1st XV 18 - 17 Nuneaton
| Match date | Saturday October 10, 2009 |
|---|---|
| Match time | 14:00 |
| Match location | Away |
| Team | 1st XV |
| Opponent | Nuneaton |
Player of the Match - Tom Richardson
Nuneaton 17 Stourbridge 18 by Paul Smith
James Rodley’s last ditch intervention, in the 58th minute of the second half, proved that even in a match of 1 hour and 51 minutes duration, sometimes a split-second is crucial.14 man Stour had been pinned on their own line for six minutes, and Ben Griffiths pinned to the fourth official’s naughty chair for two of them, when Rodley reacted quickest and snaffled a loose ball on his own five metre line.
This set up a position from which Sam Robinson was able to hoof it into the third row of the stand, or to be more precise, the rear of a 40 foot curtain-sided trailer, but either way to match-clinching safety.The Stour coaching team went through agony on the sidelines in what surely will be the longest six minutes anyone associated with the club has to endure this season. The only consolation was that for Nuneaton coach Mike Umaga, one of the nicest men in rugby, it must have felt even longer.
A sickening head injury to Nuns winger Jim MacDonald was responsible for the hour long second period, an injury sustained, as is so often the case, in an innocuous challenge for a loose, bouncing ball. Although he made the journey to hospital, early reports suggested that his trip was precautionary.In the first period, Stour played some excellent rugby into a gusty breeze. A feisty opening brought a series of high, late and swinging arm tackles from the home side. The referee, Salvation Army minister Andrew Vertigan, might be getting slightly ahead of himself, but in not issuing a yellow card he certainly showed the patience of a saint.
Jon Higgins was on the mark from point blank range on the quarter hour, after an earlier miss from longer distance. Remarkably, this was only Stour’s second successful penalty kick in 415 minutes of league rugby this season.Nuneaton were scrummaging strongly, but offered little else before the break, and it was no surprise when Stour extended their lead on the half hour. Good interplay between Higgins and Robinson made headway into the Nuns 22, from where a quick ruck ball freed scrum half Tom Richardson, to wriggle over for his third try of the season, converted by Higgins.
Richardson’s successor as England Counties scrum half, Nuns skipper Huw Thomas, conjured up an immediate response. After a Stour kick was charged down, Thomas made a neat break from his unaccustomed fly half berth, and slipped an inside ball to prop and man of the match Brook Davies who strolled over unchallenged.Higgins and Thomas exchanged penalties, the former resulting from yet another high tackle, this time by former Bees flanker Andy Daish, who otherwise put in a useful display in the unfamiliar number 12 shirt. Mr Vertigan finally reached inside the back cover of his Book of Common Prayer and produced a yellow card.
On the stroke of half time, Stour produced a wonderful counter-attack score. Higgins fielded a long kick deep in his own half, and found Duncan Chance with a long, flat pass. The speedy winger scorched past several tackles in a 40 metre run, before quick ruck ball, and solid handling allowed on-loan Coventry winger Simon Frewin to show his finishing skills in the left corner.If Stour thought that turning round 18-10 ahead with the wind in their favour would enable them to coast to victory, their illusions were rudely shattered direct from the kick off.
A strong carry from Daish took play straight into the visitors’ 22, where it was to remain for most of the half. Stour had barely touched the ball since the interval; when hooker Adam Bray burst through Higgins’ tackle, impressive flanker Ben Avent was on hand to go under the posts. Thomas’ conversion narrowed the gap to a single point, with over half an hour left.Davies, Stuart Eborall and Tim Pickard dominated the third quarter, as the visitors defence was tested by Nuns ability to release their big, speedy ball carriers through some indifferent tackling.
The limited possession Stour did glean was turned over with alarming regularity, through poor options, misplaced kicks and lack of discipline, especially on the ground. Nuns were denied a probable try by a tight forward pass call, before Thomas missed from 35 metres with ten minutes remaining.After Duncan White was turned over in the Nuns half, the increasingly fraught six minute finale was played out exclusively in the visitors’ 22. Nuns opted for scrums and line out drives rather than difficult kicks at goal across the wind, and it seemed inevitable that the visitors’ defence would crack. But Stour’s spirit and resilience somehow kept their line intact, then along came Rodders.
Nuneaton: Poulton; Moore, Takarangi, Daish, MacDonald (Elkerton,66); Thomas, L.Roy-Smith; Davies, Bray (Coltman,67), Pickard; Aston (Hurst,44), Griffiths; Smith (N.Roy-Smith,52), Avent, Eborall. Reps – Taylor.
Stourbridge: Richards; Chance (Billig,61), Robinson, Barkley, Frewin; Higgins, Richardson; Sturdy (Baker,78), Gerry, Lawrence; Hughes, W.Cooper (Griffiths,50); Pearson (Rodley,50), R.Cooper, White. Reps – Collins.
photos on this page and the home page by Tim Dyson. More match photos here from Richie Laurent
The Match in Pictures
