We went into this league game off the back of a great win in our last match and with a strong team on paper, but Old Rut's were above us in the table and we were playing away so we knew it wouldn't be easy. Despite a good warm up we started frustratingly slowly and had conceded a soft try within one minute of kick off when their strong and very dynamic fly half ran through numerous tackles to score. We did exactly the same in the last match and must start on the whistle next time. 0-5.

We then settled and took a scrum against the head, the first of many in the game. Joel Munroe made a strong run into their half but the attack fizzled out when we went into touch. From the ensuing line out they tapped the ball back loosely and in the chaos Jamie Hughes was on hand to touch down to level the scores at 5-5.

The game then settled down into a fairly even contest, but when we conceded a penalty for holding on we again allowed their fly half to run through us and he scored a solo try from half way, evading lots of attempted tackles. 5-10 down and Jamie came off injured to be replaced by James Blain. David Stevenson then hooked another ball against the head, we cleared from our 22 and secured a penalty from a great kick chase. Frustratingly the next attack stopped when they intercepted but we still won a penalty and again cleared to relieve pressure. Aram came off and Ryan came on, soon followed by half time.

In the first half we had done really well at the set piece, we were very solid on our own scrums, took two of theirs against the head and also secured good line out ball. We were also competitive at the breakdown but tackling was poor, as was some handling.

The start of the second half saw our kick off travel just one yard into the breeze, gifting them a scrum on halfway. They attacked into our 22 but we repelled them and then held them up over the line. Another attack was stopped by an excellent tackle from Daniel Willicombe, who had a great game in defence throughout, but after several phases the pressure told and they eventually broke through to score. 5-17. And another score followed soon after, again after several phases. 5-22 down with 15 minutes to go.

We then rallied strongly and started to show some real commitment and energy, all of a sudden looking quite dangerous. Joel and Sam linked well from the back of a scrum but Joel was forced into touch just short of the line. Jed then took a good catch on their line out (one of several) and Ryan was released down the left hand side and seemed to have scored, only to be pulled back for a foot in touch. A period of sustained pressure then came, with Old Ruts conceding lots of penalties, especially for offside in their backs and with us attacking repeatedly into their 22. To their credit their defence was strong as we were denied 4 or 5 tries in as many minutes, being repeatedly held up over the line, but our skills also deserted us with white line fever taking over and several passes being dropped in our excitement trying to score.

We were awarded a free kick for feeding into their scrum and were held up over the line from the drive. We then won a penalty and sent the ball wide. Ryan appeared to be through again, only to lose control when trying to ground the ball. We were then held up twice more and despite loads of possession we just couldn't score. Again we attacked and this time Sam Leeves was held up followed by the ref failing to spot a clear try by Lucas, who did manage to get the ball down. Frustration was now coming out of every pore but eventually we managed to score as Lucas crashed over to make it 10-22. Had we scored 10 minutes earlier we might have got within a score or better as we had all the possession and territory in the last 15 minutes and momentum was definitely with us.

Overall, and despite the defeat, there were several positives to take from the game, especially in the set piece (both scrums and lineouts) and at the breakdown where the to forwards started to organise themselves into pods. Intensity and tackling were lacking in the first half and handling in the backs was disappointing, although the opposition's repeated offside meant there was very little time or space in which to operate. Ironically, this team is improving and growing in strength, but so too are the other teams and we are still struggling to win games. A meaner defence will help us in the future and this must be a big focusing in training.

Men of the match: Jed Stilling, Lucas Bibb and Daniel Willicombe