Match Report - 29th March 2018

David Daniels
SCRFC 1st XV Team Manager

A dramatic penalty goal by Tom McNamee deep into stoppage time saw Sutton snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and in doing so made it 5 wins out of their last 6 games as the fight for survival goes on. Another two tries, which were well within their compass in this dramatic floodlit contest would have gained Sutton an additional try scoring bonus point and the resulting 5 league points would have lifted Sutton out of the relegation zone for the first time in many months and in time for Easter.

Unfortunately it was not to be and Sutton had to settle for the 4 league points that the dramatic victory secured... but the one point missed shows how close Sutton are to redemption and with three matches to play, in their current winning form redemption must be close at hand.

As to the match itself - after early evening rain Stourbridge kicked off in dry conditions with the floodlights creating an excellent atmosphere and in spite of a sodden pitch the playing conditions were good. Sutton mastered the early exchanges and got off to a flying start to take the lead after just 3 minutes when evergreen centre Paul Spiby broke through the Stourbridge defence in midfield after Sutton won a scrum on the halfway line to set up a penetrating attack taking play into the Lion's 22 before putting no8 Luke Stewart away for his 6th try of the season. The try was scored to the right of the posts but unfortunately the conditions were not good for the kicking duties and the attempt drifted wide.

However, the disappointment of the missed conversion was soon forgotten when after 10 minutes the aforementioned Spiby’s impressive centre partner Jack Duthie ripped the ball off his opposite number in a tackle on half way before racing clear to register his first try for the club; Ben Morgan made no mistake with the conversion and the fly half added the extras to extend the Sutton lead to 12-0 with the promise of more to come.

Unfortunately, that promise never materialised, mainly due to a high error count and poor discipline allowing the visitors to gain in confidence and territory culminating after 20 minutes in centre Sam Wilson going in under the posts following a little chip over the top; Rhys Williams knocked over the conversion to reduce the deficit to 12-7 and that’s the way it stayed until the break.

As the second period got under way the visitors continued to use the conditions well by kicking long at every opportunity inviting Sutton to attack from deep as was their want; full back Nathan Burchell threatened to extend the lead by repeatedly weaving his way through the visitors heavy defence only to be thwarted by some desperate last ditch tackling.

Unfortunately the loss of the inspirational Luke Stewart with a shoulder injury picked up during the first half didn’t help the Sutton cause and although Colt Jack Wells put in a fine shift as the talisman’s replacement when introduced, Sutton struggled to live up to their early promise and chances continued to be missed..

The game deteriorated into a scrappy, mistake ridden affair with the visitors being rewarded for their efforts after 63 minutes when the Lions executed a well worked ploy in mid field to send left wing Owen Williams speeding down the wing to score in the corner despite protests from the home side of a forward pass in the build up; brother Rhys Williams expertly converted from the touchline to put the visitors into the lead 14-12 as the contest entered its final quarter.

The visitors visibly grew in confidence and belief from this scoreline and continued to frustrate the home side who didn't help themselves as they showed a propensity to lose the greasy ball in contact thus handing the initiative back to the grateful Lions. One last desperate throw of the dice saw Head Coach Joe Gavin throw a far from fit Luke Stewart and Nathan Burchell back on in search of a much needed score but it was turning out to be one of those frustrating nights with little going right.

To their great credit and in spite of the frustrations, with time running out Sutton showed their true character and determination as they continued to press and just when all seemed lost the home side drove play deep into the Lion's 22, winning a penalty when the Lions were penalised as they defended desperately to hold Sutton out. With fly half Ben Morgan forced off the field earlier with cramp Tom McNamee, who had been introduced from the bench during the second half to add some impetus in open play, stepped forward and it was Tom's right boot deep into stoppage time that was to prove decisive when he knocked over the penalty goal after Lions were caught offside in their own 22.

With the referee indicating there were still a couple of minutes stoppage time to play Sutton failed to deal with the restart knocking the ball on which gave the visitors the feed at a scrum on the Sutton 10 metre line. A mighty effort from the Stourbridge pack disrupted the Sutton scrum for the first time in the game resulting in a penalty being awarded against the home front row presenting Rhys Williams with a testing opportunity to win the game dramatically for his side. However, much to the relief of Sutton players and supporters he pushed the 45 metre long range attempt wide as the referee’s whistle blew for full time to register a crucial 15-14 victory for the home side.

Massive credit is due to Stourbridge Lions, who came to Walmley Road on the back of a heavy defeat against Bromsgrove on the previous weekend but they really showed their fighting qualities together with a game-plan suited to the wet and heavy conditions. It is likely that earlier in the season Sutton might have lost this game not through lack of desire or determination but it is the mark of a winning team who can still win when not playing at their best, which is what Sutton did in this game and the 4 points earned will hopefully prove invaluable in the final reckoning. This latest win puts Sutton on 40 points with 3 games to play, drawing level on league points with Melbourne RFC, who occupy the relative safety of 11th place and Sutton are just one win away from overhauling 9th and 10th placed Worcester and Rugby Lions. All will become clearer in due course when Melbourne, who currently have a better points difference than Sutton (+34 aggregate) play their game in hand at home to title contenders Dudley Kingswinford. all the other teams in the relegation battle have played 23 out of the scheduled 26 league games.

Sutton's win celebrates 5 wins out of the last 6 games but even more significantly 4 consecutive wins, which hasn't been achieved since the halcyon National 3 league days of 2013/14.

One other big positive from the game was the performance under real pressure of Colts Harry Moxon, Lamaar Lawrence, Kieran Henderson and Jack Wells; all 4 stood up to be counted making up half of the Sutton pack, which is now performing exceptionally well; well done the lads playing like men.

This weekend Sutton entertain old friends and rivals 3rd place Bromsgrove at the RSG, Walmley Road, kick off is at 3pm; dare the Sutton Supporters dream of another win…??

Team: Sean Harrison(Capt), Dean Ginn, Liam Hills, Harry Moxon, Lamar Lawrence, Mike Burns, Kieran Henderson, Luke Stewart, Ollie Green, Ben Morgan, Chris Duckworth, Jack Duthie, Paul Spiby, Tom Burrows, Nathan Burchell. Subs(used): Jack Wells, Tom McNamee.

The table published by Pichero on our website. which we have no control of, is wrong.
To see an accurate league table click on link:
http://www.englandrugby.com/fixtures-and-results/competitions/midlands-division/2017-2018/group/22845#/table