been there for us score at will to a certain extent and we could so easily
have done so, the communication that had been so predominate the week before disappeared
almost totally, with people throwing out silly and unsympathetic passes. Also looking for
glory on some occasions when support and the simple pass were on. A first half lead of
19-5 highlights this.
Second
half saw us score 2 quick tries at which point skips did the honourable thing and
sacrificed one of this own to the oppo to balance things out. Firstly a big thank you goes
to Jamie Glover for doing this and then proceeding to play better for the oppo than he has
for us this season good lad. Secondly an apology to the backs for neglecting to tell them
I'd done this. Second half saw us take a more controlled approach to the game with most of
our tries coming from support play rather than solo efforts. However as the score shows
our line was breached in the second half and only good defending kept them from scoring more. Our back row operated well as a unit and on the day
made the difference in the loose as it gave the backs time to think and run.
This is a good result but remember we had 2 extra men for 50 mins of the game and only
made the pressure tell in the final 20, the score flatters us and in reality a 20 point
win is nearer where the performance was rather than the nearly 40 suggests. Do not be
dis-heartened by this criticism as it shows us the areas in which we need to improve to
re-build the club again.
Fat bloke would also like to thank all of the team for keeping him in one piece and
sending him home to Mrs Les safe and sound.
Yours
Fat
Bloke
Where
is the club going?
At
present we have at our disposal a regular pool of about 13 players plus on top of this
another 6 who are available more often than not then another 10 who are on the list either
injured or totally irregular. My aim is to get 2 teams out by the end of the season if we
can by pulling the 1st XV from the league we have taken some of the pressure off for doing
this week in week out so all of you who have chosen not to be available on a regular basis
please e-mail you availability to me so we can plan and rebuild for the future.
1
November 2003 - Kent 2 Beta League
RBS RFC 2nd XV 33
Old Elthamians 3rd XV 17
Tries: Eroy Alexis 3, Randall Leitch, Tom Fisher
Conversions:
Jerry O'Sullivan 3, Simon Saunders
Ok where to start. With lots of discussions and may phone
calls once again it was decided that the club could not field two sides and with the
difficulty faced carding even one side to travel to Dover the decision was made that we
would meet our second team fixture at home.
With an enhanced second team taking the field with the likes
of Odie, Griff, wedder's and Randall, boosting the ranks, we took the field with some
confidence. With some strong
competition and some brutal encounters the games was held pretty close although Eroy
"Linford" Alexis scored the first try by running around their wingers and full
back and placing the ball under the post. With
some good running and supporting efforts from the backs both Tom and Randall ran in
further try's. With a pretty even first half
the bank went into the second half with a small lead. The second half saw Eroy run, dart
and dodge around most of the oppositions backs and run two more try's in from places we
really should not have been able to score from.
With the time ticking away the Opposition were getting more
and more wound up and discipline started to slip will fists flying and several stamping
incidents. The bank as a whole were quite restrained, and in the end their in discipline
cost them several opportunities and got one of their players in the bin for teaching the
ref. a few new choice words. The bank resisted some good pressure in the last ten minutes
and for the most part the bank resisted retaliating give or take a few late tackles.
With a final note to thank Jerry "O'Garrah"
Sullivan for his 100% kicking record on the day to help the score line along. Leaving the final score at 33 17 to us, that's
right the first win in a league match this year.
This week we have
a mid week game and are desperate to get two sides out this weekend if at all possible.
please let me or Steve G know your availability ASAP.
The will be no training this week but we do have a match on
Wed, kick off is seven and we need every one to try and make themselves available.
Thanks to all those that made the effort
Andy
R
View from the "Fat Bloke"
On
paper a better balanced one than the week previous but we've said this before and come
unstuck. With Elthamians arriving with a squad of 21 there 2nd XV not having a fixture
this week an equally balance contest was to ensue. This week also saw the first appearance
on the field of play of Messrs Platts, Simpson & Wedderspoon, with Lee Jenkins making
a guest appearance at centre. Wayne also brought his cousin Eroy Alexis along again.
We
started well with a period of strong solid defence with people getting used to playing
with different people in different positions but confidently building our momentum, the
back row were functioning well keeping the fringes of the scrum safe and sound and putting
pressure upon the opposition half backs. The opening try from Eroy started with a superb
movement across the pitch from one touch line to the other through several pairs of hand
giving him space to run and boy can he! Having beaten 2 players on the outside is faced
with a full back coming across and a winger in front of him from my position on the
touchline I though double splat but what great yardage wrong. He slowed they did as well
and in doing so left a gap just big enough for a fag paper to slip through so Eroy
obliged, the opposition were as amazed as I was. A 2nd try minutes later along the same
lines was becoming however their winger decide a sliding tackle was order of the day and
in avoiding this a foot strayed into touch. This half also saw 2 more superbly taken
tries, one from Tom Fisher the other from Randall - only sour note a missed conversion in
front of the posts from Si Saunders who couldn't wait for the tee to come on so hit the
bar with a drop out.The second half brought a
couple of changes with Tim Timmins & Richard Simpson coming on for Marc Jones &
Jamie Glover both who had worked hard in the first half with strong performances. Elthamians made several changes and seemed to
approach the game more fired up than we did going into it 19-5 down. Whilst we did not
look to much like losing the game overall we came pretty close with Eltham scoring 2
unanswered tries fortunately there kicker had an off day and missed one of the conversions
leaving us with only a 2 point lead this lead us to realise we were finally in a game but
more importantly in danger of losing. Another well worked piece of passing from forwards
and back put Eroy into space again and he duly obliged. Eltham were then denied a try by a
very brave piece of Reffing their player dropping the ball as he ran into the try line. Si
Saunders was replaced by one of their players having lost a contact lens no supper star
this but a gentleman that would have made Twigger look young but he played well. Just to rub salt into that now open and festering
wound Eroy pounced on a loose ball from inside his own 22 and run the length of the pitch
to score under the posts.
Final Score 33-17
the clubs first big w.
Bad points from the game no kick is easy even in front of
goal take your time use the Tee etc. that miss could have been important and lost us the
game had there kicker been on target.
Secondly in the 2nd half a couple of time we tried to run it
from with in our own 22 without proper support if in doubt kick it out it will give your
forwards chance to regroup and reorganise.
Thirdly a game is not won until the final whistle.
Good points, superb performance from the back row whose
sustained pressure on their half backs caused them to make mistakes.
Communication in the back line was excellent with lots of
talking going on about what was going to happen and encouraging those around them.
Overall rucking and ball retention was better than in
previous weeks.
Yours
Fat
Bloke |
