MARCH 11: COUNTIES ONE HERTS-MIDDLESEX

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE BARE RESULT

ENFIELD IGNATIANS 12 RUISLIP 27

ENFIELD IGNATIANS were determined to go out with a bang and not a whimper, but ultimately it was Ruislip which held the whip hand after avenging a prior defeat to the blue and golds 27-12 in the league finale at Donkey Lane last Saturday.

The three previous games between the sides had been tense, tight affairs, with a mere two points separating the two teams, and the blue and golds were firmly in the hunt at the break, having trailed 8-5.

Ruislip opened the scoring with an outrageous drop-goal, and they stretched 8-0 clear after a fluid move from a set scrum saw them score in the corner, although the line speed of the home defence, whose alignment was far too narrow, did leave something to desire.

Looking to run the ball at every opportunity, Ignatians cranked up the pressure and were rewarded with a succession of penalties, and they initially certainly spurned a golden opportunity to erode the deficit after declining a simple pot at goal.

On that occasion they were eventually bust at the bank after Ignatians were penalised for holding-on, but they kept on the pressure and they were eventually rewarded after scrum-half, Anzl Swartz, fired off a quick pass from a ruck which was fielded by centre Hadee Fayaz.

The Cypriot internationall doesn't do sublety, and having proved a big thorn in the side of Ruislip, he again engaged high octane mode, having pirouetted and twisted his way out of tackles, before forcing his way over.

Vice-captain Euan Renny, Ignatians’ outstanding forward, also gave his side plenty of go forward, and the hosts really should have better from a glut of opportunities from penalties, given that Ruislip also had a player sin-binned (repeat team infringement).

Ignatians began the second-half brightly but they rather lost their way after as Ruislip fired off a three try salvo, as the visitors ran the ball back with a vengeance from an Ignatians’ goal-line drop out.

The bill continued to mount up, as Ruislip stretched further head and some neat interplay ushered in try number three, before the visitors wrapped up the bonus point following a successful rumble from a lineout catch and drive.

However, Ignatians, largely playing for pride at this juncture, had the final say and, and they did well to keep the pressure on, the support having initially been driven behind the gain line after Man of the Match Carl Asare-Anderson (seen here against Datchworth) tapped and went.

However, with Lucas Yoxall using his strength to break the gain line, the Ignatians’ attack regained vital impetus, and his momentum was key, before he supplied the scoring pass to Seyi Adeosun, who added to the try he scored a week earlier against Grasshoppers.

Paul Duke added the well-taken conversion but there was no further scoring after this.

Head coach Jack Wilson said: “It’s been a tough season. I can’t fault the on the field commitment of the players, and providing this commodity is in plentiful supply, there’s no reason why we can’t bounce back (from Counties 2 Herts-Middlesex - should relegation be confirmed) although it’s not a certainty.”

The result brings to an end a very tough season in which we haave had the spectre of relegation to Counties Two Herts-Middlesex hanging over us, and we could even end up bottom of the Counties One pile, as the current tail-enders, Hackney, within two points and yet to conclude their campaign, also have two games in hand.

It's understood that the issues governing promotion and relegation, following the publication of a recent document, will be the subject of a consultation exercise between the Herts/Middlesex clubs, which are working towards four possible scenarios

Whatever the outcome, Ignatians can do a lot worse by investing in a skills’ coach, who will supplement the work of coaches Jack Wilson and Christo Kasabi.

The upskilling process should also go hand-in-hand with improving fitness levels, which has also been laid bare in the current campaign by enlisting the services of a guru in this area; as increased playing skills (which includes kicking) go hand-in-hand with improved conditioning of the playing pool.

Jack Wilson is undoubtedly on the money when he is asking from greater commitment, not so much on the playing field but in training; mindful, too, of that famous phrase that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.

Any future strategy, which could, for example, be part of a three year cycle initially designed to build a squad of players whose skill levels will eventually be good enough to compete at level six.

Ignatians hasn’t been immune from the ravages of a dwindling playing pool, which is a national phenomenon, but some clubs are clearly coping better than others, and recruitment and retention must also be a high priority.

The loss of key personnel has been well documented. However, the club needs to look at other ways of augmenting its playing resources – given the parlous state of rugby in state schools – which means that the traditional supply lines previously afforded by Enfield Grammar and St Ignatius College have all but dried up.

The club has been initially trawling into current resources (returning players, youth section), and quite a bit of work has already been done in this area, but there is also a pressing need eventually to cast its net further afield.

Please note that the above is purely a personal opinion and not the official line of the club, but, if can implement some of the above, with the aim, too, of eventally fielding three senior sides, then we might, just might, give ourselves a fighting chance of emerging stronger and better in the future, and that surely is what we all want!

Squad v Ruislip: Tom Buckland, Cairo Sango (Jack O’Toole 50) (Jack Wilson), Carl Asare-Anderson, Hadee Fayaz, Jack O’Toole (Ryan Browne), Jack Wilson (Paul Duke), Anzl Swartz, Jake Baker, Matt Bainbridge (Patrick Izebhor), Alex McCall (Matt Bainbridge), Frank Antwi, Seyi Adeosun, Calum Middleton, Lucas Yoxall, Euan Renny.
Tries: Hadee Fayaz, Seyi Adeosun
Conversion: Paul Duke.
MOM: Carl Asare-Anderson