A solitary but vital score from Ollie G deep into a gruelling second half at Welwyn was enough to secure a precious bonus point league victory for Ignatians on Sunday. First half tries from Patrick, Chenitha and Matteo had threatened to make the game safe but an inspired and gritty Welwyn side drew Enfield into an enthralling arm wrestle. A contest that was won eventually without the usual high scoring flourishes as our performance stuttered in the claggy Herefordshire mud. Credit to Welwyn but also plaudits to the stretched squad who achieved the only thing that matters in the context of the Herts Middlesex Junior League Division 3 campaign. A win.

Our hosts made a powerful start to the game with what proved to be a well organised ‘pick-and-go’ game around the fringes of rucks. They kept the ball tight but managed to break the line twice to move the ball upfield. A missed tackle or two from a slow and startled Enfield led to the opening score under the posts. 7-0. 3mins.

Enfield got the message to wake up and warmed to the contest on both sides of the ball. Henry who has a superb performance from whistle to whistle both carried well and rucked effectively to keep the ball from the Welwyn jackal. Two nice passes from the half backs moved the ball wide to Chenitha who made ground on the right before Patrick made use of a decoy runner on his shoulder to score
under the posts. 7-7 7 mins.

Then straight from kick off, George caught the ball and set off on the diagonal. He slipped a pass flat to the defensive line to Hayden who moved it on to Patrick. The full back drew another player before releasing Chenitha down the right. The quick-footed winger cut back to score by the uprights.. 7-14 8mins.

After two rapid back moves that we are used to seeing we were expecting plenty more of the same. We got a little. Good hands from George and his backs again gave Chenitha another opportunity to make meters but the attack fizzled out. Short passes to the likes of Daniel, Teddy and Alta-smash, as he is affectionately known, kept the ball moving. But otherwise Welwyn gave as good as they got. Minutes later though, Ollie S’s quick thinking at a penalty led to our third try. His quick tap wrong footed Welwyn. Then, when the ball found its way into a central area Matteo sold a terrific dummy and surged clear to score. 7-21 26mins.

But that really was almost it for Enfield’s fluidity for the afternoon. Beyond four first half attacks it was the home team who bossed possession. Their handling was excellent and their fly half kept the Enfield guessing with his late, short passing. Their runners powered into our defence, presented and rucked well to retain the ball. The action became centred around midfield and the game became scrappy. Enfield also conceded a number of penalties which led to long tiring advantages for the home side.

Despite Welwyn’s slight dominance they didn’t often threaten our tryline. In novel and perhaps mature game management, the home side elected to kick two penalties to narrow the deficit to eight points at the interval. 13-21.HT

The game was still to be won as the second half kicked off. A long and successful defensive set from Enfield set the necessary standard in those opening minutes. Welwyn won another penalty 26 yards out, which their fly half just missed on 40mins. Keeping the eight point lead was vital as the minutes ticked on the clock. There was a general stalemate in the game only unlocked by a Sammy run that had started from a good scrum and passed across the back line. His dad grimaced as the lad knocked on. 51 mins still 13-21.

Welwyn had their fair share of territorial advantage pinning Enfield in their 22. We were relieved to see Harry kick clear on 56mins. While there was not a lot of attacking action to report of, defences often win games. The tackling of the forwards, led by Henry, Liam and Ollie S and strong carries of Daniel, Hayden and Altamash kept the second half scoreless.

Then at last came the decisive moment on the hour. This time we applied the Welwyn model of keeping the ball tight around the fringes. Daniel made good in roads in their 22 with defenders attempting to drag him down. But moments later our big tackling centre Ollie G sealed the move by stepping through the defensive line to score the first points of the second half. Patrick who split the four conversions with Harry, converted well from the left to make it 13-28 60 mins.

Undeterred by what was a game clinching score Welwyn continued to fight. Their coach was rightly proud of their performance. We had ten more minutes of the rugby arm wrestle broken only by one great run from Patrick and an ‘out the back of the hand’ pass from Hayden. The final word though went to Welwyn. Their Fly Half skipped around a missed tackle wide outside our 22 and he ran around to score and convert at the posts. The second half was drawn 7 each and the late try gave the scoreline the more balanced view the home side deserved. 20-28 FT.

The crucial bonus point win leaves Enfield top of League 3 with one game to play, but they really needed a committed squad display to secure the win against a Welwyn side who put in their best performance of the league season. We give thanks to the hosts and their convivial spirit that extended to the clubhouse today.