This game against second placed Tonbridge Juddians was in the balance throughout with a four try bonus point try win for the Stags still very much a possibility right up to the final whistle . As it was, they outscored their more fancied opponents by three tries to two but there was scant consolation in emerging with just the losing bonus point.

Exciting and hugely entertaining as the game had been it had in truth been error strewn and in such circumstances it is often the side that makes fewer of them that prevails and that might just explain why at the end of the day TJs sneaked it - but that is to leave out of the equation an incident when it appeared that Cameron Reed had indeed grounded the ball over the line for what would have been his second try. Certainly the TJs' assistant coach's demeanour at the time - and he was very close to the critical action - suggested that he had as he readily conceded in the bar afterwards - and who can say that that score might not have been decisive! The television cameras were not there of course, however, to capture it and, without the benefit of technology or even an assistant referee, a hard-pressed ref - who cannot of course always be in the optimum position - just cannot give what he has not clearly seen himself - and so it was sadly for the Stags on this occasion.

It was a wonderful sunny winter's afternoon and as the two teams had served up a feast of running rugby in their earlier encounter more of the same was anticipated. First blood was drawn after barely 5 minutes by TJs whose busy flanker Leuluniu seized on loose home lineout ball at the tail on the CS 22 and showed considerable pace, arcing back to the corner. But throwing long at such a line out of course inevitably carries with it an element of risk - some would say an unnecessary element particularly so early in the game - and indeed on this occasion the call was either misread or misheard as there was not even a semblance of assisted elevation for the jumper. And of course the conversion which could not have been from further out inevitably succeeded.

The Stags came back strongly and the next critical mistakes were by the away side. On 18 minutes the ever alert flanker Jo Clarke intercepted a telegraphed pass and sprinted in from the visitors' ten metre line to score under the posts. Three minutes later another TJ's mix-up when no one was at home to pick up rucked ball gifted possession to the Stags and lock Cameron Reed was the ultimate beneficiary. With both tries converted by Scott Hadden the score was now a much healthier 14-7 and only minutes later a further try was added , the opportunity again gifted although the taking of it was impressive . TJs had failed to find touch with a clearance kick and found it run back at them initially and then chipped ahead. A first fiendish bounce took care of the TJs' defender but a second was equally unkind to the chasing James Houstoun. He resisted the temptation to snatch at the ball, however, relying on it eventually to stand up - although the cover was of course inevitably closing whilst this cameo was playing out. But James' patience was rewarded as the CS cavalry arrived in the nick of time in the form of Chris Endersby to take James' popped-up pass and cross for an unconverted try: 19-7 now.

The gap was reduced by a penalty on the half hour and it was the Stags who were still by and large the more threatening but, just as they had themselves benefited from the unpredictable bounce of a rugby ball, so too on the stroke of half time did TJs when a ball hacked through could not have bounced more perfectly for its pursuer, Tabrett, with this try also converted for a half time score of 19-17 and all five tries scored in the half the result therefore of a combination of opportunism and good fortune.

The second half began much as the first had ended with the home side shading most of the collision areas except it has to be said the set scrum which was the subject of considerable touch line debate. The referee chose to penalise the home side on more than one occasion but was this the just reward for the dominant scrum or was this apparent dominance being achieved by some crafty angles, aka "boring in" : or even a bit of both both perhaps? As an erstwhile front row forward one recognises that whatever one can get away with must be within the law!

Another wise old CS front row forward, Jim Gregory, remarked at this critical time that the next try would win it! Well, there was in fact no further try at all in the second half although the Stags somewhat later on had the aforementioned very creditable claim to one and - had it been awarded - it would have owed nothing to luck but everything to teamwork and hard graft by the pack. What there was were two penalties both for our visitors : the first after 49 minutes after the only real period of sustained TJs pressure, when Tim Wells also copped a yellow for the team for preventing fair release, to see them edge ahead 20-19.

Therafter territorially it was the Stags who had the advantage and TJs' incursions into home territory became less and less frequent . Threatening as CS were for most of the next twenty minutes there was only that one clear cut opportunity and TJs showed great discipline in defence, particularly in not conceding kickable penalties, and on a rare visit to the CS half then extended their lead by a further penalty with just ten minutes to go.

The home side continued to press in search of that fourth try that they now needed for victory but still errors cost them dear. First having gained a penalty and kicked to close to the five metre line , instead of a clean take and the anticipated drive for the line, CS lost the line out; then, with barely three minutes to go and the visitors' pack now themselves reduced by the referee to seven, TJs by dint of a concerted shunt by their numerically disadvantaged pack stole CS's ball at a scrum on their own 5 metre line . With that the siege was lifted and the final act was played out well away fom any immediate danger.

Whilst there had been a glut of mistakes, equally there had been much to admire from both teams. There had been plenty of endeavour and non-stop action and it was a mightily relieved Tonbridge Juddians that eventually were able to celebrate their narrow victory.

CS Rugby 1863 scorers:

Tries :

Clarke
Reed
Endersby

Cons:

Hadden (2)