Sutton Coldfield Casuals
Matches
Sat 23 Nov 2013  ·  Midlands West Reserve Division 3
Sutton Coldfield RFC
Sutton Coldfield Casuals
Tries: T Foulsham, M Baines, J King, V BrownConversions: A Shaw (2)
24
26
Old Saltleians 2
SALT IN THE WOUND

SALT IN THE WOUND

Rab Cooper28 Nov 2013 - 20:12
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Victory cruelly snatched away but the boys did themselves proud...

Pulsating. Frustrating. Brilliance. Ultimately heart breaking. These and many more descriptive barely manage to capture the spirit of possibly one of the great games in recent times at the RSG. If team spirit and commitment to the cause were bankable commodities, no man wearing green that mild afternoon need work another day in his life.

Welcoming local rivals Old Salts for their first clash of the season, Sutton were keen on victory with the hunger for a true league victory becoming ever more present, especially after such close margins earlier in the season (best to just ignore the Bromsgrove match).

Surely lady luck would play a helping hand in finally awarding the much deserved victory for the boys in green? But yet again it was not to be. The good old lady maintained her vendetta against the green army, but did humour us with a scintillating contest.
Perhaps misjudging the size of the Salts pack for game plan, Sutton began with the mentality to give the ever changing backline a run out. With kick-off the battle was on.

The battle for possession would prove an equal contest for the most part with perhaps a slight advantage to Salts scrum-wise (at least initially). Someone had to crack and yet again Sutton was to team to oblige ten minutes in. Yet going against type the opening try from Salts was not a collapse of Sutton tackling, but quite frankly a determined and well drilled back line move that netted the intended goal. Full credit to Salts and little could be done. Going unconverted Sutton were woken up. Perhaps this isn’t a pack dominated side?

This realization was key and Sutton reverted, mentally at least, to their strengths as a pack team. Feeling that this game was anyone’s, the forwards replied with ferocity. Full boiled pressure, phase after phase, every inch, every foot was fought for and gained at an excellent rate. Salts lack of comparable strength at the rucks only added to Sutton’s pig-headed march forward. With the whitewash teasingly close, Sutton unleashed the inevitable - a short but effective passing game leading to our man Tom Foulsham breaking clear after an excellent pass from Steve Marshall to gather Sutton’s opening try. While going unconverted the determination was only increasing.

And thus the game almost replayed itself. To-ing and fro-ing once more (with almost all turnovers through mistakes rather than skill), the game was almost one big scrum. No advantage was seemingly coming and then suddenly the tide turned. Salts replayed their earlier excellent backline attack albeit in a longer but no less successful manner. Yet again unconverted, Sutton was not dismayed as the let in try was purely a great and obviously well-rehearsed move.

With half time creeping ever closer, Sutton continued the premise of repeating the 1st half’s 1st half, and went hell for leather once more turning the screw on Salts defensive line. While perhaps a tad slower in territory gain, the green army tank was nevertheless edging closer and closer. Finally the pressure proved too much and Salts were pinged for a ruck infringement allowing Sutton to kick for touch. An excellent subsequent kick set up an inches close lineout. Suttons ferocity and white line fever were at full and a rare funny call of action was ordered. Even rarer was the fact that the move worked wonders, as a final clean up catch and pass from silver-haired twinkle-toes Andy Duckworth to marauding bull Mark Baines allowed the versatile forward to smash through for a corner try, which went unconverted.

With the scores level once more, momentum swung back to Salts.

With the first half in its dying stages the reds and yellows went hell for leather to at least gain something for the break. Catching Sutton on the back foot, Salts pushed the greens desperately close to their own try line and an obvious dog-leg opened for exploitation and Salts closed in. Yet in an inspired case of accidental brilliance, lock James Hegarty decided that an offside position was close enough and put in a try saving tackle. Giving away a penalty and perhaps lucky not to gain yellow for his efforts, Salts cashed in their chips and slotted in the penalty ending the half. Still, three points is better than seven. 13-10.

Sutton entered the break anything but disheartened. With the scrums getting better and the Salts lack of commitment at rucks, the greens were determined that sticking to brute forward play the game could be won. Salts strength was in their stronger back line, so by trying to nullify this, the victory could be gained.
Was this tactical analysis viable for a whole new half?

At times yes and others not. Perhaps feeling they deserved more for their previous half efforts, Salts started the second even more determined. Progressively, if not consistently, pushing the Sutton boys back, Salts were finally rewarded with a penalty from a ruck infringement. Perhaps highlighting the nature of such an equal contest the opposition decided that three points were the only way to increase their lead against such a single-minded defense.

While achieving an increase in lead they sacrificed an important element: the ire of Sutton.

Our boys were a team possessed following the penalty. While some mistakes were made, momentum once more swung green. Started by brilliant dodging runs by Amir Naseri and Ian Wilson, Salts were caught napping and falling over themselves to gain some semblance of a defensive line. The inevitable happened and a top notch passing move ending with a final pass from James Hegarty to James King set the centre up for the first try of the half, midway from the left of the posts. Converted, the boys found themselves in the lead for the first time. 17-16.

If momentum was a physical entity, then surely it would have been sick from dizziness by now.

Salts pushed forward only to be pushed back once more by Sutton. My earlier comment of the game being ‘one big scrum’ has just an earned place, and who would gain could be anyone’s guess, yet annoyingly Salts were once more blessed with a penalty. Choosing a tap variety, Salts gathered enough to smash through for another try again unconverted, 21-17.

While the game had been inclined to swap sides of favour, Salts managed to keep their luck. Onwards they came and backwards they went but territory was inching closer and closer. Achieving a five meter scrum, Sutton decided to make a change to the pack. This would prove a costly mistake as Salts were more battle hardened after such excellent gains. Suttons scrum collapsed (due to a crap replacement lock) allowing Salts only forward led try, a classic no.8 style touchdown.

While the position of Salts conversion kick should have made it an easy bag (all their previous tries being a fair distance from the posts), excellent charging from Sutton swayed the ball wide enough for a score of 26-17. Whilst the charge is a standard response to kicks, it should be noted as a great indicator of Sutton’s mentality, with one and all believing: We can have this game, now let’s go get it!

Sutton’s response was inspiring. While messy at times and lucky at others, nonetheless Sutton’s response in attack yielded results. Pushing Salts back, with turnovers left, right and centre, Vaughan Brown finally managed to gather the messy ball and without a care for his fragile body the Sutton flanker smashed his way through for a converted try, 26-24 to Salts.

With the final whistle ever nearing, Sutton was once more invigorated and as strange as it is to write these words, Sutton’s fitness level seemed superior to Salts. Maybe it was white line fever more than increased grit, or Salts collapsing from such a vicious onslaught, but Sutton came out of the blocks even more resolute for victory. Quickly they gained territory once more achingly close to try line, and Salts caved in with a penalty infringement in the dying moments.

Due to confused communication, the players on the pitch believed the score to be four points adrift rather than the real two, so a tap penalty was called rather than a spot kick. Mark Baines obliged and smashed through the exhausted Salts line for a dying game try. Or it would have been if not for a peculiar call. The blatantly obvious try was for whatever reason ruled held-up. To paraphrase someone “the only thing holding it up was the grass!”. And with it all of Sutton’s efforts were cruelly snatched away. The surprised looks of relief from Salts also provided a picture of such a decision.

Two subsequent five metre scrums finally swapped teams once more and allowed Salts the time to kick out for the victory. Their highly audible relief in celebration contrasted starkly with Sutton’s dejected frustration, and summed up perfectly the emotions this great game created.

While the final call for a tap rather than a spot penalty was controversial, we must remember that view is seen with 20/20 hindsight. Victory could (but not certainly) have been gained from such an easy kicking zone. Yet the chosen alternative worked just as well. It was only the quirk of sport that proved otherwise. Now, while I respect kickers for their ability and having to deal with pressure that such a situation entails, poetically the nature of the game demanded a try to end it.

No one had a bad game and as a unit we should be excessively proud of our performance. As lady luck seemed out to break the hearts of any team wearing green that day, international or otherwise, little more could be done. No soft tries were given away for once and tackling was for most part excellent, and not once was belief extinguished. In spirit we won (I believe you can judge a team’s self-analysis by the post-match atmosphere, here being particularly jovial), it was just sods law that said otherwise. Sutton can hold their heads high and we shall go into next week’s encounter with the same furious dedication that marked this performance.

God help Salts in the rematch.

Man of the match: Vaughan Brown, an all-round excellent game proving a total pain in the arse for the opposition in true flanker style. Topped off with the (official) final try of the game.

Special note to Amir Naseri for numerous confidence laced and effective runs that tore the opponents apart. Also to Mark Baines for seeding dread in the opposition whenever he had ball in hand.

This match report, while as accurate as possible from someone playing in the game, are my personal views and do not necessarily represent those of the club and/or anyone else.

Match details

Match date

Sat 23 Nov 2013

Kickoff

14:15

Competition

Midlands West Reserve Division 3
Team overview
Further reading

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Casuals Team  Sponsor - Janus PrasVien Consultants