Rugby Result : Chiswick 44 UCS Old Boys 5
A reinvigorated Chiswick team put last week’s defeat behind them with a solid performance, orchestrated by their pack, who were excellent in the scrum, the lineouts and in the loose, where the surging runs by Rowan Tonkin and Steff Davies in particular were greatly to the supporters’ liking.
The first break, however, was made by the rapidly-improving Ray Brooks, playing on the right wing, and it was only a minute or two before Matt Small on the other wing got his first run, as Chiswick attacked from the off. Luca Vanini took a quick tap at the first penalty, and Chiswick hammered away at the visitors’ line until Jon Joyce powered over under the posts, Dave Hill slotting the conversion. UCS missed a fairly simple chance for three points after a useful attack. They then knocked on a long kick by Hill, and from the ensuing scrum Chris Hallewell made a break around the edge of the pack. Sam Biss was there in support, and Hill then put in a weaving run. Ben Kelly was the supporting runner this time, and Vanini and Hallewell worked the ball out to Brooks, who rounded the defence and got half way to the posts before touching down. Hill’s kick was off target, however. Fourteen minutes gone.
From sublime to cor blimey. The home pack romped all over the opposition in a scrum on the edge of the Chiswick 22, only to see the ball retrieved by the UCS scrum half, and a speculative kick by their fly half go through Brooks’ hands to be caught and touched down by the UCS winger. A drop-kicked conversion attempt was a sad failure. Joyce was heavily involved in the next score, making the lineout catch and linking up with Kelly before Davies got a short pass and tweedled his way over. Hill converted. Another multi-phase home attack appeared to peter out with the ball on the ground, but miraculously Joyce appeared again and put Vanini away for a well-deserved try, which was not converted. A good UCS attack failed when they ran out of players to pass to, and Rory Fletcher nipped in to clear the danger. A yellow card ( for “touching the scrum half’s hand” ) was momentarily worrying, but there was no problem re-organising the backs given Keith Luckman’s versatility.
The second half started more evenly, but UCS wasted a few chances by knocking-on and Chiswick, back to full strength, looked increasingly comfortable. Tonkin and Fletcher were involved in the next build-up, with Biss and Vanini working the ball to Joyce, who hared down the left touchline before slipping the ball inside to Josh Nobel, who scored, Hill converting. Hill added three points after UCS failed to release a ball, and then the home pack, with Davies replaced by Shane Donaldson, demonstrated their ability to counter-maul. It was Donaldson who started the next attack, linking with Sam Hood, who sent Small away. He drew the defence out, and neatly slipped the ball inside to Fletcher, who dived over in the corner for another well-deserved try. The two Sams then worked well together defensively in midfield, Biss finally nicking the ball and setting up the final scoring attack, which involved Vanini, Joyce, Small, Joyce and Small again, before the ball was worked out to Nobel, for a vintage try.
Chiswick team :- Davies ( Donaldson ), Biss, Tonkin, Hood, Joyce, Adams ( Morris ), Kelly, Fletcher, Vanini, Hill, Small, Hallewell ( Perfect ), Nobel, Brooks, Luckman
January 9, 2012
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