It was a case of wasted opportunities on Saturday, as the men’s 1st XV lost by a converted score against a rival that many on the touchline thought of as beatable. Eventful, and sometimes fiery, this will go down as ‘one that got away’.
While the men’s 3rd XV and women’s 1st XV recorded wins, and the men’s and women’s 2nd XV’s lost, it fell to the ‘big team’ to make the day an overall success. Indeed this looked like it was likely as the men in red and white started brightly, securing possession and surging into the opposition’s half, early on in the encounter. Soft penalties, a theme throughout the whole game, allowed Daypuck to open his account and, indeed, London led by 6 points in the first quarter.
However, after this the Beach were intent on getting rid of ball and hoping to make St. George play out of their own 22. What they didn’t expect was a scrum that twice won ball against the head and some poached lineout ball from the home pack.
Chances came and went, and good runs from Jacks and Connor Wade opened up the Beach, but London spurned any try scoring prospects with loose passing or holding on to the ball at times when it should have gone wide. At half time London went in with a soaring penalty count (due to some interesting, and varying interpretations of the break down laws, from both teams) and a marginal lead, 9-6.
Now, at home it is a cardinal sin to relinquish a lead, yet St. Georges were pretty much caught with their pants down as Balmy Beach scored off of first phase ball, utilising their 5 man lineout which should have been familiar to London by this point. In the end, this was the defining moment in the game. No more tries; just penalties, yellow cards and some heated exchanges.
While London manfully stuck to their tasks, and at times pulled off spectacular tackles and carries, the final yard to score or the inch-perfect pass never materialised. It was good to see Craig buzzing around the park as well as some late forays into the opponents half from Soupy. However, a scrum that dominated early on lost its shape and panic hampered late decisions all over the park. When it counted, good play didn’t lead to that decisive try.
All this being said, even though there were some interesting instances on the park, and a few new faces to boot, if the team next Saturday can call on the same backline, and most importantly convert that ‘promise’ into the 1% difference between winning and losing, then look out Brampton.
Final score: London St. Georges 12 – 19 Balmy Beach
All rugby aside, we all hope Neil Beaton makes a speedy recovery.
A.D.