CS Rugby gave a spirited account of themselves in this National Division 3 match at third placed London Irish, finally succumbing by 40 points to 34 in match in which they had led three times. Indeed their third period with their noses just in front at 30-34 lasted from the 52nd minute right up until the 75th and - whilst a further home score was very much on the cards - one had to admire the way the underdogs were still defying the odds.
A famous victory for the Stags on their first visit to London Irish’s new and splendidly appointed Hazelwood ground – where the professional club has its weekday training base - had certainly not looked totally out of the question and - as it was - the Stags came away with both a 4-try and a losing bonus point. The final try tally was to be 6-5 in the home side’s favour.
If you are going to lose a thriller London Irish away is never a bad place to do it, with the warmth of the pre-match welcome and a splendid lunch beforehand and hearty commiserations aplenty for the gallant losers afterwards and a pint or six of the black stuff to help you get over what was only an unlucky and technical defeat on the pitch, to be sure, as quickly as possible.
Well that would perhaps have been stretching it as the better side on the day did win, just, but the Stags had given it a rattle and it had never looked like a near top against near bottom of the table contest. The Stags’ pack had provided plenty of ball , even if they could not quite match the driving play and muscularity of London Irish’s front five, and the Scott Hadden inspired three-quarters, with centre Anthony Hitchcock in particular finding some impressive running lines, had given the Wild Geese plenty to think about.
Coach Gareth Jordan was impressed with his side’s performance although he did highlight the difficulties of playing a man short for two spells:” The boys put in a big effort and must be commended on their excellent attitude, particularly when obliged to play with 14 men on two separate occasions against a team that had spent a year in the league above. We were on top in many areas of the game which was really positive. All in all, I was very pleased with the effort and attitude which bodes well for the remainder of the season.”

CS Rugby 1863 scorers:
Tries:
Hitchcock
Louis Flynn (2)