Match Report – London Scottish Lions vs Old Alleynians
Regional 1 South Central – Round 8
Venue: Old Alleynians RFC
Saturday 8 November, KO 14:30
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Unseasonably beautiful weather allowed your correspondent to squeeze in a round of golf on Saturday morning, and the drive to Old Alleynians gave me time to think. Why did I take driver on the 17th? Why does it take over an hour to drive 10 miles round the South Circular? By how much would Scotland beat New Zealand at Murrayfield that afternoon? And how will 3rd (Old Alleynians) v 4th (London Scottish Lions) in the league go today, especially given the number of changes to the Lions’ starting XV? Read on for the answer to at least one of these questions…
Upon arrival in Dulwich, the Reykjavik branch of the Lions’ supporters club opined that he had just attended what he considered to be one of the best rugby lunches, with the singing from both sets of supporters being a particular highlight. To get that kind of positive feedback, Old Alleynians must have put on quite a spread!
Although disappointed to be missing Fergus Chapman after a late withdrawal through illness, the Lions were pleased to welcome back “Dublin” Dave Heavey on the wing as his replacement, with Harry Churchill and Flynt Preston also returning to the top team, and Finlay Hillicks and Aaron Perrin on the bench.
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The Match
In the first half the Lions were playing into the sun and against the slope into the far corner of the field, and Old Alleynians started more strongly, with their number 8 carrying hard and their backs distributing and moving the ball well as they attacked out wide. The Lions were forced into an early change, with Fabian Thwaites forced off with a wrist injury after only a few minutes. This necessitated a reshuffle, with Lachie Lowick moving from 8 to 12, with Dylan Westoby coming off the bench. Despite this setback, the Lions defence held firm, but it took a good 10 or more minutes until the Lions were able to escape their half and start to exert some pressure of their own on the Old Alleynians’ defence.
Following a couple of penalties, the Lions kicked to the corner in the Old Alleynians’ 22, and a catch and drive saw hooker Chris Rolfe pop up from the maul with the try (Editor note: Although a reasonable assumption the scorer was Rolfey, he was actually at a wedding 200 miles away. The real scorer was captain Joe Emson, climbing off his sickbed to lead the team). Although Angus Clogg missed the conversion from wide out on the left hand side, he was soon to get the chance to add another 2 points as centre Cameron Wray cut a beautiful line from a short pass to go over underneath the Old Alleynians’ posts to make the score, slightly against the run of play, 12-0 to the Lions.
The game started to swing back and forth from this point, as Old Alleynians scored in the far corner to get a foothold in the game, Angus Clogg kicked a good penalty from 35m out, and then Old Alleynians scored again to make the HT score 15-12 to the Lions. (Note: by this point, Scotland were already losing to New Zealand, despite the game kicking off only 3 minutes before. Sigh).
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Second Half: Resilience and Ruthlessness
“Big Red” Fin Hillicks came on at HT for Joe Emson, and was clearly aiming to have a big impact. A penalty conceded, a dropped ball and an injury later, and the impact had certainly been big. Just perhaps not in the direction intended. As the Lions again struggled to exit their half, a converted try for Old Alleynians took them into the lead for the first time, 19-15 ahead. It was a similar tale at Murrayfield, as New Zealand cantered in again to lead 14-0 in a score that flattered Scotland. The Lions were able to retake the lead 10 minutes later, as penalties and kicks to the corner let the Lions lay siege to the Old Alleynians’ goal line. Only a couple of games shy of his 200th (!) for the Club, Mark Bright forced his way over to put the Lions back in the lead, 20-15, with 20 minutes to go. The news wasn’t getting any better at Murrayfield, as New Zealand took a dominant 17-0 lead into the half.
The lead for the Lions didn’t last long, as the bonus point converted try for Old Alleynians took them into a six point lead with time running out. The Lions retained their composure despite the setback, and from the kick off were able to pin Old Alleynians deep in their own half. Multiple attacking phases increased the pressure on Old Alleynians, and finally Byron Leach was able to power over to the right of the sticks for the Lions’ bonus point try, with the conversion from Clogg taking the Lions into the lead, 27-26. Any worries about a tight finish were quickly, and unexpectedly, extinguished, as Cameron Wray cut another great line in the centre of the field before beating a couple of defenders for a converted try which, in your correspondent’s opinion, was the try of the day. 34-26 to the Lions.
Momentum was all with the Lions with only 60 seconds to play, but Old Alleynians were looking for the score that would give them a second bonus point. Much like at Murrayfield, it wasn’t to be for Old Alleynians, as another break down the left hand side of the field and a fly hack towards the Old Alleynians line led to Cormac McCracken scoring with the last play of the game, the extras added by Angus Clogg to make the final score Old Alleynians 26 London Scottish Lions 41.
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Tries: Joe Emson (9’), Cameron Wray x2 (23’, 75’), Mark Bright (59’), Byron Leach (72’), Cormac McCracken (78’)
Conversions: Angus Clogg x4 (24’, 73’, 76’, 79’)
Penalties: Angus Clogg (32’)
Man of the Match: Cameron Wray – Outstanding in both attack and defence, Wray’s intelligent running lines, defensive organisation, and two decisive tries were central to the Lions’ victory.
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Match Reflections
This was a statement win for the Lions. Against a side sitting one place above them in the table, Scottish showed maturity, resilience, and an ability to strike from anywhere on the pitch. The victory also marks their fifth win in six league games, keeping them firmly in contention near the top of the Regional 1 South Central standings.
As ever, the travelling support made themselves heard, helping drive the team to another memorable result in what’s shaping up to be an exciting season.
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Saturday 15 November
Next up for the Lions, just the one team out next weekend:
C Lions vs Hampstead 2nd XV (A)
– Venue: Hendon RFC (NW4 1RL)
– KO: TBC
