St Albans First Team
Match Reports
NORWICH NICK A WIN AT THE DEATH!Saturday 3rd December 2005
Norwich 12 St.Albans 10.
Saints created a new club League fixture distance record on Saturday when they travelled the 115 miles to Norwich RFC in Norfolk-that depending on whether your car got lost or not !The only two truly Cathedral city clubs currently in the Powergen London North 2 League clashed for the first time ever.Norwich RFC, founded in 1885 , are a proud major rugby force in the Eastern region with good facilities plus strong local business and community support.They have won the Norfolk Cup no less than 15 times and the Eastern Counties Cup 5 times.In recent years they have also played at National League Level but are currently consolidating in the highly competitive London North 2.
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Could the Saints awayday underdogs,85 years Norwich's junior, produce an upset in the Eastern regional capital's backyard?
Conditions were better than forecast, intermittently sunny,7C with a moderate south-westerly wind blowing straight down a very heavy,muddy pitch.
Referee Mr Owen Quantick,who had driven all the way from Canterbury in Kent that day,got the contest under way.
Saints kicked off with the wind and sun at their backs there being much frantic to and fro with both sides sizing each other up before Norwich conceded a penalty 30 metres from their line.No 10 Jack Stevenson precision kicked the 3 points to make it Norwich 0 Saints 3 after just 2 minutes.
Norwich moved up a gear then camped in Saints' half for the next 7 minutes.Saints defended well but finally conceded a penalty 20 metres out on 6 minutes ,the kick for goal missed by Norwich. Saints overcooked the dropout with the following wind and from the ensuing scrum conceded another penalty after a good drive by the Norwich pack.
This time Norwich kicked the penalty so on 9 minutes it was Norwich 3 Saints 3.
The game went back and forth with both sides giving penalties away Saints being rather more profligate than Norwich. Both packs,like punchdrunk boxers,bludgeoned away in the mud with the backs occasionally getting a look in .
By 25 minutes Saints had got to 10 metres from Norwich's line and had a penalty which they quickly squandered by not taking it through the mark.
Saints pressure finally told when from a good heel Jack Stevenson put up a fine high hanging kick into the Norwich in goal. Enter stage right at searing pace Ed Coy (picture 1),the Herts County flier, to chase up and score a gem of a trademark try in the corner. Jack Stevenson then really silenced a good size partisan crowd,well stoked up with a VP's lunch beforehand,by just drawing in the conversion from way out on the touchline.
On 29 minutes,Norwich 3 Saints 10.
The rest of the half became very scrappy with various stoppages and the lineouts getting messier .Saints' flanker Ollie Cooper-Millar stole some Norwich lineout ball but Saints levelled it up by wasting several of their own lineout throws.
Half Time. Score. Norwich 3 St.Albans 10 .
Norwich restarted the match launching a series of attacks, their pack slowly driving Saints back who eventually conceded a penalty far out.A good kick by Norwich made the score Norwich 6 Saints 10 on 45 minutes.
On 50 minutes,Saints eventually got into Norwich's 22,the first of only 3 visits in the whole of the second half.Norwich escaped, their right winger breaking out of his 22 but kicked too long over Saints' dead ball line for a scrum back.There was more attrition by both packs, Norwich clawing their way into Saints' half but giving away a penalty on 60 minutes.
Saints' scrum half Gareth Day took a quick tap and go but was high tackled after only 4 metres of his sprint by Norwich's No 3 prop who should have retired the required 10 metres. He was yellow carded -it could arguably have been red .
Saints Coach Tim Andrews brought on replacements Dave Callan and David Mitchell but Saints could not capitalise on Norwich being down to 14 men.
On 74 minutes and back to 15 men Norwich drove into Saints' half and forced a penalty 30 metres out ,head on to Saints' posts.A successful kick brought the crowd back to life.It was Norwich 9 Saints 10 with 5 minutes left.
On 76 minutes Saints drove to 10 metres of Norwich's line but the hosts slipped clear for one last foray into Saints' half.
On 78 minutes, disaster struck Saints.They had a put in to a scrum 10 metres from their line,head on to the posts.From a good heel Saints took leave of their senses and opted to run it out of their 22 but were penalised at a ruck in front of their posts.
A grateful Norwich took the 3 points to win the game at the death-Christmas had indeed come early!
Final Score. Norwich 12 St.Albans 10 .
Saints Coach Tim Andrews said the team could be proud of a good away performance but would have to take the result on the chin and learn some very clear cut lessons from the experience.He urged his troops to stick together in every sense as many ventured out that night to "Shicagooo's in Narridge".
Saint's Man of the Match was centre Phil James (picture 2) for a fine all round game both in attack and defence with Jack Stevenson also impressing.
Saints have no fear of any side in their League and had given Norwich a big fright in their own back yard.In a messy ,penalty strewn game the only jewel on display was the brilliantly executed converted Saints try- the only one of the match.Behind the scrum , Saints defended well against a heavy abrasive Norwich pack. The scrums evened themselves out,Norwich having the better of it overall in the loose, but the lineouts degenerated into a shambles. Saints could have and should have won but they committed decision-making match suicide, literally at the death, by running their scrummage ball from near their line instead of kicking it into Loose-tarfed harbour.
St.Albans Team.
D.Batchelor, B.Lemiere, F.Mahoney, D.Hillier (captain), M.Davis, R.Louw, O.Cooper-Millar, D.Stanford, G.Day, J.Stevenson, E.Coy, M.Alderton, P.James, J.Dickinson, M.Shaw, A.Weldon, D.Mitchell, D.Callan .
St.Albans Scorers.
Try.Ed Coy.
Conversion . Jack Stevenson.
Penalty. Jack Stevenson.
Referee. Mr Owen Quantick of the Kent Referees Society representing the South East Referees Federation.
Next Saturday Saints welcome back to Boggymead Spring the only other Hertfordshire Club in London North 2 League -near neighbours Letchworth RFC.
He wishes to thank Mr Stuart Young of Norwich RFC for availing him during last week of the highly informative translator leaflet "Goid To Narridge".