COUNTIES TWO MIDDLESEX: OCTOBER 4

IGNATIANS FIGHT BACK TO SEAL A HARD-EARNED DRAW AS HONOURS ARE EVEN

HACKNEY 20 ENFIELD IGNATIANS 20

ENFIELD IGNATIANS overcame a stiff character examination as, despite not quite firing on all cylinders, they kept going through thick and thin to force a 20-20 draw against Hackney in the second round of their Counties Two Middlesex campaign.

Having trailed 15-3 at the break, a far more fit for purpose Ignatians, to a man, rolled up their sleeves and, with a fierce wind by now in their favour, they put in a big shift which yielded three second-half tries in tricky conditions.

The visitors even had the temerity to pinch a Hackney defensive throw in the opposition 22, and they made good use of the turnover by carrying hard to the line, with Frank Antwi breaching a stubborn defensive line to move the visitors within seven points.

Not that Ignatians had it all their own way. At times they went off script and a series of pick and go’s, allied to some patient build up from Hackney, saw the hosts move the ball through multiple phases before forcing their way over from close range.

It restored Hackney’s 12-point lead, but with Ed Barker and Paul Duke both unleashing a couple of monumental 50-22 kicks, and scrum-half, Carl Asare-Anderson, also kicking well out of a hand, they at last had the necessary go-forward which they craved.

Ignatians’ dominant pack also laid the foundations with some good carries and fierce counter-rucking (Matt Pollard prominent) before scrum-half, Carl Asare-Anderson, played in the supporting centre, Calum Middleton, from a position close to the line.

Ignatians weren’t done for and, having sighted the Hackney lead, they eventually achieved parity after again forcing the issue in the opposition red zone,having been rewarded in the form of a 5m attacking scrum.

Ironically, Ignatians’ dominant set-piece initially wobbled, but with the experienced number eight, Sam Rushmer, steadying the ship, the number eight picked his spot and his dart from the base broke the Hackney defensive line, as the visitors after much huff and puff achieved parity.

Paul Duke had the chance to nail victory with his second conversion, only for the kick to sail wide of the uprights, but a draw was probably a fair result, as Hackney, with the more incisive backline, showed great resolve throughout when put under fierce pressure.

In a game in which a much-changed Ignatians compared to the Harrow game, declined at times to make the use of full extent of their arsenal, and notably a dominant pack, and they got off to a disastrous start in tricky and windy conditions in the opening exchanges. As fullback, Ed Barker, was penalised for taking out a Hackney player in the air close to his own line and sin-binned, which afforded Hackney an easy penalty strike dead-on to the sticks.

Further disaster befell Ignatians in the eighth minute, when the ball squirted out of the ruck in their own 22, with Hackney seizing upon the scoring opportunity in the blink of an eye, as the visitors capitalised on an easy run-in to forge a 10-0 lead.

Ignatians did get better as the half progressed and a successful Paul Duke penalty proved just what the doctor ordered, before an Ignatians’ knock-on near to their own 22 gifted Hackney a prime attacking position from which they scored in the corner.

Despite the setback, Ignatians had ample scoring opportunities in a protracted spell leading up to half-time but, having camped in the Hackney 22, tunnel vision set in as they failed to nail a raft of good opportunities close to the line.

It proved particularly galling as Hackney, had two players sin-binned following multiple team infringements in this period, but despite the opposition being reduced to 13, Ignatians repeatedly failed to turn the screw, having deferred all too quickly to their backline rather than use the collective strength of the tight eight to muscle their way over.

Still, there were many positives with Henry Sibley’s fine all round performance rewarded with the Lavender Hill Man of the Match accolade on an afternoon when the team welcomed three new faces into the ranks: Curtis Young, Emmanuel Okafor and Charlie Fussell.

Captain Euan Renny, having sat out the game through injury, said: “It took a while for the team to get going but we managed to turn it around in the second-half. I’m proud of the team’s effort.”

Ignatians play Kilburn Cosmos in the league on Saturday (October 11)

EIRFC squad(all used): Ed Barker, Alfie Fordham, Curtis Young, Calum Middleton, Emmanuel Okafor, Paul Duke, Carl Asare-Anderson, Finlay MacKay, Matt Pollard, Nathaniel Clarke, Henry Sibley, Liam Horn, Frank Antwi, Chris Langan, Sam Rushmer, Ken Carroll, Charlie Fussell, William Bruce (18).
Tries: Frank Antwi, Calum Middleton, Sam Rushmer.
Conversion (1): Paul Duke.
Penalty: 1): Paul Duke.
Lavender Hill Garage MOM: Henry Sibley.