St Albans First Team
Match Reports
BOGGEYMEAD BOYS BLAG BANK!Saturday 12th November 2005
Bank of England 20 - St Albans 34
Saints travelled to Roehampton in South West London for the second time this year to play the Bank of England.
free donwload videosThe Bank fielded its first rugby side in 1908 ,the year they originally purchased their Roehampton site.The magnificent pavilion and premises built then are today partially obscured by major site re-furbishment and expansion work - the changing rooms today temporarily being Portacabins.
Not quite the same feeling of grandeur does your Match Reporter have now compared to when he first visited there 40 years ago in 1965!
Past history counts for little nowadays as each side won at home last season when both clubs were in Powergen North West 3 League.Both clubs were promoted to London North 2 this season so it's very much a battle of equals in the lower half of the table.Could Saints rob their hosts of their massive home advantage or would they take a pounding?
Conditions were excellent ,no wind,11C but falling by the hour ,firm going with the sun going down behind the tree lined west touchline.
Bank kicked off towards the pavilion end,Saints gathered and ran it back in a series of fast and furious exchanges as the two sides sounded each other out.Bank edged to Saints 22 who were penalised for offside at the ruck.On 3 minutes Bank's No 9 coined it in kicking the opening points to make it Bank 3 Saints 0.
From the restart Saints reached Bank's 22 and after a series of scrums Bank were penalised but Saints No 10 John Andrews missed the kick for goal.Bank were penalised again and this time the No10 thread needled a kick to exactly 5 metres from Bank's line.Saints captain ,second row Dan Hillier took a clean catch as the pack bludgeoned slowly for the line with a series of rolling mauls.A streetwise Bank skipper ,giant prop Paul Morphew ,marshalled his defence well but could not stop Saints' South African flanker Richard Louw battering through to score an unconverted try and take the lead.
On 8 minutes Bank 3 Saints 5.
Saints continued in similar vein and kicked a further 3 points for more Bank offside .On 11 minutes Bank 3 Saints 8.
Bank now got right back into the game with their pack rumbling and tackling well, Saints conceding a series of penalties.
Eventually on 23 minutes ,Bank forced an attacking 5 metre lineout .Their No 4 caught clean and just as Saints had done earlier,the Bank pack drove over for a sterling try in the corner, unconverted.
Bank 8 Saints 8.
Saints retaliated settling near Bank's 22 for several minutes but not turning pressure into points.
Captain Dan Hillier (picture 1) had been leading from the front all game with several galloping attacks and supported by his pack forced Bank to be penalised for handling in the ruck. John Andrews kicked the 3 points .
On 32 minutes Bank 8 Saints 11.
Undeterred, Bank drove straight back forcing Saints to concede a series of scrums and penalties .On 37 minutes Bank rolled a series of mauls for their No 9 to score a good try in the corner, unconverted.
Bank 13 Saints 11.
On 40 minutes ,the referee's patience finally went after yet more persistent handling in the ruck by Bank whose No 17 was yellow carded.
On 42 minutes Bank conceded another penalty under their posts and John Andrews kicked a further 3 points for Saints to take the lead again .
Half Time Score.Bank of England 13 St.Albans 14.
The half time team talk by a dissatisfied Saints coach Tim Andrews could be heard by their travelling supporters 25 metres away on the touchline!The printable summary was that everyone was guilty of basic silly mistakes, too many penalties and a sloppy mental attitude. Saints had to knuckle down and raise it by 100%.The referee,Mr Mike Beech, had sensibly been playing good long advantage because there was so much slow ball and he was also talking to all the players to keep the game flowing.
An attritional contest up front was well and truly on with all the backs weighing in as well.
Saints re-started and Bank's captain, noted for his counter-attacks, forced Saints into a series of penalty mistakes.A penalty was missed,then a Bank tap and go foundered.Finally, from a lineout 15 metres from Saints line ,Bank's excellent No 9 threw a smart dummy inside then curved outside through a yawning gap in the Saints defence to score a converted try between the posts without a hand being put remotely near him! On 49 minutes Bank had re-taken the lead at Bank 20 Saints 14.
Had Saints team talk worked?That gap had been yawning and so apparently had Saints!Had they fallen completely asleep?
Suddenly on 50 minutes Bank ran out of the currency that wins matches-possession,position ,power and pace-the 4 P's.
Saints drove into Bank's 22 and remained there for 5 minutes forcing a series of scrums and lineouts.An opportunist tap and go by No 9 Gareth Day forced an extra 10 metres out of Bank for not retreating. Saints' Hillier backed his pack enlisting full back Dickinson and scrum half Day to join the melee for No 8 John Sayers to score a 10 man unconverted try.
On 56 minutes , Bank 20 Saints 19.
No sooner had Bank restarted than they were defending again on their 10 metre line.From a scrum ,right winger Ed Coy, having a quiet afternoon so far,sprinted for Bank's corner only to be high tackled.The penalty was missed but Bank were still under siege.From a lineout all the Saints heavy artillery roared into action.Hooker Brenton Lemiere then props Farren Mahoney and Danny Batchelor then flanker Richard Louw all moved up 2 gears to play their best of the match .Relentless linking , pick and go by them plus the rest of the pack for the rest of the game paid dividends.
There was a long break of about 5 minutes for Bank's tall influential No 4 suffering a bad leg injury who left the field leaving the hosts badly weakened in their front five.
Saints coach,substituting wisely now, had brought new signing wing Mark Kentish into the fray followed soon after by prop Nick Homan.Late in the day wing David Mitchell also joined the action.
The scrum restart on Bank's 22 saw Saints,with fresh legs, spin it to centre Joe Shaw who offloaded well in the tackle to full back "JD" Dickinson in support,10 metres from Bank's line.Tackled on the line "JD" recycled the ball back to the "Mighty Swede" Joe Shaw to score a fine, powerful unconverted try.
On 75 minutes Saints had vaulted into the lead at Bank 20 Saints 24.
There was more of the same as Bank conceded yet another penalty on their 5 metre line.Again Saints opted for the scrum which powered over for No 8 John Sayers to score his second try of the game,unconverted.
On 80 minutes Bank 20 Saints 29.