1st XV Rugby v Scots College – Match Report
The second round of the Hurricanes Festival saw the 1st XV play the Scots 1st XV in Hastings. The Scots side that played was a far different side from earlier in the season and thus a different proposition from then.
Scots started the stronger of the two and spent the first five minutes five metres from our try line. However, in a portent of things to come, they were unable to come away with points and we were able to get into the opposition half after some strong defence. With possession we were able to exert some pressure of our own and ask the Scots defence some questions. By contrast to the earlier efforts from Scots, we took our chances and scored a converted try get out in front. In a game that was played at either end of the field, Scots again set up camp in our 22. This time, a well-constructed line out move resulted in an unconverted try and the game evened up. Back onto attack for us. While our lineout was struggling, our scrum was a superb platform from which to launch attacks and another converted try was scored when three quality phases created space on an edge and we extended our lead. We had another opportunity to score only to be held up over the line and so heading into the half time break we were 14-5 up. Our defensive load had been pretty big in the first half as Scots had had the majority of the possession, but we felt they had fired a few shots and as long as we kept making our tackles and taking our opportunities, we had a good chance to win the game.
If we thought our defensive load was big in the first half, then the second half was monstrous. Scots were superb at maintaining possession and put us under huge amounts of stress in all areas of the park. This, coupled with our misfiring lineout, meant that we had few and far opportunities with ball in hand. Scots scored a try early in the half before we were able to get one back to stay in front 19-10. They then scored another try after multiple attempts to close within 2 with ten minutes to go. With five minutes to go, they went ahead 20-19 after taking a penalty and had all the momentum. One last surge at the line from Scots to close out the game was thwarted and after making 86 tackles in one half of rugby, we finally had the ball. We worked our way up the field through a penalty kick to get into their 22 and an attacking lineout. Again, we missed our target and the opposition attempted to find touch to finish the game. However, we kept it in and headed towards the goal line, multiple phases later we were awarded a penalty out in front. Stewart Cruden duly knocked the kick over and we won the game 22-20.
This was a game built on resilience and composure in defence. The 50 tackles in the first half combined with the 86 in the second was a massive effort and shows the heart that this team has. We lost players with injury throughout the game and the backline was massively reshuffled, but we held firm. When we had the ball, we made the most of it and this was a massive positive.
Mention must be made of Stewart Cruden. This was his 50th game for the 1st XV, his 43rd start. His work ethic has been that of a professional since his debut in Year 10 and the fact that he had very few injuries is testament to his level of preparation.
Points Scorers:
Tries: Max Harris
Jayden Keelan
Stewart Cruden
Conversions: Stewart Cruden x 2
Penalty: Stewart Cruden