The Two’s : A work in progress

This was a very welcome victory for the seconds. Their first in four games. (Two of which were against much stronger opposition.)

A pessimist might dwell on the fact that this was Horley Seconds first game. Despite having fifteen “promises” on Friday only nine turned up initially to our clubhouse and it took the usual combination of arm twisting, blackmail, and bully boy tactics by their captain, the redoubtable bearded Fergus, to fill the gaps. It is to their credit that they fielded thirteen players at the kick-off. We lent them one and so the game started with fifteen of us and fourteen of them. Their side included some very experienced older players as well as several new players, some of whom were new to Rugby.

However an optimist would say that it is even more to their credit that they made a game of it and contested everything right up until the final whistle. From their point of view, their young and inexperienced backs showed impressive pace and their two tries came from breakaways when we could not match them for pace. They might easily have got a couple more.

Saints seconds fielded a side that included nine players who have played in three or more of their four games so far this season. Of the remainder three were playing their first game for the club.

Bearing this in mind I thought that the hard core of the team had benefited from the first four games. In my opinion this showed in the mature way they used their advantage in scrum and lineout to provide a supply of good ball to the half-backs, a luxury seldom enjoyed by the two’s half-backs in recent seasons. Another notably improved area was the tackling in defence which, while far from perfect, augurs well for the future.

I would like to emphasise that everybody played their part.

One dominant feature for me, compared to the many previous two’s performances I have seen, was the pack winning consistently good lineout ball, manna from heaven for a pair of half-backs who knew how to use it, and on the day were able and willing to play a bit and then some.

Alan McArdle, an evergreen scrum half, varied his options and kicked in a way which should have pleased every tired old warhorse in the pack. Yes, there are one or two or three of those still about….and yes, he was lucky that several of his kicks bounced very close to touch and stayed in play. When such kicks are followed up well, the defender, already on the back foot, is forced to play the ball - usually rather tamely into touch near where it bounces thus giving us the throw-in at a line out thirty or forty yards further up the pitch. Tries often follow.

Show me the forward who is not pleased by that and I will show you a man who is tired of life or at the very least is in serious need of counselling………

Alan got three tries himself while James Hale at fly-half got five and was a well-deserved man of the match. His kicking and breaking was impressive, and he released his backs as often as he could. For a back line that has limited experience of playing together I thought they put in good performances. Nobody from nine to fifteen shirked tackles (in my sight, anyway) a compliment that could not have been paid to some of the back line combinations I have seen in the past.

The forwards enjoyed themselves at scrum, lineout, ruck and maul.

Pete Mitchell dominated the lineouts on our throw and theirs; a tribute not only to him but to his lifters and to the throwing in of Eastie and Gricie.

Simon Knight played like a man twenty years younger and no doubt paid for it the next day by feeling like a man forty years older.

Dave Nolan, Clarkie, and Jelly were also willing to take and drive before releasing the kind of good ball that scrum halves dream about.

Bushie, who has just had a big, big, birthday, celebrated by having one of his best games on the wing, scoring a try, nearly scoring one or two more, and caught the eye for a kick and chase down the line from deep inside his own half which Horley only just managed to stop.

The other try was scored by Jelly in typical prop forward fashion.

Both Bushie and Jelly deserve a special mention for the way they helped and encouraged the somewhat inexperienced Horley side during the periods when they were “on loan to it”.

Their attitude and that of the other players who during the second half switched sides was a credit to rugby. The game was played in a spirit of sportsmanship which reflects well on Co*** Rugby (warts and all!) in these days of eye-gouging and fake blood scandals at the professional level.

Finally, a special mention of two real rugby addicts who are probably beyond redemption and whose efforts made the game possible.

Steve Hand, skipper, who not only “found” a referee at the last minute but gave a master class in combining with the half-backs thus giving them that that extra bit of space and time which contributed in no small measure to their tally of tries.

So who is the other addict ?

The redoubtable Paul Smith, not yet back from the really nasty injury he copped in the first’s cup game last September and who courageously “volunteered” to referee at very short notice. And did it bloody well.

The team was : Eastman, Grice, Knight, Nolan, Mitchell, Matt J., Hand, Constable, McArdle, Hale, Richard ?, Neil (Niemann ?), James P., Bush, Lavery, Trevaskis, Ackroyd.