Match report by Simon MacMichael
A bonus point win over Old Priorians kept London Scottish Lions in second place in Regional 2 Thames, three points behind league leaders HAC who have played one more match.
While the scoreline 29-5 reflects a dominant performance from the hosts on a bitterly cold and very windy afternoon due to Storm Darragh at the King’s House Sports Ground in Chiswick, a spirited defensive performance from the visitors meant the Lions had to fight hard to secure all five points.
The opening try came early on from a lineout that was set up after Tye James used the wind sweeping across the pitch from the north to put a penalty kick from halfway into touch just metres short of the Old Prioirians try-line in the right-hand corner.
No 8 Finlay Hillicks rose to gather Sam Boundford’s delivery and, back to the line, held the ball up as the Lions pack drove forward, flanker Aaron Perrin touching down to score and James judging the wind perfectly to make the conversion for a 7-0 lead.
Unfortunately, it would be Hillicks’ last major contribution to the match as he was forced off with a dead leg shortly after the restart.
Apart from a couple of occasions when the wind, gusting at up to 50mph snatched the ball mid-air, leading the referee to adjudge the throw-in as not being straight, the Lions dominated the line-out.
On several occasions from those set pieces, the ball found its way to prop Jack Parkhurst whose surging, burrowing runs put the hosts in promising positions, though slippery conditions caused by the light rain resulted in a number of moves being brought to an end due to handling errors.
Despite their dominance, it was not until the match was three minutes shy of the half-hour mark that the Lions added their second try, which came after Old Prioirians had been temporarily reduced to 14 men after prop Guy Djedje was shown a yellow card.
Opting to go for the scrum, the Lions forwards drove the visiting pack backwards, flanker Lachlan Lowick gathering the ball to cross the line and score. Again, James added the extras, reading the wind perfectly to send the ball through the uprights.
The third try came moments before half-time courtesy of Jem Edwards, who after receiving the ball on the halfway line tore through the visitors’ defence with a searing, junking run to touch down in the left-hand corner, although on this occasion the conversion went wide, leaving the score 19-0 at the interval.
The hosts’ continued to enjoy the majority of possession and territory in the second half, but with Old Priorians continuing to defend desperately it was not until the 73rd minute that the fourth try, and with it the bonus point, arrived.
When it did, it proved to be the pick of the afternoon’s scores. Gathering a clearance from the visitors just inside his own half, James sprinted forward before passing inside to Mark Bright who immediately flipped the ball back out wide to Harry Churchill, tearing down the left wing, who took the ball cleanly and crossed for the score, with James’ conversion making the score 26-0.
Late on, Old Priorians were rewarded for their afternoon’s efforts as their pack drove over in the right-hand corner, but the final say would go to the Lions as a penalty resulted in James slotting home his fourth successful kick of the match for a 29-5 final score.
Ahead of next week’s visit to fifth-placed Beaconsfield, the Lions lie second in the table to HAC, who have played one game more, with last weekend’s Lions’ fixture away to Teddington abandoned due to injury and now rescheduled for 25 January.
Both teams have secured nine victories to date this season, with HAC – the sole team to beat the Lions so far this season – top of the table by three points thanks to having secured try bonus points in all but one of their matches so far, and a losing bonus point in each of their two defeats.
Final Score: London Scottish Lions 29- 5 Old Priorians
Man of the Match: Lachie Lowick (flanker)
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Unfortunately, the Lions B’s game was postponed due to the weather – the match against Finchley 2nd XV will instead be played on Saturday 25 January.
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Next up for the Club, both men’s team are away – with the Lions (2nd) taking on Beaconsfield (5th), and the Lions B’s (2nd) taking on Old Priorians Saints (2nd XV) (6th).
