CS Rugby 1863 39 Thurrock 26

No mean feat in the wind.

Nick Alway reports

It was a bitterly cold and windy afternoon – with that easterly again that seems so much more difficult for players to harness than the prevailing south westerly. It was obviously going to have a considerable influence on the proceedings : a twenty pointer according to our esteemed President who knows a thing or two about wind!

The Stags got first use of it but it was Thurrock who appeared to shade the opening exchanges as penalties were traded, leaving our visitors – promoted last season and starting the day in 6th position in the table, two above CS – with a 6-3 advantage after quarter of an hour. The Stags came into the game more and more and predictably, given that wind, were having the better of things territorially but - with half an hour gone and no change in the score line - that twenty point wind cushion was looking a very distant prospect. It was hardly looking like it was going to be another try fest either despite our visitors coming into this game as the league’s top try scorers and the Stags, particularly on home ground, no slouches themselves.

Both teams’ line outs were coming under early pressure on what was clearly going to be a difficult afternoon for those throwing in - with anything beyond the middle not a serious option and even that a difficult target. Still, when CS got the opportunity to stick a penalty in the corner, they took it – a slightly odd decision really as Thurrock’s number eight had just gone into the bin for preventing fair release and a set scrum with eight against seven and a big blindside looked the more attractive option. The lineout was secured, however, and some ground made before Thurrock conceded another penalty and this time CS did go for the scrum although with less room to work in. They almost got their reward as Thurrock had to repel repeated assaults on their line and the visitors looked to be in real trouble when the ball finally went wide only for some quite unnecessary crossing to deprive CS of their seemingly certain score. But Thurrock’s respite was only momentary as winger, James Houstoun was finally worked into some space and his pace did the rest.

After Thurrock’s defence had been so hard to crack for half an hour, it now started haemorrhaging badly as, first, fly half Scott Hadden showed a clean pair of heels to score a try after breaking through the midfield and, then, wing Brendan Ward sprinted round the defenders for another.

Remarkably, there were still two further scores to come in the half. Turn-over ball was seized upon by Houstoun who this time did not have quite enough gas himself to go all the way but Thurrock’s valiant pursuit was not rewarded as CS scrum half Tony Dawes popped up in support. At 27-6 the Stags now not only, remarkably, had the four try bonus point in the bag but also that twenty point lead : only to let Thurrock back in as - in the last act of the half - the away side showed it had enough pace of its own to exploit a midfield mismatch. So it was 27-11 at the turn around.

Although the elements now favoured Thurrock it was CS who were next to score and - heaven be praised because this has not happened for some time - it was Joe Clarke who went over, Neil Back style, from a line-out drive for 32-11. The chances of any conversion attempt succeeding from wide out on such a day were negligible.

Thurrock had certainly not thrown in the towel, however, and a try coupled with a yellow card for home prop Kieran Kennedy on 50 minutes opened the door a crack again and they pushed it further open with another score on 56 minutes to make it 32-21 and give the home support some genuine grounds for concern.

The Stags players were having none of it, however, and hard running by centre Tom Mitchell enabled them to stretch away again to 39-21 five minutes later and it was only at almost the death that a game Thurrock side scored what was their fourth and therefore their own bonus point try for a final score of 39-26. It had been another ten try overall game tally. The sixty-five points match total actually brought the Duke’s Meadows’ average down a tad : after four home games the mean result is now only 41-33 and what splendid entertainment it has all been ! After a difficult first thirty minutes this was a very good performance by the Stags who now really seem to be hitting their stride.

CS Rugby 1863 scorers:

Tries:

Houstoun
Hadden
Ward
Dawes
Clarke
Mitchell

Cons : Hadden (3)

Pen : Hadden