London Two South West
Weybridge Vandals 3 Old Reigatian 27
After a weekend off the 1st XV returned to league action for a 4th successive away fixture and were keen to build on the bonus point win achieved against Farnham last time out. Fears of a damp day at the office were soon dispelled upon arrival at Weybridge and ORs were confident conditions would allow them to play some fluent rugby.
Vandals won the toss and chose to kick off allowing ORs first chance to get into their attacking structure. ORs certainly started brightly and probed the hosts in the early exchanges of the game however they were unable to make a decisive break. When a few casual errors from Reigatians allowed Vandals into their territory for the first time, ORs were ironically able to break free for the first time. After solid defence had forced a turnover Reigatians kicked downfield and a good chase placed pressure on the flailing Vandals left winger. The loose ball found its way into the grateful hands of fly-half Ed Hubbard who beat a couple of defenders before linking up with Antony Comyn who had sufficient gas to dot down in the corner. Hubbard failed to pot the extras from the subsequent touchline conversions, 5-0 Reigatians. From the restart ORs fielded the kick off well but failed to drive the ball back into Vandals territory. After exchanges of possession the home side were handed an avenue back into the game when the referee penalised ORs at a midfield scrum. Vandals snapped up the chance to narrow the gap, 5-3.
From this point onwards ORs grew into the game and began to dominate possession thanks to occasional ill-discipline by the hosts. A succession of attacking scrums and lineouts provided ORs the chance to extend their lead but they could not quite force home their advantage. The visitors' frustration grew more acute when they were disrupted by an injury to Ben Hamer that caused a positional reshuffle. Winger Dave Minnear seamlessly moved into the forwards and put in an industrious shift. Soon ORs managed their second try of the game from one of their less threatening positions. A Reigatians lineout maul was lumbering over the Vandals 22 when the quicksilver Jon Haigh spotted an undefended blindside. He burst down the 5m channel and as covering Vandals defenders seemed distracted by support runners Haigh simply barged over the tryline himself. ORs took a deserved 10-3 lead. Once play restarted ORs quickly returned to Vandals territory and saw more chances to extend their lead pass them by. With minutes before the interval the home side finally returned to Reigatians territory and looked very threatening when their ball carrying loose forwards got moving. Reigatians needed to dig deep to preserve their lead and they managed to do so thanks to some confrontational defence led by flankers Will Godwin and Oliver Serginson. The half-time whistle came at the right time for the visitors. Had Vandals narrowed the gap at this stage the game could have been very different.
ORs found themselves in a half-time situation much similar to the previous game against Farnham. The game was very much still in the balance but both players and coaches felt ORs were the dominant side. Control of territory and more ruthlessness in attack should see the game swing the visitors' way. ORs were gifted the perfect start to the second half when Vandals ill-discipline allowed Hubbard to extend the lead from the kicking tee, 13-3 Reigatians. Vandals bounced back well and hunted a crucial score yet despite territorial superiority the hosts never seriously threatened the ORs try line. Once more a turnover deep in Reigatian territory caused the hosts downfall. Stoic ORs defence, led by the impressive replacement prop Dave Watkins, saw Vandals cough up possession. The ball was quickly shifted to the unguarded left flank, Comyn linked up with substitute Owen Thomas who intelligently kicked downfield. As ORs flooded down the pitch Vandals successfully gained control of the ball but could only clear their lines to just outside their own 22. From the resulting lineout ORs kept the ball for several phases before penetrating down the short side through George Wheeler and Comyn. After successive pick-and-goes by the forwards it was Comyn himself who darted over the line for a deserved second try. Hubbard potted the extras to see the lead extended to 20-3. ORs were now in pursuit of a try bonus point and their quested was aided by a sin bin to the Vandals fly-half for a swinging arm. This allowed ORs into Vandals territory once more. Good lineout ball was transferred into the midfield where the returning Andy Furness carried hard into the 10 channel. From the following ruck the tireless Godwin spotted an unguarded blindside and scooted over for a bonus point try. Hubbard potted the extras to bring the score to 27-3 and that is how it remained.
Reigatians will take great heart from a second successive 5 point haul on the road. Their second half performance was further evidence that the confidence and organisation of the side is growing. They train with a spring in their step this week as they move to 3rd in the table and look forward to their long overdue first home game of the season against Old Alleynians at Park Lane next Saturday.
