One old rugby truth is that defences rather than attacks win tight matches , closely followed in its wisdom by the observation that the side that makes fewer mistakes will most likely run out the winner in any game.
Both were borne out on CS’s first ever visit to Medway RFC and it was the home side that profited from the application of this sagacity to the afternoon’s events.
Medway , unbeaten and accordingly in first place in London One South, faced a Stags’ side in buoyant mood after their resounding win away at Havant the previous week and they had after all lost only once this season so far themselves. Medway’s disciplined approach reflected that of their spectators with over 80 already sat down and waiting to be served their lunch when the first of the small official CS contingent arrived with nearly an hour and three quarters still to go to kick off!
Pleasantries and plaques having been exchanged eventually, it was time for the official business of the day which featured a bright start for CS with the visitors mounting attack after attack and showing excellent ball retention but Medway’s scrambling defence impressively held firm.
All this pressure – a spell of a good ten minutes much of it spent deep in the host’s 22 with the ball being spun one way and the other - yielded absolutely nothing. When CS then missed a tackle with Medway seeking to break out of their own 22, the danger such a quick breakaway from deep presented was immediately evident. Medway executed clinically and somehow the scoreboard read 7-0. Still, if CS continued playing like they were – the missed tackle apart –this score completely against the run of play was nothing to worry about surely although Medway’s position as league leaders was clearly no accident ?
In fact play became much more even from then on, although it was CS who levelled the scores with a well worked try of their own on twenty-five minutes . This galvanised Medway into even greater efforts and it was CS ‘s turn to demonstrate why, going into this match, they had the best defence in the league. Then it was Medway who – on the stroke of half time - made the mistake of throwing a risky pass in attack deep in CS’s half, only for it to be seized upon by Andy Hall who just about had sufficient gas then to make it all the way. Whether he should have taken the conversion himself though is arguable. He had been forced wide and, a little fatigued no doubt, he missed and tight games can turn on such small margins. 7-12 at the break.
They can turn on other things as well : penalty count is one of them and the fact that in the whole of a second half of pretty even territory and possession, CS should be awarded just one of those anywhere was a statistical curio. Medway were certainly a disciplined side but several times in the game CS trundled rolling mauls a good twenty metres, yet not once when they stopped was it apparently the result of any illegality nor had any advantage accrued along the way.
Medway themselves missed a penalty shot ten minutes into the half but quarter of an hour later were successful with another and with just over quarter of an hour to go it now stood 10-12.
There was little to choose between the two sides at this point but CS’s inability to earn, some might say milk, a penalty when deep in Medway’s half – or pretty well anywhere for that matter – was a worry.
The mistake that proved critical was a squirting ball from a CS scrummage that Medway again exploited clinically : first to secure the loose ball , some good interplay, then a cross kick executed sublimely : CS just had no time to regroup. Try converted from the touch line of course! 17-12 with ten minutes left.
Still CS came back and were soon pressing the home team’s line again but that Medway defence again scrambled its way to safety somehow and salt was to be rubbed in the visitors’ wounds in the dying seconds with a penalty award against them some 44 metres out. Of course it went over: it was that sort of day!
But CS took it on the chin. It had been a cracking game of rugby, played in excellent spirit and a credit to both sides. Any neutral watching must have been confused as to what level of game he had been lucky enough to stumble into!
Next game for CS is home to Cobham . KO 1430 on 25th November