Threes Clean Up Against Cuffley

Enfield Ignatians took a while to hit their stride but, once they did, they proved handsome winners as they exorcised the demons of a limp display against Barnet as the Talk-Talk sponsored Cuffley experienced the walk-walk factor.

Notoriously slow starters, Ignatians took a while to find their stride in this game and, it was Cuffley, a side which had lost all seven previous league games, which threatened to upstage the hosts on their home patch by pinching a 12-0 lead after 16 minutes.

Although guilty of giving the ball away cheaply, and particularly at the breakdown, Ignatians did start to find their range towards the end of the half as they forced Cuffley on to the back foot and, after winning a string of penalties, it was inevitable that they were going to use the boot of fullback James Barber to drill the ball into the corners.

Consequently, Ignatians' excellent lineout, with vice-captain and Man of the Match Anthony Clare constantly cashing-in on the pinpoint throwing-in of hooker Dave French, really came into its own in the subsequent catch-and-drive attempt, and the end product of a textbook driving maul was a well-worked try for Phil Sanders on 34 minutes.

Ignatians again trod a similar path in the build up to the second try, and although a couple of catch and drive attempts were halted illegally by Cuffley, the blue and golds kept up the pressure as they again successfully cornered the visitors. Although on this occasion they had to rely on a close range dart from scrum-half Dan Jones to deliver the goods.

The successful Barber conversion tied the scores 12-12 at the break.

The second-half was practically one way traffic as Ignatians played Cuffley off the park. The blue and golds’ bigger pack continued to make inroads and were the source of the third try, when they showed their rugby nous with a third pushover score, when they also had the presence of mind to vary their lineout options by using Harry Bowman in the middle.

Although some of the mauls were a bit static, Ignatians worked up a fair head of steam on this occasion and Phil Sanders, having taking a bang to the ribs and scoffing at the suggestion that rugby is a game for younger game, showed his Wasps pedigree by deservedly claiming his brace.

The confidence generated by the forwards was translated to the backs and, with the passes starting to stick, Ignatians put Cuffley on the rack by stretching the visitors in every direction by adding four more tries.

Captain and fly-half Bish Galloway weaved and twisted his way through for the fourth try, but tries six and seven were the end products of classical three-quarter play with the ball travelling to the wings on each occasion when the deadly finishing qualities of Michael Gorham and Adam Collins came into play.

The Gorham try was certainly pleasing on the eye as the left winger, in true pistol-packer fashion, took deadly aim by leaving four defenders stranded in his wake.

The fifth try scored by the powerful Steve Emery was by a way of an early Christmas present which combined the farcical and comical, as Cuffley, cornered behind their own line, fired off a lame clearance which barely went beyond their own try line, and the centre gratefully accepted the gift which came his way.

James Barber further twisted the knife by adding five conversions and Ignatians also made use of the fresher legs of Lewis Ward and Damon Rodney.

Ignatians' only second-half flutter was the byproduct of being caught cold at the restart when they had insufficient numbers on the left-hand side. Cuffley took heart and swarmed upfield towards the Ignatians' line. The visitors were camped on the blue and gold line for a few minutes until some stubborn defence lifted the siege.

Cuffley certainly had their moments in the first-half and, poor Ignatians work from the kick-off created the position from which the visiting scrum-half probed the unguarded blindside to scamper in unopposed after barely a minute.

Ill discipline was at the heart of the second Cuffley try as Ignatians, having been penalised for offside, were trundled back a further ten metres for backchat. The visitors decided to run the penalty close to the blue and gold line which resulted in one of the black and red forwards going over on the crash.

Captain Bish Galloway said: "I'm very pleased with the performance, particularly as a disappointing the open quarter was practically the way we played against Barnet the previous week. We didn't stand back and showed that we are a capable side when everything clicks into place."