IGNATIANS BLOW HOT AND COLD AS LACK OF COHESION INVARIABLY TELLS

COUNTIES ONE HERTS-MIDDLESEX: SEPTEMBER 16

IGNATIANS BLOW HOT AND COLD AS LACK OF COHESION INVARIABLY TELLS

ENFIELD IGNATIANS 7 CHESHUNT 36

ENFIELD IGNATIANS’ patchwork army struggled against the more cohesive Cheshunt, as the hosts suffered a 36-7 defeat in the opening league fixture of their Counties One Herts-Middlesex campaign at Donkey Lane. (Sept 16)

On a hiding to nothing with their intended line-up much changed due to unavailability, which in turn had a knock-on effect in terms of numerous positional changes. Some concession, too, also needs to be made to the fact a few recruits were still finding their feet in the rarified league environment.

In fact, the pessimists before the game were predicting a heavy defeat. Landslide victory for Cheshunt? One way traffic? Not a bit of it as Ignatians more than held their own in the first-half when they were still in touch at 12-0 down.

However, you can’t compete at any level in rugby with a wobbly set-piece and the loss of three strikes against the head (the root cause of the first try) in the opening 40 minutes helped usher in their demise. The travails in this area were eventually fixed very late in the game but, by then, it was all over bar the shouting.

Clearly, the more fluent Cheshunt were clearly going to opt for the scrummage every time, and it was from the platform of two 5m scrums that they engineered their initial two tries.

Not that Ignatians didn’t have their moments. They put in a big shift defensively, which kept the scoreline down, but they could have been more adventurous when securing a penalty dead on to the sticks from 20m out.

Despite the lack of a recognised goal kicker, it was at least close enough to the uprights to at least warrant a go. Instead, they opted for the corner and came away with nothing, just when they were in need of the tonic that is a confidence booster.

Retreating to the sanctity of half-time in relatively good order, and only too aware of the problems that needed fixing, a mood of optimism prevailed, particularly as the blue and golds were now playing ‘downhill’.

Ignatians did indeed travel downhill in the third quarter but it was on the scoreboard, as the visitors successfully imprisoned the blue and golds within their own half, and successful escape attempts were few and far between.

It was in this period that last season’s unbeaten Counties Two Herts-Middlesex champions secured the bonus point win by adding a further two tries to the ledger. Although some poor Ignatians’ defence was at the heart of the third score as they were far too upright in contact, with the Cheshunt centre riding his way through the half tackle. The visitors also deferred to the fresh legs of their bench to gain their fourth score.

That Ignatians never totally receded below the waves was down to the splendid efforts of their experienced heads, Frank Antwi, Wes Warren, Seyi Adeosun and Phil Tucker and Ken Carroll, who used all their rugby savvy, which included some fierce counter-rucking, to steady a listing ship.

Ignatians did eventually rouse themselves for a grandstand finish in the final quarter when they were determined to finish with at least a try, and they in fact did a bit better by twice crossing the whitewash.

Some great interplay between Wes Warren and debutant scrum-half, the promising Tom McDougall, made the first breach only for the score to be ruled out for a foot in touch.

However, Ignatians were not to be denied and they exercised considerable pressure to the Cheshunt line and, following a number of attacking phases, the energetic Hadee Fayaz eventually made the decisive dent.

Tom McDougall landed the extras as Ignatians cashed-in on Cheshunt’s numerical inferiority (two players sin-binned), but despite the home side’s best attacking intentions, it was the visitors that finished on a high.

Although Ignatians were a bit unlucky on the fifth try as, with the Ignatians’ receiver spilling the ball, and with the referee rightly applying the advantage law, the hosts were hit by a double whammy as the leather took a wicked deflection, and Cheshunt rode their luck to score via their number eight, before adding a sixth try very late in the day.

Acting captain Euan Renny said: “We did quite well in certain areas but there is clearly lots to work on. Nathaniel Clarke was our Man of the Match, and an honourable mention must also go the debutant Tom McDougall for stepping in at nine when he’s actually a centre.”

Ignatians are away to Hampstead at the Heath Extension on Saturday (Sept 23), who like ourselves will be only too anxious to recover from an opening day defeat.

Squad (all used): Cairo Sango, Lawrence Loo, Nathaniel Clarke, Phil Ticker, Hadee Fayaz, Tom Buckland, Thomas MacDougall, Matt Pollard, Sam Hatchett, Farhad Fayaz, Jake Baker, Thomas Frith, Caolan Davey, Euan Renny, Frank Antwi, Ken Carroll, Wes Warren, Seyi Adeosun.
Try: Hadee Fayaz.
Conversion: Tom McDougall.
MOM: Nathaniel Clarke.