Chiswick Utterly Confounded

Rugby result- Twickenham 60 Chiswick 7

This was a non-contest, acted out in front of a large crowd of supporters of each club, expecting a close match, but witnessing, eventually, a clinical dissection of a hard-working Chiswick team by a superb counter-attacking unit.

It was different at the start, as Simon Hallett set up some early attacks, using Jon Joyce on the inside, and Reggie Regan on the outside, and Chiswick slowly pushed Twickenham downfield into the home 22. Tom Shattock got close on a typical charge as Chiswick pressured the home line, but eventually a dropped pass allowed Twickenham to clear their lines. Chiswick tried attacking again from the half-way line, but Twickenham gained a turnover, and with Chiswick on the front foot, a swift counter-attack by their Nos 7 and 12 resulted in a try for their wing, well-converted in a strong cross-field breeze.

From then on, Chiswick were chasing the game, with a good share of possession through their pack and through Sam Hood in the lineouts, but with standard moves in the backs, well-read by the opposition. Every now and then Twickenham achieved a turnover, and usually found holes in the Chiswick defence as they broke fast and tidily up-field. Ady Lewis linked well with Hood and Joyce in a rare ground-gaining attack for Chiswick, who looked a little lethargic against the sharpness of the home side. Twickenham nearly scored a breakaway try after Regan’s pass out was intercepted, and the ball kicked up to the home line, but the referee, somewhat controversially awarded a 22 dropout. Twickenham now had a long period of possession before Jon Gibson got an interception. Twickenham came straight back, and Chiswick, after gaining a scrum for crooked feeding, immediately lost their own scrum. A couple of phases on the Chiswick line later, and Twickenham’s No.7 got a close-range try. Another good conversion followed.

January 29, 2014