We started the match with only 6 backs, meaning our No8 had to play full back, and we were missing our fastest guy too - not ideal. Right from the start of the match Dorking had lots of possession which they kept for phase after phase, attacking left then right and stretching our defence. Eventually the ball got to their own speedster on the wing who rounded our defence to score after only 2 minutes, which was ominous. 0-7

After this we settled into the game, got some possession and held onto the ball whilst Matt Barnett forced a couple of really good turnovers by ripping the ball out in the tackle. When they had the ball our defensive line, led by Daniel Willicombe, came up quickly - much better than in the past - which closed them down and the pressure forced several errors with their back line's passing. Soon after this Will Passman went off injured after being dazed in a heavy tackle and was not to return, so we moved James Blain off the flank to the wing.

Despite this we still competed well, disrupted their line out, Daniel Svendsen made a strong run down the wing and we forced our way into their 22. After harrying them we forced them back and Dinil dropped onto the ball, seemingly to score but this was disallowed as they were deemed to have held the ball up having slid a hand under the ball after the grounding! At the ensuing 5m scrum we were rock solid (as we were all game) and a quick heel from David Stevenson gave us great channel 1 ball, but with the try line begging the ball was fumbled and after a turnover they kicked clear. So frustrating not to have turned pressure into points.

But back we came and it was only a last ditched tackle that prevented us scoring after we moved the ball wide through several pairs of hands, with Liam Sullivan, James Blain and Ben Oliver linking well. However, they then broke free from their 22 and ran in a long range try, totally against the run of play, making it 0-14. They attacked again from the re-start but we held them out on our line to end the half 0-14 down but with the wind at our backs in the second half.

The players were asked to use the strong wind to their advantage and kick out of our half which they generally managed, with both Daniel and Liam clearing our lines and thus showing that they can execute a game plan (albeit a very simple one). They also followed instructions with Andrew Dearden at scrum half choosing to pick and go only occasionally, which he did to good effect, otherwise focusing on trying to get quick ball out to the backs.

Dorking got up our end and had a try disallowed for a double movement and we then broke free through a typically strong run by Joel. We attacked into their 22, with Liam Sullivan cleverly kicking to use the wind, and only a loose final pass from the resulting ruck prevented us scoring as we had an overlap in their 22. During this period we applied lots of pressure and linked well between forwards and backs, with forwards carrying well and the backs trying to put some width on the ball, Liam in particular timing some very good passes even when behind the gain line.

Joel Munroe then went off with an injured elbow, followed soon after by Jacob who landed badly after being hit by a heavy tackle - unlucky for him as prior to that point he had been having a good game, making several good carries. Ben Oliver moved into the centre and our remaining reserve came on but by now we were down to 14 men, including two new and inexperienced players in Mitchell Moore and Arslan. Despite all this disruption we still remained competitive and Matt Barnett carried well into their 22 off a quickly taken penalty but they cleared from the ensuing scrum.

After this they broke free and were held up over the line again, but from our defensive 5m scrum our clearance kick went straight to their quick wing who ran the ball back to score. They attacked again from our re-start and we missed lots of tackles as they ran into our half, with only Ben Oliver's excellent cover tackle preventing a score. A fumbled pass from the base of our scrum then gifted them possession and they scored their fourth and final try to win 24-0.

Overall the boys played with real heart and were really quite unlucky. Injuries were massively disruptive and we ended the game with only 14 players, the entire back row playing in the backs. All 3 of them did well, but it really did affect our shape. Despite this we were always competitive and the forwards played very well, with Matt Barnett, Dinil Kodituwakku and Jediael Stiling all carrying well and making lots of ground. Charlie Stanhope also made some strong runs on his first game back from injury and David Stevenson worked hard throughout, getting his hands on the ball a lot.

The only real differences between the two teams was the dynamism and speed with which their backs attacked and their flying winger, who beat us for pace out wide on several occasions. 3 of their 4 tries came against the run of play and on another day we could easily have scored at least twice and the game would then have gone to the wire. The score did not reflect how close the game was but there were lots of positives in difficult circumstances and also some clear areas to work on.

Man of the match: Matt Barnett

David Hughes
02.12.2015