Westcombe Park Vs Sidcup RFC

Westcombe Park - 4 SIDCUP RFC -1

The first match of the 2017 season has been long awaited by the whole squad and the fixture did not disappoint. Although the final score flattered the opposition it was a great game for the assembled traveling supporters to watch and an important lesson for the team.

A nervous first quarter saw the honours even with some solid defence, lead by Gabriel and Frank against a well organised Westcombe team, we kept our shape but couldn’t get hold of or keep the ball for any length of time, this was to prove our main problem in this match.

The second quarter saw a glut of try’s but unfortunately, they were all scored by the opposition! The first, a well worked score which came as a result of their extend possession, the next two however were interceptions which we should not have allowed. A lesson learned for the whole team that looking after the ball is vital. Credit to the boys, they did not let their heads drop and kept working hard.

The second half saw a more street wise performance from the young Sidcup team. We put the hosts under lots of pressure with strong direct running from the likes of Josh and Elliot, but didn’t quite manage to make the step to continuous attack. A simple mistake lead to another breakaway try for them very much against the run of play. We spent 90% of the second half camped meters from their try line but too often ignored the attacking options out wide, this is something which will come with experience.
Finally, the pressure we put Westcombe under told, and after a couple of neat offloads, Oscar stormed over the line to score his first and the teams’ first try of the season.

All in all, it was a good effort from the team which is not reflected in the score line, as we step up a level the boys need to look after the ball and play hard for the whole 40mins as scoring opportunities are far harder to come by now. The signs are good and this group of boys will only get better and stronger as the season continues.

Onwards and upwards!