The Agony and Ecstasy of National 3 Rugby

Now, I know all the age-old adages - sour grapes, bad worksmen blame their tools, throwing toys out of the pram, et al - but sometimes the sheer chasmic differences in refereeing ability in this league is truly mind blowing.


Exhibit A took place on 24 March away at Westcliff. In truth, it was a free-flowing, fast-paced, action-packed classic and must have been fantastic for the supporters. But it was marred by any number of truly baffling decisions by the man in the middle.


And before you all cry out, I know they have a tough time. I know are giving up their weekend. I know the Game wouldn't go on without them...but when they give totally inexplicable decisions or doesn't award the glaringly obvious, it is difficult to remain calm.


It was a truly glorious day. Not a cloud in the sky, late teens degree-wise and impressive pitch and clubhouse facilities. Despite an initial period of thumb-twiddling due to early arrival, we were focused on the job in hand. 


But our ambitions were dashed within five minutes. The ball squirted straight out of a scrum but no whistle came and Westcliff took advantage with a neat grubber through to touch down and take the lead. We were guilty of not playing to the whistle but it was so painfully obvious that their pack were expecting a reset scrum as well. 


We fought back immediately, reclaiming the restart and forcing a lineout on their line. A well executed catch and drive lead to a first score of the season for Jamie 'Boycey' Brown. Our lineout has been solid all season but surprisingly this was the first try we had scored since Havant.


The home side took the lead again through impressive Number 8 Bryn Hudson. But we hit back straight away. Some excellent phase play and simple hands put in JP at the corner for a textbook score. A touchline conversion from Scott Browne squared the scores.


Further scores from Westcliff Winger O'Brien and an interception from Browne ended an entertaining half 21-21. But we had been hurt by inconsistent refereeing at the breakdown and a yellow card to Front Row Marlen Walker. 


It is maybe worth noting at this point that ini the recent England v Ireland match, the Irish scrum was under all kinds of pressure but not once was a yellow card given. This is because what happens in the Front Row is largely a mystery. So for our esteemed adjudicator to give a yellow card when we had an attacking scrum in the Westcliff 22 was again baffling. 


But by that stage he had turned against us. There was nothing we could do. Even breathing the wrong part of the pitch would have produced a penalty. An interception and a further try from Hudson lead to a final scoreline of 34-27 to the home side. 


Let's be clear here - Westcliff played fantastically well and deserved the victory. We had chances and didn't take them. But our confidence had been shattered. We didn't know what we could or couldn't do as the penalties seemed to be totally random. An encouraging performance and proof that the new system was starting to work but extremely frustrating. 

The bus home from Westcliff proved....eventful!

Exhibit B took place last weekend at home to Gravesend. We have enjoyed success against the Kent side in the past but we knew it would be diifficult as they had a narrow win against promotion chasing Tonbridge the week before.


But this was to be a Tring day. We were physical, fit, and fast but also controlled and intelligent. Playing our of Tring Corner in the first half, our defence was exemplary. We turned ball over and spread it wide quickly. We looked dangerous with the ball in hand, Papa Bear Lambden continued his good form, The Mateai Express was a handful and last minute replacement Beeny proved a livewire at Scrum-Half.


We bombed some excellent chances but restricted the score to 12-3 at half time. We had laid the foundations and could tell our wide play was tiring their pack already. We did not let off in the second half and could sense a special performance if we stuck to our guns.


There was a confidence and self belief flowing through the team which we haven't experienced since before Christmas. As we thought, the holes started to appear in the second half. Patient but relentless build up play ended with Ben Criddle scything through the defence to cross over for our first score. 


As their Back Row started to fade, I was given more freedom from the back of the scrum to gain yards. A break down the blindside eventually ended in the merciless hands of Mateai who bullocked his way through five defenders to touch down in the corner. 


Another score from Mataei was followed up with a flowing move straight from the kick off.  Ben Criddle was gifted a simple run in to secure a valuable home win - 28-17. It was an excellent, morale-boosting win and puts us level on points with 6th placed Civil Service. 


But the most remarkable thing about the game was that we barely noticed the referee. He was by far the best we had had all year. He let the Game ebb and flow naturally. He was clear and concise in his instructions and (shock horror) even let both teams compete for the ball at the breakdown! 


Our next Game is away at Dorking. The Surrey side's season seems to have come off the rails as well - they were put to the sword by Tonbridge last week. But they are strong at home and our Games are always close. 


Please can we have the same ref as last week though!

On the road again...

So, I'm trying something new today...blogging on the bus! We're heading to Westcliff near Southend (or Saaaaafffend) in the glorious Saturday sun. Apologies in advance for any autocorrect mistakes!

The Game against Bracknell really took its toll on the squad. We were stunned by how rubbish we were. We didn't tackle, we didn't look after the ball, we were soft at the break down, all in all a bad day at the office. The only real positive was that we couldn't get any worse!

We worked hard in the week, determined to put in a big performance at home against London Irish. And we followed the script perfectly.

The first 20 minutes were perhaps the best we have ever played. We dominated in the forwards and looked sharp and dangerous in the backs. Papa Bear Lamden looked in imperious form and broke the line almost every time. The Mataei Express was in merciless mood as he Lomu-ed everyone in his path.

We took a 17-0 lead and looked untouchable. But Irish were not in mood to be steamrolled. They fought back, lead by influential Number 8 Sam McKinney. We stalled and seemed surprised they weren't lying down. We held onto a 17-14 lead at the half but the tide had turned.

The second half was a battle. Irish had the initiative and extended their lead. We battled to get back into the Game and pressured their line constantly but couldn't find the breakthrough.

The final score was a disappointing 27-20. It was a much better performance though and we registered a losing bonus point to keep us in touch with Civil Service.

Today we're away to Westcliff who have been enjoying something of a resurgence. We beat them comfortably at home but we're expecting a big test today.

We're all looking forward to a big bus trip home as well. 2 1/2 hours, a skinful of beer and Village People theme dress. Let's get the win and get the party started!

Tring snatch 3rd despite rollercoaster November

November has proved to be something of a rollercoaster ride, a mix of rest weeks and indifferent performances. But we always knew it would be tough playing two unknown sides and we have come through to December with five points and climbed a place to third in the league.

After a week's break, the first game of the November was a disappointing away loss to London Irish Amateurs. Too many costly errors meant we wasted an excellent opportunity, especially playing at such a fantastic ground.

We were immediately struck by the Sunbury-on-Thames ground. The bowling green first team pitch was a true site to behold, basking the warm Autumnal glow. 

And we didn’t let the occasion get to us. We started the game very strongly. Our lineout and driving maul continued to be a particularly potent weapon, forcing an early penalty and a 3-0 lead. Our defence was robust and further pressure on their line forced a charged down kick and Papa Bear Lamden strolled over for the score. 8-0 and cruising.

We continued to dominate the early stages, the Mataei Express and Sam Clapham both coming close to scores in the respective corners but didn't make the most of our dominance.

…and then the wheels came off. Dramatically.

We had a mad 20 minutes, conceding 21 unanswered points. I was mortified to see my ambitious offload drop straight into the hands of their Blind-side Flanker. He gratefully scampered away with the Fly-half eventually touching down under the posts. Another weak missed tackle meant I needed a stern word with myself!

In the second half, we hardened our resolve and kept the ball tight. Our ball retention was impressive and our scrums were growing in stature. We looked dangerous when we pushed the ball wide and pulled scores back through Tommy Newton and Claps. 

But Irish were more streetwise around the breakdown, making the most of some fairly naive refereeing. Despite a further score from William Mataei after some patient build up play, the first half mistakes eventually proved too much of a mountain to climb.

Newest recruit Marlen Walker (left) packs down against Westcliff

Last weekend saw league newcomers Westcliff visit Fortress Cow Lane. We knew very little about the Essex side other than they had struggled in the league so far. However, we have learnt the hard way that there are no easy games in National 3 so preparations were as tough as ever.


The visiting side started well, pressuring us into needless penalties. The impressive boot of Fullback McKeith notched the first points of the game. 


However, our new gameplan and phase-play soon paid dividends. Patient build up play lead to Cap'n Morgan slithering over in the corner for the first try. And further scores from William Mataei and Chennells advanced our lead as Westcliff's struggled to contain our rampant backline. A slightly scrappy first half ended 19-6 in our favour.


The second half didn't go totally according to plan. Westcliff came out battling and kept possession well. They had a strong and hard hitting forward pack running off the Scrum -half. Our defence was impressively resolute and we forced several errors and turnovers but we simply couldn't capitalise on them. We couldn't keep the ball for any length of time.


The visitors tried to claw their way back into the game via the boot of McKeith and a try from hard-working Prop Binnerman but the game was never really in doubt. Papa Bear Lamden continued his rich vein of form with a score and there was even time for Wasps A's newest recruit David Shotton to touch down from a driven lineout. 


It had been a tough game and we hadn't been at our best by any means. But the 31-14 final result meant another five point home win. With other results in the league going our way, the win also meant we snatched third place from Dorking. 


We're officially in nosebleed territory!