Longlevens RFC

With the top of the table so tight in Counties 1 Western North and with the Griffins having a disappointing loss on their record, this match against fellow table toppers Cinderford Utd was a must win game in order to keep pace with leaders Nailsea.

Preparation in training had been excellent, with 40+ players turning up each Tuesday and Thursday, allowing the coaches to play plenty of 15v15. The boys knew the significance of this fixture and were well and truly up for it.

The first 20 minutes didn’t really reflect this however and Cinderford stormed into a 10-nil lead. They were very quick out of the blocks and put Longlevens under serious pressure, but to their credit the Griffins defended well and kept them out. The first try came from an attempted clearance kick that Cinderford managed to charge down and re-gather to go over, 0-7. This was then followed up with a penalty kick to take the score to 0-10.

Longlevens then began to wake up and play the structure they train all week to implement. They got themselves on the score sheet after 25 minutes following a kick to the corner from Brad Wilkins. A good drive was set from the lineout and strong carries from the big runners took them to within five metres. Tom Griffiths had the first attempt but was stopped just short and Steve Phillips was on hand to crash over from the next ruck, 5-10.

Longlevens then had a 10-minute period of complete dominance, stringing multiple phases together and drawing penalties from a ragged Cinderford defence. One such penalty was kicked to the corner and from the resulting lineout drive debutant Ethan Hunt steering the pack over the line to score, converted by Wilkins, 12-10.

With team in the ascendancy all were confident of a strong second half performance and two more tries to get the important bonus point win. It took 20 minutes to get the third score and grind down the stubborn Cinderford defence, but eventually they cracked following a series of penalties and dominant scrums. The forwards took a series of short phases to narrow the opposition before the ball was spun left to Tom Griffiths at first receiver to crash through three defenders to go under the posts, 19-10.

The all-important bonus point try came soon after with the forwards again proving dominant in the set piece and in the loose. From a ruck on the left a clever wrap around pass was executed and Kory Holman-Jones hit a great line to bounce players and crash over, final score 26-10.

This was a great 60-minute performance and the forwards especially completely outplayed their opposite numbers. This win puts some daylight between the top two and the rest of the league, and with Nailsea going to Cinderford next week it’s all to play for.