Finsbury 2nd XV vs Hemel Hempstead 3rds

Match Report - Finsbury Park 2nds vs Hemel Hempstead 3rds 12NOV16
Written by Nick Tewson

1st Half

This week saw Finsbury Park’s Second XV travel north to Hemel Hempstead. It was an early kick-off due to the Australia vs Scotland test match (and some other game at Twickenham). After having the previous weekend off and with no game for the Ones, the Seconds travelled with a large squad of 22 looking to continue their push up Merit Table 6. The wet and cool conditions meant the team were in for a proper game of English rugby.

Finsbury kicked off on the damp pitch but had a setback moments in with Chris Burgess, starting just his second game at scum half, going off injured after getting caught in an awkward position in a ruck. Thankfully Park had the experience of Ted Coday on the bench to replace him. The first quarter of the game was played between the two 10 metre lines, with neither team able to gain much rhythm.

5-0 Hemel Hempstead.
Eventually, Hemel Hempstead were able to push into the Finsbury 22. They opened the scoring with some good work close to the Park line before finding space on the right of the Finsbury defence. The conversion was pushed just wide.

After this setback, Finsbury found some continuity themselves. Good work down the left saw number 8 Tom “Benjamin Button” Kemp (TK) make a break. Like a new born iguana escaping a pack of hungry snakes, TK sprinted down field. Unfortunately, what happened next was not so elegant. As he was caught, TK attempted to offload to a team mate but only managed to throw a forward pass… to an opposition player, thus earning himself a nomination for dummy of the day.

5-7 Finsbury Park.
Finsbury Park continued this good play and were finally able to attack deep into Hemel Hempstead’s half. A strong run from 13 Morgan Latrell Carter-Tocny bought Park within 10 metres of the home side’s line. A couple of phases later it looked as if Morgan was destined to score only to be brought down just short. The ball was recycled quickly and passed out to Burgess, who had run off his injury and was now playing on the wing, who ran through to score. Number 9 Coday stepped up for his first ever attempt at goal. With all the composure of an Irishman playing in Chicago, Coday slotted the conversion.

The remainder of the half was played in much the same manner as the early exchanges. The conditions meant that handling was difficult, and this combined with indiscipline ensured neither team were able to gain a major territorial advantage. Just before half time there was a reshuffle to the backline with Nick Tewson brought on at 10 to sure up the kicking.

2nd Half
The tight battle continued into the second half and the persistent handling errors and penalties prevented the game from having any real flow.

Yellow Card Finsbury Park.
As both teams pushed for the upper hand, a borderline, but good-looking tackle from recruit French Tom was seen as a tip tackle by the ref and Park were reduced to 14 for the next 10 minutes. Finsbury had to dig deep to keep Hemel Hampstead out.
Repeated attacks by the home side on the Finsbury Park defensive line were rebuffed. However, with a man light in the forwards, the Finsbury scrum was being pushed backwards. Along with the continued penalties that Park were giving away, the away side struggled to escape their own 22.

8-7 Hemel Hempstead.
Valliant defence on the line from Finsbury Park kept Hemel Hempstead out. However, Park’s ill-discipline ultimately cost them as Hemel Hempstead were given a penalty within range of the posts. French Tom was now back on the field following his yellow card. The attempt on goal was pushed out to the right. Despite this, the ref blew his whistle. French Tom had distracted the kicker during his attempt. This combined with the yellow card saw French Tom also gain a nomination from the team for dummy of the day. It also meant that Hemel Hempstead’s number nine had another chance to give his side the lead. This time he made no mistake and converted the shot at goal, 8-7 to the home side.

With about 10 minutes remaining, another backline reshuffle saw Coday replace Tewson with Burgess moving to 10. Burgess grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and repeatedly took on the Hemel Hempstead defensive line. A break from Burgess gave Park a rare sight of the opposition 22.

8-10 Finsbury Park.
The opportunity was not to be missed. A Penalty to Park inside Hemel Hempstead’s 22 was taken quickly by Burgess. However, the play was brought back as it had been taken off the mark. Play was then stopped for an injury to centre Saylan Lucas. As Saylan came off, Park took the opportunity to retake the lead with three points. Coday again stood up to take the kick at goal and cooly guided the ball between the posts. 8-10 to Park.

Park spent the final 10 minutes with the ball camped inside their own half. The penalties and dropped ball persisted for both teams until eventually Park were given a penalty on their own 10 metre line. A quick tap was taken, which seemed a strange decision given Park’s lack of territory. However, from the resulting ruck, the ball was kicked into touch and the final whistle blew. A hard fought, well-earned away victory saw Park continue to put pressure on the teams at the top of the table. A real team effort in the spirit of Finsbury Park rugby.

Man of the Match went to Ted Coday for his composure in front of goal. A shout out to Sam Williams who made his debut for Finsbury Park. And next up, a rematch at home with Harpenden 3rds, who beat Park’s 2nds in the away match.