Fantastic season in danger of derailing

So....it's been a while (awkward tension). 


I apologise for not being more active but I have been distracted by a fairly major factor - all will be revealed in due course!


But what has happened in the meantime? Well, our glorious and magnificent season is in grave danger of becoming a train-wreck. A terrible string of results and uncharacteristically lackluster performances have lead to a debilitating tumble down the league table. And it all started with an away trip to the Herts/Essex border...


We approached the Bishops Stortford game with genuine optimism. Despite an embarrassing loss to Civil Service, we were convinced we could repeat our momentous away win to our Herts rivals. But things, inevitably, didn't go according to plan. For 20 minutes, we were in the game but then the tide turned...and apparently we forgot how to tackle.


Stortford deserved to win the game as we weren't at the races. But we weren't really allowed to be at the races. A truly baffling and inept refereeing performance meant we could not get a sniff at the breakdown area. As the defending team, we weren't allowed to even think about competing for the ball. If we did, instant yellow card. 


Frustration soon boiled over and we lost our cool. 45-10 the final score with three yellow cards and a red. This was a serious dent to our season but, more importantly, to our confidence and belief. 


And then the snow came. Our home fixture against Tonbridge was postponed due to the weather so we had two weeks of stewing and gym circuit training instead. When the ground finally thawed, we hosted Maximuscle's Staines.

The Rangers prepare for a scrum against Staines

We knew from previous games against the Middlesex side that they always push us to the limit. We were not expecting an easy game as their league position would naturally suggest. And we were not disappointed. They brought a fiery physicality and a desperate determination to push out of the bottom three. 


Despite going behind early, we managed to dominate large parts of the match. We were behind at half time but the tricky conditions meant we were still in with a shout. A tense but thrilling game was settled by a moment of genius from Scott Browne. A pin-perfect chip to the corner straight into the gleeful hands of Titch Roberts followed up by a crucial touchline conversion gave us the lead. The forwards kept Staines pinned down in Tring Corner until the final whistle blew. A tense 13-11 win to restore faith.


Just a week later, however, and we were faced with a problem. The home fixture against Tonbridge had been rearranged on a week that had been marked as free. This meant many people had already made plans and were unavailable so we were forced to field an under strength side. 


Now, to many this may seem like an arbitrary point - if there's a game you play as simple as that. But behind any amateur, semi or even full professional Rugby player is a long suffering partner. If plans have been made, it is very difficult/unfair to cancel them at the last minute - or risk spending the rest of the month sleeping in the dog house, which is no way to prepare for a game! I wasn't able to play in this game, but a 44-17 loss was all anyone needed to know. 


We had previously targeted the away fixture to Bracknell as a must/should win game. A match to rebuild our confidence and push on to triumphant unbeaten run to the end of the season. But last weekend was probably our lowest point. We totally capitulated. Our defence was weak. We coughed up the ball time and time again due to stupid and reckless offloads. And we were duly punished. 


We were taught a valuable lesson in Berkshire. For much of the game we dominated and played some excellent phases. The scrum was solid and our lineout was excellent. But we weren't nearly clinical enough. Like birds following a trawler (ooh I've gone all Cantona!), Bracknell lived off our scraps and made us pay.To be honest, we looked rusty and bereft of ideas under pressure. We were too flat and predictable in attack and too high and noncommittal in defence. 


A final score of 38-3 against a team we were expecting to beat shows we are a team at crisis point. It is easy to look for excuses - bad refs, illness, injuries and absentees - but we have to take ownership of these results and learn from the mistakes. We need to lick our wounds and regain some belief and confidence.


London Irish Amateur will be visiting Cow Lane this weekend and we know we are due a big performance. Or else face our season coming totally off the tracks. 


One final point, lamp-post impressionist David Shotton has decided to leave the club and start a new adventure in Australia. You never know, it might improve his chat! Good luck, mate. 

Back to Earth with a bump

Tring suffered something of a wake up call last weekend, put to the sword 58-12 by an excellent Tonbridge Juddians side. Any slight mistakes were punished without mercy by the clinical Kent side, inflicting our second loss of the campaign.

When we arrived at the Tonbridge ground, we were confused to say the least. The ground was more like the Serengeti than the leafy English Country Garden we were expecting. Despite rain during the week, the pitch was an arid wasteland and rock hard. The weather forecast had been for a chilly afternoon but instead the sun blazed and temperatures were rising. We were in for a fast and physical game.

Tonbridge Juddians - a class side 

In the build up to the game, there had been much talk - too much talk - of their new signings this year, where their strengths are, what we should watch out for. Admittedly it was useful to know where our attentions should be, but we focused too much on them.

We all made the error of reading their comprehensive match programme. The Tonbirdge team was littered with former New Zealand and Australia representatives, South African Currie Cup players and the like, evidence of the home side flexing its financial muscles. This put us in the wrong mindset and we gave them far too much respect.

That said, we started the game well. We looked after the ball, putting together strings of phases and our backs looked dangerous when the ball went wide. Our new centre pairing of Papa Bear and the Mateai Express were causing problems and the outright gas of winger Ben Selwyn was a constant threat.

However, two missed penalties meant we didn't capitalise on our early pressure - although we were all somewhat taken aback by Openside Leulunui's slightly schoolboy coughing as Chennells took the kicks. 

Inevitably, Tonbridge showed why they have made such a strong start to the season. The home side had a monstrous front five and dominated the scrum. A knock-on on our 22m line gave them a perfect attacking platform and, against the run of play, a grubber kick through landed perfectly into Winger Norman's hands for a score in the corner.

We continued to press, our lineout was working particularly well. However, two more missed penalties and an optimistic drop goal effort meant we had still failed to convert pressure into points. And then the home side turned the screw. In the middle 20 minute period, Tonbridge scored 34 unanswered points, which totally killed us. Their dominance at the scrum and savvy breakdown play ruined any platform we built and allowed their aggressive running backs to take advantage. 

We clawed back some pride with well worked scores of our own from Selwyn and Chennells but the damage had been done. A couple more dubiously awarded tries compiled the misery and a final score of 58-12.

This was a stark reminder to us all that this is a tough league. We have enjoyed a fantastic start to the season but last week's game brought us back down to reality - we will not have everything our own way this year.

From a personal point of view, I was disappointed with the game. I struggled to make my presence. With the scrum going backwards, the ball didn’t come to the back cleanly, if at all. On the few times I did manage to break off, I was either too isolated or did not look after the ball well enough. Also, I still haven’t crossed the whitewash this season so I am well down on my pre-season targets already.

This week, we are away at Staines, which will be another tough physical battle. Staines have had a few questionable results already this season, but we’re not taking anything for granted. One of their leading sponsors is Maximuscle, so we know they will be big and strong. They have a rock solid scrum and their backs run good hard lines – I remember the harsh beating we took there last year.

However, we still have the confidence to chalk off last week to experience. We will focus on our game and are abilities, rather than giving too much respect to the opposition. This week we have experimented with new moves and worked tirelessly on the scrum.

Coach Lamden has asked for an upfront, physical performance. Fight fire with fire…and points. Lots of points. And if it is points he wants, it is points he shall have!