Didsbury Toc h 3rdXV 35 - 0 Aldwinians 4thXV

The disappointment of relegation at the end of last season had at least been tempered by an unbreakable esprit d ’corps which was on display throughout a hard season and particularly in the face of some heavy defeats. It was with this in mind that the team came together on a warm day in almost perfect playing conditions. A mixture of last season’s team and some new arrivals at the club were augmented by several younger members of the 4th Team whose game had unfortunately been called off. Notable additions were Richard Massingham who, having relinquished his president’s duties was able to bolster the backs at fly-half and Luke Collins making a welcome return to the forwards to shore up the front row. So it was that Toc started the game with a squad of 20 to face up against an impressive looking Aldwinians team. Discipline and team spirit was preached during the pre-match team talk and so it proved to be the deciding factor as the game developed.

Having lost the toss Toc received the kick and there was evidence of some rustiness in individual decision making with a few loose passes being thrown and some slow ball at the breakdown. The first quarter turned into a game of attrition with both sides getting the measure of each other. Encouragingly for Toc, the defensive line held impressively in the face of some fairly brutal Aldwinians offense resulting in them choosing to kick much of their possession away. This allowed Toc to counter from open play or secure the line out (another significant improvement from last season) and patiently build up the attack. With nerves settled, the pre-season cobwebs were blown out and Toc were able to break the deadlock with a break through the Aldwinians’ defensive line to touch down over the line. A converted penalty soon followed giving Toc an 8-0 advantage but this seemed to spur Aldwinians into action with them enjoying much of the possession and territory for the remainder of the half. The final 5 minutes saw Toc lose scrum-half Aled Brassington to a blood injury followed by a sustained assault on the Didsbury try line. The defence held fast and Aldwinians were unable to convert their territorial advantage into points despite coming close on several occasions.

Toc were able to capitalise on being in the unusual position of having several subs to relieve tired legs. Changes were made in the fwds and the backs and fortunately for Toc Aled Brassington returned to the game having been patched up. The performance in the first half had clearly injected some self-belief in the team as possession and territory seemed to come far more easily. Mass controlled the game from fly-half with a combination of well-placed kicks and slick passing through the backs. Aldwinians clearly started to feel the pressure as they conceded several penalties in quick succession due to poor discipline. This allowed Mass to convert another penalty further extending Toc’s lead. Ill-discipline started to creep into the Aldwinians’ game in the face of a resolute Toc defence. They took their frustration out on the referee who bore the brunt of their displeasure as the game slipped away from them. They conceded penalty after penalty with decisions even being reversed in the home team’s favour as they were unable to keep quiet, Toc smelt blood! The addition of several younger members who had been bumped up from the 4ths proved crucial in the form of some courageous tackling and the ability to exploit a tiring opposition with superior fitness. The final quarter saw the flood gates open with a succession of well worked tries finished by the youngsters and the scoreboard ticking over from the boot of Mass. The highlight of the match came in the final minutes of the match when Aldwinians had managed to work their way up the pitch and Toc looked in serious danger of conceding the first points of the game. Again, a faultless defensive performance enabled a turnover in the Toc 22 with the ball finding its way to the unsuspecting hands of Luke Collins. Aldwinians desperately tried to recover as he charged up the centre of the pitch breaking several tackles in the process. The ball was offloaded on half way for a straight run in to cap off the victory under the posts with the extras added for good measure.

The final score of 35-0 gives the impression that it was a one sided match which, for the first half at least, it certainly was not. Aldwinians might have reason to feel aggrieved at the amount of decisions that went against them in the second half but they failed to play to the style of the referee which is definitely a valuable lesson Toc had brought with them from the previous season. In fairness to the opposition the game was mostly played in good nature between opposing players as the scores started to mount up. There was no single man who stood out as man of the match although mention must be made of the younger players who made an immediate impact when they came on. Fenton and Kadeem looked dangerous throughout working up a couple of tries between them and stating their case for promotion up the ranks in the process. Also worthy of a mention was Harrison recently arrived from the USA and playing his first game of competitive rugby. Introduced in the final quarter, he made an excellent tackle on the wing and enjoyed a quiet remainder of the game as the opposition thought better of running at him again. Final praise is reserved for Collins though due to his heroics in the final minutes. Not only did he create the afternoon’s most spectacular try but also managed to retain his composure despite clearly being traumatised at the distance he had just run (at least 20 metres). That story will no doubt be doing the rounds at the clubhouse for some time to come!