It was a miserable day for rugby, with the weather doing its best to ruin proceedings before a ball had even been kicked. Unfortunately, David’s attempt to get us underway did little to lift the spirits, with a rather questionable kick-off.
Rye wasted no time in making their mark, crossing for an early, unconverted try to put Old Colfeians under pressure. However, Old Colfeians responded well, producing a superb set-piece move that showcased some silky hands from Reigan and Charlie before Quba finished it off in the far corner to get the home side on the scoreboard. From there, Old Colfeians began to assert their dominance up front, with the set piece proving a real strength throughout the opening exchanges.
Despite their dominance, OC’s struggled to turn their territorial advantage into points, making numerous entries into the opposition 22 without reward. A massive 50/22 from SJ provided another excellent attacking platform, and this time the pressure finally told. Two quick-fire tries inside five minutes saw Ayo cross after a pick and go with an offload from Tom, before Charlie added another following good hands from the team. The two scores rounded off a scrappy first half, with OC’s heading into the break having shown flashes of quality despite failing to fully capitalise on their opportunities.
If conditions hadn’t been bad enough in the first half, they only worsened after the restart. The weather made life increasingly difficult, particularly for Rye, whose struggles at the lineout allowed Old Colfeians to continue exploiting their set-piece advantage. Yet, despite spending another lengthy period camped inside the opposition 22, OC’s once again found themselves frustrated by a resolute defensive effort that refused to give way.
A missed penalty kick at goal from David proved another turning point. Rather than adding to the scoreboard, OC’s turned the missed kick into an opportunity which allowed them to regain control and pin Rye deep inside their own half. With the pressure mounting and the visitors struggling to find a way out, the home side continued to apply the squeeze.
With the game entering its closing stages, Zac put the result beyond doubt, reading the opposition attack brilliantly to intercept a pass and race away for a late try. It was the perfect finish to secure a bonus-point victory for Old Colfeians on home soil with the game ending 22-5.
#twosdontlose
