St Albans First Team
Match Reports
SPIRITED SAINTS TAKE SHELFORD TO THE WIRE! - Saturday 11th February 2006
Saints welcomed Shelford RFC to Boggymead Spring for the return leg of their Powergen London North 2 fixture both sides requiring a win for totally different reasons.Shelford are riding high as League leaders clearly pushing for promotion whilst their hosts are striving hard to stay above the relegation zone.The visitors comfortably won the first leg on 8 October 2005 by 44-3 and go into this contest as hot favourites with their usual clutch of southern hemisphere stars.
mac battlefield 1942 .torrentBefore the kickoff two minutes silence was observed for Playa Carl Christian of the London Nigerian RFC who tragically collapsed and died on Saturday 14 January 2006 just after playing a full game at full back for his Club.A more comprehensive special tribute with pictures to the gentleman PLAYA is featured on the front page of our website.
Conditions were excellent for February ,5C with hazy sunshine and a soft westerly wind across a firm ,well kept pitch.
Shelford kicked off into the winter sunshine ,evergreen back five forward Donald Onyuma driving it up and slipping it to No10 Jack Stevenson,wing James Dickinson in support. It was nip and tuck for the next few minutes Shelford’s powerful full back running everthing out of defence .Aerial ping pong ensued wing Joe Shaw running it back and finally Shelford conceding a penalty for not rolling away –flyhalf Jack Stevenson forcing a Saints attacking 5 metre lineout.
An imperious unopposed catch and drive by captain Dan Hillier (picture1),supported by a pack who turn up for training both nights of the week,took it to the tryline where Shelford’s heavier 8 seemed to have stalled the move.Terrier of a scrum half Gareth Day dummied open then saw no one at home on the blindside and scampered over like a puppy for a smart team try –unconverted.
On 10 minutes Saints 5 Shelford 0.
This stung the visitors who predictably moved up a gear their pack and their charismatic No 20 centre switching on one of their Kiwi party pieces- everybody spellbound as we were treated to the step,the sidestep the shimmy and the offload.
More of the same as Shelford’s No 8 ,Sam Tovo –why isn’t he playing in the Premiership ? - drove it forward showing his greatest weakness in taking too much upon his great shoulders and being clattered by Saints’ league hardman No 8 Richard Louw (picture 2).
It’s a penalty to Saints for a rattled Shelford handling on the ground as No 13 Mark Kentish kicked Saints further ahead.
On 18 minutes Saints 8 Shelford 0.
The game restarted and it was clear that tension was building between the 2 packs ,referee Tim O’Connell now dealing with a small fracas that broke out between some of the two sets of forwards. He stabilised the situation handing yellow cards to Saints’ league prop Farren Mahoney and Shelford’s No 6 James Nicholson.
The sin bin weakened Saints more than Shelford who moved up a gear their pack driving and forcing an attacking 5 metre lineout .
The inevitable arrived as the Shelford 7 caught and drove for their hooker Jason Britten to go over to score a textbook try-converted.
On 28 minutes Saints 8 Shelford 7.
Unfortunately the niggle between a few from both sides was dragging a really good contest down as Shelford’s full back counter attacked ending in a scrum on Saints’ 5 metre line.Shelford had too much power and pace now as their No 12 strolled under Saints’ posts –converted.
On 37 minutes Saints 8 Shelford 14.
The first half finished with Shelford’s backline treating everyone to more of their set pieces –their southern hemisphere boys really know how to party.
Problem for Shelford was that Saints were in no mood to roll over as their backline plus back row David Mitchell, punching well above his weight , No 8 hardman Richard Louw and flanker Ollie Cooper-Millar still got in their faces putting in the big hits .
Half time score . St.Albans 8 Shelford 14 .
Saints’ full back John Andrews started the second half from the Vet’s end as the sun began to set on a contest which had not gone to the visitors’s script.
Hillier,Onyuma and Mahoney all drove it up but flanker Ollie
Cooper-Millar,playing a blinder today ,was heavily tackled.A long injury break ensued as OCM was stretchered off.The latest we have is that he has a hairline fracture of the left shin but is not in plaster.Substitute Mark Davis came into the second row –Donald Onyuma ,an excellent utility forward playing the best of his career, going to openside.
Shelford capitalised, their heavier pack working their way to Saints’ 5 metre line.More of the inevitable as their hooker delivered his second try of the game from a textbook catch and drive –converted.
On 54 minutes Saints 8 Shelford 21.
By now Shelford were sensing blood their No 6 cleaning up at the tail of the lineout their backs mixing it with great offloads stepping in and out of the tackle but knocking on .
On 63 minutes,the Shelford pressure told as from a 5 metre lineout they patiently drove then spun it all the way right for their backline to score a clinical try in the top right corner-unconverted.
On 64 minutes Saints 8 Shelford 26.
With the match virtually decided the general niggle resurfaced Shelford surprisingly beginning to lose the plot.From a penalty ,scrum half Gareth Day’s tap and go gained an extra 10 metres.Shelford transgressed again and Jack Stevenson prodded play to 10 metres from Shelford’s line .Saints’ Donald Onyuma (picture 3) , now the lineout tail gunner ,palmed to feed South African hooker Brenton Lemiere on the peel. He showed his class,and his low undercarriage, as he demonstrated to his opposite number that he can score next to the posts in open play without the help of his 7 mates!
An easy conversion by Mark Kentish made it Saints 15 Shelford 26 on 70 minutes.
Shelford still had not learned as they continued the off the ball niggle.A cheap shot on captain Dan Hillier was easily spotted by Referee O’Connell and Shelford’s No 3 prop was sent to the bin for 10 minutes.
Despite this Shelford showed they still had plenty of gas in the tank and drove straight back to force a lineout 8 metres from Saints line.Even with only 7 men Shelford’s pack had the weight and control to drive to the left corner and score a good unconverted try .
On 75 minutes Saints 15 Shelford 31.
Shelford now fell totally asleep as Saints still refused to capitulate gaining a free kick.
Another quick tap and go by Gareth Day fed Joe Shaw,a completely new man on the wing today,who stepped and glided 60 metres before releasing full back John Andrews up in the line for a slick pacy try in the corner,unconverted.
On 79 minutes Saints 20 Shelford 31.