The first team ultimately left Anson Road with their heads held high, but despite a valiant effort they were unable to snap a losing run which extends to six league games following the 29-12 away reverse to Kilburn Cosmos.

By way of mitigation, a couple of players were off-colour prior to the game due to the seasonal bug but still agreed to play, yet the bill continued to mount following the loss of both scrum-halves to injury – one in each half – and they were also reduced to 14-men for half of the game. Yet, despite this, the visitors, to a man, put in a monumental shift.

Calum Middleton was the Lavender Hill Garage Man of the Match. Despite playing out of position at fly-half, he made a decent fist of an unfamiliar position, particularly in the first-half, as well as adding a physical dimension to his performance.

Prop Ken Carroll alluded to the team rediscovering “the dog within” after the Hackney game, and this was certainly manifest in the first-half as, despite falling behind to a sixth minute try when they were literally carved open, their commitment never wavered.

Finding salvation in attack, they threw bodies forward and won the gain-line battle that their physicality demanded. Consequently, they had a glut of front-foot possession which acted as a springboard for multiple attacks from the backline.

The probing runs of the centre partnership, Ryan Loo and Curtis Young, certainly asked some serious questions of Kilburn, as the visitors did their best to stretch the hosts to breaking point by spreading the ball to both flanks.

Ignatians even prospered on a couple of occasions, and the returning Ryan Loo (following a finger injury) proved a key catalyst, as he linked up with the touchline-hugging fullback Ishan Tilakaratna on his right.

The latter was ultimately smothered by the Kilburn cover, but the forwards were quick to recycle from the ruck, and another Ryan Loo surge did the trick as he ghosted his way past a couple of defenders in the 22 to claim the equalising try.

Spirits soared even further as scrum-half, Dan Shaw, who kicked well out of hand, did very well to land the tricky angled conversion, as the visitors were rewarded for their diligence by forging a narrow 7-5 lead.

Despite playing up the slope, Ignatians, lording the territorial battle at this battle, did experience their fair share of bad luck in this game, and not least losing their influential first choice scrum-half, Dan Shaw, following a hamstring injury, on the half-hour mark.

Declan Linnane proved more than able deputy at scrum-half, but with fullback, Adam Moorley, through no fault of his own, still stuck in traffic on the busy North Circular, Ignatians found themselves reduced to 14 for the remaining ten minutes of the half.

Kilburn were quick to capitalise and, having won a close-range penalty for a high tackle, they brought superior numbers to bear by taking a quick tap, with their most effective player, the fullback, floating a long scoring pass into the path of the right-winger.

Undaunted, Ignatians were soon on the front foot again, and their expansionist approach again yielded dividends, having been quick to regain possession, before spreading the ball through multiple hands, from one side of the field to the other.

Consequently, mobile second-row, Henry Sibley, found himself in a one-on-one situation with the final defender, but the momentum was all with the attacker as he used his strength to brush aside the attentions of the latter.

It was a well-worked ‘team’ try and confidence was high, particularly as Ignatians, having snatched a richly deserved 12-10 half-time lead, would be playing down the slope in the second-half, but very disappointingly they fired very few shots as an attacking force.

In part, their kicking game which was assured in the first-half went badly awry, openly inviting the counter-attack, and they also seemed to run out steam and ideas as they were very rarely sighted in the Kilburn Cosmos 22.

Having waned as an attacking force and got themselves in a right tangle for the third Kilburn try, which coincided with the 56th minute post-try arrival of the cavalry in the form of Adam Moorley, as the visitors were restored to 15-men.

Despite gaining parity numerically, Ignatians again suffered a reverse on the scoreboard after Kilburn successfully ran and converted a close range-penalty by going in under the sticks, as the hosts regained the ascendancy to lead 22-12.

Again, the rugby gods were in no mood to smile upon Ignatians, despite the best efforts of Frazer Briers (mazy runs) and Finlay Mackay (good caries), as Declan Linnane, having been unwell during the week, was forced off as a result of a back injury, with the visitors were again reduced to 14, this time for the remaining 24 minutes.

It proved a bridge too far as Kilburn Cosmos continued to espose all-out attack mode and they finished on a high with a breakaway try.

Despite the loss head-coach Gary Phillips was pleased with his side’s showing. He said: “It was up there [as a performance} with what we should last season and the form shown in the September early October period. Hopefully, we can kick on when we get bodies back in January.”

Ignatians are away to Finsbury Park on January 10.

EIRFC (all used): Ishan Tilakaratna , Alfie Fordham*, Curtis Young, Ryan Loo*, Frazer Briers*, Calum Middleton*, Dan Shaw, Matt Pollard, Ken Carroll*, William Bruce*, Henry Sibley*, Liam Horn*, Declan Linnane*, Frank Antwi, Finlay MacKay*, Adam Moorley.